Momentum carries Vikings to big win

Jim Kleinsasser, in his 11th year with the Vikings, said he felt that Sunday's 44-7 victory over the Giants was a continuance of the great second half the team played in Chicago, when it overcame a 17-point second-half deficit to tie the score before losing 36-30 last Monday night.

"It was good to come back and take some of the momentum that we had in the second half of the Chicago game and kind of put a full game together," said the veteran tight end. "We came out, we only had a few mistakes, we had some mental things going on, but guys were up for the game."

The Vikings will have a bye in the first round of the playoffs, and some of the injured players can get some rest and heal.

"It's just about coming out and executing the football," Kleinsasser said. "You see when we come out here, we have false starts, we have penalties, that's the one thing that can stop us. I think we can come together, play offense, defense, special teams and do some damage [in the playoffs].

"We've got a lot of guys who have a lot of pride. Guys who've been in the league. Once you establish how you're going to play the game, then you kind of fall off a little bit. I think you want to show everybody and get that respect back. And I think we did a little bit of that today."

Kleinsasser, known for his outstanding blocking, had 10 receptions this season after not having more than seven in one season since 2006.

"Every once in a while, the cookie falls, and you pick up the crumbs," he said. "My bread and butter is blocking, the running game, the passing game and get out there and try my best to be a weapon. Or, be there for anything in the passing game."

"They build momentum. And they put you back on the positive road," Allen said. "And, yeah, coming off two losses we needed a game like this to get a little jump start going in. The way we practiced, the way our mindset was and the way we were acting, we were just having a good time. Yeah, I saw this coming.

"We can beat whoever we need to beat, if we play like this."

Allen finished second in the NFL, and first in the NFC, with 14.5 sacks and made the Pro Bowl again. Elvis Dumervil of the Broncos led the league with 17 sacks.

The Vikings had the most sacks in the NFL with 48, one ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team record for sacks is 71 in 1989, and Chris Doleman set the team individual record that year with 21 sacks.

Great job by Stewart I recall Brad Childress saying that he hired the best wide receivers coach in the NFL when the Vikings coach signed George Stewart to a contract three years ago.

Well, one of the reasons the Vikings finished with a 12-4 record is because of the season the Vikings receivers enjoyed.

Of course, as a receivers coach it helps to have a great quarterback, such as Brett Favre, on the team. But the job Stewart has done in developing young receivers Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin is fantastic. Not many teams, even great ones, have three wide receivers who have caught more than 50 balls in one season. This season Rice had 83, Harvin 60 and Bernard Berrian 55. Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe had 56 catches.

Running backs Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor also had more than 40 catches, and eight players caught touchdown passes from Favre this season.

Harvin set a team record with 2,081 combined yards (receiving, rushing and returns), surpassing Herschel Walker's 2,051 in 1990.

An injured Shiancoe, after being tested before the game by athletic trainer Eric Sugarman in a workout, insisted on playing and caught seven passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. Shiancoe wasn't going to pass up a chance to play against his old Giants teammates. He was a backup tight end in New York from 2003 to 2006 before signing with the Vikings.

"Harvin did a great job today," Stewart said after the rookie caught seven passes for 59 yards and had a 22-yard run.

"Bernard is getting healthy at the right time of the year. I think Sidney, if he continues to train and stay healthy, and as you know that's a big key in terms of staying healthy, if he can stay healthy, the sky is the limit."

Rice, with 1,312 receiving yards, became only the fifth Vikings wide receiver to have more than 1,200 yards. The others are Randy Moss, Jake Reed, Cris Carter and Anthony Carter. Rice finished fourth in the NFL in receiving yardage behind Houston's Andre Johnson (1,569), New England's Wes Welker (1,348) and Dallas' Miles Austin (1,320).

Stewart has coached such great receivers as Terrell Owens, Jerry Rice and Roddy White, but he said he believes you can build a franchise around youngsters Harvin, 21, and Rice, 23.

Reserves get chance Third-string tailback Albert Young carried the ball 10 times for 40 yards in the fourth quarter Sunday.

"It's just more going out there and closing the game out. They know I can do that.

"The main thing is to make the most of the opportunity. The situation that was dealt to me, I thought I did a good job with that. I mean, I feel that my time is definitely going to come, but for now, I know my role."

Fullback Naufahu Tahi, a four-year veteran, scored his first touchdown since his days at BYU on a 1-yard pass from Favre.

"I worked worked hard in the offseason. Did my best this offseason to be the best I can be for this offense and helping out in any way that I could," he said.

"It was nice. Had a carry and a catch. Finally able to get in the end zone. Get that feeling back. I hadn't had it since college."