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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Because none of you have gotten your fill yet on the Minnesota Vikings' stadium story, I made a rare daytime appearance outside of NFC North blog headquarters for a visit with team owners Zygi and Mark Wilf.

I reported to the ESPN.com news desk that Mark Wilf hopes to begin the Super Bowl bidding for Super Bowl LI, which will be played about six months after the new facility opens for the 2016 season. The Wilfs made clear the team will play at least two more seasons, 2012 and 2013, in the Metrodome but that their 2014 plans could take a year to develop. (They will play the 2015 season at TCF Bank Stadium.)

But to me the most intriguing takeaway was what seems like a preference to outfit the stadium with a retractable roof.

The final stadium bill allows for that possibility if the Vikings pay for the upgrade, which could cost an additional $25 million to $100 million. It would enhance the Wilfs' hopes to draw a Major League Soccer team to the facility, but it would also mesh with Zygi Wilf's long-stated desire to capitalize on what he thinks would be the competitive advantage of outdoor games during the Minnesota fall and winter.

(I have no opinion on it as long as the press box is enclosed.)

Neither Wilf would commit to a retractable roof but here's what Mark Wilf said about it: "We're going to try to get the maximum number of features within the budgets that we can make this a facility that is going to be exciting to the fans. We know it's a competitive landscape to attract our fans to the facility and we're going to want to make it something special. To the extent that retractability can get there, we're going to try to do it."

It's worth noting that the Vikings' original plan for the suburban Arden Hills site included a retractable roof, one that would allow for the outdoor experience the Vikings once had at Metropolitan Stadium but also provide the flexibility to host games and events that require a roof, whether it is the Super Bowl or a Final Four or Grave Digger's next performance.

After noting the possibility on Twitter earlier Friday, many of you asked about the rule at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Field that requires the roof to be closed when outside temperatures are lower than 40 degrees. All I can tell you is that the NFL's official rules on operating retractable roofs has no such requirements, at least not the set forwarded me Friday by the league office. The rules do, however, give the gameday referee the option to close the roof pregame because of precipitation or weather that is otherwise deemed hazardous.

You could have an interesting debate about the better home-field advantage: Really cold weather with the roof open or presumably louder crowd noise with it shut. I don't know where the Vikings will land on that, and I'm not entirely convinced the Wilfs are prepared to kick in additional money for retractability after increasing their initial contribution to $477 million in the final negotiations this week. Just know it's very much on the table moving forward.

More than a decade of memories came flooding back after seeing the Minnesota Vikings' stadium bill pass through the state Senate and head toward the inevitable signature of Gov. Mark Dayton on Thursday, ensuring at least 30 more years of franchise continuity.

I picked up the beat in 2001, when state leaders began years of inattention by insisting the Sept. 11 attacks made for an inappropriate time to discuss stadium subsidies. I remember calling a young state legislator named Tim Pawlenty, who cheerfully suggested the team's top stadium lobbyist secure a straight salary rather than working on commission. "There's just no appetite here for more stadiums," Pawlenty said a few years before he was elected governor.

I took a trip to San Antonio, home of former owner Red McCombs, to scout it out as a potential relocation site. I wrote about an NFL meeting in 2003 in which league officials made a preliminary plan to place the Vikings in the NFC West if they eventually relocated to Los Angeles. I watched plans to share a stadium with the University of Minnesota collapse, as did suburban collaborations in Anoka and Arden Hills.

But most of all, I remember sitting in a converted racquetball court in the Vikings' cramped practice facility on June 16, 2005. On that day, new owner Zygi Wilf made a pledge that astonished all of us and figured to haunt him for the rest of his tenure atop the franchise.

Wilf said he would never move the team, regardless of a revenue deficit that forced McCombs to sell. He acknowledged he would like a new stadium but said: "If we're stuck in the Metrodome, then we'll be stuck in the Metrodome."

Given the years of inaction we had already witnessed, most of us figured the only way the Vikings would secure a new stadium would be by waving a ready-made offer to relocate elsewhere. But here, on one of his first days as an owner, Wilf had cut his leverage out from beneath himself and guaranteed a struggle to upgrade the franchise's home.

So on this day, it's worth noting that Wilf and his staff have agreed to relatively equitable terms on a bill for a new stadium without so much as an indirect or implied threat of relocation -- much less engaging in any substantive discussions with another locale.

Really, the only tense moment came last month when a state committee derailed the bill in a spate of political infighting. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell swooped into St. Paul to add some weight to the Vikings' campaign, and from then on final approval has seemed nearly inevitable. In the context of stadium debates, Wilf and the Vikings kept the tone cordial, amicable and most importantly aboveboard, securing a state legacy for the franchise and the owner himself.

It's been months since Wilf has spoken publicly on the stadium issue, a strategic decision the Vikings made to minimize attention on the "billionaire subsidy" argument and focus it on Dayton and the resulting job creation a stadium would bring. I'm sure there will be plenty of people who can't get past the additional revenues Wilf and his investors will receive in this deal, and I understand that. But in the context of professional sports, I truly think Wilf and his investors deserve some credit for saving the franchise for Minnesota.

Think about it. For years, state leaders fully exercised the leverage they held by virtue of the Metrodome lease and Wilf's publicly stated willingness to continue playing there. When the tables turned, Wilf declined to reciprocate and instead pursued a deal with the same people who wouldn't take the Vikings' phone calls in previous years.

Really, from a cold business standpoint, Wilf would have been better off minimizing his expenses, awaiting the expiration of the lease then shopping the franchise to the highest bidder from around the country. He paid $600 million in 2005 and, six years later, the Jacksonville Jaguars were sold for $760 million with a stadium situation much worse than the Vikings'. Outsiders bidding for the franchise almost certainly would have left the Minnesota legislature to match a much less equitable deal to keep the team, if it had the opportunity at all.

Instead, over the past seven years, Wilf and his partners have funneled the team more than $100 million in personal funds to account for a competitive player payroll, a larger front-office staff and modernization of the practice facility. Wilf aggressively pursued the stadium issue but passed on every opportunity to up the ante or enhance his leverage by turning his attention elsewhere. You might disagree with some of his decisions as a franchise operator, but Wilf and his investors have proved exemplary franchise stewards.

I can't control how you view Wilf and his group of out-of-town investors. But, Vikings fans, you guys lucked out. This could have been ugly and easily might have ended differently. Zygi Wilf made sure it didn't.

Earlier: The first post-approval questions the Vikings must consider.

In the four days since the apparent collapse of the Minnesota Vikings stadium bill, the NFL and team officials have done a fine job of ratcheting up the pressure, much as we suggested they should do.

League executive vice president Eric Grubman confirmed there are "plenty of willing buyers" who want to purchase and presumably relocate the team. Vikings vice president Lester Bagley made the media rounds Thursday, saying the team has done all it can and urging state legislators to reconsider before the team considers other options. And NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will be joined in Minnesota on Friday by Pittsburgh Steelers president/co-owner Art Rooney, the chairman of the league's stadium committee, to explain the league's increasingly impatient stance.

None of this should be surprising to you. Nor should it change your thoughts on the issue, as long as you realized from the start that the league would not sit idly if the stadium bill faltered this year. My suggestion is to take a deep breath and understand we have entered an important and more pressurized phase of the process, but certainly not (yet) the endgame of this franchise in Minnesota.

The best way to understand what's happening at the moment is that the state has 12 days remaining of exclusivity with the franchise. That's how long the Minnesota state legislature is scheduled to remain in session. For now, the team and the league are squarely focused on reviving the issue in Minnesota. Importantly, however, the state is not 12 days away from losing the franchise -- not when NFL teams are ineligible to apply for relocation until Feb. 15, 2013.

Already, it appears that some state legislators are responding to the increased pressure. According to WCCO political reporter Pat Kessler, a state Senate committee will hold hearings on the stadium bill Friday. There have also been new pledges to push the bill through other committees.

If there is no resolution when the legislature adjourns, the realistic consequence will be a loss of that exclusivity. It's reasonable to think that owner Zygi Wilf will at least explore a firesale that would eventually lead to relocation, putting the state in competition for the franchise, but not necessarily on a path to losing it. The league's relocation deadline in essence would create a nine-month bidding window.

As we know from NFL free agency, there are no guarantees once a player hits the open market. A team can only ensure a player's return by re-signing him before he's eligible to move on. But there are many cases when a player re-signs after testing his value on the open market. There would be nothing to stop the state of Minnesota from continuing to work on the stadium issue even while Wilf explores other options, and the guess here is that Wilf and the NFL would even then prefer a Minnesota stadium agreement over a sale and/or relocation.

You should be aware that NFL teams have acted swifly in the past, relocating without giving a deadline or even an explicit warning. There would be nothing stopping Wilf from throwing his hands up, selling the team to a Los Angeles investor next month and being done with it. So I'm not questioning the gravity of the situation.

All I'm saying is you should understand where this issue is -- and more importantly where it hasn't gone yet -- and know that this is now a higher-stakes game, but one that remains eminently winnable for Minnesota.

In the immediate aftermath of the apparent defeat of the Minnesota Vikings' stadium bill, I suggested it was time for owner Zygi Wilf to dial up the rhetoric and at least begin discussing an endgame for the franchise in Minnesota. Wilf has remained silent, but on Wednesday night a top NFL executive filled that role.

Eric Grubman, the NFL's executive vice president, told the Star Tribune's Mark Craig the situation has gotten "very serious" and raised the possibility that Wilf will sell the team to someone who presumably would relocate after the 2012 season.

"This is getting ripe," Grubman said. "You have a very dejected ownership. They've run out of options. They feel like they've done everything they've been asked to do and they can't get a vote. No one will answer the question, 'What is it going to take?' The Vikings have said, 'Give us A, B and C, what would you like us to do?' They've been told A, B and C, and they've done that. And they still can't get through."

Grubman said he didn't think that Wilf is ready to sell yet but added: "There are plenty of willing buyers."

It is important to note that a lot of emotional and inflammatory statements are going to start getting thrown around this issue. We've reached that point. But the basics of what Grubman said are totally realistic.

As we've discussed many times, it's highly doubtful that either the Wilfs or the NFL will want to remain in Minnesota indefinitely without a new stadium. And as Grubman said, there is nothing in the Minnesota political muck to suggest that the stadium would have a better chance in a special legislative session this fall or even in 2013.

State leaders are probably going to need a full-blown crisis to feel the urgency of this issue, and we can see the parameters of that crisis forming already: The specter of Wilf putting the team up for sale. I don't think Wilf wants to do that, but I also don't think he wants to continue operating the franchise in the Metrodome.

Regardless, this moment was inevitable. It's interesting that the NFL, and not Wilf himself, is sending the message. But in the end, we knew it had to come to this before anyone got any real answers.

It's late.

We're all tired.

Most of us are cranky.

So let's get to the bottom line.

It's time.

It's time for the Minnesota Vikings to recognize that their admirable but toothless stadium strategy has failed.

It's time to end the exclusivity they have given the state of Minnesota on this issue.

There's no more reason to tiptoe around skittish state leaders who root for the Vikings but won't commit public money to maintain their long-term presence.

It's time for the Vikings to play their last remaining card, the one I'm surprised they haven't used already.

What's the secret to securing public financing for a new stadium?

Relocation.

Relocation.

Relocation.

(Or at least the threat thereof.)

Even after their Metrodome lease expired, the Vikings couldn't advance their stadium bill through a single committee in the Minnesota Senate. It was rejected outright late Monday night by committee in the Minnesota House of Representatives, and prominent state Rep. John Kriesel said of the bill via Twitter: "it is almost certainly dead this year."

Vikings spokesman Lester Bagley reacted angrily to the committee vote, telling reporters "it would be a mistake" to believe the team won't react accordingly to the news.

To me, there is only one reaction remaining.

Bagley and the Vikings' owning Wilf family have tried to work within the system. One of the first things Zgyi Wilf said when he bought the team in 2005 was that he would never move it. He's changed stadium strategies repeatedly upon direction from state leaders, including an abandonment of his 2006 effort to make political room for new parks for the Minnesota Twins and the University of Minnesota. The Vikings also buried a year's worth of work at their chosen site in suburban Arden Hills because political and business leaders wanted the stadium to remain in downtown Minneapolis.

It's time for Wilf to acknowledge in a public way that Minnesota state leaders might not be willing to support any part of the financing of a $975 million stadium. If that's the case, it would only make prudent business sense for the Vikings to begin investigating stadium sites outside of Minnesota.

I truly don't think the Vikings, the Wilf family or the NFL want to move the franchise. But state leaders felt little urgency after the Vikings allowed the NFL's Feb. 15 deadline for relocation applications to pass. As disappointing as it sounds, there aren't many legislative bodies left in this country that will take on controversial long-term issues when they don't absolutely, positively, have to. The Vikings don't have a lease, but they also haven't given themselves an option and have essentially asked state leaders to give them a break for playing by the rules.

I've always followed the theory that the Vikings' stadium issue wouldn't be addressed in a meaningful way until a crisis was at hand. And a crisis is not the expiration of a lease, at least if it's not accompanied by at least a realistic possibility that the franchise can act on its status as free agents and seek other options.

The Vikings have avoided the threat of relocation for obvious reasons. It's distasteful. It can hurt feelings, bruise egos and create long-lasting ill will in the community. I can't say I would enjoy covering it.

But I'll be fascinated to see if the Vikings find a way to avoid it now.

It's time.

If not now, when?

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Apparently, our next stop in sniffing out the Minnesota Vikings' true intentions this offseason is to make the dangerous connection between a stadium drive and football expenditures.

John of Belleview, Ill., is worried that the Vikings could become the "Kansas City Royals of football" for one of two reasons: Either owner Zygi Wilf will bring down his player payroll to limit further losses, or state legislators will require the team to pay so much toward construction that debt service will render moot the increased revenue of a new stadium.

Here's what I can tell you: Wilf has done nothing if not spend liberally on players during his first seven years as the team's majority owner. If my count is right, he has made five capital calls to his investment partners to cover the difference between revenues and his player payroll. In total, Wilf and his partners have pumped about nearly $100 million into the franchise on top of the $600-million purchase price.

And I feel confident in suggesting Wilf wouldn't have agreed to the current terms of his stadium proposal if it would have shortchanged his projected revenues.

There is no denying the Vikings have made but one significant free-agent expenditure, signing tight end John Carlson to a five-year contract worth $25 million. And I understand why Vikings fans would be suspicious given the blatant financial scaleback they endured in the final years of previous owner Red McCombs' tenure.

But if the Vikings have made a shift, it's one of philosophy rather than finances, general manager Rick Spielman said here at the NFL owners meetings.

Spielman: "Our ownership has always been very supportive of what we need to do, getting players and things like that. I think that doesn't have any effect on whether we're going to sign or not sign a player."

Owner/president Mark Wilf echoed that sentiment: "It's a long-term process in terms of building through the draft, filling in through free agency, and that combination is something we wanted to structure the organization to have our best chance at long-term success. … We want to win right away, too, but the main thing is we want to be first-rate and first-class on a consistent basis."

I realize that no team official would admit to a financial scaleback, but in Wilf's case, we have seven years of free spending and one offseason of a longer-term view. It doesn't add up to anything sinister for me.

The Green Bay Press-Gazette focused this weekend on a nuance that probably wouldn't have occurred to fans in other NFL markets: Reconciling the growing commercialization of the league's individual franchises with the Packers' history as a small-town operation.

Through interviews over several months, reporters Pete Dougherty and Rob Demovsky documented the Packers' dramatic rise in size and local revenues in recent years. They noted that the franchise has moved away from front-office executives with local ties and noted at least one instance -- a failed attempt to take over the Packers Hall of Fame -- when its business appetite overstepped its bounds in the eyes of many locals. A few thoughts from my end:

1. Like it or not, the Packers have followed a clear path set around the NFL. Its teams are the most valuable sports franchises in the world, and their values have risen even in an extended economic downturn. They are part of a $9 billion industry, and it's probably unrealistic to think they would resist growth in a free market.
2. The Packers' biggest source of revenues will always be their share of the NFL's television revenues, a stream that keeps the franchise afloat and has largely replaced the stockholder bailouts that defined its earlier history. The team now uses stock sales for capital improvements, including an in-progress $143 million project at Lambeau Field. I know some of you might think the Packers are taking advantage of fans who want to own stock. But from a national perspective, that beats the hard feelings associated with taxing an entire municipality made up of football and non-football fans alike. Consider it the lesser of evils.
3. As a midwest transplant, I'm not sure how important it is for the Packers' top executives to have been born or raised in Green Bay or attended school in Wisconsin. Relating with local citizenry requires an open mind, good listening skills and a sense of place -- not necessarily a birth certificate or in-state diploma.
4. It's true that president/CEO Mark Murphy was identified by a search firm and had no ties to Wisconsin when he was hired. But his arrival reflected a trend that brought the Packers inline with several other franchises. Local ownership/leadership is less prevalent these days. New Jersey native Zygi Wilf owns the Minnesota Vikings, Houston resident Bud Adams owns the Tennessee Titans, St. Louis-based Shahid Khan recently purchased the Jacksonville Jaguars, and New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson is from San Antonio, Texas.
5. With that said, Packers executives have a complicated set of responsibilities that can't be replicated elsewhere. As revenue officers, they have an obligation to maximize local income. But they must also be careful about how they capitalize on local willingness to contribute, be it through stock sales or tax breaks or other local levies. Further, the Packers' outsized aura relative to the size of the city means every decision the Packers make has a larger local impact than any other NFL franchise.
6. I was interested to see the rise of Tim Connolly, the former Vikings general manager whom the Press-Gazette paints as the team's second-most powerful business-side executive after Murphy. Connolly is the vice president of sales and marketing, but appears to have wide latitude within the organization. Connolly is a hard-driving businessman who left his mark on the Vikings during a 15-month tenure. Many of the people he hired in 1999 remain with the organization, including vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski and chief financial officer Steve Poppen. Connolly is the type of hard-charging revenue driver the Packers have probably never employed, but is not uncommon in today's NFL.
7. Long story short, I think the Press-Gazette project illustrates that the Packers are a uniquely big business in an uncommonly small market. There are no real parallels for them to follow in terms of operation or responsibilities toward two separate entities: Their 31 NFL business partners and their hundreds of thousands of citizen/stockholders.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — A few comments after sitting in on the Minnesota Vikings' news conference to announce Rick Spielman's promotion to general manager:

[+] Enlarge
Jim Mone/AP PhotoRick Spielman addresses the media after he was named general manager of the Vikings on Tuesday.
• By all accounts, Spielman has acquired extensive authority — and not just a fancy title — with this move. Owner/president Mark Wilf said Spielman "will oversee all football-related activities and operations" and "all roster and personnel decisions" will be "in Rick's hands." That means Spielman will have final say over the draft, all player transactions and the composition of the 80- and 53-man rosters.
• The one check on Spielman's power is supervision of the coaching staff. He will make roster and player decisions once reserved for the head coach in the old structure, but coach Leslie Frazier will continue to report directly to owners Zygi and Mark Wilf. "Ownership will make that determination on the head coach," Spielman said. From everything I can tell, however, that's an issue of semantics. The Wilfs would be circumventing their apparent intent if they didn't listen to the advice of the man they've placed in charge of "all football-related activities." If Spielman wants to fire the head coach and/or hire a new one, I imagine the Wilfs will consent.
• Most of you aren't going to care about the new process the Vikings have for making football decisions. But here's what will interest you: Spielman emotionally and unequivocally accepted complete accountability for the successes and failures of the team going forward. "I will be held accountable for those decisions," he said. At one point, Spielman paused to collect himself before saying: "3-13 is not acceptable for our fans of the Minnesota Vikings. It's not acceptable for our ownership. It's not acceptable for this organization." For better or worse, there is no doubt about who is in charge at the team's Winter Park facility.

Podcast: Rick Spielman

Vikings GM Rick Spielman discusses the first order of business in his new position, Christian Ponder's future, Adrian Peterson's injury and more. Listen

• Spielman acknowledged his mixed record as a personnel executive with the Miami Dolphins, a tenure that ended after his promotion to general manager in 2004. He departed after the Dolphins finished 4-12 that season. "You look back through all of your experiences," Spielman said. "I'm a very big historian on seeing what happened, and the only way to me that you get better is by experiencing some of the setbacks. When you experience some of the setbacks, you really analyze why it was like that, or what did you do, or what would you do differently? So when similar situations occur going forward, you'll know how to handle them better."
• Perhaps the most tangible bi-product of the traditional structure is that it empowers the general manager to make long-term decisions. The Vikings entered the 2011 draft in desperation mode at quarterback because no one had the authority to plan for the end of Brett Favre's tenure. It would be inexcusable for a traditional general manager to act with so little regard for the future. Spielman: "It's also my responsibility as we move forward in making decisions not only to look for the short-term success on the football field, but also looking out for our long-term goals so that we can be successful year in and year out."
• I know many of you were hoping for more dramatic changes after 23 losses in the past 32 games. You see Spielman as part of the problem, not someone who deserves to be empowered with finding the solution. I understand where you're coming from. But the official approach of this blog will be to give Spielman a clean slate from this moment. It's impossible to know what he is or isn't responsible for during this tailspin. For the first time in decades, however, we have no gray area for accountability and evaluation moving forward. The clock on the Rick Spielman Era starts today.

We've had two front office moves in the NFC North literally in a matter of minutes Tuesday. The Chicago Bears relieved general manager Jerry Angelo of his duties, throwing the entire franchise into uncertainty, and then the Minnesota Vikings named Rick Spielman their general manager.

I've already offered my first-blush thoughts on the Angelo move. The significance of the Vikings' announcement on Spielman rests in the details. Namely: Does Spielman truly have ultimate authority over all football-related aspects in the organization? Or is this just bureaucratic window dressing?

Spielman has spent nearly five years as the Vikings' vice president of player personnel, part of a three-man leadership committee we've sometimes referred to as the "Triangle of Authority." Spielman ran the personnel department and had final say over the draft. The coach -- Brad Childress and later Leslie Frazier -- presided over on-field operations. Rob Brzezinski, the longtime vice president of football operations, negotiated contracts and managed the salary cap.

All three corners of the Triangle reported directly to owner Zygi Wilf, meaning big-picture and long-term decisions were required to be made as a group. The checks-and-balance theory sounds good in principle but doesn't always work in practice. In football franchises stocked with Type A personalities, it helps to know who is in charge. During Wilf's ownership tenure, that basic question has always been unanswerable.

The title change implies that Spielman is now in charge, and the Vikings issued a press release that seems to confirm it. Wilf is quoted as saying the move "establishes the leadership structure that will lead to the long term success of the Vikings." If so, that means Frazier now works for Spielman. You can call an executive a general manager if you want, but if he doesn't have the power to hire and fire the coach, then it's window dressing. So if Spielman has that power, the Vikings would operate under a single voice and navigate a streamlined vision for the first time since Jim Finks left his job as general manager in 1974.

Reasonable people can debate whether or not the committee leadership style is truly at fault for two consecutive losing seasons in Minnesota. A traditional general manager is not an upgrade unless he is a good general manager, as the Detroit Lions found out after a decade under Matt Millen. Reasonable people can also debate whether Spielman's performance merits a promotion, given the obvious roster holes that exist on this team.

We'll address those issues in the coming days and months. But at the very least, a traditional power structure would give the Vikings a clearer sense of public accountability for wins and losses. It would eliminate the need to massage internal debate to accommodate personal viewpoints and presumably allow the franchise to move more decisively to address its shortcomings. It will also put Spielman in the potentially awkward position of employing a coach he didn't hire. Stay tuned on that one.

I like to think I'm adequately suspicious of the uber-wealthy, and I know I'm resentful of the disproportionate public benefits their money generates for them. But here is some free advice: We all need to get a grip and stop applying those sentiments to the Minnesota Vikings' stadium situation.

News that Vikings owner Zygi Wilf and his wife recently purchased a $19 million Manhattan home has absolutely nothing to do with their request for some $630 million in public money for their suburban stadium project. It's lazy at best, and intentionally divisive at worst, to drag out the popular but inapplicable cries of outrage in questioning why Wilf's business should receive public subsidies while he buys fancy apartments across from Central Park.

Not once has Wilf or anyone associated with the Vikings claimed he can't afford to build the stadium himself. None of us know the exact nature of his wealth, but it's reasonable to assume that if he sold some stuff and moved some things and took out some loans, he and his family could come up with the money to do it.

But that's not the issue, and it never has been when it comes to public subsidies for stadiums. Wilf isn't offering to pay for the entire stadium because he doesn't have to. The market was set long ago. That ship has sailed. Precedents set around the country have called for a private contribution of less than half the total cost of the project. Moreover, there are two standing offers from Los Angeles businessmen to build stadiums at no cost to the current owner. That's business, people, not budgets.

You can question whether that's fair or right, but unfortunately that answer won't matter. The question everyone should be asking is not how much Wilf can afford or should be expected to pay, but how much you want the Vikings to stay in Minnesota. It's more than reasonable to take the position that Wilf doesn't deserve a public subsidy, as long as you accept that the team ultimately will relocate as a result. You might not like it, but that's the cost of doing business with the NFL in 2011.

You can hold Wilf's personal expenditures to all the public scrutiny you want and come up with cute #wilfare hashtags on Twitter to rile up the masses. In the end, however, it's totally irrelevant to the issue and serves as nothing more than a cheap distraction from answering the real and tough questions that remain.

If you want the NFL to remain in Minnesota, you'll have to accept that the rich really do get richer. Your choice.

Earlier Tuesday, we noted that Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook had put his coach in a tough spot. Arrested Saturday morning in a domestic assault case, jailed during Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers and charged Tuesday in a complaint that included felony strangulation, Cook had cast a spotlight on coach Leslie Frazier.

How would Frazier respond? Would he welcome Cook back to practice Wednesday? Would he await NFL discipline, which can take months? Would he deactivate Cook (with pay) for Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers?

In the end, Frazier took the most aggressive path available under the NFL's collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The Vikings suspended Cook without pay "while we continue to gather information regarding the situation," according to a statement released late Tuesday night. The CBA allows a maximum of a four-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team, which I presume the Vikings have classified the act of being incarcerated on game day.

Cook's base salary this season is $450,000, meaning he will lose $26,471 for every game he misses.

I wondered if Frazier would take a less aggressive approach while gathering facts on the case, but it might not have been his decision to make. Vikings owner Zygi Wilf has worked hard to reverse the franchise's notorious off-field history, and with his stadium push nearing a crucial time, I'm sure Wilf was highly motivated to act quickly and decisively.

From a football perspective, the suspension will make a significant impact. Cook was the Vikings' top draft pick in 2010, their best cornerback of 2011 and one of their few young players who appeared ready to move up the depth chart this season. Without him Sunday, the Vikings' undermanned secondary allowed Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to have a near-perfect game in a 33-27 Green Bay victory.

Based on the tawdry details in the police report, however, I'm not sure the Vikings had a choice here. They've got about a month to decide whether this suspension is enough punishment or if they will cut him outright. Stay tuned.

Two ingredients are mandatory for the success of an NFL franchise.

You need a quarterback to win games and a modern stadium to make money.

And at this moment, it's uncertain if the Minnesota Vikings have either.

So pardon the dramatics, if you will, but I truly believe the Vikings are entering the most critical time period in their 51-year existence.

During the month, they will find out if the state of Minnesota will finance a new stadium or risk losing them to another market. And by the end of 2011, the Vikings should have a decent idea whether rookie Christian Ponder is a true franchise quarterback or just the next in a long line of short-term starters.

Check out the chart to your right. Since their inception in 1961, the Vikings have had only three quarterbacks I would consider long-term starters. Fran Tarkenton (13 seasons), Tommy Kramer (seven) and Daunte Culpepper (five) are the only quarterbacks to have been the Vikings' primary starter for more than three seasons.

The Vikings have filled the other 26 years with a mishmash of journeymen (Gary Cuozzo, Wade Wilson, Rich Gannon) and big-time veterans at the end of their careers (Warren Moon, Brett Favre, Randall Cunningham and Jim McMahon). Their hope is that Ponder, 23, will put an end to their annual search for a Band-Aid solution.

If first impressions mean anything, Sunday's debut performance against the Green Bay Packers was encouraging. Ponder threw aggressively downfield; seven of his 13 completions went for at least 15 yards. He was mobile, routinely buying extra time outside of the pocket and gaining 31 yards on four scrambles. And he without question brought an energy and confidence to an offense that seemed to be treading water for the season's first six games.

"He took charge with confidence," tailback Adrian Peterson said. "He never seemed rattled. Just very comfortable, which is something I am very excited about. He bounced back from two interceptions and continued to go strong, which says a lot about him as a leader."

Peterson said the difference was "definitely very noticeable" and, as someone who just signed a seven-year contract extension, seemed optimistic about the franchise's future.

Smart Vikings observers know not to overreact to the emotional debut of a quarterback candidate, and there are plenty of unanswered questions about Ponder's long-term viability. After watching him float a few passes to the Packers' secondary, I would rank arm strength atop that list. But the next nine games should give us a good sense of where his career is headed.

If all goes well, Ponder will be the Vikings' quarterback when they open their next stadium. Where that facility will be located, of course, remains a topic of fierce debate both in Minnesota and in the NFL offices.

The Vikings' lease at the Metrodome expires in less than four months -- on Feb. 1, 2012. A top league official has already acknowledged the Vikings would be free to pursue relocation options at that point, and owner Zygi Wilf has said he won't sign a short-term lease extension at the Metrodome without financing approval for a new stadium.

Without a deal in place by Feb. 1, the Vikings could technically move to Los Angeles or another market in time for the 2012 season, provided NFL owners grant approval. That timetable has finally moved a decade-long conundrum to the front burner of Minnesota politics, putting enormous pressure on a resolution -- one way or the other -- before Thanksgiving.

Gov. Mark Dayton has set a Nov. 7 deadline for settling on a project site and plan. Wilf prefers a suburban site for a project that would cost $1.1 billion, but powerful members of the business community are pushing for a site in Minneapolis. After making his recommendation, Dayton will oversee two weeks of debate and public hearings prior to a proposed Nov. 21 special session of the state legislature to vote on the final package.

Anything short of approval at that point almost certainly would push the next round of debate past the expiration of the Vikings' lease.

Would Wilf commence relocation efforts next February? Last week, NFL executive vice president Eric Grubman told 1500ESPN.com: "[T]hey are free to explore their options and from all I know they already could be exploring their options. They do not need clearance from us."

It's more likely that Wilf would put the franchise up for sale under that scenario. Presumably, the new buyer would pursue relocation. In either event, we'll know in a matter of weeks whether that possibility will even exist. Barring an extension of Dayton's pre-holiday deadline, Judgment Day is coming for the Vikings -- both on and off the field.

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FALLING

1. Bernard Berrian, Minnesota Vikings receiver: Berrian took to Twitter on Sunday to note that he has been "open" for the past four years. I don't really care that one of his antagonists was a Minnesota state representative, one who happens to be a co-author of owner Zygi Wilf's stadium financing bill. No matter who he was speaking to, Berrian was wrong to imply that getting open means he has been doing his job. There are multiple reasons why he has been so unproductive in recent years, and they include some factors (like quarterback accuracy) that are beyond Berrian's control. I'll have more on this topic later in the week, but for now understand that Vikings quarterbacks have targeted him on 67 passes over the past 20 games. Berrian has caught 30 of them. Berrian would be well-advised to evaluate what he does, or doesn't do, to fight for the ball before drawing attention to his production.

2. Insanity in Chicago: We've hammered Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz pretty well in recent weeks for his play calling. So we should note that the Bears came to their senses in several ways last Sunday. First, they swapped receivers Roy Williams and Johnny Knox, returning Knox to his starting role. While Knox has his own issues to work through, Williams needed to be held accountable for his lack of productivity. Second, Martz called only 19 passes compared to 30 running plays. The reality is the Bears aren't in position to generate a ton of scoring on their own. Martz smartly and safely capitalized on the boost he got from the Bears' defense (one touchdown) and special teams (one touchdown, another set up and a blocked field goal).

3. Remi Ayodele, Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle: The Vikings’ new nose tackle has started four games and doesn’t have a single tackle. Nose tackles don’t typically pile up tackles, and Ayodele’s top job is to occupy multiple blockers. But you would think a nose tackle would fall on a running back at some point during a four-game stretch. Ayodele doesn’t play in the nickel, and according to Pro Football Focus, he has been on the field for only 76 of the Vikings' 259 defensive snaps. That in itself is an indictment of his contribution so far. But still ….

RISING

1. Gunther Cunningham, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator: I have no idea how long Cunningham is planning to coach. He's 65 and has been coaching for 42 years. But it's nice to see him having success as his career inevitably moves into its twilight. Lost in the publicity of the Lions' offensive explosion has been a defense that Cunningham has smartly tweaked to fit his personnel. When he arrived in 2009, Cunningham estimated he would blitz on 40 percent of his defensive snaps. Now armed with one of the NFL's best defensive lines, Cunningham almost never blitzes and instead allows his back seven to drop into coverage and make plays. All three of the Lions' interceptions Sunday of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo came against a standard four-man rush. Overall, Cunningham blitzed on 10.9 percent of the Cowboys’ offensive snaps. Good coaches never get old. They adapt.

2. Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers receiver: In his past 10 games, dating back to last season and including playoffs, Nelson has caught 42 passes for 741 yards and six touchdowns. He has effectively emerged as the Packers' No. 2 receiver, regardless of who starts, and absolutely earned the three-year contract extension he signed over the weekend. The Packers' top draft pick in 2008, Nelson is yet another example of a homegrown talent who worked his way through the Packers' in-house minor leagues to become a top contributor.

3. Matt Forte, Bears tailback: There are three players in Bears history to surpass 200 rushing yards in a game. One is Gale Sayers. One is Walter Payton. The other is Forte, who finished with 205 yards Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. Through four games, Forte has been the Bears' best player. He is obviously their rushing leader, but he also has more than twice as many receptions as his next-closest teammate. Overall, Forte has touched the ball on 37.7 percent of the Bears’ snaps and has accounted for more than half of their total yards. Rarely do you see a player in a contract year make a better case for himself.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- About 24 hours after signing tailback Adrian Peterson to a groundbreaking seven-year contract, the Minnesota Vikings took the field at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium. Peterson is one of the NFL's best players, but not even he could elevate an anemic offensive performance that produced 10 points, 10 first downs and a total of 187 yards in a loss to the San Diego Chargers.

A reminder of an NFC North blog rule: We draw no season-long conclusions based on what we see in Week 1. But on the occasion of Peterson's long-term contract, and with the educated assumption that this division will be highly competitive in the short term, it's worth asking: What will the Vikings net from having a future Hall of Fame running back on their roster for at least the meat of his career?

Since drafting Peterson in 2007, the Vikings have compiled a 36-29 regular-season record. They've won the NFC North twice, have one postseason victory and are coming off a 2010 season that they advertised as a final Super Bowl run with their current nucleus.

Some of that nucleus has been dispersed, but many of the Vikings' most prominent players remain on the wrong side of 30 years old. That list that includes cornerback Antoine Winfield (34), defensive tackle Kevin Williams (31) and linebacker E.J. Henderson (31). Defensive end Jared Allen is 29.

Most important, the Vikings are due for a quarterback transition at some point from Donovan McNabb to Christian Ponder, an exercise that could set them up for a decade at the position but could have some choppy points along the way. If Week 1 showed us anything, it's that run-only teams won't fare well in the NFL's current environment. Effective passing games are an essential complement, if nothing else.

To be clear, most issues the Vikings face are shared by many NFL teams. There is nothing unusual or particularly pessimistic about their long-term direction. But the twist here is that Peterson plays a position with a historically short lifespan. In reality, they probably have a three-year window, at most, to win a Super Bowl with Peterson still at an All-Pro level.

Peterson's contract was advertised as a seven-year, $100 million deal. But as ESPN analyst Andrew Brandt pointed out for the National Football Post, it's really a three-year contract worth $40 million. After the 2013 season, the Vikings will owe Peterson no guaranteed money moving forward. At that point, Peterson will be 29 and have seven years of NFL pounding on his body. His career won't be over, but he will be bucking history if he is still a transcendent back at that point.

Peterson said the Vikings' aptitude for competitiveness in the near future was "the most important" factor in his decision-making process. I'm not sure if he truly had a choice in the matter given the Vikings' likely willingness to use the franchise tag on him. But when I asked him Thursday, Peterson expressed confidence that a Super Bowl is in reach.

"That was the most important thing," Peterson said, "knowing that, if I'm here, I'm going to be around a team, an organization, a head coach, offensively, defensively, that we're going to have the opportunity to compete for a championship. I'm pleased when I look around this locker room, just the guys that we have in here, and our head coach, coach [Leslie] Frazier, and the surrounding cast, that we're going to be able to do that, and just have faith that this organization is going to continue to bring in guys to reach that goal."

That final sentiment is the best thing the Vikings have going for them. Owner Zygi Wilf has never hesitated to devote resources toward a major free agent or a significant trade to elevate the Vikings' short-term fortunes. The sense around the post-Brett Favre Vikings is that they're regrouping. They'll need to make it quick to fully capitalize on Peterson's once-in-a-generation talent.

Inside the Minnesota Vikings' organization, there never seemed much doubt about the future of All-Pro tailback Adrian Peterson. From owner Zygi Wilf on down, team officials made clear that under no circumstances would Peterson leave when his rookie contract expired after this season. He is a once-in-a-generation player who has been the franchise's most consistent face the past five years. Peterson, meanwhile, appeared totally at ease with the situation from the start.

The only questions were the nature and timing of his return. Would he play out the final year of his current deal and hit the negotiating table this winter? What if the Vikings tagged him their franchise player? Would the team's uncertain future in Minnesota play any role in its financial commitment?

We got the answers Saturday afternoon in decisive fashion, when the Vikings extended Peterson's contract through the 2017 season. The deal is worth between $96 million and $100 million, depending on escalators, and includes a total of $36 million in guarantees. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, $32 million of the $36 million is guaranteed for skill and injury. The other $4 million is guaranteed for injury only, meaning the Vikings wouldn't have to pay Peterson that final $4 million if he is ever released for performance reasons.

Regardless, Peterson is now the NFL's highest-paid running back and one of the top-paid non-quarterbacks in the league. The agreement was announced as the Vikings boarded their team charter to San Diego, where they will open the season Sunday against the Chargers -- the team, by the way, that allowed Peterson's NFL-record 296 yards in a 2007 game.

Some further thoughts:

• The Vikings clearly were unconcerned about the risks of a huge second contract for a superstar running back. We discussed that issue this summer, noting the relatively short career spans for running backs and the recent examples of big-time runners whose production dipped dramatically after signing their second contracts. Peterson has tallied 1,334 touches in his career, including kickoff returns, but has missed only three of a possible 64 games and has had no off-field issues that would compromise his eligibility to play with the league.
• At 26, it's reasonable to expect at least two or three more elite seasons left in Peterson's career. According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, he will receive $40 million, including all of the guaranteed portion of the deal, in the first three years. Three more seasons of an All-Pro running back for a total of $40 million? The Vikings would be thrilled with that return on their investment.
• Most NFL observers consider Peterson and the Tennessee Titans' Chris Johnson as the co-best running backs in the league, but Peterson's deal exceeds the one Johnson signed last month. Johnson's extension averaged $13.3 million in new money and included $30 million in guarantees. Peterson's will average nearly $15 million per season in new money over the life of the deal, in addition to the $36 million guaranteed. But Peterson was always in position to get a better contract because his current contract was already paying him $10.72 million. Johnson was due to make less than $3 million this season.
• Peterson's contract came five days after linebacker Chad Greenway signed a five-year, $41 million extension with $20 million in guarantees. So in the course of a week, Wilf has committed at least $56 million and up to $141 million in potential compensation to two of his best players. Say what you want about Wilf and his pursuit of public money to build a new stadium, but recognize this: He has never let finances get in the way of fielding a competitive team.
• Peterson was to count $12.7 million against the Vikings' salary cap this season. You would assume the new contract will lower that number, but it might be a few days before we know those details.