New head coach. New attitude. Plenty of new players, particularly on defense. So what does it all mean for the Minnesota Vikings, a franchise that transformed itself into a latter day version of "The Bickersons" in 2001? Tough to tell yet if more tranquility will mean more wins for a team that has some of the league's premier players but too often seems to underachieve. But at least the early indications are positive.

The players appear unfazed so far by all the relocation and sale rumors that constantly revolved around the Vikings, most of them fueled by owner Red McCombs, and credit rookie head coach Mike Tice for maintaining focus. Tice has been candid with his team, publicly candid about his expectations, exponentially more open-minded than predecessor Dennis Green. As a former NFL player, he commands a degree of respect from players that might have waned in Green's latter years, and his politics aren't so obvious.

But the Vikings need a lot of things to go right, starting with the return to health of young quarterback Daunte Culpepper, to challenge for a playoff berth in a division dominated at this point by the Packers and the Bears. It takes any new staff time to come together and, given the refurbishing on defense, coordinator Willie Shaw will need quick results from a unit that has welcomed a cadre of reinforcements.

No doubt the Vikings are better than their 2001 record. How much better, however, is the big question. The answer: Probably not better enough to still be playing in January.

	CAMP AT A GLANCE
	Daunte Culpepper had a disappointing season, throwing 14 TDs and 13 INTs.
	Location: Minnesota State University-Mankato, Mankato, Minn. Rookies report: July 26 Veterans report: July 26 Preseason schedule:    Aug. 10: Cleveland    Aug. 16: at Buffalo    Aug. 23: Tennessee    Aug. 29: at Pittsburgh

Where will this bring the Vikings?

Tice is a dude with a 'tude, and his team will come to mirror that personality in time. But it will, indeed, take time to heal some of the emotional scars of the past. Be honest, the first time Culpepper overthrows a wide-open Moss, don't you think the league's most selfish player will be in the face of the impressionable quarterback? Yeah, Cris Carter is gone, a case of addition by subtraction of ego. But the staff must be sterner in avoiding the kind of disruptions that for two years now have marked the Minnesota sideline as a battle zone.

Refreshing is the fact that Tice actually addressed the defense this spring, adding depth to the line, shaking up the secondary a bit. For years under Green, the Vikings salary cap was disproportionately skewed toward the offense. Only four years ago, for instance, the Vikings had three offensive backups making more than eight defensive starters. At least the cut-and-paste philosophy of defense has ended, and Shaw won't have to hold together the unit with baling wire.

Minnesota added a pair of former Miami defensive ends, Kenny Mixon and Lorenzo Bromell, middle linebacker Henri Crockett, and safety Ronnie Bradford, among others. That's a step in the right direction. Alas, for the Vikings, it's not a quantum leap.

Man in the spotlight
One of the league's most explosive playmakers and most volatile personalities, Moss will get the ball plenty in the Tice offense. At least that's the plan. The publicly stated goal is to direct at least 40 percent of the team's pass attempts in Moss' direction. That's a lot of balls and, hopefully for the Vikings, a lot of touchdowns.

But beyond his role on the field, Moss must become a leader off it, as well. The presence of Dennis Green and Cris Carter dominated the locker room landscape for years with the Vikings. And while both men rubbed many players the wrong way, the truth is that their departures have created a void of sorts. The strong-willed Tice will fill part of the hole, because he will be no shrinking violet, even in his first head coaching go-around. But the younger players will take their lead from Moss and it's time he grows up.

Key position battle
Two seasons into the stunning retirement of tailback Robert Smith, the Vikings have yet to fill the void, and once again will go to camp with the starting job up for grabs. The favorite to win the post is second-year veteran Michael Bennett, the Minnesota first-round choice in 2001, and a player with Smith-type abilities. The competition will come from Doug Chapman and, to a lesser extent, from Moe Williams, who returns after a one-year hiatus in Baltimore.

The club is counting on Bennett, however, to step into the breach. He rushed for a team-best 682 yards as a rookie but didn't seem natural in his surroundings yet. That's typical for a player who probably left college too soon, but there will be no excuses this year for the former Wisconsin star. The staff has deemed that the tailback be more involved in the passing game this year and Bennett hooked up in the flat on a linebacker is a mismatch.

Injury update
Culpepper seems totally healed from the injuries that forced him out of the lineup late in the season and has appeared sharp in spring practices. Beyond that, the Vikings don't seem to have many injury concerns to key performers.

Rookie report
The man Minnesota really wanted in the first round, defensive tackle Ryan Sims, was snatched just before their pick and the Vikings were forced to settle for offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie. The former University of Miami standout, who allegedly never gave up a sack in college, didn't exactly endear himself to Tice by showing up out of shape. But he has been penciled in as the starter at left tackle and, even with the fact he was not the Vikings' target in the first round, should develop into a Pro Bowl player.

Second-round linebacker Raonall Smith is the kind of versatile athlete Shaw likes and could be a starter by the beginning of the season. Look for unheralded third-round safety Willie Offord to challenge for playing time in the interior secondary.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.