4 Things To Be Thankful For (Vikings Edition)
Adam Warwas
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It’s pretty difficult to stay positive when your team is 2-8. You become a pessimist about everything: every decision the Vikings make is the wrong one, the team won’t be a competitor again in the championship race for years, management needs to be wiped out and rebuilt from the ground up, the team will never get a stadium built in Minnesota, and so on… Let’s be honest, lately, any news involving our beloved Minnesota Vikings has been bleak – at best.
Well, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. And Thanksgiving is a holiday where we pause from the hectic in-and-out of daily life (or in this case the ‘doom-and-gloom’ of being a Vikings fan) and take a moment to be thankful for everything we have. That is why I propose for one day, one day, we stop and acknowledge the good in this team and try to bring a little happiness back into our dark, cynical Vikings existence.
1. The Best Running Back In The NFL
Alright, let’s get the obvious out of the way. The Minnesota Vikings have the best running back in the NFL in Adrian Peterson. There really is no debate about it. I could pull out stats, facts, etc… to further solidify this claim but, let’s be honest, there really isn’t a whole lot of contention over it. There used to be the whole AP vs. Chris Johnson thing, but considering CJ0K’s incredibly lackluster season this year, who else is there? It is a great feeling knowing that we have a guaranteed ground threat with Peterson in the backfield – regardless of how many people our opponent stacks in the box. Even this year, behind arguably one of the worst offensive lines in the league, he has held the spot for most rushing yards for multiple weeks. (Just imagine if #28 was lined up behind a great offensive line!) Peterson is a hard-working, team player who consistently leaves jaws dropped with his powerful, hard-nosed running style and I, for one, am thankful to have him be a member of our team.
2. A High Draft Pick
One of the great things that comes with having such a horrible season is the prospect of having an offseason in which great improvements to the team are made. And one of the primary ways these enhancements generally happen is through the draft. With a 2-8 record, the Vikings are almost a lock for a top 5 position in the 2012 NFL draft. I don’t know about all of you, but I’ve already made it a habit of reading about one mock draft a day. I am thankful that, this offseason, there will be ample opportunity for significant improvements to be made to our team.
3. Young Talent
Sure, our young, rookie quarterback, Christian Ponder has had a rough past two games. And, yeah, he’s made some questionable decisions to force the ball into spots that resulted in interceptions. He’s also been behind an offensive line though that literally gives him less than a second to make said decisions. I personally believe that Ponder is the Vikings’ quarterback of the future. He has shown glimpses of being great, is an exceptional (on and off-the-field) leader and an intelligent young man who seems to have his head on straight. The Vikings also have promising young talent in their rookie tight end, Kyle Rudolph. Rudolph has all of the physical traits of being a great tight end and has made some wonderful catches this season. The prospect of hearing “Ponder to Rudolph for a touchdown” for years to come is something I am thankful for.
4. The Vikings’ Secondary
The Vikings’ secondary has been one of the few highlights… Yeah…
4. Jared Allen
This year, Jared Allen has reemerged as one of the best (if not the best) defensive ends in football. He currently has 13.5 sacks this season and is only half a sack behind Demarcus Ware from leading the NFL. (Note: Allen has been leading the NFL in sacks most of the season up until this last week.) Simply stated, Allen is a beast. We all thought he lost his mojo last season as a result of losing his trademark mullet. As it turns out though, Allen is very much alive and I am very thankful he is on our team and in the nightmares of NFL quarterbacks.
See everyone!? Things aren’t as bad as they seem. Nevermind the fact that I had to brainstorm for ten minutes and only came away with four things to be thankful for!
All jokes aside, though – have a great Thanksgiving and try to enjoy the game this weekend. (The season is almost over for us.)