Patrick Reusse: Fixtures up front click again

This week was not the first time that Matt Birk was in the home locker room at Winter Park with six other Pro Bowl players. It also occurred in 2000, when he was elected to the NFC roster with Korey Stringer, Robert Smith, Daunte Culpepper, Cris Carter, Randy Moss and Robert Griffith.

That team would finish 11-5, whip New Orleans 34-16 in a second-round playoff game and enter the NFC title game favored by two over the New York Giants.

Date: Jan. 14, 2001. Final: Giants 41, Vikings 0.

It was the start of a six-season slide into mediocrity or worse. Birk quickly went from playing on a line that included the man-eating Stringer and capable veterans David Dixon and Todd Steussie to a group of journeymen forced into starting roles.

Steussie was allowed to leave as a free agent. Stringer died in 2001 training camp. And, the familiar tandem of Birk and Dixon was surrounded by Brad Badger, Corbin Lacina and Chris Liwienski.

It was no surprise, then, to watch the Vikings fall to 5-11 and Dennis Green get fired.

The rebuilding of the offensive line started with the 2002 draft of left tackle Bryant McKinnie. Owner Red McCombs wouldn't pay McKinnie, and coach Mike Tice had the huge, raw rookie for only the final two months of the season.

The ownership change meant there was a player procurement budget at Winter Park. The biggest bundle was spent wisely: bringing in Steve Hutchinson, the All-Pro left guard from Seattle.

Throw in a return to health of Birk and the Vikings of '06 had started the process of regaining the offensive engine they had lost after the 2000 season.

"You get a proven player like Hutch and it's going to make a big difference," Birk said. "But more than any part of a football team, the offensive line has to have all five guys working like this. So, it was going to take some time."

Birk pushed the fingers of one hand through the other. "It's tough to win anywhere without good line play -- on offense and defense," he said. "One of the best things this current administration has done is the effort put into developing strong lines."

McKinnie and Hutchinson are obviously more cohesive on the left side than they were in the first season together. The rugged Anthony Herrera is a substantial upgrade at right guard. And Ryan Cook, the jumbo-sized right tackle, has been more effective than anyone could have anticipated entering his second season.

When Birk returned to the lineup last season, he was under 300 pounds. By season's end, he was at 285, and giving away 50 pounds or more against most nose tackles.

"I came to camp lighter intentionally," he said. "I had been dealing with that [hernia] problem for a long time. When I went to Mankato for [2006] training camp, I wasn't even sure I was going to make it through ... that I was going to be able to play.

"I needed to get back my flexibility. And I thought that carrying less weight would give me the best chance to do that."

Birk made the Pro Bowl as a backup in 2006. Did he feel as though he made it more on reputation than because of excellent play in that losing season?

The 31-year-old Birk grinned and said: "Isn't that what you want ... a good reputation? If you've played seven, eight years, and you have the reputation for playing your position well, that's a good thing. Right?"

"I'm now about 305," Birk said. "You go through the camps, you practice every day during the season, you play the games ... hey, this is hard work. Losing 10 pounds during the season is normal for me."

Last week, Hutchinson was voted as the NFC's starting left guard and Birk was among the two centers for the sixth time.

"I take it for what it is: a nice honor," Birk said. "I also look at it as recognition for our entire line. The players and the coaches who vote are saying, 'Minnesota has a good line; we should vote for a couple of guys from there.' "