Vikings, one of the worst teams to cheer for in NFL history.

[since72]

4 hours ago, Purplexing said:

Back to the SB losses thing.   I believe the key to winning it all is going to be re-creating the elements that led to Grant leading 4 teams to 4 SBs.  Good management supporting the coaches.  Good coaches all on the same page and working in a unified manner, where  each coach understands their responsibility and what other coaches are responsible for doing.  Finally, Grant believed in three elements for success; a good wife, a good QB, and a good hunting dog, but not in that order.

And don’t forget to get rid of free agency too.

And keep the same successful OC and DC for 15 years without having to worry about him hired away as another team’s head coach.

And let’s open those really big stadium doors when the Los Angeles Rams and Roman Gabriel (oops, I meant Jared Goff) come to Minnesota for a playoff game so they’re playing in foreign freezing 10 degree weather.

 

Without a doubt, this team has been frustrating to follow.  One of my earliest football memories was Larry Czonka plowing over Viking linebackers in the Super Bowl.

After another soul crushing season a few years ago, I did some introspection to find out why I was inflicting such misery on myself.

I grew up in the 1970’s thinking you were OBLIGATED to be a fan for your local team.  Minnesota = Vikings.  Wisconsin = Packers.  Illinois = Bears.  Michigan = well…OK…Wolverines.  Because there was no free agency, being a fan of the team was synonymous with being a fan of the players.  Which team do you think of?  Bart Starr?  Alan Page?  Roger Staubach?  Walter Payton?  Lynn Swann?

 Then I noticed two odd trends. 

 The first was the fantasy football effect where fans became followers of INDIVIDUAL players rather than of TEAMS.  You’ve seen it to a certain extent here on footballsfuture where you had Raider fans coming into the Vikings forum to wish them well in the playoffs because they were big fans of the Tay Train.  I don’t think it’s only people in Boston, Wisconsin, Colorado and wherever the Rams are playing this year that are buying Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Von Miller and Todd Gurley jerseys.  TEAM loyalty seems to be an archaism.

 The second thing is the number of people in my Minnesota workplace that are Green Bay fans, New England fans, Philadelphia fans, etc.  Some of them were born and raised in Minnesota (scratch head) but because they had a great uncle that once met Curly Lambeau on a bus in Oshkosh, well they “just are” a Packers fan.  My kids grew up in the mid 1990’s wearing Aikman t-shirts.  I almost vomited.  They thought I was the strange one.  What empowers this trend of unfaithfulness to locale is the NFL’s money hungry re-location program.  I guess I still call them the St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Oilers, San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders just out of habit.  Do fans in Cleveland get to count the Ravens’ Super Bowl victories as theirs?  Wasn’t it technically THEIR team that won Super Bowls 35 and 47?  Didn’t Goodell threaten to move the Vikings just 5 years ago?  If the NFL has no loyalty to locales, why should I?  Anyone still a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers or the Dallas (North) Stars?  Yes, Norm Green still sucks.

 I have found freedom in coming into the 2000’s.  I jump on whatever bandwagon seems to enjoying life the most at the moment.  So it was really nice being a Chicago Cubs fan in 2016.  It was great I could ride the Vikings’ wave for most of this year.  Last year, the first 5 Vikings games were a joy.  Mid-season Jump.  The last 6 games with the Packers plus two playoff wins for a bonus.  (You have no idea how fun it is to tell Packer fans at work that MY Packers won again.  Irritates them to no end because they can’t put on that annoying superior attitude.)  Jump.  Atlanta Falcons.  Most fun I had all year.  44-21.  (Back at work “Hey, hey, MY Falcons beat YOUR Packers.  YOUR team suuuucks!  Enjoy YOUR misery.")  Jump.  New England.  5 minutes at the end of the Super Bowl.  See… my team ALWAYS wins the Super Bowl.  It's not hard at all.  I am so sick of winning, well, actually no.  It’s like being on a permanent bender with no crash.  Now you may think that it won’t be as sweet when the Vikings finally win the Super Bowl if I haven’t stuck to suffering through years of frustrating blind loyalty.  Ha!

 If you need to break the addiction of being blindly stuck to one team, just listen to Ringo Starr’s “The No-No Song” about 50 times in a row.  Ahh Ahh Ahhhh.  Worked for me.

 I figure, the Vikings shouldn’t expect me to show up as an unconditional devoted fan when they can’t be bothered to show up in big games.  We’re just too Minnesota nice.  Instead of sending money to a NOLA punter’s charity, we should have been saying “bring it home or don’t bother coming home.”

 Here is a letter to the editor in the Star Tribune from January 22:

 When I die, I want Mike Zimmer, Mike Tice, Brad Childress, Denny Green, Jerry Burns and Bud Grant to be the pallbearers, so when my casket gets carried to the cemetery, they’d have the chance to let me down just one more time.

Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Minnetonka

[vike daddy]

sometimes, an Ancient's medication regime just isn't dialed in quite right....

[SteelKing728]

I hate this thread lol

[Guest]

1 hour ago, since72 said:

And don’t forget to get rid of free agency too.

And keep the same successful OC and DC for 15 years without having to worry about him hired away as another team’s head coach.

And let’s open those really big stadium doors when the Los Angeles Rams and Roman Gabriel (oops, I meant Jared Goff) come to Minnesota for a playoff game so they’re playing in foreign freezing 10 degree weather.

 

Without a doubt, this team has been frustrating to follow.  One of my earliest football memories was Larry Czonka plowing over Viking linebackers in the Super Bowl.

After another soul crushing season a few years ago, I did some introspection to find out why I was inflicting such misery on myself.

I grew up in the 1970’s thinking you were OBLIGATED to be a fan for your local team.  Minnesota = Vikings.  Wisconsin = Packers.  Illinois = Bears.  Michigan = well…OK…Wolverines.  Because there was no free agency, being a fan of the team was synonymous with being a fan of the players.  Which team do you think of?  Bart Starr?  Alan Page?  Roger Staubach?  Walter Payton?  Lynn Swann?

 Then I noticed two odd trends. 

 The first was the fantasy football effect where fans became followers of INDIVIDUAL players rather than of TEAMS.  You’ve seen it to a certain extent here on footballsfuture where you had Raider fans coming into the Vikings forum to wish them well in the playoffs because they were big fans of the Tay Train.  I don’t think it’s only people in Boston, Wisconsin, Colorado and wherever the Rams are playing this year that are buying Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Von Miller and Todd Gurley jerseys.  TEAM loyalty seems to be an archaism.

 The second thing is the number of people in my Minnesota workplace that are Green Bay fans, New England fans, Philadelphia fans, etc.  Some of them were born and raised in Minnesota (scratch head) but because they had a great uncle that once met Curly Lambeau on a bus in Oshkosh, well they “just are” a Packers fan.  My kids grew up in the mid 1990’s wearing Aikman t-shirts.  I almost vomited.  They thought I was the strange one.  What empowers this trend of unfaithfulness to locale is the NFL’s money hungry re-location program.  I guess I still call them the St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Oilers, San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders just out of habit.  Do fans in Cleveland get to count the Ravens’ Super Bowl victories as theirs?  Wasn’t it technically THEIR team that won Super Bowls 35 and 47?  Didn’t Goodell threaten to move the Vikings just 5 years ago?  If the NFL has no loyalty to locales, why should I?  Anyone still a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers or the Dallas (North) Stars?  Yes, Norm Green still sucks.

 I have found freedom in coming into the 2000’s.  I jump on whatever bandwagon seems to enjoying life the most at the moment.  So it was really nice being a Chicago Cubs fan in 2016.  It was great I could ride the Vikings’ wave for most of this year.  Last year, the first 5 Vikings games were a joy.  Mid-season Jump.  The last 6 games with the Packers plus two playoff wins for a bonus.  (You have no idea how fun it is to tell Packer fans at work that MY Packers won again.  Irritates them to no end because they can’t put on that annoying superior attitude.)  Jump.  Atlanta Falcons.  Most fun I had all year.  44-21.  (Back at work “Hey, hey, MY Falcons beat YOUR Packers.  YOUR team suuuucks!  Enjoy YOUR misery.")  Jump.  New England.  5 minutes at the end of the Super Bowl.  See… my team ALWAYS wins the Super Bowl.  It's not hard at all.  I am so sick of winning, well, actually no.  It’s like being on a permanent bender with no crash.  Now you may think that it won’t be as sweet when the Vikings finally win the Super Bowl if I haven’t stuck to suffering through years of frustrating blind loyalty.  Ha!

 If you need to break the addiction of being blindly stuck to one team, just listen to Ringo Starr’s “The No-No Song” about 50 times in a row.  Ahh Ahh Ahhhh.  Worked for me.

 I figure, the Vikings shouldn’t expect me to show up as an unconditional devoted fan when they can’t be bothered to show up in big games.  We’re just too Minnesota nice.  Instead of sending money to a NOLA punter’s charity, we should have been saying “bring it home or don’t bother coming home.”

 Here is a letter to the editor in the Star Tribune from January 22:

 When I die, I want Mike Zimmer, Mike Tice, Brad Childress, Denny Green, Jerry Burns and Bud Grant to be the pallbearers, so when my casket gets carried to the cemetery, they’d have the chance to let me down just one more time.

Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Minnetonka

I hear you.  However, I'm thinking that "loyalty" to team is about the only place in the world today where loyalty exists!  Yes, I know it's one way.  The Vikings don't give a crud that I cried when they lost those four Super Bowls.  They don't care that I have 4 Viking Jerseys, two Viking stocking caps, Viking neck tie, Viking button down shirts, an autographed picture of Stefon Diggs scoring a touchdown against Green Bay in the opening game of the new stadium, Viking pillow cases, Viking socks...even Viking boxer shorts for crying out loud!  They don't care crap about me...but I remain loyal to them...and I remain guardedly optimistic about their chances in 2018!  Yes, they will break my heart again!  So what?  I've got more Viking disappointment scar tissue around my heart, then Minnesota has lakes!  Yet, me, myself and I will remain loyal to the Vikings!

Nowhere else is there a shred of loyalty outside of my family!  Employers aren't loyal and neither are employees!  The government isn't loyal, and neither are the citizens.  Not many people are loyal to church/faith, school, etc...  Heck, marriages break up, friendships end, and dogs run away!!  I chose to remain loyal to the Vikings...even though I know it goes only one way.

[vike daddy]

next year will be my 50th year of being a Vikings fan.

i gotz loyalty.

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, vike daddy said:

next year will be my 50th year of being a Vikings fan.

i gotz loyalty.

You deserve a gold Viking watch!!  I bet you'll have to buy it yourself!! 

[swede700]

[swede700]

While not necessarily the right place to put it, but it feels right....

Quote

 

Former Vikings coach Les Steckel was on a Colorado ski vacation with his family on Thursday night when he flipped on the television to watch the premier of ESPN’s 30 for 30 film “The Two Bills.”

The pictures of Steckel and Reese appear on the screen as Belichick tells a story about how in early 1984 he considered leaving a job as linebackers coach with the New York Giants, when Parcells was head coach, for a position as a Vikings assistant.

Belichick went to Winter Park in the late morning and met with Steckel.

He said, ‘Les, I’ve talked to several people in the building and I would just like to say to you that you had better be alert, you had better be aware. I just don’t have a good feeling, Les.’ ”

 

https://www.twincities.com/2018/02/02/vikings-thought-they-had-bill-belichick-as-a-coach-until-phone-rang-at-6-a-m/

[since72]

1 hour ago, SteelKing728 said:

I hate this thread lol

But SK - you're a trail blazer! 

I've been inspired by you.  You could have chosen to be faithful to one team like I had been and have no Super Bowl wins in your lifetime.  But no!  You hedged your bets by picking one NFC and one AFC team.  One of your teams has three Super Bowl appearances and two wins in your lifetime.  You've made me see the light!  And you had the foresight to pick two decent competitive organizations.  You could have been BrownLion728 (pretty sure that user ID wasn't taken).  But no, you are wise beyond your years.  I'm going to see if webby will let me change my forum name to CardFalcRavBillPanthBearBengCowbBroncTexColtJagChiefChargRamDolVikePatsJetsSaintGiantRaidEagSteelHawksBucRed728.

 

 

[vike daddy]

sometimes the medication gets reeeeeally unbalanced.

[Purplexing]

16 hours ago, since72 said:

And don’t forget to get rid of free agency too.

.... removed text for brevity....

 Then I noticed two odd trends. 

 The first was the fantasy football effect where fans became followers of INDIVIDUAL players rather than of TEAMS. 

.... removed text for brevity...

The second thing is the number of people in my Minnesota workplace that are Green Bay fans, New England fans, Philadelphia fans, etc.

 Here is a letter to the editor in the Star Tribune from January 22:

 When I die, I want Mike Zimmer, Mike Tice, Brad Childress, Denny Green, Jerry Burns and Bud Grant to be the pallbearers, so when my casket gets carried to the cemetery, they’d have the chance to let me down just one more time.

Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Minnetonka

Gonna be difficult to get Denny Green to be a pallbearer.

Why not replace him with Mike(?) Diamond, Red McCombs, or Zygi Wilf?

I agree with Fantasy Football's effect on team sports, especially football, and baseball.  Perhaps that's why I prefer watching pro golf?

I enjoy talking with New England fans, and will root for them as a second favorite team.   I show respect to other teams fans while among them on game day in a sports bar, and will generally receive respect in return, except from fans of the opponents of the Vikings.  Face to face interaction among fans usually prevents perverse, rude comments some people are emboldened to make while online, protected by a screen name. 

I'm glad you didn't repeat the quote of the final wish of Bobby Knight!

[SteelKing728]

16 hours ago, since72 said:

But SK - you're a trail blazer! 

I've been inspired by you.  You could have chosen to be faithful to one team like I had been and have no Super Bowl wins in your lifetime.  But no!  You hedged your bets by picking one NFC and one AFC team.  One of your teams has three Super Bowl appearances and two wins in your lifetime.  You've made me see the light!  And you had the foresight to pick two decent competitive organizations.  You could have been BrownLion728 (pretty sure that user ID wasn't taken).  But no, you are wise beyond your years.  I'm going to see if webby will let me change my forum name to CardFalcRavBillPanthBearBengCowbBroncTexColtJagChiefChargRamDolVikePatsJetsSaintGiantRaidEagSteelHawksBucRed728.

 

 

lol I haven't rooted for the Steelers in a while. It was after the 2012 season I think that I stopped caring about them.

[Ozzy]

That is odd every team in the NFC outside of the Lions and Vikings have got a chance at the Super Bowl in 1977.  But go to the AFC and Browns, Jets, Chiefs, Jaguars and Texans are in that group, sure Texans and Jaguars have not been around as long.  But Browns fans and Chiefs fans have it worst, especially Chiefs with their recent playoff history.  

 

Having such a embarrassment of a loss in the NFC title game hurts for the Vikings...  At least the NFL has parody, the freaking NBA a lot of bottom teams who are always at the bottom it seems.  But yeah was a totally different team in that game, and that defense was unrecognizable.

 

 

Is odd they are 6th all time in winning percentage in the regular season but have most all time in total Playoff loses with 29.  

 

 

[SotanKing]

I am a relatively very young fan when compared to most of them in this thread...must be really tough to have supported Vikings all these years with so many tough losses

[SotanKing]

We are the only team with winning percentage > 50% that is yet to win a SB. We have higher winning percentage than Steelers lol