vikings/nfl

The team is 11-3 and has enjoyed a fabulous season so far.  The number of positive surprises we have witnessed doesn't need to rehashed – it's been a great ride. But WOW, I sat there with Tim on Sunday night and we both knew what was happening. The Vikings came out flat with poor execution, mindless mistakes, and let an inferior team dominate them. They are so obviously in the early stages of wasting an incredible opportunity that we debated what words of inspiration the staff could let fly - something to inspire the superior talent on the squad to nip this slump in the bud before it gets ugly. Perhaps a Good Cop / Bad Cop approach where Tim (the nice guy) would appeal to the players' commitment to their teammates and the fans. Then Bert could come in as Bad Cop and post a bunch of bulletin board material and get after the players' pride.

Tim the Good Cop:

(1)     This team has all the pieces to win a Championship – position by position, this might be the most talented Vikings team in 30 years.  Focus and execute on the field and we will be fine.

(2)     Finish strong.  Re-establish a confident and winning attitude. Don't feed the confidence of your opponents with rolling fundamental breakdowns all over the field.  Go into the playoffs with momentum and carry it all the way to Miami.  Remember this?: 

(3)     The captains have to step up.   There is a reason the players voted you as their leaders and it isn't just to call heads or tails.  Lead by example nd make sure everyone keeps their eye on the prize.  We can do this.

Bert the Bad Cop:

(1)     This team has lost 2 out of 3 games and in those losses has underachieved miserably.  It is fine to get beaten by a better team or to lose a close road game b/c of a few bad breaks.  It is not fine to go out and get dominated while looking meek, clumsy, and soft in front of a national audience.  If nothing else, have some pride.

(2)     EJ is gone and suddenly there is no passion on the field.  How about some bulletin board rallying cries?  This is the Cardinals' Jeremy Bridges quote on blocking Jared Allen a few weeks ago: "He started to pout like a little baby, but that is to be expected. ... You have success and then you are not having it, you are going to be a little frustrated." Then 2 weeks after Bridges openly mocked him, our man Jared was doing his sack dance for the cameras while a fumbled ball rolled on the turf and was recovered by Carolina.  Play through the whistle!  You are better than that and we need you to be better than that.

(3)     But what about the true leaders?  Aside from Antoine Winfield, where are the rest of our stars hiding?  Where is Peterson rallying the troops on the sideline?  Favre yelling at Childress instead of talking to his receivers? 

(4)     Let's zoom in on the the elephant in the room, the Warrior Brett Favre.  The media is making way too much of his sideline debate with Chilly but announcing at the press conference that he refused to leave the game and that Chilly gave in can't be good for a team trying to re-establish its footing.  For a guy that is widely publicized to be a terrible performer in December and January since we were all a lot younger, Favre needs to be a team leader and promote confidence and unity.  If the fans are thinking it, everyone in that locker room is thinking it – maybe this guy really does fade at the end of every season.  Of all the players who can change the world, it is this guy.  I've hated him my entire adult life but I've come around to appreciate his talent and his charm this year.  Brett, we need you to save our season.

(5) And lastly there is the enigma of Mount McKinnie. This is the guy the Vikings and their fans stood behind after a disgrace on the Party Boat and an arrest for assaulting bouncers in a street fight years later.  McKinnie is plenty talented but that he played so poorly that he was benched for Artis Hicks.  Here's what he had to say via Twitter after the game:

bigmacvikings:   "I'm just gonna say Wow! I had a OFF day! This was not a good nite 4 me. There is something we gotta fix this week 2 put me n better position"

Really?!  The coaches need to put YOU in a better position?!  Really?!  How about you block the guy in front of you instead of looking like Butterbean?  Get off of Twitter, get into the practice facility, and make yourself better!  If any of the fans reading this totally failed at work and then blamed our bosses for not being able to do our job competently, we would be fired.  Especially after being given multiple second chances. Wake up!

OK, so Bert got off the rails a little bit ... and as fans we have to be supportive, but the team simply needs to find a way, any way, to stop blowing this enormous opportunity.  Win the next 2 games and then ride a rested Favre past the Eagles into the NFC Championship and we have a fighting chance at the Title. Fading into the 3 seed and then losing to the resurgent Packers at home is just not an acceptable outcome – if we don't stop the bleeding right now, think about what next season looks like:  A rookie left tackle blocking for TJack or Sage Against the Machine with the Williamses suspended for at least 4 games and a schedule against the AFC East to look forward to. The NFL won't be moving a Super Bowl team to LA, but the flipside is too painful to mention.

Let's make it happen this week – dominate the Bears in a cold weather night game and put the critics to rest.

...or risk becoming yet another chapter of  "Missing Rings" - like this short clip from the year I was born. Skol Vikings and Happy Holidays.