Football is a beautiful game at face-value, but it’s also deeply rooted in powerful core values — teamwork, competitive spirit, loyalty, trust and, most importantly, passion.
These are values that last a lifetime. There are people who believe they are bigger than the game itself, and that’s not fair to anyone. When the New Orleans Saints defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the 2009 NFC Championship, the organization showed its true colors.
Moreover, the franchise screamed from the mountain tops that winning is more important than player safety.
This is not what football is about. Winning is important, yes, because it allows for confidence and self-esteem to build. But, it truly is not the only thing; playing the game the right way is — and that’s when the wins begin to pile up in bunches.
It’s more important to compete with fiery passion and trust preparation than it is to look at the scoreboard following a loss and wonder what could have been. Vikings fans have been forced to learn this tough narrative for years … and years … and years.
Fans watched Brett Favre play his heart out — literally putting his future in jeopardy to will his team to victory, as it would come to be known years later. Favre was a Green Bay Packer for most of his career, indeed, but in the hearts of many Vikings fans, he’s also a symbol of how powerful passion and energy can truly be.
He led by example, like a true champion.
Favre pushed New Orleans to the absolute brink despite then-Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams reportedly telling his players to do everything within their power to destroy his body. Vikings fans remember this; and they remember it well.
The cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul are absolutely beautiful communities, and yet, folks still believe they are not worthy of being placed on the same pedestal as other midwestern locations like Chicago, Ill.
It’s time to end the suffering; it’s time to educate the world.
The residents are cultured and passionate, fearless and powerful. Defeating New Orleans isn’t just about erasing the past; it’s about building toward the future. It’s about continuing to grow this ever-faithful community and boosting the economy so that people from all walks of life can enjoy this very special place and very special football team.
The world is bigger than football, and Minnesota knows this.
“Forgive But Don’t Forget … Keep Your Head Up”
— Tupac Shakur —
PRE-BAG PRIMER
My goal every week is to answer as many questions as possible. So, moving forward, there will not be a fixed number. I’ll try my best to thoughtfully answer as many questions each week as possible. As always, thanks to each of you, individually, for your submissions — should be a fun edition.
If you have any questions, thoughts or jokes to share with me, please do so via email at [email protected], Twitter @RobertReidell or use the social media hashtag #VGTweet.
ONE
I love answering ambiguous questions — by far the most enjoyable facet of my job.
The Vikings have an extremely talented roster, essentially from top-to-bottom, and all three phases of the game have excellent chemistry, in my not-so-humble opinion.
While I don’t believe that one individual group needs to play well in order for the Vikings to smoke the Saints, I do think it’s important that the defense — as a whole — caters to its strengths and plays its game.
I personally believe Sean Payton overthinks things to a fault instead of trusting his instincts at times, and if Mike Zimmer has his extremely talented defense playing to what he believes to be the strengths of the unit, the Vikings should crush the Saints, just as you suggested.
TWO
I don’t mean to come off rude or inconsiderate, but I’m sincerely not worried.
Look, I have watched this Vikings team develop for many years, and I have never seen a more impressive 53-man squad than this particular edition. The Saints are extremely talented as well — no doubt about that — but if the Vikings listen to Zimmer, play to their strengths and trust their instincts, I really don’t believe that anyone can stop them.
It’s not a position group that I’m worried about. I’m more worried about the past and what we already know about New Orleans. Payton, who is an incredibly talented and innovative coach, may not have been the one behind the bounty scandal, but he almost certainly allowed for it to happen; it’s well-documented.
So, while I don’t think he will make that same mistake again with half the world watching, I am concerned about him coming to the realization that the best way to win this football game is to stand by and allow his team to play dirty.
Is this a fair concern? Probably not. But if New Orleans isn’t held accountable for its past actions by Roger Goodell and the NFL, then how could player safety possibly improve in the future?
If we want professional football to still be around in the distant future, we need to start working on player safety now, and — for the record — I personally believe that Zimmer coaches this as well as anyone in the league.
THREE
I don’t have a clue what the Vikings will choose to do, but I do think that crowd noise matters. Drew Brees — while one of the greatest of all time — has never been one to play his best games on the road, and one has to assume that crowd noise is a huge factor.
If he can’t hear, he likely will have problems thinking. So, I’d argue that keeping the doors closed is the way to go here. Give the fans an important role; they want this as bad as anyone — and I believe they are prepared to blow the cover off of U.S. Bank Stadium.
FOUR
In Minnesota? Absolutely. I don’t think fans have forgotten about what happened eight years ago. Excuse me; I know fans haven’t forgotten.
FIVE
Tom Beeferman
“Can the Vikings linebackers neutralize Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram?”
If the Vikings linebackers stay grounded and listen to Zimmer, yes, I don’t think this should be an issue. Both Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks can cover a ton of space and see the field extremely well. They are a dynamic duo, and I think they are acutely aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
I think Kamara is the more dangerous pass-catcher, namely because he can line up all over the field and run effective routes. Ingram, on the other hand, is more of a power back. He does a nice job when he gets in space, but he simply isn’t the same type of athlete. This isn’t a knock on either player; in fact, it’s more a compliment than anything.
Both players are dangerous in their own ways, but, then again, so are Barr and Kendricks.
SIX
Scott Vossen
“Considering the Saints secondary is looking strong and also their solid pass rush, do you think it’s more important for Thielen/Diggs to have big games or our running game to take off.”
I’m going to continue, once again, with the overarching theme of this article. I don’t necessarily believe that one player or positional group needs to play well to beat New Orleans.
The Saints are flawed like every other team in the NFL, and it’s up to Shurmur to diagnose those weaknesses throughout the week and prepare an adaptable game plan.
He is an excellent play-caller and shouldn’t have an issue working around the few cornerstone pieces that New Orleans currently boasts on defense.
For more Minnesota Vikings analysis and news, follow BJ Reidell on Twitter @RobertReidell and subscribe to “About the Labor: A Minnesota Vikings Podcast” available on iTunes, Stitcher, CastBox and YouTube.
