Largely lost in the shuffle of their 13-win campaign and appearance in the NFC title game are the strides the Vikings' O-line made last season.
Rick Spielman spent a pretty penny to rectify the NFL's worst OT situation one year earlier in signing Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers to stabilize the flanks. Minnesota also coaxed impressive mileage from third-round C Pat Elflein, who was relatively solid in 16 starts prior to suffering an ankle injury in the conference championship that required surgery and him beginning camp on the PUP list.
Reiff is back at left tackle, and Remmers could return to right tackle or right guard, depending on the growth of talented second-round Penn State product Brian O'Neill.