One way of evaluating your team's progress is imagining how a bitter rival might view your team's decisions.
So strap one of those cheese wedges to your head and think like a Packers fan for a moment.
If you wear green and gold, aren't you thrilled that the Vikings' solution for their quarterback quandary is a 30-year-old career backup, not a proven winner, or even an established starter?
Aren't you joyous that the Vikings' choice of quarterbacks might have discouraged receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh from signing with Minnesota, giving Sage Rosenfels an excellent possession receiver to complement burner Bernard Berrian?
Aren't you giddy that the Vikings haven't made the kinds of surgical strikes they made last year, when they brought in Berrian, Jared Allen and Gus Frerotte, all of whom helped them win the division?
Aren't you ecstatic that the Vikings would let a veteran center leave without making a reasonable investment in a man who remains not only a quality player but an exemplary human being and a linchpin in one of the team's strongest units?
If you wear green and gold, your horror at the Packers' collapse last season might just be mitigated by your glee at the Vikings' inability to improve themselves for a second consecutive season. Wednesday, center Matt Birk signed with the Baltimore Ravens for three years at $12 million, with $6 million guaranteed. Considering what the Vikings have spent on other players, Birk's departure for limited guaranteed money speaks volumes about either the Vikings' interest in re-signing him or the touchy relationship between Birk and coach Brad Childress.