If you are not a football fan, which means you either:
A) Just check all unread threads on the forum
B) Enjoy watching European soccer leagues
C) Randomly found this thread on Google
Then you probably won't understand much of this. But if you are interested in the thoughts of an odd Vikings fan with too much time on his hands, then feel free to read.
Hey all, in case anyone missed it, the NFL Playoffs start tomorrow night (loud cheers and applause). This is an especially exciting time of year for me, as my team is actually in the playoffs, when everyone said that the Vikes would
maybe win 5-6 games this year (just to be fair, that's what I figured would happen too). And hey, the last team that got hot at precisely the right time to sneak into the NFCs sixth seed ended up winning the Super Bowl (that would be the Giants--sorry, to all Patriots, Packers, and 49ers fans, I'm sure it still stings a bit).
This year, the Vikings have the chance for Redemption on 4 levels: First, if they win tomorrow, they prove that they not only deserved the playoff spot that they nabbed, but they do it vs. their most hated rivals, who had beaten us 5 times in a row before finally succumbing to the marvel that is AP last week.
Second, if we do manage to dispatch the Pack, we get a chance to take down the Falcons in Atl. As a part of the Vikings long and tragic football history, the most memorable moment for me was in January of 1999, when the 15-1 Vikings were up by 7 with only a few minutes to go in the NFC Championship vs. those same Falcons. Our kicker had yet to miss a FG all season or postseason that year, and he was lining up to take a mere 40ish yarder. It would have effectively put the game away. Well the kick was up and...no good. The Falcons made quick work of their final regulation drive, scoring the touchdown, and sending it into overtime. Unfortunately for Vikings fans everywhere, their kicker's OT attempt was tried and true, and the Vikings were done. Compounding the pain to my 10-year-old self was the fact that I was planning to have a Super Bowl Birthday party, as my birthday was only three days before. Exacting revenge on a Falcons team that will surely be heavily favored would be marvelous.
Third, if the Vikings are able to beat the Pack, the Falcons, and win the NFC championship vs. anyone of the three other potential opponents that we could upset (one of whom we beat in the regular season, and the other two we could have beaten were it not for a few mishaps) then we would be in the Super Bowl, playing in a place were the most recent tragedy in the Vikings storied history occurred: the Superdome in New Orleans. If you have been a football fan for longer than three years (if not, why are you still reading this?) then you know what happened there in 2010. Our nemesis-turned-hero Brett Favre had lead our team to a tie game. It was Minnesota ball, and we were driving effectively. Our kicker, who was another nemesis-turned-hero from a few seasons ago (Ryan Longwell) had a long range, and a mostly dependable leg, and probably could have made the FG from where we were. But then in order to try to get us a bit closer for the FG try, our favorite gunslinger dropped back and threw right into the arms of an opposing safety. Fortunately, we didn't allow the Saints to score on that drive, but, in eerily similar fashion to 1999, the Saints won the toss, elected to receive, and scooted down the field on their way to the winning FG. I was at a party with about 20 other people, fortunately one of them was my wife, who could drive my shell-shocked self safely home instead of myself, who may have driven into the Mississippi. Winning a Super Bowl there would be wonderful, and truly redemptive.
Fourth, and finally, the Vikings would have won a Super Bowl. In case anyone is unaware, they are one of 14 teams in the NFL with no Super Bowl wins, so the Vikings are certainly not unique in that way. It is rather the fact that the Vikings have been there 4 times with no wins that would make any Super Bowl win special. The only other team with that kind of misfortune (and probably even more unfortunate for their fans) is the Buffalo Bills, with their four consecutive losses in the 90s.
That said, do I think any of that will happen? Probably not, but along with most Vikings fans, all we really have is hope. Very few sports people are giving the Vikings a chance to be in the playoffs as of Sunday morning, and I have to admit, I am pretty skeptical myself. Just like every year for the past 14 years that I have been a devoted fan, I know that the odds are I will be saying "there's always next year." But hey, I can hope. Also, I saw this, and it made me laugh, because it's probably true:
