Again, just for fun in anticipation of the upcoming season, and to tap the extensive collective memory of this group, I thought I would take a stab at selecting the best team possible from all players who have played for the Vikes over the years.  For me, I have 3 rules -- you pick them at their prime while playing for the Vikes (sorry, Moon, Farve, you get eliminated by this rule); you are picking for just one season, not based on their performance over their entire career; and they had to play the position you pick them for (ie, you must choose between Hutchison and McDaniel at LG, you can't put one of them at RG).  Think Childress has it tough this year deciding between Renaud and Johnson?  Try picking just TWO wide receivers and TWO defensive tackles for this team!

What is fascinating to me by this silly hypothetical exercise is that it reveals how great this franchise has been over the years.  Take our best fantasy team and match it with the best fantasy team possible from any other club, and I would like our chances -- although we seem weak (relatively) at QB and LB.  The Steelers, Dolphins, Packers, Bears, Giants, 49ers, Rams, Raiders, Colts, Redskins and Cowboys could put together some teams that seem unbeatable too.  But if they all played their best players in their prime one season, who would win that year?

My team, unless some of you convince me my memory is warped, would be:

Offense

WR:  Cris Carter

LT:  Gary Zimmerman  (this pick seems debtable to me.  But I don;t really recall the others)

LG:  Randall McDaniel

C:  Matt Birk  (Tinglehoff perhaps, but Birk could pull like no center I have ever seen)

RG:  ??  Ed White

RT:  Korey Stringer

TE:  Steve Jordan  (with tip of my hat to Senser and Voigt)

WR:  Randy Moss

QB:  Fran Tarkenton  (it's hard to deny the stats, but I dunno)

RB:  Adrian Peterson  (perhaps one of  5 best ever RBs, along with Brown, Sayers, Payton and Dickerson)

FB:  ??  I draw a blank here.  Dave Osborne, perhaps, back when the FB used to run the ball.

Defense

DE:  Jim Marshall

DT:  Alan Page

DT:  Keith Millard

DE:  Carl Eller

SLB:  Matt Blair

MLB:  Scott Studwell  (although EJ make me change this list this year)

WLB:  Fred McNeil

CB:  Carl Lee

CB:  Antoine Winfield

SS:  Joey Browner

WS:  Paul Krausse

How do you relegate Chuck Foreman, Anthony Carter, Ahmad Rashad, Robert Smith, Pat Williams, Henry Thomas, John Randle, Gene Washington, John Gilliam and Sammy White to the bench?