There is turnover every year in the NFL, but the rate increases exponentially on a team that is going through the kind of season the Vikings are experiencing right now. They have lost six games in a row, each one seemingly more painful than the next, including last weekend’s 42-20 embarrassment at home against New Orleans.

After fighting so admirably for most of the season despite having little to show for it, Minnesota finally appeared to hit a wall.

“At some point you just have to say, ‘what the heck’ we’re 2-12, what do we have to lose?’” defensive end Jared Allen said after the game. “Try to make every play. A lot of people are probably going to get fired at this point anyways.”

Coach Leslie Frazier is widely believed to be safe after a long first season on the job. The Wilf family has a lot of respect for Frazier and likely wouldn’t be too pleased with paying three head coaches next year since Brad Childress is still on the payroll for another two years.

But if the Vikings are completely outclassed in the final two games — at Washington and home against Chicago — all bets are off.

Frazier said the team can’t afford to think about what’s going to happen after the season. They clearly need to put all their attention on this weekend’s game to have a chance of winning.

“I’m really optimistic about the future, as difficult and as crazy as that may sound,” Frazier said. “I think I have a good idea of what we need to do to not be in this situation in the future. So no, I’m not concerned about 2012 at this point.”

The coaches aren’t the only people under the gun as the season draws to a close. Roster spots are on the line as well.

“There’s a lot at stake,” linebacker Erin Henderson said. “They’re watching closely right now to see who’s still fighting, who’s still coming out here trying to give their best and give it their all, and look to see who they can build this team with next year and continue to move forward with.”

That includes quarterback.

The Vikings drafted Christian Ponder with the 12th pick in the first round and he had a promising start when he took over for Donovan McNabb in Week 7. But Ponder has regressed the last three weeks, and with the Vikings likely picking very high next April, a strong finish would help Ponder solidify his spot as the team’s quarterback heading into next year.

“With Christian, like so many young quarterbacks, you don’t want to base your judgment on one or two games,” Frazier said. “Give him a chance to have an offseason to get with our coaches in OTAs that are going to help him. I think it’s a little bit too early to panic about Christian.”

After not getting an offseason to prepare because of the lockout, Ponder said this one will give him a chance to catch his breath, examine his game and get on the same page with his coaches and receivers.

“Last summer I had the playbook but didn’t really know how things are run,” Ponder said. “Now being through a full season, there will be a lot of time to spend on the small details and working all the time at getting better at the things I need to get better at.”

Ponder said he played too conservatively last week, trying “to play not to lose” rather than going for the win.

Allen thinks the rookie wasn’t alone.

“What are you going to lose? Go out, make plays and try to put your best effort out there and win games,” Allen said. “Sometimes we get in a back-pedal mode and just try to maintain so we don’t get beat too bad.”

Notes: CB Asher Allen and LG Steve Hutchinson did not practice on Wednesday after getting concussions in the game against the Saints. Frazier said both would be evaluated throughout the week before determining if they will be available against the Redskins. … Frazier said he talked with CB Cedric Griffin, who was benched last week, and anticipated that he would be back on the field this week.

___

Follow Jon Krawczynski at http://www.twitter.com/APkrawczynski

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

I know I sound like a broken record, but I’m going to use this line again. The injuries continue to pile up for the Minnesota Vikings as this 2011 season continues to wind towards its disappointing end.

This past Sunday, when the Vikings lost 42-20 to the New Orleans Saints, veteran guard Steve Hutchinson went down with a concussion that could potentially sideline him for the final two games of the season.

In hopes of healing the wounds that the injury bug has left behind, the Vikings signed former USC guard Butch Lewis to their practice squad on Tuesday, Dec. 20. This, however, isn’t Lewis’ first go-around with the Vikings.

After going undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft, Lewis spent training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs and was signed to their practice squad shortly after failing to make the final cuts for the 53-man active roster. Throughout the first month of the regular season, he was on and off of their practice squad before getting the final axe from the Chiefs on Oct. 6.

On Oct. 26, the Vikings signed Lewis to their practice squad in hopes of providing some depth to their heavily-depleted offensive line. He remained a part of the Vikings’ practice squad up until a week ago when he was waived to make room for two new additions to the team’s wide receiver corps.

Now back with the Vikings, Lewis will work as an extra body along the offensive line for the team to take advantage of throughout the week. Although it’s unlikely that he’ll see the field in the next two weeks, there’s potential to earn himself a training camp invite when the Vikings begin work for the 2012 season.

Lewis will join fellow guard Chris DeGeare as the Vikings’ two practice squad offensive linemen.

In order to make room for Lewis, the Vikings have subtracted wide receiver Owen Spencer from the practice squad. Spencer, who was one of the wide receivers signed when the Vikings initially waived Lewis, is an undrafted rookie out of North Carolina State. He was brought in along with fellow undrafted rookie wide receiver Kris Adams, but apparently didn’t do enough to earn another week with the team.

Only two weeks to go until this nightmare of a season is over.

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.

Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier

Conference Call With New Orleans Media

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

 

Who will start at quarterback on Sunday?

“Christian (Ponder) is our starting quarterback. Barring an injury, he will remain our starting quarterback.”

Can you discuss the status of Adrian Peterson?

“We will get our first chance to see him today at practice but we are optimistic that this is the week that we will get him back.”

Can you discuss how the team is dealing with being in a rebuilding mode?

“It is tough anytime you are going through the things that we have experienced this season but our guys have battled. We are definitely in a transition. They have battled each week and we are going to fight the good fight again this week.”

Can you discuss the attitude of the team this year?

“The resiliency of our players has been incredible. We are down 21-0 in the first quarter of the game last Sunday (at Detroit) and they could have easily tanked that game but they didn’t. There we are on the last play of the game on the 1-yard line with a chance to win the game. They have been very resilient throughout this season. It is a testament to our leadership. We just have some things that we will have to address this offseason to get some things corrected.”

What factors have contributed to the struggles of the team this year?

“There are a lot of different factors. You guys (New Orleans media) have been in it a long time and we are not the first team to play in the NFC Championship game and then disappear for a while – it happens in our league. It also happens where teams you didn’t expect all of a sudden jump up and are playing in the NFC Championship game. Things can change fast in our league. Especially in this age of free agency, this year particularly with so many things that happened in the offseason that had an effect on the regular season. There are a lot of factors that go into where we are now and where we were in 2009.”

Is New Orleans’ loss to the Rams something that you are looking closely at in film study?

“That’s a tape we will take a look at. The Tampa game also. The Green Bay game is a little different with them being a 3-4 team and it was the first game of the season. You are always trying to look for something that will give you some hope that will give you a chance against such a prolific offense and a very good football team. We will search through the tapes and try to find something that will hopefully give us an edge.”

Can you discuss how the defensive line continues to be a strength of the team?

“It has without question been the strength of our defense. We have had some troubles on the backend but our defensive line has consistently played hard for us and played well. Jared (Allen) has led the way and is having an MVP-type season.”

Can you discuss the comments that Jared Allen made to the cities of Detroit and New Orleans last week?

“I talked with him about those comments this morning. I am hoping that we won’t have any more comments like that going forward.”

Can you talk about the progress of Christian Ponder?

“He has had his ups and downs like most rookie quarterbacks that come into our league. He is battling through those things that every young quarterback goes through. Whether you are Peyton or Eli Manning – whoever it may be. Even Joe Montana. We think our team will be much better going forward as he goes through some of the growing pains of being an NFL quarterback. It’s difficult for him and difficult for our team at times but you have to look at the bigger picture. It’s an investment for our future and he is handling it pretty well.”

By Ali Mohamadi

– SB Nation Medical Expert

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Dec 10, 2011 – Quarterbacks

Christian Ponder, Minnesota Vikings (hip – questionable)
MIN (2-10) @ DET (7-5), 1pm

The Vikings’ rookie QB played well overall in his team’s loss to Denver last week, but suffered a hip injury during the game and was spotted limping on the sidelines. As a result, he has missed most of the week’s practices and backup Joe Webb has taken the majority of the snaps with the first team. At this point, it appears unlikely that Ponder would get the start on Sunday against Detroit, although neither he nor Webb are likely to factor in your fantasy plans either way.

Running Backs

Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings (ankle – questionable)
MIN (2-10) @ DET (7-5), 1pm

Peterson missed the Vikings’ Week 13 loss to Denver due to a high ankle sprain and has been limited in practice all week. Peterson himself has stated he wants to play and claims he’s at about 80% health after taking last week off. Although Detroit’s defense has been stout most of the year, Peterson has historically done well against the Lions, and it would be tough to sit him on your fantasy roster if he is able to play. If not, Toby Gerhart would once again get the start at running back for the Vikings.

Kevin Smith, Detroit Lions (ankle – questionable)
DET (7-5) vs. MIN (2-10), 1pm

Smith, who left last week’s loss to New Orleans after aggravating an ankle injury, has been limited in practice this week. Reports out of practice on Friday were that Smith was having difficulty cutting on running plays, and if Smith suits up on Sunday don’t be surprised if Maurice Morris gets the bulk of the carries.

Wide Receivers

Miles Austin, Dallas Cowboys (hamstring – questionable)
DAL (7-5) vs. NYG (6-6), 8:20pm

Austin has missed most of the season thus far due to a nagging hamstring injury that has been an issue since the preseason, but despite being limited in practice this week it appears he will get the nod on Sunday night against the Giants. Given the emergence of Laurent Robinson at WR (himself questionable due to a shoulder injury) and the frequency with which hamstring strains tend to recur, Austin fantasy owners may want to tread lightly this week.

Linebackers

Von Miller, Denver Broncos (thumb – questionable)
DEN (7-5) vs. CHI (7-5), 1pm

Miller, who missed last week’s win over Minnesota after tearing ligaments in his right thumb the prior week, has been wearing a cast this week in his limited action in practice. It appears he will play on Sunday against the Bears, but his time may be limited to pass-rushing situations.

Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49ers (hamstring – questionable)
SF (10-2) @ ARI (5-7), 4:05pm

Willis suffered a right hamstring injury in the first quarter of the 49ers’ Week 13 win over the Rams and has missed practice the entire week. Although he is officially listed as questionable on the team’s injury list, his not having practiced – along with the fact that the team has already clinched the NFC West – makes it seem unlikely that he will suit up on Sunday at Arizona. LB Larry Grant is likely to get the start in Willis’ place.

Read More: Miles Austin (WR – DAL), Kevin Smith (RB – DET), Joe Webb (QB – MIN), Christian Ponder (QB – MIN), Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants

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