Sunday, Culpepper went down with what was a devastating right knee injury. Johnson took over for the final three quarters. He didn't do poorly, and he didn't do anything terrific. Basically, he did the best he could while getting beat up by the Panthers.

The backup quarterback always is the most popular guy on any team. All those who screamed for Johnson over the first part of the season are about to get their fill. They will find that he is no miracle worker. Joe Montana couldn't turn this team around.

"If you play long enough in this profession, you are going to get hurt," Johnson said. "Daunte is a guy who puts his heart and soul into every play. Your heart goes out to him."

What a lousy day for the Vikings in general and Culpepper and Fred Smoot in particular. Culpepper was hobbling on crutches. The charred remains of Smoot left Bank of America Stadium in an urn.

Carolina receiver Steve Smith burned Smoot so many times I thought the Vikings might wrap their cornerback in a blanket to try to stop him from smoldering.

Without Culpepper, they face the prospect of fading into oblivion even quicker. And we haven't even factored in possible suspensions as a result of the Love Boat incident.

"We have to believe in each other," Johnson said. "I've proven to three different organizations that I can play and take the team to the playoffs.

Johnson completed 13 of 28 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown. Several of those completions came late in the fourth quarter, with the Panthers sort of coasting to the finish line.

I'm not sure they believe in anything. All week Tice preached about having mental toughness and working through problems. The quote was: "If the meal is crummy, who cares? If the bed is lumpy, big deal."

"When you lose like that, it's not good," Johnson said before finding the elusive silver lining. "Offensively, we didn't turn the ball over. We took some big shots. More than anything, what hurt us offensively was that we were third and long a lot."

In the typically somber Vikings locker room - they have the outward show of sadness down pat - many of the guys were in shock at the loss of the seemingly indestructible Culpepper. But they all had a good word for Johnson. Guard Adam Goldberg called him the ultimate pro.

"Brad doesn't have the same type of arm as Daunte," Tice said. "Brad has played more games than Daunte. We can make up for the different styles by using more short passing.

OK Brad Johnson fans, you're getting your wish. But if the poor guy gets beat up like Culpepper, and I can't see why he won't, and the team continues to struggle, no fair calling for Shaun Hill.

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