Sid Hartman: Not much cheer for Vikings brain trust

There is an old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words.

This was the case Sunday after the Vikings' 42-20 loss to the Saints, as Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf, along with Rick Spielman, vice president of personnel, stood side-by-side as players walked into the locker room with a look of nothing but concern on their faces following a very one-sided defeat.

That look could tell the story of the game.

For the better part of 50 years, the Vikings have been a very competitive team, including since the Wilfs took over in 2005. But Sunday's game had to be a low point.

The look on the face of the team's leadership told the story. Two years ago, these two teams played for the right to go to the Super Bowl, and while both teams returned 13 starters from that game, New Orleans has continued to develop with a great quarterback in Drew Brees, while the Vikings remain in a two-year rut.

Sunday's game again showed how important a great veteran quarterback -- such as Brett Favre for the Vikings in 2009 -- with a strong offensive line is in the NFL.

Yes, it proved the well-known theory of former Vikings coach Bud Grant that players, not coaches, win games.

The Vikings have their holiday party Monday night, and there's not going to be a lot to celebrate.

Brees tough to top Brees, in his sixth year with the Saints, completed 32 out of 40 passes for 412 yards, five touchdowns and a sensational 149.2 QB rating.

The Vikings defensive line was able to put a good rush on Brees, but the front four along with those who were blitzing were always one step away from sacking him.

Certainly, the Vikings' depleted secondary had a major impact. They have lost three of their four starting defensive backs through injury, and cornerback Cedric Griffin has been benched for ineffectiveness.

The secondary was made up of mostly inexperienced players: undrafted free agent Marcus Sherels, whose main role is as a returner; Benny Sapp, who was out of an NFL job until the Vikings asked him to return a month ago; sixth-round draft choice Mistral Raymond, who made his defensive debut last month; and veteran Jamarca Sanford. Plus the nickelback was fifth-round pick Brandon Burton. The group was no test for Brees.

Teams with great quarterbacks such as Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Brees win. Those without a super QB lose.

But give Ponder time and with experience he has a chance to be great.

Saints defense strong The Saints were able to stop the Vikings' biggest offensive weapon of late, Percy Harvin. A hurried Ponder was only able to get off seven passes to Harvin, completing three for a total of 8 yards.

"They double-teamed me, had a great scheme for our offense. We didn't make enough plays to win the game," Harvin said. "Like I said, any time you can't keep your quarterback standing tall, it's going to be difficult. They did a great job of keeping pressure on him and keeping him off balance. ... It was the rush and the quarterback had to scramble to try and find time. They did a good job."

He added: "Any loss is discouraging. We just have to go back Monday and try to fix it."

"Physically, I felt good," Peterson said. "At times, I felt little tweaks here and there, but it wasn't anything significant enough to take me out."

He said his sprained ankle was not 100 percent, though he added, "But I was well enough to perform well."

With the Vikings' deficit growing in the second half, Peterson didn't see the field much. "I think it was more of a precaution," he said. "Got behind about 28 and didn't want to take a chance of re-injuring it. Try and be healthy for the last two games."

Peterson was asked if, with the Vikings' 2-12 record, some players might just be playing out the string.

"I don't think so, but that's a reality, I can't read everybody's mind on the team," he said. "I'm sure some guys have clocked out. But overall, what I'm seeing from the head guys on this team, there's no quit in them."

On the Saints offensive line, which kept Jared Allen and others from sacking Brees, Ayodele said: "That O-line has been together for five years now. I think they have one or two guys in there helping out. Those guys know each other, too. They're a good O-line."

Griffin idle Griffin, a second-round pick in 2006 who became a Vikings starting cornerback during his rookie season, no doubt is in the doghouse because he says he is healthy yet he is not playing. Certainly, the operations on both knees the past two years have slowed him down.

"No I was not upset. This is all coordinated and all talked about, so this is perfectly fine," Griffin said. "I'm OK with what's going on and I think [the coaches are] OK with what's going on, as well."

He was in uniform and played a little on special teams, but despite the shortage of experienced defensive backs, he didn't play much on defense.

"We have four or five DBs up, and they did a great job," Griffin said. "Other than that, we're mad that we didn't get the win. We're disappointed in our loss today, but other than that, I'm sure the staff will get it right for the next two weeks."