Jonathan Greenard Fires Back at Locker Room Theory
One reporter said the “vibes were off” for the Minnesota Vikings after a clumsy Week 2 loss, and veteran outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard took issue with that assertion.
One assertion about the Minnesota Vikings rubbed outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard the wrong way, and he corrected the record after Week 3.
So when Greenard’s Vikings clobbered the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, the best player on Minnesota’s defense made sure to set the record straight: the vibes were never off, according to Greenard.
Jonathan Greenard Calls Out Strange Opinion
The argument? No, the vibes are not off. The vibes are just fine.
No, the Vikings Are Not Off Says Jonathan Greenard
Before Week 3, Star Tribune‘s Andrew Krammer said on a Purple Insider podcast: “This is a team that is desperate, which is weird to say for a 1-1 team, to use the word ‘desperate’, but vibes are not great. That’s at least what I’ve been sensing around the team.”
That quote was then pulled by a social media aggregator called The Purple Persuasion, whose business model promotes creating the most controversy possible. Greenard apparently saw the Krammer quote and later used it as fuel.
He told the press after the Week 3 win, “I don’t know who said something, he’s not in here right now … said the vibes was off. It was the other guy in here, he was shorter, can’t remember his name. He said the vibes was off this week.”
“Completely false. Just because we’re working and probably weren’t in there the same times you guys were in there, I don’t know why he would put stuff out like that. The vibe is good. Just because we’re even keel and ready to get back to work doesn’t mean the vibes are down.”
It’s worth noting that Greenard is an even-keeled guy who does not have a history of calling his shot over bad publicity. The comments must’ve truly irked him.
Greenard added, “We just understand that, listen, we didn’t like that performance last week. We put our heads down. What do we look like coming in here and smiling for and dancing for and talking all types of energy when we just put up that performance last week? Any time we get a dub, we just try to stay on this upward trend.”
A Strange Observation in the First Place
The Krammer suggestion or theory gained traction on the internet after a dreadful loss by the Vikings. The team performed lifelessly in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons, an especially embarrassing event because the game occurred at home in primetime.
It would’ve been odd if Greenard and his teammates acted joyfully all week after getting thwacked by Atlanta. Of course the group acted more somber than usual; that’s what good teams do when they experience a loss. They can get back to business and back to basics.
Perhaps Krammer and Greenard differ in their interpretation. Krammer’s insinuation hinted at locker room disharmony, and Greenard wasn’t having it.
The Response
Krammer responded on the BlueSky app: “Yeah, don’t fall for aggregator accounts trying to start things. Jonathan was hyped after a big win, unhappy about that quote someone pulled from a podcast segment in which I picked them to win. We talked. I explained why I said what I said. Vibes weren’t great after the Falcons loss, which, duh.”
“The only interesting part of this, to me, is the psychology of an elite athlete who took what I thought was an obvious statement — bad vibes after bad loss creates urgency to win — and made it a referendum on their team culture. Since he’s a big part of that culture, I get it. But it wasn’t.”
Again, bad vibes do not equal turmoil — is probably the grand takeaway.
Water Under the Bridge
Thankfully for Greenard’s sake and maybe even Krammer, Minnesota won in Week 3. The vibes are back. Greenard no longer has to worry about someone questioning his team’s resolve or cohesion.
Minnesota embarks on a two-week tour overseas this week, taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin, Ireland, in Week 4 and the Cleveland Browns in London, England, in Week 5.
If Minnesota continues to stack wins, no one will remember or care about bad vibes a month from now. Water under the bridge.
Other “Bad Vibes” Takes
Our Ted Schwerzler noted on the mini-issue: “The comments from Krammer clearly weren’t appreciated in the Minnesota Vikings locker room, and Greenard being the leader that he is, addressed them. It’s difficult to make sweeping assessments early in the season, especially following a loss. At the same time, we rely on reporters to help us with things like locker room vibes.”
“Their closeness to the team does not guarantee they are right, however. Winning cures a lot of things and the Vikings absolutely crushed Cincinnati Sunday, despite being down their starting quarterback, center and starting wide receiver. Getting Christian Darrisaw back certainly helped, however.”
Greenard has banked 16 pressures in three games, the fifth-most in the NFL.
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