Sports are a lot like politics. There are fans out on the fringes with extreme opinions about their favorite team, but most people are just regular, passionate, and invested. Unfortunately, with the popularity of shows like First Take, the former seems to be more of what you get these days.
As Viking fans deal with the aftermath of their embarrassing loss to the Detroit Lions and the continued stumble through their fourth consecutive year of extreme mediocrity, the fringe opinions are coming to the masses. And maybe, rightfully so. But Colin Cowherd, the popular host of The Herd on Fox Sports Radio, took a break from the polarization to express what most Purple fans are likely thinking at this moment.
Every week, Cowherd does a segment where he reviews his past opinions called “where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong.” On this week’s edition, Cowherd dove into the current psyche of the Vikings faithful.
After the voiceover prompted “where Colin was wrong,” Cowherd dove in:
“A few weeks ago, I said the Minnesota Vikings feel like a playoff team to me. The minute I said that they lost two straight, including to the Lions. Mike Zimmer is a really good coach, but they have too good of personnel to struggle this often. And I don’t know if it’s a disconnect with Zimmer and Kirk Cousins. On that final drive, Jared Goff moved right down the field. And Zimmer’s kind of a tough guy, a little crusty. And he may not have a locker room fight for him if it gets down to a vote of the players. I do think he’s an excellent coach and can stay in this league, but it may be time in Minnesota to move on.”
Simple, calm, poignant, and correct. No rationale Vikings fan is screaming that Mike Zimmer doesn’t deserve to stand within 100 miles of a football stadium. No one is demanding that Kirk Cousins give his contract back. It’s just a clear understanding of where we’re at.
It’s been a rough season, but there was hope after the win over the Green Bay Packers. Despite all the obstacles, we all thought this was possibly a playoff team that might cause someone a little trouble. Just like Colin, we were wrong. And just like Colin, it’s okay to acknowledge that Zimmer’s time has come without disparaging his existence. He was a good coach who did some good things for this franchise. But we are where we are. No one needs to hop on Twitter and scream into the abyss. It’s just time to move on, simple as that.
Speaking of Twitter, lets bookmark this one for a future Where Colin Was Wrong segment:
