EDEN PRAIRIE (AP) &045; Besieged by coverage of their now-infamous boat party, the Minnesota Vikings insisted last week they would only discuss their opponent, the Chicago Bears.

On Monday, they might have found the scandal a more pleasant topic than what’s happening to them on the field. Reaching a new low under coach Mike Tice, the reeling Vikings (1-4) found themselves in the middle of yet another quest to fix their many problems following a 28-3 loss to the Bears.

&8220;We were working hard in practice. We were all studying,&8221; said cornerback Antoine Winfield. &8220;It’s just once we get on the field on Sundays, we don’t make the plays.&8221;

As the investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and boorish behavior by several players on Oct. 6 aboard a pair of Lake Minnetonka charter cruises continued into its second week, the Vikings fielded another round of questions about whether the distraction adversely affected their performance.

&8220;The only distraction is 1-4,&8221; strong safety Corey Chavous insisted.

Though this latest extracurricular trouble for Minnesota is arguably the most egregious in memory, it’s not like the Vikings haven’t been in the news for something other than football before. That’s one reason why new owner Zygi Wilf has hired a former FBI agent, Dag Sohlberg, to be the team’s new security director. Sohlberg has been Minnesota’s security liaison to the league for five years.

&8220;Is he spying on us?&8221; injured center Matt Birk said, laughing and then turning serious. &8220;With this incident and other stuff that’s gone on, we need to do something.&8221;

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue met with Wilf in Chicago before the game at the owner’s request.

&8220;The commissioner emphasized to me that I inherited an organization that was inadequately structured and staffed,&8221; Wilf told reporters on Sunday, &8220;and that we must correct that to ensure the highest standards of team operations, including discipline, accountability, strong oversight and internal communications.&8221;

Birk, who had season-ending hip surgery in September, approved the addition of Sohlberg &045; whom players have gotten to know from previous presentations.

&8220;Hopefully this incident wakes some guys up and scares ’em straight,&8221; Birk said.

Tice pulled just about every positive he possibly could have out of Sunday’s game, figuring that taking the opposite approach could only make the situation worse. The season, barely one month old, sure hasn’t been easy on Tice’s stomach.

&8220;Stress does that to you,&8221; he said. &8220;Sometimes you wake up and you say, ‘Man, I didn’t have anything to drink last night. I didn’t have anything fattening. Why do I want to puke?’ Then you realize, ‘Oh, that’s right.&8221;’

The Vikings host rival Green Bay on Sunday, buoyed by the probable return of top receiver Nate Burleson from a knee injury and moreso by the sad shape of the NFC North standings. Detroit (2-3) and Chicago (2-3) are on top.

&8220;The reality is we’re one game out of first place,&8221; Chavous said, &8220;and at some point you have to factor that in.&8221;

Yes, but at some point Minnesota has to start winning some games, too.

&8220;I don’t want to necessarily say it’s getting tougher,&8221; tight end Jermaine Wiggins said, &8220;but you realize that the time is running out.&8221;