Johnson Calmly Guiding Vikings

Brad Johnson acknowledged this week he has been taking a beating -- from his two sons, at home playing in the snow.

Since their dad took over as Minnesota’s quarterback a month ago, defenses around the NFC don’t seem to have anything on little Max and Jake.

“I feel great right now,” said the 37-year-old Johnson, who is 4-0 for the Vikings since replacing the injured Daunte Culpepper as the starter. “My arm’s fresh. Legs are fresh. I get into work early every day and watch my film so I am alert and ready to go.”

Culpepper has been picked for three Pro Bowls and was coming off a stellar season in which he set multiple league and franchise passing records, but he had thrown 12 interceptions against six touchdowns and lost three fumbles in six-plus games -- until tearing three ligaments in his right knee in a lopsided loss at Carolina on Oct. 30.

In came Johnson, who returned to his original team as a free agent this spring. Less mobile than Culpepper and not as skilled at throwing deep, Johnson has made a career out of taking care of the ball and finding a way to move it -- even if his performances aren’t always pretty.

In fairness to Culpepper, who is currently expected to return sometime during training camp next summer, Minnesota’s offense has not been that much more productive since his injury. A big reason why the Vikings are scoring more points is that their defense consistently forced turnovers and made it much easier for their colleagues to get in the end zone.

But the one thing that Johnson has done is avoid costly mistakes, throwing only two interceptions in 140 attempts and losing two fumbles. He has also helped the Vikings get in position for winning field goals by leading drives in the closing seconds against the Giants and Packers last month.

“He’s patient, and he has the veteran swagger,” receiver Koren Robinson said. “When you get in there in a game with a guy that don’t get rattled, man, I’d take him every time.”

The offensive line, which has constantly shuffled because of injuries, inexperience and ineffectiveness, is still far from a strength of this team. Minnesota is next-to-last in the league with 47 sacks allowed, but the pass protection has been better since Culpepper -- who had been constantly battered before the injury -- got hurt and Johnson stepped in.

Part of that is a renewed commitment by the coaches to call more play-action passes. Coach Mike Tice doesn’t like the West Coast scheme that so many teams use, predicated largely on short throws. He would prefer to pick up short yardage by running the ball, setting up that play-action game.

After trading prolific receiver Randy Moss in March, losing Culpepper and still being relatively unsettled at several positions, the Vikings are still a developing offense. But Johnson seems to be a perfect fit for this simplified, more conservative approach.