To read Pacifist Viking's take on an inglorious playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers, click here.
Of course, I didn't want the Minnesota Vikings season to end Saturday night at Lambeau Field. And I definitely didn't want it to end at the hands of the fucking Green Bay Packers.
Still, part of me is kind of glad it's over. In the past 10 years or so I've found the Vikings season consumes me. Of course, I've got this blogging thing going on, which I started doing in 2007. Now I'm on Twitter, too. But it's more than that. As long as the Vikings are playing football, the six days of the week when they aren't are sort of annoyances to me. Can't time fast forward to Sunday at 11 a.m. (or if the Vikes are playing the late game, 2:30 p.m.)? And then for those three hours or so I sit in a trance-like state hoping Minnesota will win. This goes on for four months.
But that's all over now. Joe Webb, the Vikings wide receivers, linebackers, cornerbacks, plus Aaron Rodgers, saw to that. I can take Sunday's back again. I can sleep in without eyeing the clock so I don't snooze through the first quarter. I can make plans to go the gym, or watch a movie with the family or whatever really, without having to work these activities around a Vikings game. There will be no more butterflies that start at around 10 a.m. and last until 2:15. I'll certainly watch the rest of the playoffs and the Super Bowl - I love football. However, this relationship I have with the Vikings isn't love. I don't know how to describe it (I bet Pacifist Viking could. Help me out, PV!), but at this point of the year I've had enough of it. Sometimes I even think how great it would be if I didn't care about the Vikings this much, and if I wasn't a fan. It's time to explore other interests.
Of course, I'll be back next September. 2013 has to be the year, right? That young roster will continue to improve. Christian Ponder will take those next few steps towards quarterbacking brilliance. Rick Spielman will draft brilliantly and make wise choices on the free agent market that will turn the Minnesota Vikings into that juggernaut of the 1970s - only this time we'll win the Lombardi Trophy.
Those thoughts are for another time, though. For the next eight months, the Vikings will not have the hold over me that they do from September till January. I'm good with that.
I will admit I enjoyed the Redskins/Seahawks game more knowing that I didn't have to worry about a Vikings game next weekend.
ReplyDeleteNow that the season is over it will be nice to have Sundays free to get more done around the house. Plus whatever time you spend reading about them during the week. That's what I tell myself anyway. There's more sadness that it's over than happiness to get my free time back.
ReplyDeleteI didn't take this loss as bad as a real playoff loss, once you knew Joe Webb was playing you knew it was over. It is just such a hard way to go out when we didn't get a real shot at them. The Viking gods are some cruel bastards but at least they didn't string us along this time.
Take this for what it's worth because it is from La Canfora again, but:
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/21511211/monday-observations-did-offensive-coordinators-job-chances-stall
"The nightcap on Sunday might have been the final strike against Vikings coordinator Bill Musgrave, who was already under fire for a limited passing attack despite getting a 2,000-yard season out of Adrian Peterson. Losing starting quarterback Christian Ponder was a big blow, no doubt, but Joe Webb was a disaster, regressing by the series, after having come up big in spot starting duty in the past. I can't help but wonder if recently fired Browns head coach Pat Shurmur doesn't end up in Minnesota this offseason."
He also mentions Minnesota talent evaluator George Paton (I don't know him) interviewing for GM jobs.
Peter:
DeleteThis Saturday and Sunday should present some enjoyable, stress-free football watching. I am looking forward to the Green Bay-SF tilt. Atlanta and Seattle could be a dandy, too.
ETR:
I may be in the minority, but I don't think Musgrave is the problem. Bad WRs, shaky QBing will get you the passing game the Vikings got this year no matter if Peterson were running for 3,097 yards. What's Shurmur done to indicate he'd be any better? Let's see what Musgrave can do with an improved (hopefully) Ponder throwing to an improved receiving corps.
Yeah, plenty of time to talk about this later, let's just enjoy the playoffs. I don't want to seem like I have a vendetta against the guy, just passing along info I agree with. I don't think there's any way you can argue he's not a bottom third coordinator in the league, and we will never win big in the modern era with a bottom third passing attack. Even given the scraps he's working with, he still has a good line, a good TE and an all time great running game. You would hope somebody else could at least get the passing game up to average. They would definitely get us above the high school level we were at for much of the year.
DeleteI didn't pick Shurmur but I am happy to see his name out there. He had Brandon Weeden playing pretty well this year with some garbage WR's. He also did wonders with Sam Bradford in St. Louis, who has regressed since he left. There wasn't much talent there either and he played behind one of the worst offensive lines I've ever seen. The funny thing is his OC this year was kick ass Childress. He does call the plays though.
Longwell signed with Seattle. I don't much care for Seattle, but I'll cheer for all of their fieldgoal attempts!
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