Bailey Cossairt's YouTube project on the last 20 years of Vikings history is probably not the documentary you wanted.
But dear Vikings fans, it sure might be the documentary you needed.
The Vikings from 1997 to present are such a mixed bag of huge hopes, big games, massive disappointments, memorable moments and, let's face it, oddities that they probably deserved what Cossairt created: an 80-minute documentary set to be released at 5 p.m. Thursday on his Spawn Trapped page on YouTube.
Appropriately titled "Wide Left" to denote the missed playoff field goals that nearly bookend the 20 years, the epic ode was created by a St. Cloud State junior who is exactly 20 years old himself — adding to the quirkiness of the project.
"I didn't even get to watch Gary Anderson miss that kick," Cossairt said — or at least he was in diapers if he did.
Indeed, Cossairt is far too young to have experienced the joy and pain of 1998 or even 2000. His pain is built around 2009 and 2015 — which is to say there is plenty of it, still.
To build his documentary, Cossairt first had to get lucky. He found a Vikings fan via the online site Reddit who had footage from more than 70 games — including many of the most important ones — over the past 20 years.
Cossairt, who started making documentaries in high school and worked on this one for about four months, also pieced in fan commentary from a trio of Vikings backers who have gone through the ups and downs.
