--Coach Brad Childress on Sunday's playoff loss to Philadelphia: "The finality is they're staring it right in the face. It ends fast. But they want to hang their hat on the good things and just appreciate this team and the way they went about their business this year. I told you guys, it was a fun team to coach. I thought that they played with great resolve. They didn't lose sight of the big picture. But at the same time, I thought from early on that they came back and focused on that one-game-at-a-time mentality."
--Defensive end Jared Allen was obtained from Kansas City last offseason for three draft picks and then signed to a six-year, $74.5 million deal that included $31 million guaranteed. Allen did not disappoint, getting 14.5 sacks during the regular season and two more in the playoffs. He's confident the Vikings are headed in the right direction. "We have the talent," he said. "It is here (and) you can see it when we are firing on all cylinders. The problem is we had peaks and valleys throughout the game (Sunday against Philadelphia) and the season. The talent is here. I came here to win a division first and we accomplished that and then make a run into the playoffs. Unfortunately the latter didn't happen, we (have) got to deal with that. ... Hopefully for the guys that are here next year it is motivation, now that they got a taste of it, that they strive to get back."
--Cornerback Antoine Winfield, in his 10th season, knows his chances to get to a Super Bowl are running out. "This is only my third appearance in the playoffs in 10 years," he said. "Who knows when that opportunity will come again? It's another missed opportunity."
