That was a throwback. In so many ways.
One. I had recently bragged about my fanhood maturity after the 1-3 start. Not much to brag about last night…I reverted back to my old ways immediately at the start of the second half. I’m cussing, I’m standing up walking around between plays, I’m picking on announcer comments, texting nasty things to my dad and friends that are watching. Brutal. I figured out I knew exactly what was going to happen in week one, so I couldn’t get mad. And weeks 2-4 they played three AFC teams that I don’t care about at all. That’s why I had found some temporary maturity while watching. Even boldly declaring on this website that I’ve turned a corner on the responsibility level on which I watch these games. But then the schedule gave me Seattle, who I hate and always beats us, on a Sunday night, and I easily fell back into my old routine.
Two. The way that game was lost was a throwback. That was the Minnesota Vikings football I grew up with. They can’t just lose. They gotta tease me and make me think they have a chance to win the damn thing. They gotta give up a bomb on 4th and 10 and a TD on fourth and goal. They can’t give it up on first, second, or third down. They gotta give me hope. At one point they had to gain one yard and the game was over…they come up short. They lead 13-0 at halftime. With 8:02 remaining in the third quarter the Seahawks were up 21-13. Never heard of such a thing without Patrick Mahomes being involved. Dalvin Cook went out with a groin injury on the offense’s first second half play. On a ball that never should have been thrown or caught. Still scratching my head on that one. The game had all the elements of a good old school Vikings loss.
Three. There’s always gonna be a controversial coaching decision in these Vikings losses. There are no such things in wins…it’s always doesn’t matter, it worked out. Everything is more dissected in a loss and normally I’m right there at the head of the line. But I have zero problem with Zimmer’s decision to go for it on 4th and 1 at the end of the game. Simple fact is if they make it they win the game. I don’t need to know anymore math than that. If you give the hypothetical pre-game scenario to any coach who’s team is heading in to play Seattle, hey you have one play where you just have to get one yard and you’ll win the game…every one of them would take it. I believe in today’s NFL you go for 4th and 1 (or less) 100% of the time. I was mad they didn’t go for it in the first half from their own 21. And I’ve seen plenty of Russell Wilson, and plenty more of the Vikings defense…The Seahawks are scoring and sending the game into OT no problem if the Vikings decide to go up 8 with a field goal in that spot. No doubt in my mind. I wouldn’t have been mad if they trotted out the field goal unit, but I loved that they went for it. If you keep Russell Wilson off the field Seattle can’t beat you in that spot.
Four. The opponent. We owed Seattle one or two before that game. Now we owe them two or three. Of course we lose to Seattle that way, in that fashion, on primetime so everyone can see it. I love Seattle. Of all the places I’ve ever been it’s the most underrated. It’s beautiful. I’ve never had anything but good experiences when I’ve been up to the Pacific Northwest. But I hate the Seattle Seahawks. Russell Wilson is a boring interview. I hate looking at him. Their uniforms are always awful. They treat their wide receivers like steroid experiments (I’m looking right at you DK Metcalf). Pete Carroll is dated. Tired of him on the sidelines jumping around. Wasn’t Pete originally known as a defensive coach? Let’s not act like I couldn’t coach the Legion of Boom. How’s your defense been doing since Sherman, Thomas, Chancellor, Maxwell, and Browner left? You just lucked into Russell Wilson in the draft so no one seems to care about the answer to that question. Now Seattle is 5-0 and Minnesota is 1-4, and the difference between them is literally a yard. Fitting.
Five. This has nothing to do with any of this, it just brings back memories and I just want to rant. I’m so sick of fans from other teams telling me how cursed their team is. Jet fans, Browns fans, Bengals fans, Lions fans. Outta here with that. Your team is not cursed if nothing is expected of you every year. Don’t tell me as a Browns or Lions fan that your team is more cursed than mine. It may be a sadder organization overall, but real let downs and epic failures occur only when expectations are involved. Your teams are expected to lose and do, end of story. My team is expected to be competitive every single year, always builds up the hope of winning the big game, then does something stupid, or something ridiculous happens and it all comes crashing down. How many other organizations have 2017, 2009, 2003, 2000, 1998, 1987, and the entire 70’s, of good enough teams to win a super bowl but never winning it? Not the Lions, Jets, Bengals, or Browns, or any other bottom feeder team in this league. I’m tired of walking around with my chin up high embracing our ability to choke in the big game, only to hear seconds later, hey man…at least you’re not a Giants fan, they suck this year, why did they ever trade ‘Odell? Man, get outta here with that. I’m so tired of that shit. Eli won you two recent Super Bowls and Parcells has won you two more. Where are the examples of the Giants choking? So they drafted ‘Danny Dimes’ and it looks like he’s a bust. BFD. It happens to teams all the time. Picking quarterbacks in the draft is obviously not an exact science. If it was Akili Smith and Tim Couch would have multiple super bowl rings and we never would have heard of Russell Wilson or Tom Brady. Or how about a Packers fan ever bitching about anything? Nothing more pathetic than Rodgers getting nicked in the forearm and fans begging for a flag. They get every call, all the time, end of discussion. And don’t get me started on every team in the AFC east not named New England. Throw the Bills, Dolphins, and Jets into the same division and they spend 20 years trying to attack the Patriots by recycling the same boring, ineffective retreads. All three teams have trucked Frank Gore and Ryan Fitzpatrick out there, two of the teams have thrown the revolutionary coaching techniques of Rex Ryan and Adam Gase at them. Bill Belichick must laugh himself to sleep at night. Don’t tell me about any of those teams choking. With those rosters and coachers over the past two decades, they haven’t put themselves in a position to choke. It’s a failure from the start. Feel free to bring your favorite team to the table and I’ll have something for you that trumps it. The Vikings are the number 1 hard luck franchise in the NFL. I would put our resumé up against anyones. It’s Vikings football. Will be until they finally win one.
