The 2011 NFL regular season is over and a 3-13 record has landed the Minnesota Vikings as far away from a trip to the playoffs as they could have imagined.

So now that the 2011 campaign has come to an end, the Vikings have their sights set on preparing for the 2012 season. Although free agency doesn’t start until the first week of March and they still have over four months before the 2012 NFL Draft, the Vikings made some of the only moves they could make to secure players for the future.

On Monday, the Vikings signed all seven of their practice squad players to reserve/future contracts. Once the regular season ended after their loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, the Vikings had one week to sign members of their practice squad before they became free agents. With these signings, the Vikings have secured their seven young talents at least until the 2012 preseason.

Among those signings were wide receivers Kris Adams and Kerry Taylor, guards Chris DeGeare and Butch Lewis, cornerback Reggie Jones, linebacker Tyrone McKenzie and tight end Allen Reisner. Terms of the contracts were not disclosed.

The only one of these seven players to see the field this season for the Vikings was Reisner. Although he enjoyed two stints on the Vikings’ practice squad in 2011, Reisner also appeared in six games and caught one pass for five yards.

DeGeare is the only other player besides Reisner that was signed today who has seen game day action in the NFL. Drafted by Vikings in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft out of Wake Forest, DeGeare played in eight games (five starts) throughout the 2010 season.

McKenzie was a third-round selection by the New England Patriots in 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jones spent his rookie 2010 season with both the New Orleans Saints and Washington Redskins. The rest of the Vikings signees were all rookies this past season.

These seven players will all be around when the Vikings open up team workouts in a few months with the opportunity to earn a roster spot for the 2012 season.

Gil Alcaraz IV is a life-long follower of the Minnesota Vikings and the founder of TheVikingDen.com. For more Vikings/NFL coverage, follow him on Twitter or “like” The Viking Den on Facebook.

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The nightmare is finally over.

The Minnesota Vikings have finally found the end to their disappointing 2011 season, losing 13 games and a large chunk of their dignity in the process. At least they can hang their hats on knowing that they didn’t go out without a fight.

The Vikings played their season finale on Sunday against the Chicago Bears. Playing for nothing more than pride and draft positioning, the Vikings came out and left everything they had to spare from this dismal season out of the field. Through all four quarters, they battled on, never taking their eyes off of the task at hand.

“I expressed my appreciation for the fight they’ve shown throughout the year, as difficult as it has been,” Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier said. “To show the resolve they have to keep coming back and fighting – you just don’t always see that when you approach the month of December in the fashion that we [did].”

Unfortunately, their efforts weren’t enough to overcome the Bears and their stout defense, who ended the season at 8-8 after a close 17-13 victory over the Vikings.

The headline story for the Vikings, however, wasn’t the fact that they lost or that they ended the season at 3-13. Instead, it was Vikings defensive end Jared Allen who stole the show from the Bears.

Allen, who came into the game with a league-leading 18.5 sacks, was on a mission to hunt down Michael Strahan’s NFL single-season record of 22.5 sacks. Although it seemed nearly impossible at first, Allen was soon nipping at history’s heels.

Through three quarters of play, Allen had notched 3.5 sacks on Bears quarterback Josh McCown and had Strahan’s record within reach. Unfortunately, the game situation and the Vikings’ lack of offensive success didn’t allow Allen many more opportunities. When the game was over, Allen had 22 sacks on the season. He may have fallen short of the NFL record, but the Vikings’ team record for most sacks in a season was his.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to have the Vikings single-season record,” Allen said after the game. “To be in the same breath as [Chris] Doleman, Alan Page and those guys – this organization has a history of just dominant defensive linemen, so to be at the top of that is a true honor.”

Former Vikings defensive lineman Chris Doleman previously held the record at 21 sacks, but is glad to have Allen take his place at the top of the Vikings sack list.

“You can’t not be happy for a guy like that,” Doleman said on Allen breaking his record.

Regardless of Allen’s run at history, the Vikings still fell short on the scoreboard.

Rookie quarterback Christian Ponder struggled while he was in, throwing for 28 yards and one interception while completing four of his ten passes. After Ponder was knocked out of the game with a right hip pointer, Joe Webb was inserted into the lineup. Despite throwing two interceptions, Webb completed 17 of his 32 passes for 200 yards and continued to give the Vikings reason to believe that he might be a better option than Ponder.

Running back Toby Gerhart, filling in for the injured Adrian Peterson, carried the ball 15 times for 67 yards before falling to a sprained MCL.

The Vikings’ offensive stud of the game was wide receiver Percy Harvin, who caught 10 passes for 115 yards and ran the ball five times for 13 yards. His five-yard touchdown scamper was the only trip to the end zone on the day for the Vikings.

Apart from Allen’s 3.5 sacks, four other Vikings managed to notch a sack against the Bears. Linebacker Chad Greenway and defensive linemen Kevin Williams and Brian Robison each had one, and linebacker Erin Henderson added half a sack. Cornerback Cedric Griffin played well after a couple weeks of riding the bench, adding two tackles and his first interception of the season.

Although the Vikings limited the Bears on offense, their inability to capitalize on opportunities to put points on the board was costly. Add that to their three turnovers, and you’ve got a disappointing 17-13 loss to put the lid of this 2011 season for the Vikings.

It was the last game that the Vikings will play at the Metrodome and possibly in Minnesota. It was the last game that the Vikings will have 13-year veteran tight end Jim Kleinsasser donning the horns. It was the last game that the Vikings had to gain some confidence heading into the offseason and, much like the other 15 previous games, they fell short.

The Vikings will now look towards the future as their offseason gets under way. With numerous holes to fill and a plethora of decisions to make, the Vikings front office will certainly be busy in the upcoming months.

It’s always darkest before the dawn, and the Vikings will be working hard this offseason in hopes that the sun rises a little on their 2012 campaign.

Gil Alcaraz IV is a life-long follower of the Minnesota Vikings and the founder of TheVikingDen.com. For more Vikings/NFL coverage, follow him on Twitter or “like” The Viking Den on Facebook.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The Minnesota Vikings already lost one of their franchise players in a game where they were already eliminated from playoff contention when Adrian Peterson tore his ACL and MCL against the Washington Redskins on December 24, 2011. Should they take another chance with the man that they drafted with the 12^th-overall draft pick in the 2011 NFL Draft?

Christian Ponder is expected to start in Minnesota’s 2011-12 regular-season finale against the Chicago Bears on January 1, 2012. Doctors have cleared him to play as he has passed all the necessary tests following a concussion that he suffered against the Redskins. The injury occurred when Redskins linebacker London Fletcher put a powerful hit on Ponder when the game was tied 10-10.

Ponder admitted that this was the second concussion that he has had in his football career. The Vikings invested heavily in Ponder when they selected him with their 12^th pick. Ponder was the fourth quarterback taken after Cam Newton, Jake Locker and Blaine Gabbert.

I’m a bit surprised that the Vikings don’t err on the side of caution. Concussions can be unpredictable. It doesn’t help that Steve Hutchinson won’t be protecting him against a Bears’ defensive line that includes Henry Melton and Julius Peppers. Hutchinson was placed on injured reserve with his own head injury.

Ponder doesn’t need to rush back. Joe Webb has outperformed Ponder in his past two outings. Webb completed 4-of-5 passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns against the Redskins. He also had a rushing touchdown as he led the Vikings to a 33-26 victory after Ponder left the game. The Vikings were also trailing 21-0 to the Detroit Lions before Webb led them within a couple yards of a comeback. The Vikings eventually lost 34-28 after a facemask penalty went uncalled.

That doesn’t even include his performance against the Philadelphia Eagles last season. Webb outplayed Michael Vick while the Eagles were gunning for a first-round bye. The Vikings won 24-14.

Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier gave his support for Ponder as the starting quarterback. According to Frazier:

“I think you always want to do whatever is best for your team and whatever gives your team the best chance to win. Right now, Christian being our starting quarterback, that’s our belief.”

It’ll be interesting to see how the Vikings handle their quarterback situation heading into the 2012-13 season. The front office will obviously favor Ponder because of what they invested in him. However, it may be difficult to keep Webb benched if he continues to take advantage of these situations.

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The “same team, different face” routine continues for the Minnesota Vikings with only one week left until their disastrous 2011 season comes to an end.

A day after discovering that All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson has torn both the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and the medical collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee, the Vikings have placed their offensive workhorse on the Injured Reserve list.

With such an awful diagnosis comes a dreadful timetable for Peterson’s recovery. The Vikings are optimistic that he will heal ahead of schedule, but it’s unlikely that he will be at full strength once the 2012 regular season gets under way. An injury of this magnitude usually takes anywhere from 8-9 months before the knee can be fully operational.

Peterson is expected to undergo surgery to repair the ligaments within the next 7-10 days.

Taking his place on the active roster as the Vikings’ third option at running back is rookie Caleb King. A former Georgia Bulldog who slipped through the cracks of the 2011 NFL Supplemental Draft, King has spent the entire 2011 regular season as part of the Vikings practice squad. With Peterson out, the Vikings needed a fresh set of legs to provide support to Toby Gerhart and Lorenzo Booker for their final game of the season. Considered a huge project at running back, it’ll be interesting to see whether or not the Vikings give King an opportunity to prove that he’s NFL-worthy when they take on the Chicago Bears this Sunday.

Also moving up from the practice squad is second-year tight end Mickey Shuler. Signed to the practice squad back in late-November, Shuler was originally a 2010 seventh-round draft pick of the Vikings before he was waived and picked up by the Miami Dolphins. While with the Dolphins last season, he played in six games (two starts) and hauled in two passes for 44 yards.

In order to make room for Shuler on the active roster, the Vikings have waived rookie tight end Allen Reisner. An undrafted rookie out of Iowa, Reisner has played in six games for the Vikings this season and caught one pass for five yards.

With only one game left on the agenda, the Vikings will be looking to give their young, unproven players opportunities to earn themselves a 2012 training camp spot. Look for both of these former practice squad members to have their names called at some point against the Bears.

As for Peterson, all the Vikings can do is hope that he returns next year as the same running back that terrorized the NFL for the past five years. If there’s any player-trainer duo that can get it done, it’s Peterson and Vikings head trainer Eric Sugarman.

Gil Alcaraz IV is a life-long follower of the Minnesota Vikings and the founder of TheVikingDen.com. For more Vikings/NFL coverage, follow him on Twitter or “like” The Viking Den on Facebook.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Here’s the situation; the Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams are all currently tied at two wins apiece. If both the Vikings and Rams lose this upcoming Saturday, all three will have identical records of 2-13. At that point, the Colts will still be in possession of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

However, if the Colts win their third game next weekend and the Vikings/Rams remain at two wins apiece through the final week of the regular season, the Vikings would then take over control of the No. 1 pick.

In case you’ve been oblivious to the headlines, there’s a certain player that has already declared himself eligible for the 2012 NFL Draft that makes this No. 1 overall pick extremely valuable. That player is Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

Considered by many NFL scouts to be the greatest quarterback prospect since Payton Manning, Luck has proven throughout his three years as Stanford’s starting signal-caller that he’s more than worthy of the hype. Combining elite passing skills and intelligence with outstanding athleticism, Luck is a nightmare for defenses. He is one of the few quarterbacks to come out of college in the last few years who can read coverages with ease and makes quick decisions based on his reads. There’s plenty more, but you get the point.

Despite how tantalizing of a talent Luck is, a certain dilemma would arise for the Vikings if the No. 1 pick happened to fall into their laps.

Seeing as Luck is a quarterback, what would the Vikings do with their current starting quarterback, Christian Ponder, who they already spent their 2011 first-round pick on?

The first option would be to stick with Ponder and draft a different player with that No. 1 overall pick. Although that seems logical after the Vikings already committed to the former No. 12 overall pick this season, but how does a struggling team like Minnesota pass up on one of the most intriguing quarterbacks to come out of college in the last decade? Ponder has displayed some flaws this season, whereas Luck has the potential to be as elite of a quarterback as you can realistically ask for. The decision would be favorable in the locker room, but could the Vikings front office really deal with the constant “what if we had Luck” thoughts going through their heads?

The second option would be drafting Luck and getting something out of Ponder via trade. In this scenario, the Vikings not only get the best player to enter the pro ranks in years, but they also have the opportunity to get some value out of Ponder through a trade. This move might not sit well in the locker room after much of the Vikings squad built their confidence around Ponder’s promotion to the starting quarterback role, but Luck would be able to persuade them to believe that the Vikings made the right choice.

For those of you wondering why the Vikings couldn’t pick Luck and keep Ponder around as a second option: it wouldn’t work. Luck is too intriguing to let him sit on the bench behind an unproven player. Ponder is a talented young quarterback who is too valuable to let him hold a clipboard when other teams could give you something in return for him.

The third and final option for the Vikings would be to trade away the pick and hope that missing out on Luck doesn’t come back to bite them. The one positive aspect to this option would be the king’s ransom that they could expect in return for the No. 1 overall pick. Who knows what some team desperate to land Luck would be willing to give? Not only would they most likely receive a handful of draft picks, but veteran talent could also be thrown into the equation in an attempt to sweeten the deal. The negative aspect: the Vikings would still have Ponder and no Luck.

Don’t get me wrong; I like Ponder and what brings to the Vikings’ offense. But the possibility of Luck donning the horns is too exciting to pass up just because they already have Ponder on the roster.

If the Vikings did decide to draft Luck, the next logical step for them would be bolstering their horrendously depleted offensive line. Arguably their weakest position, the offensive line would need massive upgrades if the Vikings planned on getting the most out of Luck’s talents. There’s no way Luck can work his magic with the porous blocking that the Vikings currently have enlisted. Whether it’s through the draft or via free agency, that front five needs to improve in a big hurry even if they stay with Ponder.

Of course, this is all hypothetical. The Colts still have to win their last game and the Vikings still have to lose their last two for any of these options to come into play. A little speculation never hurt anyone, though.

Would the Vikings pick Luck? I’m not sure even they know. Will the Vikings get the No. 1 pick? We can’t know until next weekend. Will this be one of the biggest topics flying through the Vikings’ blogosphere? Undoubtedly!

Gil Alcaraz IV is a life-long follower of the Minnesota Vikings and the founder of TheVikingDen.com. For more Vikings/NFL coverage, follow him on Twitter or “like” The Viking Den on Facebook.

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