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Additional Minnesota Viking Commentary

Schedule Two Ought 17  
When I first reviewed our 2017 schedule, my first thought was … stick a fork in us because we are done. At the end of the season we have so many road games that it’s virtually impossible for us to make the playoffs … based upon our past history. Then the answers started to evolve to explain it all. It started with Bud Grants immortal words, "it’ not who you play … it’s when you play them".

The first item is that we tend to look at our opponents based upon the prior year’s performance. Said another way, A. A. Ron’s team may be only a shadow of itself at seasons end as his offensive line is suspect, so what looked like a loss before the season ever started may not be.

Next up is in reference to the noise leveled by our elite press core of vultures. They immediately dug their talons deep within the flesh of Latavius Murray by always referring to drafting of Dalvin Cook … and then losing his starting role … that he never got the opportunity to earn. Then I got "on-line" where the message evolved & then became clear. Latavius has a major role on this squad not so much like Jim Kiick & Larry Csonka but more in the roles of Taylor & Hornung but not in the way you think (power sweep). Cook runs wild between the 20’s whereas Murray fulfills another role by having a nose for the end zone.  Of course, Cook can do that too but when asked if he'd rather score touch downs or win championships ... Cook came up with the right answer.  He's young but he knows that his first year could be his only year with that chance.  Now ask yourself ... with both Murray & Cook on the field how would the Steelers have responded to a double screen or even a double screen flee flicker. This concept is unheard of in today’s game & Pat Shurmur hasn’t even begun to prepare for such a notion but no one has the horses that he has. Just be patient Latavius ... your role will become clear in time ... found ... one lost cog.  

Then we watch the schedule evolve in time & with it you get the return of Michael Floyd & then Teddy Bridgewater. In strategic war games, these reinforcements are referred to as an Order of Appearance. They become additional cogs thrown into the mix to make thing interesting. All I know is that things happen for a reason.

We just had to play our first game without Sam Bradford. Did Teddy Bridgewater come to mind, especially after week six & is it important that four of our next five games are at home?  Did this schedule happen for a reason?  In the mind of the Vultures, Teddy has been written off into the sunset of an unachievable career. Whereas, in Teddy’s mind, he’s brimming with the thoughts that "Thou doest protest too much" & "The news of my demise may have been too premature or even exaggerated."  The way they tell it ... Teddy's already six feet under ground.  I can't wait to see that infectious smile again.  Hey, I would love to see Bradford play it out but we don’t get to choose that, do we? We are Vikings living in a world of …..

So what evolves in Time: Teddy Bridgewater, Latavius Murray, Michael Floyd & of course Pat Shurmur. Does this fit our schedule?


The Viking Ghost Writer
http://MyVikingBlood.org
Date: September 18, 2016

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