Tight end Jim Kleinsasser is in his eighth season with the Vikings. Except for Matt Birk, he has more continuous service with the team than any player on the roster. Last week he was asked to appraise the 2006 team and how good the season will be.
“That’s something we’re trying to figure out ourselves,” he said. “We’ve got tons of talent, got a system in place, (it’s) just a matter of showing up on Sunday and taking care of business. That’s the biggest thing. Any day you can beat anybody and any day you can get beat by anybody. So you just have to come every week and hope things pan out.”
Kleinsasser said with a new coaching staff and system the team is still trying to find its identity. In the past, he said, the Vikings made a habit of “shooting themselves in the foot” by making mistakes. Now the Vikings are making progress in not beating themselves, he added.
Kleinsasser, 29, has only caught six passes this season but said his health is good. He missed most of the 2004 season with a knee injury. “I am all right,” he said. “I am just getting old. The body doesn’t jump back as quick at it used to.”
Asked to evaluate his play Kleinsasser said, “It’s doesn’t really matter what I think about anything. It’s what the guys upstairs (coaches, front office) think.”