Vikings' Line Faces Huge Task

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) â€” The offensive linemen were the unsung heroes of the Minnesota Vikings' NFC playoff victory over the New Orleans Saints. <br><br>The offensive line did not allow the Saints,

Thursday, January 11th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) â€” The offensive linemen were the unsung heroes of the Minnesota Vikings' NFC playoff victory over the New Orleans Saints.

The offensive line did not allow the Saints, the NFL leaders in sacks, to get their hands on Daunte Culpepper in a 34-16 win by the Vikings on Saturday. The group also left itself room for improvement going into Sunday's NFC championship game against the New York Giants.

Robert Smith, the NFL's second-leading rusher, was held under 100 yards rushing for the fourth game in a row. Will the Vikings be able to open any holes against the Giants' front seven, the toughest team in the NFC to run against?

The Giants gave up just 3.2 yards per carry and 72.3 yards per game during the regular season. The Vikings, who led the NFC in rushing, averaged 5.0 yards per carry and 133.1 yards rushing per game for the season, but those averages have fallen to 4.1 and 91.5 in their last four games.

``The good thing is we can get better at whatever we can do,'' left guard Corbin Lacina said. ``We'll take care of our running game if there is a problem, but there isn't.''

The Vikings' rushing game still tied up the clock for most of the fourth quarter, which is what it was supposed to do.

``I think sometimes you get so caught up in numbers, you lose sight of the ultimate thing,'' right tackle Korey Stringer said. ``You don't set out for this, that or the other. The main thing is that you win the game.''

The Vikings surprised many by reaching the playoffs behind a revamped line. Pro Bowl players Jeff Christy and Randall McDaniel, who left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, were replaced by reserves Lacina and Matt Birk.

``I think we've erased all doubts,'' Lacina said. ``I've never had any doubts about myself, but I was replacing a guy who's going to be in the Hall of Fame.''

Birk and Lacina are from St. Paul, Minn., and spend the offseason there. When the stress is too much for Birk, he retreats to his spartan home, a basement apartment with a cement floor and no refrigerator.

``You hear everything,'' Birk said. ``It got to the point, I didn't really care what people think. I didn't have any expectations. I tried to block out all the things people were saying. I'm a big effort guy, and I said I'd give it my all.

``I didn't worry about being the next Jeff Christy.''

Despite the hand-wringing about the departures, Birk has joined Christy on the Pro Bowl team, and Stringer made it, too.

Left tackle Todd Steussie was selected to the Pro Bowl last season. Lacina did a more than adequate job stepping in for McDaniel, an 11-time Pro Bowl player. Dave Dixon, a 358-pound guard from New Zealand, completes the unit.

They form the largest offensive line remaining in the playoffs, at an average weight of 328.2 pounds.

They have another chance to become noticed Sunday.

``What we're doing isn't ego-driven,'' Stringer said. ``We're doing it for each other. That doesn't have anything to do with getting your name in the paper. I really could care less if everyone says we're the best or the worst. What people do have to respect is the wins.''