It's difficult to imagine that one player could be so greatly missed on special teams.
But Heath Farwell's absence and the Vikings' record-breaking season for special-teams futility forever will be linked.
If Farwell hadn't suffered a season-ending knee injury during the preseason, maybe the special teams wouldn't have been such a huge liability in 2008.
Farwell was the team's leading tackler on special teams in 2006 and 2007. Without him, the Vikings allowed the most special-teams touchdowns (seven) since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970.
"Losing him was a huge blow,"
punter Chris Kluwe said. "He's always out there, he's always running around making plays. He just gives us that extra little bit of energy on special teams. You know he's going to go down there and make things happen. Not having him there I think really hurt us this year."
Farwell is a free agent, so his return to the Vikings isn't guaranteed. But he said he hopes to re-sign with the team, and it appears the feeling is mutual.
"I would like to be back,"
he said. "I'm not sure exactly what's going to happen with free agency. They've told me they want me back."
Farwell seems to have plenty of leverage in negotiations. Just look at the numbers. The Vikings ranked last in the NFL in average yards allowed per punt return (14.9). That's a significant increase from the previous two seasons, when Farwell roamed the field and made tackle after tackle.
In kickoff coverage, the Vikings
improved as the season progressed and finished 21st in the NFL, allowing an average of 23.5 yards. But overall, no player stepped up to make the kind of difference Farwell had.
Farwell tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the first exhibition game against Seattle. Since that moment, he said his focus has remained on recovery and rehabilitation.
"My goal this year was just to kind of make sure my knee was healthy,"
he said. "It doesn't really make a difference where I'm playing or what my contract looks like if I'm not healthy. I wasn't really focused on my contract at all. It will take care of itself."
He said his knee is 95 percent healed and that he is working on strengthening it. He said he can do everything he could before the injury, which is remarkable considering the injury happened fewer than five months ago. The rehabilitation process for that kind of injury typically lasts six to nine months, so he's ahead of schedule.
Farwell's anticipated return should be a big help next season. But that won't erase the poor play in 2008.
Special-teams coordinator Paul Ferraro has been under fire for the vast array of gaffes his units made this season.
"Obviously he's the guy that takes the brunt of all the special teams, both success and failures,"
Kluwe said of Ferraro. "I think people are more focused on the failures than they are the success. We had a lot of really good special-teams moments this year. Unfortunately we also had some bad ones. Those tend to overshadow the good moments."
"I think he's done a pretty good job here as the special-teams coach, and hopefully he'll be back here next year."
Coach Brad Childress hasn't addressed the media since moments after the 26-14 playoff loss to Philadelphia on Sunday, so it remains to be seen what he has to say about the special teams this season and Ferraro's role on them.
The Vikings allowed punt returns of 62 and 30 yards to Philadelphia's DeSean Jackson in the playoff loss.
Even if Farwell had been on the field, he wouldn't have been able to prevent some of the gaffes this season.
They came in all areas, including Kluwe's dropped snap that led to a touchdown in Chicago and a blocked field-goal attempt for a touchdown in Arizona.
