It wasn’t more than a week ago that I penned an article right here on this website that was pretty much “Doom & Gloom“. It was dripping in the fatalism that Minnesota Sports fans have simply come to accept and embrace over the years and it highlighted everything that we should brace ourselves for in case the wheels fell off.
One week later, a sudden shift in the winds has Minnesota Vikings fans completely changing their tune about the 2021 NFL Season and the Vikings place in it.
Just yesterday the team came to an agreement with Danielle Hunter that not only moved money around to keep Danielle happy but also moved money around to give the Vikings flexibility to make some more moves. Then this morning we see video surface on social media of Danielle, in uniform and on the field as Vikings Mini Camp opens up.
And then the Vikings didn’t waste much time using some of that new found money to bring another defensive lineman, one familiar with Minnesota and Mike Zimmer’s defense in Sheldon Richardson.
And all of the sudden, Minnesota Vikings fans are whistling Dixie ready for the regular season to kick off now. So where did that come from? What happened to the fatalism? Why are our historically pessimistic sports fans all of the sudden seeing the world through purple colored glasses.
Simply put, it’s what we do.
That pessimism referenced is something that carries Minnesotans through free agency when other bigger markets are making the headline grabbing moves. It’s the same mentality that plagues us the week after the draft when “such and such player” was still on the board and we passed on them. And it’s the same mentality that suddenly disappears when camp opens up and we start to see our team, day-by-day shifting more towards the optimism of what could be this season.
Now we all know too well that may only last three weeks into the NFL season, but for now we enjoy it.
But this time feels different. There’s a different smell in the air this time, call it blood in the water…but it smells a bit more cheesy if you catch my drift?
Since the days of our woe is us attitude has kicked in, things have only gotten worse across the river in Wisconsin. Their disgruntled star is not showing up to mini camps. The narrative being spun around that situation has only gotten worse in the weeks since the draft and there continues to be an increasing feeling that Aaron Rodgers will not be in Green Bay this season whether he “retires” and sits out, or forces his way out of town.
At that point, this division is wide open and the Vikings firmly supplant themselves as the front runners.
With a veteran quarterback, dynamic running back, multiple options in the passing game and now what feels like a deep and finally healthy defense, the Vikings jump straight to the top of the pile and it becomes their division to lose.
That’s the mentality that has taken over here in Minnesota. That’s the change of heart that we’re all feeling right now. It’s the states collective way of saying, Dalvin Cook, Danielle Hunter, Sheldon Richardson Justin Jefferson….LET’S GO!!!!!
It feels good, doesn’t it?!
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Maybe you Al, like a lot of other people should STOP jumping to conclusions and learn to wait and see. Stop acting like you know soooo much, because known of us know as much as we think we do. Lol
Who's Al?!?
The Vikings could be good. But if they are, I have a feeling it will be because of some unheralded names coming through and playing well. On defense, Harrison Hand, Chazz Surratt, and Hercules Mata'afa come to mind. Obviously, the names are a little more well-known on offense, but I suspect that Kyle Hinton and Rashod Hill will be play big roles if there are injuries. And I have a sneaking suspicion that Zach Davidson may be ahead of where everyone expects him to be this year, and may emerge as a legitimate target for Cousins. And I'm sure there are others that may emerge. The only confounding element in this is Zimmer's pathological reluctance to play rookies or even upset the depth chart.
"Zimmer’s pathological reluctance to play rookies..."
Anthony Barr, Dalvin Cook, Pat Elflein, Ben Gedeon, Danielle Hunter, Justin Jefferson (more snaps in Game 1 than the starter, Bisi Johnson), Garrett Bradbury, Alexander Mattison and Irv Smith all got starter or rotational snaps as rookies without, as far as I can remember, injuries being involved.
Sports reporting has become so "emotionally" subjective. It seems I am constantly wading through chick novels, rather than reading actual sports reporting and analysis; they aren't good chick novels. Ray says, time to check and see if both "cajones" hit the road jack.