Williams misses other half of his Wall

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. After the Vikings lost, 33-27, on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, former Minnesota offensive lineman Bryant McKinnie took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the loss. McKinnie, who signed with the Baltimore Ravens after being released by the Vikings in training camp, praised rookie quarterback Christian Ponders first start. But then he offered his opinion of Minnesotas defense. McKinnie tweeted: My Thoughts Bring Pat Williams back, he was the vocal leader of the defense, that means a lot believe it or not. Do the current Vikings agree with McKinnies assertion that Williams, a now 39-year-old three-time Pro Bowl selection, is the missing link in the middle of the defense? Pats a great player and thats nothing to take away from Pat, but to sit here and say were missing Pat, that basically says we dont trust our guys that in our in there, defensive end Brian Robison said. So, I disagree with his statement. And hes not in our locker room. So, for him to make a statement like that, we dont care what he says. The Vikings usual stout run defense has held up well this season, ranking fourth in the NFL while allowing just 87.9 yards per game. Williams, who is still a free agent after not being re-signed by Minnesota in the offseason, was considered a key cog in the teams ability to stop the run the past six seasons. With Williams in the middle of the defense, Minnesota was first or second in the league in fewest rushing yards allowed for four straight years including leading the league from 2006-08 before finishing ninth last season. Williams slipped to 30 tackles in 2010, his lowest total since becoming a full-time starter in 2001, and the Vikings made the decision to move away from him. Pat was a great player for us, as we all know, coach Leslie Frazier said. He did a lot of good things while he was here, but we have some guys that are capable and theyre fighting and scratching and clawing. We know where we have to improve to get our team and our defense where it needs to be and were going to continue to work that. The team signed Remi Ayodele from New Orleans during the offseason, and he has assumed Williams starting spot at nose tackle. But Ayodele has been in on just eight tackles while starting each of the Vikings seven games. Ayodele had started 29 games over the past two seasons for the Saints and tallied 126 tackles during that time. They play their scheme a little different than what I played in New Orleans, but its nothing that it cant be done, said Ayodele, 28. I mean, were professionals. So, just got to get adjusted and do what youre asked. Backup Fred Evans playing time has increased recently. With Ayodele dealing with an ankle injury last week, Evans came through with six tackles. He has 21 tackles this season, and Frazier has taken notice of his play. Hes doing some positive things, Frazier said. Hes really improved as a player, which has gained him more reps. Well see how he progresses. Were going to need him to play well on Sunday. Though the team hopes to get more from Evans and Ayodele from a production standpoint, there is one player that misses Pat Williams thats Kevin Williams, who lined up next to Pat for the past six years and together formed the formidable Williams Wall. I dont know if the defense is missing him, but I miss him, Kevin Williams said. It made my job a lot easier. But weve got these guys, theyre stepping up and weve got to roll with what weve got. We cant cry over spilled milk. Wed love to have him back, but things didnt work that way. So, weve got to go with what we have and those young guys are doing well. Pat Williams, while known as a run stopper, was also able to push the pocket at times on pass plays. This season, the teams pass defense ranks 29th in the league, even though standout defensive end Jared Allen is leading the NFL in sacks with 11.5 and Robison has added 4.5 sacks from the other side. Ayodele and Evans have accounted for just three quarterback hurries, though the Vikings have used different packages in passing situations, which takes the nose tackle off of the field. Still, Frazier knows the team needs more of a push from the middle of the defensive line. Were stressing that with our noses and trying to get a little more, Frazier said. As for McKinnies opinion that Pat Williams was the vocal leader of the defense, the Vikings believe they have an answer for that as well. Allen is putting together an all-pro type season and just as important he has tried to take more of a leadership role in the locker room and on the sideline. Pat was great in that; he was a tremendous leader for us, Frazier said. But the way Jared Allen has stepped up, the way Adrian (Peterson) has stepped up, weve got some guys that are doing a great job from a leadership standpoint. For our guys to play as hard as theyve played when our season hasnt gone quite the way we wanted it to go, you have to credit the leadership we have on this time.