'R' word isn't used, but Vikings alter roster

Two years ago the Vikings made only five selections in the NFL draft as they tweaked the roster of a team that had won the NFC North and proved to be on the cusp of a run to the conference title game.

This past weekend the organization doubled that number of choices in the seven-round draft as it began the process of turning over the roster of a franchise coming off a last-place 6-10 finish in the division.

The reality -- although Vikings vice president of player personnel Rick Spielman and coach Leslie Frazier are unlikely to say it -- is that this draft was the first step in what could be considered a rebuilding process at Winter Park.

Only Washington (12) and Philadelphia (11) had more picks than the Vikings, who accumulated the same amount of picks as Green Bay and San Francisco.

That is not to say the Vikings are blowing up their roster. It is to say the window for the Vikings to win a Super Bowl with the collection that lost to the Saints in the NFC Championship Game in January 2010 has closed.

There will be some key pieces that remain in place, including Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson and linebacker Chad Greenway, but the Vikings fielded the second-oldest roster in the NFL at the end of last season, with an average age of 28.3 years and 17 players 30 or older.

That included 41-year-old quarterback Brett Favre, who is among a list of veterans who have played their last down in purple. Frazier is a nice and personable fellow whom the players like, but he made it clear Saturday after the draft that making changes and releasing players isn't going to be an issue for him.

A former NFL cornerback and the Vikings defensive coordinator from 2007 until he took over for Brad Childress as coach with six games left last season, Frazier also had a clear vision for what he wanted to do at quarterback. In his mind he accomplished it by selecting Florida State's Christian Ponder with the 12th pick in the first round.

Vikings fans might have been unhappy with the decision, but anyone who was surprised the Vikings took Ponder simply hadn't been paying attention. Frazier said last month that it would be "ideal" to select a quarterback early in the draft, and clearly he was tired of the rotation of veterans the franchise had employed.

Frazier, Spielman agree

The only thing that really mattered was Spielman seemed to be in agreement with his coach in that they at least needed to make an attempt to find a long-term fix to the issue. It was somewhat comical that fans at the Vikings draft party jeered Spielman after the Ponder pick, but then applauded Frazier.

The decision to take Ponder was just as much Frazier's as it was Spielman's. That like thinking was extremely important since owner Zygi Wilf essentially mandated the two men be on the same page when Frazier was named the permanent coach a day after the regular season ended.

Of course, this was only a baby step in the process.

Whether Ponder will turn into the Vikings version of Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco or Mark Sanchez remains to be seen, but Frazier and Spielman know the year-to-year consistency Wilf wants from the franchise won't come unless the Vikings have stability at the most important position on the field.

There has been talk of the Vikings possibly going to get a veteran quarterback to help Ponder's adjustment -- Washington's Donovan McNabb has been the name mentioned most -- but listening to Frazier, it sounds as if he wouldn't mind seeing Ponder start on Sept. 11 at San Diego. There will be a few factors that determine if this happens, including when the lockout ends and if Ponder will have enough time to learn the offense.

However, keep this in mind: Ponder admits he might have better idea of what the offense will be like than anyone else with the Vikings because new offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave's system resembles many of the things Ponder did at Florida State. Musgrave also will tailor some of his offense to the rookie's strengths.

This means Ponder might be ready to go right away and if that's the case, the Vikings are going to have to accept the good with the bad as he learns on the job. How that situation ultimately is handled will go a long way toward Frazier and Spielman demonstrating where they think the franchise is at. There also will be other telltale signs.

One will be how many of the Vikings' 10 draft picks stick on the roster.

Last year, the Vikings had eight picks, including tight end Mickey Shuler. There were members of the organization that really liked Shuler and wanted to keep him on the 53-man roster, but with Childress having final say of that unit, the Vikings tried to sneak the rookie through waivers and onto the practice squad.

The move backfired and Shuler was claimed by the Miami Dolphins.

Shuler was one of six third-day draft picks (rounds four through seven) the Vikings made last year. Two never made it to the regular season -- Shuler and fifth-round linebacker Nate Triplett -- and seventh-round fullback Ryan D'Imperio ended up on the practice squad.

This year the Vikings made eight selections on the third day, including five on defense and six in the last two rounds, and quite a few of them probably will get every opportunity to make the roster.

What will help this football team in the long run is creating competition and getting some fresh faces on the roster. That is something Frazier and Spielman both seem to understand.