Brought to you by Mr. Cheer or Die and the Vikes Geek, welcome to the
Views and Personal Photos on the Vikes from the Inaugural Hall of Fame fan.
Brought to you by Mr. Cheer or Die and the Vikes Geek, welcome to the
Happy Halloween everyone! We had our annual Halloween bash this past Saturday. I just did not know the scary theme would not end until late Sunday afternoon; hours after our guests had left!
I'll admit up front that I'm a bit ashamed. Well, you know, proper Vikings viewing is about watching a game from start to finish. Just like one should view the entire season from start to finish.
Being a fan is about watching a team develop from seed and watching the coaches nurture the players, tending to them like a young plant and feeling justifiably rewarded when they thrive.
But then there are moments in one's life as a sports fan when patience, while not in short supply, is overruled. It occurs when patience will mean that something doesn't look right for the next five years or more.
That's the time when as in our own gardens, we decide to not start with seed and practice patience, but go right for purchasing a full grown plant. A plant that is already a reasonable stature and in scale with its garden surroundings. This often runs into three figures rather than the $1.99 for a pack of seeds.
That's what we expected this season. A defense that was to have been already full grown. A defense already built of veterans not in need of tender nurturing. What we got was a pack of seeds. And I'm not even sure these guys have germinated yet.
I had TiVO'd the game as we were still picking up from our aforementioned party. I began watching about 2:45 PM CST. I started out by just fast forwarding through the commercials. By the middle of the first quarter I was fast forwarding through the commercials and huddles. By the half I was running the game at the slowest fast forward speed. By the end of the third quarter I was running the fast forward at medium. By the middle of the fourth I was running the fast forward at the speed of light.
Total time spent viewing the game? Somewhere around 45-minutes. Ashamed of my actions? No doubt. But I feel more for the team that was suppose to be a full grown, mature plant.
What will new owner Zygi Wilf do after this season? Perhaps the question should be: What should he do? Go after fully developed plants or develop from seed? What do you think? Leave a comment below.
Shoes
Greta Garbo and I have a lot in common. Thanks to a documentary I watched recently, it was she who could not perform happily unless her feet were comfortable. There she stands, in that famous still from Queen Christina, gazing out over the prow of a ship in tailored folds of exquisite velvet, while underneath and out of sight her feet are in carpet slippers.
OK, before you think I've gone off the deep-end I better get to my point. It is the same for me when I attend a Vikings game. I searched high and low for the perfect pair of purple shoes to fit the bill while also keeping my feet comfortable as well as toasty warm during the cold winter trudge from car to Dome during the late season.
For a history of my Vikings game day shoe apparel, view the Viking Underground videocast below:
Tice Approval Poll
Mike Tice did enjoy a bump in his approval rating following the win against the Packers. But it was not nearly the bump he has enjoyed following other wins this season.
Tice's approval rating leapt from 7% the previous week to 54%. But he had not been below 61% following a win all season. Tice now stands at an overall 45% for the season.
What is your thought? Vote your approval to the left.
Dirty Hit?
Every time I view the hit on Daunte Culpepper by Panthers cornerback Chris Gamble I see someone going right for Culpepper's knee. The view I refer to is the one from behind Culpepper in which it appears that Gamble led with his helmet targeting the knee.
Other views seem to lead some credence to the hit being clean, but I see a defensive player going for the knee.
You? A new poll to the left gives you the option to vote 'dirty' or 'clean' hit.
Caption
I've always wanted to do this. What caption best fits this photo? Leave your comment at the end of this blog entry.
Caption:
Now my Viagra starts working! Hope nobody notices the bulge... let's see, nope, not too noticable.
Seriously COD-piece,
Sorry Daunte got hurt, sucks when good players go down. I think the hit was clean, the defender of course went low on Daunte, Daunte is a big man who outwighed him by what, 70 pounds? Guys are taught to bring the big men down by taking out their legs. You see this done a lot to the bigger running backs.
Why the Hell did I have to ask how much worse can it get?
Posted by: SBG at October 31, 2005 09:51 AMClean. Culpepper had no business being hit at all, though, since he should have slid. Fighting for that extra yard, as a QB, when you already have the first down is a bit meaningless, especially with the heightened risk of injury.
Posted by: tootie at October 31, 2005 10:25 AMMy comments:
1) Daunte great effort, but you should have slid instead of trying to go bowling.
2) Coaching staff- My gosh how stupid can they get? After the first series by Carolina or second it was OBVIOUS that Smoot on Smith one-on-one was NOT working. You would think at some point in the game they would try anything else. Did they- NO that would be far too simple of a thing to use a cover two or double cover Smith. Just pure idiocy on the coaches part, that is the question I would ask at a press conference- What were you thinking? Why no change in a scheme that was not working?
3) Offense- Why did they forget about Moore and Wiggins as the focal point on offense. The lesson supposedly learned the week before. Nope, back to long pass routes that take too much time to develop. Stupid coaching.
PLEASE LET THE PRESS CONFERENCE START WITH Mike Tice and Staff have been fired!
Posted by: Rob Blake at October 31, 2005 11:00 AMPhoto Caption:
Moss goes down the other week. Now it's my turn. GOD HATES THE VIKINGS!
Posted by: Peter at October 31, 2005 11:21 AM*closes eyes* Tell me it's only a bad dream.
Posted by: CBS at October 31, 2005 11:49 AMPTC: I'm thinking happy thoughts... I'm thinking happy thoughts.
What should Zygi do? Good question. Is Tice really that bad or is it the OC/DC? Or is it the lack of a complete coaching staff? What about the scouting departments, pro personel and college. Where is James? Where's Fason? What about all these #1 and #2 picks on the D? What ever happened to the FA's brought in to shore up the D? Many many questions. I have my answer but it may not work but then again I'm not a billionaire trying to make more. (I appologize for that last statement Zygi seems to be a fan and it's his right to make money)
My plan:
I like Tice but business is business. Sorry you're fired along with your staff. Brez is a great CAP guru but.... I want somebody that can judge talent, here's your pink slip oh by the way take the drafting committee with you along with the pro scouts.
Job #1 Hire a new GM. Tell him what you want a team like the Broncos or Patriots. Get your staff and make recomandations for a new coaching staff.
Job #3 Interview and hire new coaching staff. They MUST have a complete new system ours is too old and it never got us to the promised land. Keep in mind Zygi knows what stadium he is going to have. Either a open air or retractble roof build the team accordingly. Tell the new coach player A,B, and C were on the "love boat" doing what should not be done in public and will be gone via cut or trade. Draft and aquire FA's accordingly. I mean this even if it is K. Williams or Daunte this is one of the first messages of the new era of Viking lore.
Job #3. Let the fans decide on a new uniform. Keeping Purple and Gold but a new layout. This would also send a message exorcising the gohsts of the past. Easy to say hard to do only time will tell.
that asshole came out of no where fuck the panters
Posted by: monte at October 31, 2005 01:39 PMAll I know is that I will ALWAYS be a Vikings fan and that I hope Zygi does what is right and tries to make this a competitive team. Get better soon Daunte.
Posted by: Michael Spiese at October 31, 2005 01:53 PMKeep the jersey layout and helmet- you cannot improve upon it. The only thing I would add is Purple pants on the road or at home and on the road.
CPep could be out a long time, and when he returns with the imjury he will not be as mobile a QB as before.
Rob
Posted by: Rob Blake at October 31, 2005 02:30 PMI would recommend that the team start over from scratch. By this, I don't mean that everyone has to go, but rather that everyone, from the top of the front office to the quarterback to the ball boys, has to prove that he is deserving of the role he plays on the team. Use the rest of the season to determine who can do that and who can't, so that you go into the off-season knowing what holes you have to fill.
Posted by: Jeff at October 31, 2005 04:33 PM1) Not going anywhere for a while? Have a Snickers.
2) HALL OF FAME career 'snapped' short.
PS - disappointed in COD for the 45 minute TIVO.
Posted by: Mark at October 31, 2005 10:20 PMAt least this coaching staff will be gone by the time I come back.. Hit,clean.
Posted by: paul bedy at November 1, 2005 12:45 AMAt least this coaching staff will be gone by the time I come back.. Hit,clean.
Posted by: paul bedy at November 1, 2005 12:46 AMDaunte Picture Caption
Fire-Red Sports car to impress the "ladies": $120,000
Party Cruise on Lake Minnetonka: $5,000 + respect
Not having to take the blame for the rest of this crappy, cursed season: Priceless
Posted by: Coworker Joe at November 1, 2005 11:48 AM