Remembering the home opener

It's almost time for the home opener!

Can I tell you how exciting this is for a rookie? The best part about playing at home is there is NO travel. You're more relaxed and get to eat home-cooked meals until Saturday night, when you head to the hotel. You know where to go and how long it takes to get there. It's a lot less stressful.

I remember my first home opener. It was against the Chicago Bears in 1974. At the time, we played outside at the Metropolitan Stadium, where tailgating was alive and the place to be for Viking fans. I remember walking through the parking lot, seeing the fans tossing the ball around, drinking their favorite drinks and having a great time. The fans were excited and would approach us as we'd walk across the parking lot into the stadium. We were assigned parking spots at the Met, but the fans were also parked in the same lot. The fans that got there early also had the chance to see the players on the way into the locker room. They'd ask for autographs and wish us luck.

No one really knew who I was for my first home game, so I didn't get bombarded by fans like Fran Tarkenton, Chuck Foreman, Carl Eller, Alan Page and Jim Marshall did. At the time they were the legends of the Minnesota Vikings.
We all had been around each other long enough in training camp and in practices to know each other's "habits," and I knew some of the guys smoked. I think the thing that struck me the most on game day is that they would go into the bathroom area to smoke! I never knew why they went to the bathroom area, but I think it was out of respect for other players who didn't smoke and to have some privacy. Even during halftime, they would get to smoke about a half a cigarette. Being a rookie, I remember being shocked!

My locker room routine prior to the game was to sit and think about all the things I studied in films and scouting reports. It was like a train running through my mind at 90 miles per hour. Some of the guys would have towels over their heads meditating. Some were reading the scouting reports and stretching on the floor. Trainers would tape ankles at the hotel, but hands and wrists got taped in the locker room prior to the game.

Some players would have their coffee. We didn't have iPods, and we didn't play music on game days. During the weekly practices, someone would bring a boom box and blast it. But all in all, everyone was relaxed because we were at our home field.

My locker was right next to legend Carl Eller's. And though I didn't want to stare at him, I remember being amazed at his size when he was suited up. I thought I was a big guy, but he would become something like a purple Hulk Hogan! Carl would have dwarf the Hulk!

For me, the best part of the game was the National Anthem. I could feel the blood pump through my veins. By that point, I had run my plays through my mind enough to make them habitual, and the energy of that song would get me so fired up to play. I can't tell you how inspirational that song is to many of the players, especially me. I always reminded myself how fortunate I was to play football each and every time I heard the National Anthem.

I always tried to find Fred McNeill, my best friend on the team, and stand by him. In practice, Bud had us line up in a straight line, hold our helmets in our right hand and remain at attention for the National Anthem — no chewing gum allowed. Yes, we really practiced that! Bud was a firm believer in respecting our country.

Once the game starts, you are so excited and pumped that you can hardly contain yourself to get that first tackle out of the way. You want to hit somebody and hit them hard. I was on special teams so, either way, I'd get to start the game hitting somebody. Once you get that out, you settle down a little bit and get in a groove.

Back in 1974, the first two games were away games. We won both, at Green Bay and at Detroit, both Central Division foes. Our third game was a home opener and another Central Division game. We won that game 11-7 over the Chicago Bears.