While the Minnesota Vikings coaching staff is hard at work mentoring the North squad at the Senior Bowl this week, you can be sure certain members of the organization are already very clearly focused on the task of adding valuable free agents to the team's roster in 2012.

It's never too early to compile an offseason free agent wish list, so here are some players at a few positions of need who would look great in a Vikings uniform this season.

WIDE RECEIVER—So impressed am I with the list of available free agent receivers, it's almost too good to be true. I believe the Vikings need to add two outstanding players at this position to compliment the immense talents of WR/RB/KR Percy Harvin. If I had my way, I would do all I could to make sure Dwayne Bowe (Chiefs) was a Viking this season, but just look at some of the other players on the open market: Marques Colston (Saints), Vincent Jackson (Chargers), Stevie Johnson (Bills), and DeSean Jackson (Eagles). I think the Vikings need a true number one option who brings a big, physical presence to the offense, so adding Bowe, Colston or Vincent Jackson would be ideal if they can pull it off.

CORNERBACK—Contrary to what new Vikings defensive coordinator Alan Williams said about the team not needing wholesale changes in the secondary, I think the Vikings need a lot of help here.

As I look through the list of available corners and safeties, the one name that jumps out at me is safety LaRon Landry (Redskins). Yes, he's had his share of injury problems and that is a red flag to teams that are considering him this offseason. But when he is on the field, he is a force like no other currently playing the position. If I were starting a team—other than adding talent along the offensive and defensive lines and selecting a franchise quarterback—I would be looking for a big, physical safety that puts fear in the minds of opposing offenses. Landry is that player.

As far as defensive backs go, an interesting possibility would be Brent Grimes (Falcons). He's a small corner, but he's very talented and has a bulldog mentality that would serve any team well. Speaking of bulldogs, Cortland Finnegan (Titans) is also a free agent. A lot of people consider him to be a "dirty" player, but I like his tenacity. Brandon Carr (Chiefs) is also an outstanding corner.

OFFENSIVE LINE—I've always believed—as have many others who put substance over sizzle—that the offensive and defensive lines are the foundation of any team. They are typically not glamorous additions, but they are the most important ones a team can make.

I expect the Vikings to take USC tackle Ryan Kalil with the third overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, but that's not where the needs end for Minnesota. Adding guard Carl Nicks (Saints) would be a huge upgrade to replace aging veteran Steve Hutchinson, who has been an outstanding player for a very long time. Nicks is just entering his prime at 26-years-old. Another option would be Ben Grubbs (Ravens). If the Vikings don't plan on selecting Kalil, they might want to consider tackle Jared Gaither (Chargers). Any one of these players would be a tremendous addition for a team that needs to protect quarterback Christian Ponder and create space for running back Adrian Peterson.

OTHER—Finally, I'm just going to throw this last option out in a dream scenario. What if the Vikings added Houston Texans defensive end Mario Williams to compliment Jared Allen on the defensive line?

Williams was playing outside linebacker for the 3-4 schemed Texans before an injury ended his 2011 season. The Texans are a better team with Williams, but they still played as one of the league's best defenses with him on the bench. If he is fully recovered from his injury, Mario Williams is an elite pass rusher that could make the Vikings defense elite.

The first steps toward rebuilding the Minnesota Vikings after a dreary 3-13 season has begun on the defensive side of the football with the hiring of new defensive coordinator Alan Williams and defensive line coach Brendan Daly.

Williams—who replaces Fred Pagac, last year's defensive coordinator who was demoted to linebackers coach—comes to the Vikings from Indianapolis where he was the Colts' defensive backs coach for the past 10 seasons. He was the Vikings' second choice after Jacksonville defensive coordinator Mel Tucker decided to stay with the Jags.

Some might say that bringing in coaches from the only two teams that were worse than the Vikings in 2011 is a bad move, but I disagree. You have to consider each coach's body of work in order to evaluate them fairly.

Williams is not a proven defensive coordinator—in fact, he's never held the role before—but every successful coordinator has to start somewhere. For Williams, this is his time to move from position coach to coordinator.

His experience in helping to shape the successful careers of safeties Bob Sanders and Antoine Bethea among others in Indy is encouraging. Plus, he worked with Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier in Indianapolis, so there will be less of an adjustment period between the two.

I'm not going to say Frazier hired Williams because the two are friends—which they are. That would be absurd. He hired Williams because he felt he was the best man for the job. And yes, because there is a familiarity between the two—a previous working relationship that Frazier felt would work in Minnesota.

Both men were tutored by former Tampa Bay and Indianapolis head coach Tony Dungy. And that can certainly not be a bad thing.

One thing that does concern me is that Williams said he doesn't believe "wholesale changes" are necessary for the secondary. I disagree. The Vikings had the worst secondary in football last year, getting torched for 34 touchdowns with only eight picks. If any team needs wholesale changes, it's the Vikings.

Of the current defensive backs and safeties on the Vikings roster, only a select few seem to be good enough to play for any NFL team at this point.

Some of the Vikings' high profile DBs appear to have an uncertain future with the team.

Cornerback Antoine Winfield has become very injury prone as the years have added up on his career. He might be able to fulfill a part time role—when extra defensive backs are needed in specific situations—but no more than that.

Cornerback Cedric Griffin has had major surgery on both his knees and played poorly last season. Based on his declining skills, it appeared his time in Minnesota was over, but I'd say his return to the team is 50/50 right now.

Cornerback Chris Cook has proven to be a bust for the Vikings. When he hasn't been hurt he's had off-the-field issues. His future status with the team is unknown right now.

I do like what Williams had to say about playing fast and playing "tough football better than our opponents," but if you don't have the personnel to accomplish that, it's going to be an extremely difficult task.

As for Daly, he was with the Vikings as an assistant defensive line coach for three years, but most recently spent time with the St. Louis Rams as their defensive line coach. The Vikings know what they are getting with Daly so there won't be any surprises. He returns to the team with more experience than when he left. And he inherits the play of the NFL's top pass rusher in defensive end Jared Allen.

When Minnesota Vikings coaches assembles in Mobile, AL for the 2012 Senior Bowl practices next week, they will get a unique, up-close look at some of the outstanding talent that will be available in April's NFL Draft.

Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier and his staff will work with the North squad during the entire week prior to the game, which is January 28.

"The Vikings coaching staff and I are very excited to be a part of a great tradition and have the opportunity to coach in the 2012 Senior Bowl," Frazier said in a statement released by the Senior Bowl. "It gives us the chance to work with some of the most talented football players in the country as they prepare to enter the NFL."

The Senior Bowl is the premiere senior showcase event, annually featuring the country’s best senior college football players and top NFL draft prospects on teams representing the North and South that are coached by the entire coaching staffs of two National Football League teams—in this case the Vikings (North squad) and the Washington Redskins (South squad).

It's an invaluable experience for the organizations to really get to know this senior class and to gain a advantageous perspective on the players in attendance.

Last year, the Vikings used the event, in part, to confirm an interest in Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder, their first round draft pick and current starting signal caller. While the coaching staff wasn't in charge of the practices as they will be this year, Vikings officials were in attendance and they used the event to carefully evaluate Ponder, who finished as the game's MVP.

Imagine the advantage they will have this year as they are able to determine first-hand how the players respond to their coaching and practices.

Needless to say, with the third overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Vikings organization is in a dire situation to improve their roster. Having their coaches at the Senior Bowl for an up-close evaluation will only help matters.

It's been two weeks since Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson had surgery to repair the extensive knee damage he suffered in the team's second to last game of the 2011 season, on Christmas Eve against the Washington Redskins.

It shook me to see the National Football League's best running back literally convulsing on the FedEx Field turf from the injury he suffered after taking an awkward hit on his planted left leg during the third quarter of that game.

It saddened me as well because I didn't know if the Adrian Peterson I had come to know in covering the Minnesota Vikings over the past five years would ever be the same again.

I felt bad for him because I feared the worst in what appeared to be a devastating injury.

Those fears would be realized later that evening when Peterson was diagnosed with a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee.

Now two weeks removed from reconstructive surgery on his injured knee, Peterson met with the media to discuss his progress and the process he is undergoing in rehabilitation.

The now-bearded Peterson was upbeat and smiling during a presser yesterday afternoon, while at the same time being honest and up front about his feelings and emotions over the course of the past few weeks.

"I feel like the first week was the toughest part for me, not being able to sleep, waking up every two hours, just dealing with the pain and the frustration, looking ahead like, 'Wow, I've got a long way before I'm able just to move around and walk,'" Peterson said. "But after that first week, I feel like things really just started to calm down. The pain started to subside. I was able to just get more motivated about the process."

Vikings head athletic trainer Eric Sugarman assured everyone that Peterson was not experiencing anything abnormal and that his rehab, while a difficult process, was right on schedule.

"His surgery was certainly a success and everything's fine," Sugarman said. "That's the one thing that you really have to be cautious of the first couple months. You can't push him too hard, otherwise you can put him at risk. He knows that. We all know that. That's why the protocol is setup the way it is."

The obstacles ahead for Peterson will certainly test his will, but they are not insurmountable. NFL players have returned from this injury to enjoy successful careers. I expect Peterson to do the same.

In fact, if you ask him, he will not only return to start in the Vikings' 2012 season opener—which is his primary objective—he'll also be an improved version of himself.

"I know that anything I put my mind to, I'll be able to accomplish," he said. "I feel like I'm going to come back better than before."

It's hard to imagine Adrian Peterson better than he was before, but I'm not doubting him for a second.

Cris Carter has been eligible for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the past five years. Each year he was a finalist. And each year, he came away without enough votes to add his name to the select few who have been honored with pro football's ultimate individual achievement—a place in Canton, OH at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

I don't get to vote for Hall of Fame inductees. And quite honestly, I don't feel I'm qualified to cast a vote even though I've been an NFL writer for the past 13 years and I've covered the HOF Enshrinement for the past eight years. I would say the same for some of the writers/media who do get to vote for HOF inductees each year. But that's another story.

Bottom line, Cris Carter deserves to be in Canton.

Carter is once again one of the 15 modern-era finalists for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2012.

Carter, while playing with the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins, is among the NFL's all-time leading receivers in catches (4th place with 1,101), yards (8th place with 13,899) and touchdowns (again 4th with 130 TDs). He had 1,004 receptions for the Vikings, the team with whom he spent most of his career.

He was also an eight-time Pro Bowler, he was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s, and he received the NFL Man of the Year Award in 1999.

All accolades aside, Carter was simply one of the best receivers to ever play the game. His route running was second to none. His hands—well, let's just say I have never seen an NFL receiver with better hands than Cris Carter. He made catches that were inexplicable. And the control he had of his body while making those catches—especially along the sideline or in the corners of the end zone, were as good as it gets.

When you look at the rest of the candidates for this year's class, Carter has to be included.

The other modern-day and two seniors committee finalists are running back Jerome Bettis; wide receiver Tim Brown; cornerback Jack Butler (senior); center Dermontti Dawson; owner Edward DeBartolo Jr.; linebacker/defensive end Kevin Greene; defensive end/linebacker Charles Haley; defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy; running back Curtis Martin; coach Bill Parcells; wide receiver Andre Reed; tackle Willie Roaf; guard Will Shields; guard Dick Stanfel (senior); and cornerback Aeneas Williams.

Sure, these are fine players/coaches, but Carter is at the very top of this group.

The Class of 2012 will be announced on Feb. 4, one day before Super Bowl XLVI. This class with be the 50th to be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and I expect Cris Carter to be part of it.

The enshrinement ceremony is set for Aug. 7 at Fawcett Stadium in Canton.

Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen is coming off the best season of his remarkable eight-year NFL career. And he's being recognized for it as an Associated Press First-Team All-Pro.

This is the fourth time Allen has been named to the AP All-Pro team. But never before has it been such an easy decision.

A total of 49 out of 50 voters picked Allen for the award.

Allen has always been a dominant force at defensive end—whether it was with the Kansas City Chiefs for the first four years of his career or more recently with the Minnesota Vikings. But he took it to another level in 2011 with a league leading 22 sacks—just half of a sack away from tying the all-time record held by Michael Strahan—four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, one interception and a safety to his credit.

He was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal 2011 season for the Vikings.

Allen will also be heading to the Pro Bowl as the lone representative for the Vikings. This is also his fourth Pro Bowl appearance.

The only thing left for Allen to accomplish this off-season is to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award.