Souhan: Vikings have talent to live up to hype

This is a unique day in Vikings history.

Today, the first Sunday of the 2009 NFL season, the Vikings become the biggest story in the most popular sport in America for a reason other than an epic loss or an embarrassing scandal.

Today, the Vikings present a Hall of Fame quarterback who is a defector from their greatest rival and will lead one of the most talented teams in football.

Today, your Vikings will not be the franchise of Super Bowl losses, championship game chokes, 41-0, Love Boat, Ticketgate, Denny Green's homemade videos and myriad arrests.

Today, your Vikings become the biggest story in the NFL because of what they are capable of doing, not what they are chagrined to have done.

"Everybody here, including me, feels that it's definitely going to be a huge season," tight end Visanthe Shiancoe said. "That's if we put all the components together. I think we have the best talent in the NFL right now. We have the most explosive guys on offense. We work too hard, I feel, to lose, or to expect less. I would be surprised if we're not one of the top offenses or teams in the league."

The Vikings have earned the 24-hour cable-channel attention, and not just because of the serpentine saga of Brett Favre. They have constructed one of the most talented rosters in the NFL.

The Wilfs inherited a few quality players from Red McCombs' cheap regime: linebacker E.J. Henderson, tackle Bryant McKinnie, defensive tackles Pat and Kevin Williams and cornerback Antoine Winfield.

Since Rick Spielman and Brad Childress started working together, the Vikings have built a machine that, until they acquired Brett Favre, lacked only a confidence-inspiring quarterback.

In 2006, between free agency and the draft, the Vikings added Chad Greenway, Ray Edwards, Cedric Griffin, Steve Hutchinson, Ben Leber and Chester Taylor. In 2007, they added Adrian Peterson and Visanthe Shiancoe. In 2008, they added Jared Allen, Bernard Berrian, John Sullivan and Madieu Williams. This year, they added Percy Harvin, Phil Loadholt and Favre.

Even their best moves required insight. Peterson fell to No. 7 in the draft because of his injury history; now he might be the best running back in the league.

Acquiring Hutchinson required poison-pill contract espionage from capologist Rob Brzezinski. Jared Allen left Kansas City after battling substance abuse and complaining about his contract. Instead of viewing him as a problematic malcontent, the Vikings invested heavily in him and were rewarded. Taylor and Shiancoe were little-known backups; both have exceeded expectations.

Whatever his level of readiness and disrepair, Favre is the NFL's all-time leading passer. Peterson might be the best nonquarterback in the game. Taylor is as good a backup as there is in the NFL.

The defensive line is as talented as any. The linebackers, with E.J. Henderson returning from injury, are close. The secondary, with a full season of Madieu Williams expected to upgrade the safety position, is better than most. The kickers and kick returners are outstanding.

The offensive line is in transition, with John Sullivan replacing Matt Birk and Loadholt trying to prove he can handle an NFL pass rush, but the presence of McKinnie and Hutchinson gives the unit an edge on most. If Harvin is as explosive as expected, and Berrian is healthy, the receivers could be dynamic. Shiancoe has become an explosive tight end who will team with a quarterback known for throwing to his tight ends.

Childress recently watched film of his 2006 team, which featured retread receivers such as Marcus Robinson and Travis Taylor and wound up with a 6-10 record. "I think we have added some explosive components going back from the first year," Childress said. "Just getting a chance to look at us playing the Jets a couple of years ago here, and some of the guys out there running around, I had to check my hole card to check who some of those guys were."

Our Childress-to-English dictionary translates that to mean: "We have a lot more talent now."

Today, the most intriguing team in the NFL will occupy the visitor's locker room at Browns Stadium.

Today, we begin to find out whether the Vikings are as good a team as they are a story.