The “Real” New Era of Vikings Football Is Here
There is always the question with the Minnesota Vikings every year: why have they never won a Super Bowl?
They went to four in the 1970s and lost them all. It should have been five if not for the infamous “Hail Mary” against the Dallas Cowboys. They have one of the highest win percentages in pro sports history with no Super Bowl championship in the trophy case.
The “Real” New Era of Vikings Football Is Here
After the Bud Grant years, the Vikings moved indoors to the Metrodome, but they still had drafted good players, including franchise quarterbacks, and they were known for their defenses even if the offense sputtered. Denny Green ushered in the next era of Vikings football with massive overhauls as “the sheriff” took over.
However, that started the revolving door of retread quarterbacks who weren’t necessarily bad but had their prime years behind them. Jim McMahon, Warren Moon, Randall Cunnigham, Jeff George, and Brad Johnson’s second time through all had shining moments and almost got the team back to the Big Game, but other issues had them come up short.
It felt like a change when the Vikings drafted a franchise QB in Daunte Culpepper, and for a while, it seemed like the retread pigskin thrower was over. It came back quicker than most thought when Daunte got injured, and that was that.
This took the team back to the revolving door.
They tried to draft a new signal caller with Christian Ponder, but he fell apart quickly. It then seemed like every year, either the offense was great and the defense not so much, or vice versa. The team just couldn’t match up on both sides of the ball.
The Vikings hiring Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell sparked a new era. I say spark because all the old problems seemed to be hanging around. Kirk Cousins was a great quarterback who took more heat than he needed to from the fans when other aspects of the team were failing around him.
His cash flow seemed to really weigh things down, meshed with the contracts of players the team had drafted that had earned high-end payouts as well. The Vikings couldn’t go after the free agents; that could have really helped the team. In 2022, you can pair that with Ed Donatell’s poor defensive strategy with the talent onboard. In my opinion, if they had Flores a year earlier, the Vikings get to the Super Bowl with that roster.
Thankfully, Flores joined the team the following year, and the defense looked so much better, even though they lost several long-time defensive favorites. In 2023, the offense sputtered a bit at first, but it found its groove, and everyone could see the Vikings were about to overtake the NFC. That was until Cousins’ Achilles popped, and we went back to a rotation of second and third-string backups. The Vikings let Cousins go after that season, opening the door to new opportunities.
This brought up the moment of ripping off the band-aid and truly starting a new era of Vikings football. Last year, the Vikings went after their quarterback of the future by drafting J.J. McCarthy from Michigan. He absolutely shined in his only preseason game against the Raiders with multiple touchdown passes and scrambling for positive yards.
Unfortunately, he tore a meniscus and was shelved for the season for Sam Darnold on his comeback tour that got him big money in Seattle. As I said before, there was only a “spark” so far. The Wilfs extended O’Connell’s contract this offseason, and Flores didn’t get hired anywhere else, and that keeps the leadership intact and consistent.
We can see that without being burdened by a debilitating cap hit from a quarterback, the team is willing to go after free agents that should make an impact. Javon Hargrave, Johnathan Allen, and Isaiah Rodgers addressed and shored up the defense, while Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, and Jordan Mason strengthened the offense. This gives McCarthy a better chance to get the ball to his weapons in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson while helping take pressure off him as they improve the run game by opening better holes for Aaron Jones and Mason.
This is why this new era can finally be announced, as the team finally has a stable coaching staff on both sides of the ball, a franchise quarterback on a rookie contract, a stable offensive line, a good running back stable, the best receiving core in the NFL, and a supportive defense that doesn’t just have great names but also a scheme that should make them one of the top ten in the league this next year. It seems that almost every successful team has these key factors in place.
Add in that even with limited draft picks this year, the team can concentrate on the best player available and still strengthen the offensive line or cornerback positions.
Here’s the announcement: the past has finally been put in the past, and the new era of Vikings football we’ve been waiting to return is here. Will it be a Super Bowl era remains to be seen.
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