"I was delighted to see them win the division, of course," McCombs said from his San Antonio headquarters. "I still have all my Viking paraphernalia.

"I'll be a Viking all my life."

McCombs said he watches all of the Vikings' games, mostly alone at his home because he still gets so fired up.

With his trademark enthusiasm, McCombs provided an analysis of quarterback Tarvaris Jackson.

"I was hoping they would start Gus (Frerotte) this year, because I didn't think Tarvaris was ready," he said. "He's such a great athlete, but I was afraid he would get eaten up.

"He's certainly not at the top of his game, but he's come a long way. I really like him."

McCombs said the Vikings are dangerous because they "can stop people and the NFC is wide open."

McCombs still keeps in touch with some employees who worked for him, and he is proud that many of the players and staffers were retained by the Wilfs. Currently, seven starters -- not including injured middle linebacker E.J. Henderson -- were acquired under McCombs. In addition, much of the current personnel department also worked for McCombs.

But McCombs still is somewhat bitter about his failed bid to get a stadium, the reason he said he sold the team.

"I would have never sold the team" if he got a new stadium, McCombs said. "But you got to have a stadium to compete, and I was getting nowhere.

"Somehow," he said, "we just don't do a good enough job of getting across to the politicians the value of a stadium."