Vikings Message Board.Com

I enjoyed this:

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_238 ... source=rss

Not everyone was so apoplectic. There are those still in it for a good time. The Vikings win on Sunday and the rest of the week becomes pleasant. Way to go, boys, can't wait for the next game. Yet I found it amusing that so many people were busy fretting about so many things that they failed to appreciate what was happening right in front of them. It wasn't just Adrian Peterson having a big year, it was the team as a whole.

For four months, my mailbox was overflowing with: How long can these idiots keep going with Ponder? In addition, multitudes professed to be exasperated with the play-calling and overall coaching. OK, but ... 10-6. The team maxed out. I swear that the attitudes of some will never brighten until the Vikings win a Super Bowl and the Green Bay Packers' team bus skids off a bridge.

I swear that the attitudes of some will never brighten until the Vikings win a Super Bowl and the Green Bay Packers' team bus skids off a bridge.

That would sure sweeten the prize!

We can't help it, most every year we get let down. The question isn't if it will happen, it is just when and how bad. (no more 41-0 please)

It doesn't help that we have the Packer Backers and their (to put it mildly) irritating fandom next door and in the division.

Sometimes I feel guilty raising my son to like the Vikings. I love'em but I feel guilt saddling my son with what is likely to be a lifetime of playoff dissapointment. Oh well, if that is the worst thing I do to him as a Dad, I'd say I'm doing pretty well.

mansquatch wrote:We can't help it, most every year we get let down. The question isn't if it will happen, it is just when and how bad. (no more 41-0 please)

It doesn't help that we have the Packer Backers and their (to put it mildly) irritating fandom next door and in the division.

Sometimes I feel guilty raising my son to like the Vikings. I love'em but I feel guilt saddling my son with what is likely to be a lifetime of playoff dissapointment. Oh well, if that is the worst thing I do to him as a Dad, I'd say I'm doing pretty well.

Just don't make him a Cubs fan too.

I agree with that. I've for a long time now been able to accept the fact that the course of the season must play itself before any judgements can be made. Part of that is having played before and experiencing the ebbs and flows of a season, but also realizing that the NFL is such a long season and that so many things can happen to get upset about a horrible 2 or 3 game stretch.

I actually find myself expecting bad news when it comes to the Vikings. While I admit that's the wrong attitude to have, the team and/or coaching underachieving before a game, during a game, or even for large parts of a season has simply been an all too common occurrence. Last season's 10-6 record, especially the December games, basically caught me by surprise. It was a good surprise but I never saw it coming.

As for this year, I'm hoping for the best but I still find myself waiting for the other shoe to drop at any time. Personally, I think that is part of being a Vikings fan right now.

losperros wrote:I actually find myself expecting bad news when it comes to the Vikings. While I admit that's the wrong attitude to have, the team and/or coaching underachieving before a game, during a game, or even for large parts of a season has simply been an all too common occurrence. Last season's 10-6 record, especially the December games, basically caught me by surprise. It was a good surprise but I never saw it coming.

As for this year, I'm hoping for the best but I still find myself waiting for the other shoe to drop at any time. Personally, I think that is part of being a Vikings fan right now.

Solid post. I also find myself half expecting a bubble-bursting season after last year's surprisingly nice run. Those of us who have suffered the many disappointments know to brace ourselves and expect the worst. Some times it seems like there is a very unique "Viking" way to mess something up or get worked over by the refs... every success brings with it the possibility of this type of fall right around the corner.

I have a feeling last year's 10-6 record is going to end up being a mixed blessing. To many fans it indicates a significant improvement, but it could just as easily have been the results of some luck and a bit of overachieving. Where it may hurt the most is in what fans expect from the team this season. If the Vikings don't make the playoffs, there's going to be a lot of squawking.

Eli wrote:I have a feeling last year's 10-6 record is going to end up being a mixed blessing. To many fans it indicates a significant improvement, but it could just as easily have been the results of some luck and a bit of overachieving. Where it may hurt the most is in what fans expect from the team this season. If the Vikings don't make the playoffs, there's going to be a lot of squawking.

I would tend to agree. I think there were many breaks that went well for the Vikes last year. I want to say I read a stat where the Vikes recovered the lion's share of fumbles in their games last year, Walsh played lights out, Peterson had a monster year....all things that are not all attributable to luck but have some stars aligning kind of factor.

I actually do think they will play relatively well this year but there are many factors that will come into play. How well will the passing game progress? Specifically will Ponder progress, how fast will Patterson catch on and adjust to the NFL, will Simpson prove to be more productive without an injury hampering him, will Jarius Wright become more of an impact player and how will Jennings fit in to it? Also, how the defensive backfield is going to look without Winfield? How will the changes at Linebacker turn out as well? Another smaller question, will Locke prove to be as good as Priefer thinks he will be and will he and Walsh be able to duplicate Walsh's record breaking year last year with field goal chemistry.

I think there are a lot of interesting questions facing the team this year and I'm really excited to see how things play out and to see the development of younger players. Definitely a cautious optimism at this point tempered with the possibility and reality that with a team with a number of questions there are lots of ways this season can go.

The thing I am clinging to this year is the general sense that this organization is being run by some VERY professional people. I've been a Vikes fan my whole life but I didn' really get into them and watch most games until the Dennis Green era. I can say without a doubt that this HC/GM combo is the very first time I've felt like the organization is being run professionally and intelligently. E

Obviously any leadership team will have similar basic goals, ie winning a championship, but this group seems to have symetry all the way down the line. In addtion, while they have this symetry it does not seem to be accompained by rigidness.

Maybe it is just effective PR, maybe not. But this is the first time as a fan where I think we might be on the cusp of something special. Lots of questions to answer, but I do not think it can be denied that there is great potential in MN right now. I'm really excited for this season.

Eli wrote:I have a feeling last year's 10-6 record is going to end up being a mixed blessing. To many fans it indicates a significant improvement, but it could just as easily have been the results of some luck and a bit of overachieving. Where it may hurt the most is in what fans expect from the team this season. If the Vikings don't make the playoffs, there's going to be a lot of squawking.

As Tom Powers pointed out in his column, there will probably be a lot of squawking anyway, whether they make the playoffs or not. Fan expectations were low last year and we heard it all season, even though the Vikings managed to defy those expectations over the course of the year.

It wasn't just Adrian Peterson having a big year, it was the team as a whole.

Christian Ponder is our QB, will people really be that surprised if he leads the team somewhere other than the playoffs?

Hmmm, a few more lines from Tom Powers' column come to mind:

Last season, they received a once-in-a-generation gift. A team that was universally labeled "lousy" went on to a 10-6 record and a playoff berth. That was like an expensive Christmas present delivered amidst the summer heat. Yet instead of kicking back and enjoying, there was a never-ending cacophony of complaints.

Perhaps all of this has permanently sucked the joy out of it for certain people. God knows there have been times when I've wished the ground would open up and swallow all the inhabitants at Winter Park. However, 2012 was pretty smooth. If you couldn't appreciate that one, there's probably no hope.

Appreciate what! A tie for 2nd place in the division, the last NFC wild card spot, and a first round #### whooping?

AD had a historic season, other than him who had a "big" year? And big based on what? The 3 wins the previous season? Definitely not the overall NFL "big" year for a team.

Over the years, the Vikings have had their share of difficult players and incompetent coaches. I've seen them underachieve, choke, behave abominably and flat-out quit. Currently, they are owned by one of the most unlikable and conniving families on the planet.

Don't know if that's meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but there's zero indication of it.

Strange column. Mostly it just sounds like Powers either needs a vacation or his diaper changed.