MANKATO, Minn. (AP) -When Jared Allen walked around the draft party at Minnesota Vikings headquarters in April, he could feel the optimism hanging in the air after a banner offseason.
He was the crown jewel of a wildly expensive spending spree by owner Zygi Wilf that addressed some of the team's biggest weaknesses after an 8-8 season.
They had Allen to team with the Williams Wall on one of the best defensive lines in football. Safety Madieu Williams was brought in to help shore up a porous pass defense. Fullback Thomas Tapeh replaced Pro Bowler Tony Richardson and receiver Bernard Berrian is the deep threat the team has been missing for four years.
Oh yeah, and Rookie of the Year Adrian Peterson was back for more.
So like many of the purple-clad fans in attendance at the party, Allen got a little swept up in the excitement when asked what the team's goals should be this season.
"Super Bowl," he said.
Allen later couched the comments by saying that every team should aim that high before the start of a season, but there is no doubt that the Vikings head into 2008 with the highest expectations since Moss and Culpepper were in their purple primes.
The Vikings traded for Allen, who led the league with 15 1/2 sacks in 14 games last year, and promptly gave him the richest contract for a defensive player in league history. They spent another $29 million in guaranteed money alone on Berrian and Williams to show a skeptical fan base that they want to contend now.
"I think it brings depth, it brings talent, it brings a winning attitude," Allen said. "It brings an attitude that we're constantly trying to get better, constantly trying to win. And that's what the most attractive thing about this organization is. They're doing what it takes to get better."
A year ago, the Vikings came to training camp after a 6-10 record and an underwhelming offseason. And fans showed a hesitance and nervousness that has evaporated in the late July humidity this season.
In the first three days on the Minnesota State-Mankato campus this year, the difference was palpable. Fans packed the stands to watch practice and hollered for autographs, eager to catch even a glimpse of their favorite players.
Even coach Brad Childress, who has been the target of much animosity in his first two years on the job, has noticed a difference.
"I just think it's upbeat and positive and I feel that about this group of guys," Childress said. "I genuinely like the guys that are on this team and I think they like each other and have fun with each other. You want to try to retain that element. The old whistle while you work kind of deal."
The players are embracing the attention, but also trying not to get too far ahead of themselves.
"It's different from last year where our backs were against the wall and we were just kind of fighting up," receiver Bobby Wade said. "We're not going to fly under the radar this year. Teams are going to know exactly what to expect from us and we just have to be able to expect more from ourselves.
"It's a good feeling. But it's still going to come down to focus and working hard in camp and winning every Sunday."
The biggest question is whether quarterback Tarvaris Jackson is ready to lead this team in his second full year as a starter, which helped thrust the Vikings into the middle of all the Brett Favre drama this summer.
So far, all the Favre talk has proven to be just that, and the team has thrown its support behind Jackson, who figures to benefit from the additions of Berrian and Tapeh.
"I think people are pretty excited about our offseason," said center Matt Birk, the longest tenured Viking who is entering his 11th season. "I think we are too. Talent doesn't get you anything, but there's certainly a lot of talent on this team on both sides of the ball."
Expectations, of course, bring pressure. And the Vikings realize they can't let all the excitement become a distraction as they prepare to challenge Green Bay for the NFC North crown and give Wilf the bang for his buck.
"It's definitely not loose. To describe it, I would say a sense of urgency from the owner down to the players," receiver Robert Ferguson said. "You never know when you're going to be able to have a team on paper the way we have a team on paper right now. So we have to go out there and perform like that and bring some truth to these expectations."
