Throwback Thursday: Then And Now

A lot has changed for the Minnesota Vikings since the 2013 NFL season. They were 5-10-1 that season. A record was good enough for a last place finish in the NFC North. Leslie Frazier was the coach. And the starting lineup looked like this.

WR  Greg Jennings
  T    Matt Kalil
  G   Charlie Johnson
  C   John Sullivan
  G   Brandon Fusco
  T    Phil Loadholt
 TE   Kyle Rudolph
 WR Jerome Simpson
 QB  Christian Ponder
 FB   Jerome Felton
 RB  Adrian Peterson

 DE  Jared Allen
 NT  Letroy Guion
 DT  Kevin Williams
 DE  Brian Robison
 LB  Chad Greenway
 LB  Erin Henderson
 LB  Marvin Mitchell
 CB Josh Robinson
 CB Chris Cook
   S  Jamarca Sanford
   S  Andrew Sendejo

That looks like a team that could put together a 5-10-1 season. A lot of the problem was the quarterback position. As is often the case when a team finishes last in their division. Christian Ponder and Matt Cassel split most of the starts. Josh Freeman even got a start. That game was an unrelenting disaster on the national stage of Monday Night Football.  Fortunately the roster has turned over greatly in the two years since 2013. Here's the expected 2016 starting lineup from the players on the roster in March. A lot can still change in a few months. 

WR  Stefon Diggs
  T    Matt Kalil
  G    Alex Boone
  C   John Sullivan
  G   Brandon Fusco
  T    Andre Smith
 TE   Kyle Rudolph
 WR Jarius Wright
 QB  Teddy Bridgewater
 FB   Zach Line
 RB  Adrian Peterson

 DE  Everson Griffen
 NT  Linval Joseph
 DT  Sharrif Floyd
 DE  Brian Robison
 LB  Anthony Barr
 LB  Eric Kendricks
 LB  Emanuel Lamur
 CB Xavier Rhodes
 CB Trae Waynes
   S  Harrison Smith
   S  Michael Griffin

And Mike Zimmer is the head coach. 

Five offensive starters from 2013 are expected have those starting jobs in 2016. Matt Kalil, John Sullivan, Brandon Fusco, Kyle Rudolph, and Adrian Peterson. There's going to be competition for just about every spot on the offensive line so Kalil, Sullivan, and Fusco shouldn't get too comfortable. The change on defense has been far more dramatic. That's a very good thing too. The 2013 defense was historically bad. Mike Zimmer was hired to change that. He changed it in a hurry. Only Brian Robison remains as an expected starter but Danielle Hunter might have something to say about that. There's still a good chance that Chad Greenway will be re-signed in the coming weeks. So a second starter from 2013 could return in 2016. 

The biggest change since 2013 was the hiring of head coach Mike Zimmer. That one move changed everything. It brought about an immediate change in the defense. It brought about the drafting of Teddy Bridgewater to hopefully put an end to the revolving door at the all-important quarterback position. Most importantly Zimmer has pointed the Minnesota Vikings in the right direction.