MINNEAPOLIS -- Whatever idyllic notions existed before training camp of a multifaceted competition on the Minnesota Vikings' offensive line, of players grunting and sweating in the August heat in a desperate fight for a roster spot, is mostly gone.
The Vikings planned to go to training camp with 16 linemen, nearly half of whom were entering at least their fifth season in the league, but Phil Loadholt's retirement, Mike Harris' absence because of an undisclosed illness and a spate of other injuries have stripped away layers of competition, pushing players into different spots as the Vikings simply try to put together a representative first unit during practice.
It's only been in the last several days that the Vikings have been able to resume their competition at center, with Brandon Fusco back and Joe Berger not needed to fill in at right guard. But now the team's battle at right tackle is on hold, with T.J. Clemmings filling in on the left side for Matt Kalil instead of fighting Andre Smith for the job on the right. It's detracted from the Vikings' continuity on the line, and yet, after all the work the team did to stage a competition this summer, coach Mike Zimmer isn't ready to give up on it yet.
"We obviously want to have the right combination, but it’s more important that we get it right as opposed to saying, ‘Oh well, let’s just get settled,’" Zimmer said. "And then we don’t have it right. I’m assuming that we’re pretty close to what we want to do and hopefully we can continue to improve together."
The Vikings face the San Diego Chargers on Sunday in their third preseason game. Offensive starters figure to play at least the first two quarters, and it could provide a good opportunity for the team to try out its preferred line, assuming Kalil is healthy enough to play. Zimmer said the left tackle "has been as good as any of the offensive linemen we have right now" after changing his technique on pass sets. Should he play Sunday, after limping off the practice field last Sunday with an apparent leg injury, he'd get an extended opportunity to work with left guard Alex Boone.
Zimmer said Tuesday, though, that the Vikings will tend toward caution with injured players, especially in the preseason, so it's possible the Vikings won't have one of their likely starters on the field again on Sunday. Zimmer, though, didn't sound ready to pronounce winners in any competitions simply for the sake of clarity.
"Really, what this is all about is a process," Zimmer said. "There’s a lot of things that we’re doing right now that we may or may not be doing during the season. Some of it is looking at different skill sets of players. Some of it is not showing what we don’t want [other teams] to see. Every time we go out we want to look great, but there’s an end game here that is probably more important."
