On Wednesday Chuck Foreman Jersey , the Minnesotaion for their contest against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium. It was a bit of a mixed bag for the Vikings, with a key member of the defense making his return, and an important member of the offense sitting things out.Reports from Eagan say that cornerback Trae Waynes returned to practice on Wednesday for the purple. Waynes suffered a concussion in the Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, and had not cleared the league’s concussion protocol in time to play in Week 5 against Philadelphia. He’s back now, though, and it sounds like he’s in line to regain his starting gig this coming Sunday.On the other end of the spectrum, starting left tackle Riley Reiff sat out of Wednesday’s practice with the foot injury that he’s been dealing with for several weeks. Reiff was listed on the injury report in both Week 4 and Week 5 Paul Krause Jersey , but played in both contests (despite not practicing at all leading up to the Philadelphia game). Reiff left last Sunday’s game in the second quarter and was replaced at left tackle by Rashod Hill, with rookie Brian O’Neill jumping into Hill’s spot at right tackle. If Reiff is unable to go on Sunday against Arizona, I would think we would see the same configuration.Another starter that didn’t practice for the Vikings on Wednesday was safety Andrew Sendejo, who sat out with a groin injury. No indication of who might start in his place if he’s not able to go. It could be Anthony Harris, or we could finally see George Iloka get some significant snaps on the defensive side of the ball.Looking at the rest of the injury report, cornerback/punt returner Marcus Sherels was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, and looks as though he’s set to play for the first time since Week 2 after dealing with a rib injury. Defensive end Tashawn Bower sat out of practice with an ankle injury. That same injury caused him to be deactivated for last Sunday’s win in Philadelphia.And Fran Tarkenton Jersey , of course, Everson Griffen is still not back practicing with the team, and no definitive timetable has been given for his return.We will continue tracking the health of the Vikings until the final injury reports come out on Wednesday. In a game that meant everything to the Vikings this season, they showed next to nothing on the field at US Bank stadium.To say their performance was disappointing would be generous.They stunk it up.There was never much doubt about the game’s outcome. The Vikings started slow yet again, and the Bears built a lead.But if you looked at how the Bears manhandled the Vikings in the trenches on both sides of the ball, you could see the Vikings were at a bad disadvantage the whole game.Add to that the flat performance at the skill positions, and tension on the sidelines Brett Favre Jersey , and you knew the game- and the season- was a bust.A Season of Underperformance The season began with the Vikings a top Super Bowl favorite.It continued with them not being able to beat a team with a winning record.It ended with them not being able to move the ball at home against the Bears second-string defense.The focus of the underperforming season is undoubtedly the offense and Kirk Cousins, but the defense also underperformed compared to a year ago.So, rather than taking the next step, as had been envisioned with the acquisition of Kirk Cousins and Sheldon Richardson, the Vikings took a step or two backward, losing the NFC North crown to the much improved Chicago Bears, and failing to make the playoffs.Those failures once again call into question the plan and decision-making of Mike Zimmer to get what remains a very talented football team to the Super Bowl Adam Thielen Jersey , which at this point is not nearly as close as it seemed last season.Post-Season Evaluations Should Result in More Changes Than Last SeasonNow that the Vikings season is over, the post-season evaluations should begin in earnest and be made with a more critical eye toward improvement.On both sides of the ball, there are starters that underwhelmed this year - some of which carry pretty big salary cap numbers and/or may have trade value.Secondly, the coaching ranks are in need of some new blood - youth be served.Mike Zimmer needs to decide if he wants to be a head coach or a defensive coordinator.He can’t do both anymore.He’s been five years doing both, but he’s getting too old to continue that.He needs to decide which job he wants - and which he can add the most value to the team.That’s an open question.Vikings Need To Get Younger - And Go Belichickian With Older Guys Exiting Their PrimeThe Vikings have done a good job drafting and developing at a lot of positions over the past several years, and there are future starters ready to step-up.But in a few cases at least, allowing younger talents to step into starting jobs means making hard decisions on some players that have played well for many years - but are now on the downside of their careers.It’s a young man’s league Stefon Diggs Jersey , and at most players at most positions begin exiting their prime in their early thirties.Every player is a bit different, as is the level of each player’s prime years.But mostly on the defensive side, some tough decisions need to be made.Some of which may provide capital and/or cap space to improve the weakest link on the team - the offensive line - while allowing promising talent to step into starting jobs.Should Be A Busy Off-Season for Rick SpielmanThe are a lot of issues to address, and complacency is not the answer.If the Vikings are going to get back into Super Bowl contention next season, they need to improve their roster and coaching staff.That means a busy off-season for Vikings general manager Rick Spielman.It will take more than drafting well for the Vikings to make a deep run in the playoffs next season - and that means trader Rick needs to get busy.In the coming days and weeks I’ll go into detail in terms of coaching and player evaluations and who should be part of the team going forward- and who shouldn’t.