If the 2005 season was one of contentment for Bryant McKinnie, then the 2006 season was one of constant adjustment for the Vikings left tackle.
McKinnie had played nearly three consecutive seasons with veteran guard Chris Liwienski, and he had learned Mike Tice's blocking scheme.
Then everything changed.
Vikings coach Brad Childress installed the West Coast offense and implemented a scheme that stresses angles more and mixes in zone, gap and man blocking.
"It was like, 'Oh, well, everything you learned, throw it out the window,' " McKinnie said. "I was like, 'Man, I just got comfortable. Now I got to start over.' "
The makeup of the offensive line was overhauled, with center Matt Birk coming back from injury, all-pro left guard Steve Hutchinson signing a lucrative seven-year contract and veteran Artis Hicks joining the team via a trade.
"Nobody was familiar with anybody," McKinnie said. "Me and Hutch didn't know each other. We were both learning an offense we weren't used to, so everyone was unsure."
Tice wanted his linemen to push defenders straight back; Childress wanted his linemen to sometimes angle defenders in a certain direction, based on a particular play. The Vikings looked dominant at times last season (175 rushing yards in Seattle, 190 in Chicago), but they also looked inadequate at times (45 against New England, 62 against the New York Jets).
This season, the Vikings have topped 100 rushing yards in all but one game (at Green Bay)
and 120 yards in 10 games. The production has been steady, with explosive performances coming against Chicago (311) and San Diego (378). The pass protection also has improved.
"We didn't play that well against Green Bay," Birk said. "But, certainly, we have played better the last couple of weeks.
"That's what you're striving for: to keep getting better."
McKinnie, Hutchinson and Birk have played alongside one another in every game since Childress took over last year, and Ryan Cook is starting to feel less like a center and more like a tackle. A second-round draft pick out of New Mexico, where he exclusively played center, Cook said he felt a "little awkward" when he played center for three snaps Sunday in the rout of the Detroit Lions.
The Vikings also improved at right guard by replacing Hicks with the more athletic Anthony Herrera, who admittedly "tried to make too much happen" in the past.
"He's got a lot of natural gifts to him," offensive line coach Pat Morris said of Herrera. "He's enthusiastic and strong.
"He's fit in well."
McKinnie said Herrera adds something else to the line mix: energy.
"He talks a lot of trash out there," McKinnie said. "I know I'm not a person who talks (trash), but I kind of feed off that, and it gets me into the game. It actually gets me excited. I like that part of him."
As for the accelerated cohesion of Cook and Herrera, that can be attributed to their friendship, both said. The two hang out together, even away from Winter Park. Sometimes, one will bring up a play from the next game.
"Maybe we'll talk about a certain look," Herrera said, "or maybe he remembers something, and he reminds me, or I remind him.
"That way (on Sunday) we don't look at each other like, 'Well, what's going on?' We look at each other like, 'Here it comes.' "
The entire line also gets together Friday mornings to eat breakfast and watch film, sans coaches.
Birk or Hutchinson, the two most senior linemen, usually handle the clicker.
"Without coaches," Birk said, "we can really slow it down and say, 'Hey, what are you thinking here?' "
Asked who handles it most between him and Hutchinson, Birk said, "Whoever is not eating an Egg McMuffin at the time."
The offensive linemen are proud they pave the way for the league's top run offense, although they are far from content.
"We definitely take pride in it, but it does help that we have Adrian (Peterson) and Chester (Taylor) back there, who have such big-play potential," Cook said. "But it's not so much where you are during the season, it's where you are at the end of the season. We just want to keep doing our assignments and get those guys as many yards as possible."
Peterson is at 1,197 yards and remains the leading vote getter for the Pro Bowl. On Wednesday - as he has throughout the season - Peterson praised the blocking of his linemen.
"They definitely have molded during the season, each week just really improving and capitalizing on different mistakes from previous games and trying to put those behind us," Peterson said. "I would say everybody is clicking a lot better."
Peterson has said several times he planned to reward his linemen with a special gift.
"Let's just hope he's a man of his word," Birk quipped. "I get tired of making him look so good."
I still think they will have a hard time with GB in GB, or Dallas in Dallas.
it was only because so and so gave it to them.
ADP is all of that and more
Both The Saints and Washington winning puts added pressure on the Vikes to win tonight. I guess in a way that is a good thing to make them prepare even harder.
This is the Bears "championship" and they'd love nothing more than to serve up humble pie to the vikes while keeping their very slim playoff hopes alive.
That being said I am still a bit skeptical of Childress and Jackson. The overall plan is working however and its great to see these young players growing. The Vikings still need to improve their pass defense to get past being average. But at least they have worked back to average again.When purple Jesus walks over defenses I dont think the Vikings are a team that anyone wants to deal with in the playoffs. Its awesome to have playoff like excitement for the last few weeks of the season.A coworker of mine (cowboy fan) was razzing me about the Vikings today. He said that the Vikings are like a guy who goes to the prom every year but only gets his rubber on. Never taking the last step. A place holder in the playoffs (which the Vikings have made the playoffs more often than not) that can never take the last step.It would be especially sweet if the Vikings can win these last few games, make the playoffs and eliminate the Cowgurls from the playoffs later. That may be too much to ask for. But since its Santa time I figured I might as well ask for what I want.One thing at a time though. Lets get some Bear skins.SKOL
Both The Saints and Washington winning puts added pressure on the Vikes to win tonight. I guess in a way that is a good thing to make them prepare even harder.
Now I'll have to look elsewhere for employment. 
Back to the Mick Tinglehoff, Ron Yary, Chuck Forman, Paul Krause, Bobby Bryant, Fran Tarkenton days.
ld guy:
GB not rooting for the hometown team but instead for a team in the same conference! 
hew: 
your fans tonight!
in advance.
