The Silver Lining Season

[B. Grant]

Purple-blooded Viking fans have suffered through a very difficult and painful season, seeing their franchise head down a road perhaps never before traveled, and blowouts at the hands of the Bears and Packers simply cannot be tolerated in these parts. Blame abounds, and every armchair expert feels the need to point the finger at someone. Whether it was the hiring of Leslie Frazier, his naming of coordinators Musgrave and Pagac, the signing of McNabb or the drafting of Ponder, surely there is a primary cause for this mess

But could it be that the scene we see playing out is a blessing in disguise for this franchise? Is this what has been needed for quite some time in order to really build a better team? Could the failure of the McNabb experiment and the countless close losses actually be combining for a bright Viking future? I believe the answer to all those questions is yes, and I believe Viking fans need to let go of this year's won-loss record and look at the good things that are happening here.

Thanks to Donovan McNabb, Christian Ponder was not thrown to the wolves in game one, and thus given the added burden of a failed season. That QB distinction rests solely with McNabb, and Ponder has been allowed to relax and learn in the final 10 games of the season. Thanks to Donovan, first year Coach Frazier was allowed to make the change to Christian Ponder without fear of missing that final wild card spot. Thanks to Donovan, the Vikings can head into 2012 with a second year QB who learned that he can play in the NFL, and learned what can go wrong, without it having ruined a season. At the same time, multiple close losses allow no Viking player to feel like the team has bottomed out or become "hapless". Everyone knows that with some improvement in key positions, this team is still on the verge of competing in the upper level of the league.

Another silver lining is that there can now be no mistake whatsoever what the major needs of the team are. The offensive line has made Christian Ponder a man on the run, and the defensive backfield, even before the injuries and arrests, was establishing itself as a major hindrance to the success of the team. There can be no doubt where to look in the upcoming draft in order for this team to start back up the hill.

Yes, a rookie head coach has made some mistakes, but again, those mistakes have not ruined a possible playoff season. Frazier is a quality leader, and has established standards and expectations on this team. He will learn from some lapses in judgement, and be a better coach for it. He and his staff now have a collection of game tape, and an off season of mini camps, to work out some of the bugs that popped up this year.

Meanwhile, the Vikings will not only draft second or third when the draft starts, but early in every round thereafter. With good research, and perhaps some clever moves leading up to draft day, the Vikings have a draft in hand that can be a real catalyst for the future of the franchise. 2012 still may not be "the year", but we should be able to expect that a lot of talent will be added to the roster, players who can make the team competitive for years to come. Bring them along together with a developing QB, an outstanding running back, some veteran defensive players, and an emerging multi-purpose receiver, and something special can develop here in the years ahead.

Make no mistake, I despise losing. I feel it in the gut every week when I come to the realization we have lost another one. But even in these defeats, I can see that we are taking the needed step to position ourselves for a much brighter future. Whenever that next win over the Packers happens, whenever we are again one of the six at season's end, and whenever we again expect to win every game we play, we will know that we are then back where we want to be.

[Brett A.]

Great post! I may tweet this and put it on our Facebook page. Good stuff, Coach.

[adammwarwas]

Fantastic article, coach. You let me know if you want to upgrade your status to "hack blogger" here at VT. Door is always open.

[Fran the Man]

Great post Coach. You have definately made me feel much better this morning.
Onwards and Upwards!

Purple-blooded Viking fans have suffered through a very difficult and painful season, seeing their franchise head down a road perhaps never before traveled, and blowouts at the hands of the Bears and Packers simply cannot be tolerated in these parts. Blame abounds, and every armchair expert feels the need to point the finger at someone. Whether it was the hiring of Leslie Frazier, his naming of coordinators Musgrave and Pagac, the signing of McNabb or the drafting of Ponder, surely there is a primary cause for this mess

But could it be that the scene we see playing out is a blessing in disguise for this franchise? Is this what has been needed for quite some time in order to really build a better team? Could the failure of the McNabb experiment and the countless close losses actually be combining for a bright Viking future? I believe the answer to all those questions is yes, and I believe Viking fans need to let go of this year's won-loss record and look at the good things that are happening here.

Thanks to Donovan McNabb, Christian Ponder was not thrown to the wolves in game one, and thus given the added burden of a failed season. That QB distinction rests solely with McNabb, and Ponder has been allowed to relax and learn in the final 10 games of the season. Thanks to Donovan, first year Coach Frazier was allowed to make the change to Christian Ponder without fear of missing that final wild card spot. Thanks to Donovan, the Vikings can head into 2012 with a second year QB who learned that he can play in the NFL, and learned what can go wrong, without it having ruined a season. At the same time, multiple close losses allow no Viking player to feel like the team has bottomed out or become "hapless". Everyone knows that with some improvement in key positions, this team is still on the verge of competing in the upper level of the league.

Another silver lining is that there can now be no mistake whatsoever what the major needs of the team are. The offensive line has made Christian Ponder a man on the run, and the defensive backfield, even before the injuries and arrests, was establishing itself as a major hindrance to the success of the team. There can be no doubt where to look in the upcoming draft in order for this team to start back up the hill.

Yes, a rookie head coach has made some mistakes, but again, those mistakes have not ruined a possible playoff season. Frazier is a quality leader, and has established standards and expectations on this team. He will learn from some lapses in judgement, and be a better coach for it. He and his staff now have a collection of game tape, and an off season of mini camps, to work out some of the bugs that popped up this year.

Meanwhile, the Vikings will not only draft second or third when the draft starts, but early in every round thereafter. With good research, and perhaps some clever moves leading up to draft day, the Vikings have a draft in hand that can be a real catalyst for the future of the franchise. 2012 still may not be "the year", but we should be able to expect that a lot of talent will be added to the roster, players who can make the team competitive for years to come. Bring them along together with a developing QB, an outstanding running back, some veteran defensive players, and an emerging multi-purpose receiver, and something special can develop here in the years ahead.

Make no mistake, I despise losing. I feel it in the gut every week when I come to the realization we have lost another one. But even in these defeats, I can see that we are taking the needed step to position ourselves for a much brighter future. Whenever that next win over the Packers happens, whenever we are again one of the six at season's end, and whenever we again expect to win every game we play, we will know that we are then back where we want to be.

[Big Johnny]

Yeah awsome post Coach. And like Fran it made me feel better today also. Keep up the good work Coach.

[LeCount]

Very well stated.

[c.carterhof]

Yep, good stuff Coach. This very well could be what needed to happen for a good run, where we are a contenders for 10 years or longer.
I'm all for Frazier. I still would like to see a win or two more, but if not, I'm still hoping he's the man to get us where we want to be.
Like Fran & Johnny, I feel better!
I feel like break dancing!!!

[B. Grant]

Be careful of the furniture, cart.

[B. Grant]

cart, BJohnny and Fran: Just to maintain balance in your lives, keep in mind that I painted a best-case scenario. Another possibility is that the Vikes could go 2-14 again next year. Let's say that Leslie proves to be nothing more than a nice guy, the Triangle drafts like three guys in a bar on a Friday night, AP tears an MCL, Ponder develops McNabb syndrome, Kevin Williams goes back on diet pills, and Jared Allen falls off the wagon. In that case, we remain a North division doormat for at least four more years.

But don't let that bother you. If it happens, we'll be glad they moved to LA!

[c.carterhof]

When I die, I want the Minnesota Vikings to be my pallbearers so they can let me down for the last time.

[Fran the Man]

Man! Cut with the Negative Vibes Dude.

cart, BJohnny and Fran: Just to maintain balance in your lives, keep in mind that I painted a best-case scenario. Another possibility is that the Vikes could go 2-14 again next year. Let's say that Leslie proves to be nothing more than a nice guy, the Triangle drafts like three guys in a bar on a Friday night, AP tears an MCL, Ponder develops McNabb syndrome, Kevin Williams goes back on diet pills, and Jared Allen falls off the wagon. In that case, we remain a North division doormat for at least four more years.

But don't let that bother you. If it happens, we'll be glad they moved to LA!

[Fran the Man]

You're harshing my mellow.

[B. Grant]

Lol - Fran, you know I am much more confident of the first scenario than the latter, just keepin' it real a little bit for fun. I really do believe in Leslie, and that his system will eventually prove to be successful. Just hope they draft well this spring - hoping to see numerous new faces with lots of potential. To be honest, Ponder has looked better than I would have expected at this stage, and Percy is really becoming a force in the league. The days of shutting down a really good passing offense are over, but a team has to control it better than we have been doing. We have a season total of 6 interceptions. SIX! That ties us for 30th in the league. NE has a corner who has 7 by himself! You gotta hawk the ball way better than that to win.

[adammwarwas]

Haha, Carter, that was fantastic.

[Brett A.]

We have a season total of 6 interceptions. SIX!

I would have even guess less than that, to be honest... Seems like we haven't had any this year.