In a recent ESPN piece grading the offseason moves for all 32 teams with the help of anonymous quotes from team executives, the Vikings are graded at a C-minus, and one of those anonymous sources says the Vikings "are starting to go backwards just a little bit."
That's a reasonable opinion to hold considering the Vikings went 3-8 in their final 11 games last season and still have plenty of roster questions. But here's where we also must try to decipher the motivations of whomever said that.
Was it someone from a rival team trying to create an early narrative that the Vikings are on the decline? Was it someone from an AFC team who has less exposure to the Vikings? Was it someone repeating a consensus opinion from talking to other executives?
Nobody knows, so let's leave it at this: Feel free to worry about the Vikings, but don't worry about what one anonymous executive has to say about them.
Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. michael.rand@startribune.com.
