2-1-09: Tampa, Fl -The
Site of Super Bowl XLIII
Playing in Tampa, Florida, the site
of Super Bowl XLIII is now a focal point for our beloved Viking Squad ... a
fortuitous event. Way back in ought-seven, with a grandchild resting
upon my knee, the G'ants were handed the opportunity of facing, and then
preparing for, the then undefeated Boston Patriots ... the foe that eventually
led to their destiny. On this day of November 16, 2008, on this very field,
we Vikings will face a whole bunch more that just a Buc organization and their
jeering fans. We are confronting a future of fortune, to become the dark
horse, in our lofty quest in the commissioners mighty race for the NFL's
ultimate price. What lies before us begins with execution, performance,
will, dominance and perseverance ... followed by the silenced ... then to turn
to cheers upon this very field ... as Americans love a winner!
Observation
Carefully observe that the 2008
Minnesota Vikings are being portrayed as the NFL's laughing stock ... the team
of misfortune ... continually kicked in the sack ... and then laughed and
sneered at ... but somehow we keep trudging forward like a plague. It is
the latter that is somehow being overlooked and obscured by the leagues
interest. Somehow we don't seem to fit the dress of Cinderella. All
week long the Cheese-Heads were portrayed as the elite team of our division ...
with nothing but scoff and disdain for the mighty purple. The smelly
cheese was then portrayed as the team that made too many mistakes, and then
lost, rather than to accurately identify it as pure unadulterated dominance
entrained with some Viking mishaps. Now we are made to watch the reverence paid
to the mighty G'ants ground game ... sitting amongst it's lofty perch ... and
then we are told there is no one that can stand in their
way.
Cosmic Warp
Within our realm lies a cosmic warp
of sensibility ... of certain uncertainty ... manifesting itself in panic,
dread, terror, horror ... and most of all apprehension ... due to fear of the
unexplained ... where no axiom, no physical laws, no degree of certainty is
assured. There is absolutely no denying that it now hovers over this team
... like no other ... which has no choice but to infect our foes too. The
difference here is that it is building ... week upon week ... and that we've had
a season full of having to deal with the emotions of its uncertainty ... all
whilst knowing that each future foe will have no prior exposure to its building
mass and enormity ... to overcome them like a massive tide ... there being no
force more powerful. On the surface, things will appears normal ... but it
will be the underlying current, of a raging torrent of Viking seas, of ripping
tides, that will draw the enemy fleet upon the shoals of their
destruction. Its mass is building uncontrollably and the momentum of
its charges are now very apparent. You cannot fight what you cannot
sense. It will take the courage of a mighty Berserker warrior to confront
and traverse these raging seas.
The Schedule
The remaining Viking schedule, on the
surface, looks appallingly hard but consider the following. Teams that
face sure things tend to self destruct. Maybe these teams tend to lose
focus ... or maybe they feel that all they have to do is show up and they'll
win. What is certain is that teams that are forged within the
hell-fire-furnace, week after week, tend to be capable of dealing with any anomaly.
The reason, which most may never consider, is that you're always faced with
having to press your skills to their limits ... and it is this never ending
quest, from which, a masterpiece can be created.
On the other hand, teams that are out of
the race, as your foe, tend to focus on particular games, in the later part of
the year, as if it were their playoff game or their Super Bowl ... as for them,
there is no tomorrow. These coaches, with no playoff aspirations, have
nothing to lose where they will take unexpected chances, thereby catching a prime
team off balance. Players, of lesser stature ... try to make a name for
themselves by issuing cheap shots, etc. So what may appear to be a disastrous
Viking schedule may in fact be a very
good thing indeed.
MEAT TENDERIZERS:
The
Buc's will be feeling really good, coming off their bye, having time to let
their nics, bumps and bruises heal ... that is ... right up to kick off.
You see ... feeling good and football don't necessarily go hand in hand.
In the back of these rested minds, no one will want to immediately subject and
immerse their bodies back into the-feeling-pain-mode, especially after having
to wait so long, just to feel good again. It is this prime key that will
immediately invoke Chucky. Jon Gruden has absolutely no control over his
indicators where he has tolerances ... but he's certainly not used to having to
deal with certain issues. If he sees something that he doesn't like ...
someone whose not putting out ... issues related to dominant play ...
physicality, at the point of attack ... his pressure cooker will immediately flash
over from it's well concealed rolling boil ... and then his pressure cooker will
blow which is indicated in his very vocal rants. The louder he gets
... the more he rants ... the more his team will go into the tank ... and this
will be the Viking tell in Buc land. Laughter, at its results, just
might put him into a seizure. It will take a serious bit of Valium for
Gruden to conceal his rage at his players ... better yet, you'd be better off to
use a horse tranquilizer. Every player expects to play a physical
game ... but no one expects to have to confront a team full intent on meat
tenderizing ... ready to lay carefully stacked wood at the drop of the
coin. The 98 Buc's provided the blue print for the dirty birds ... where
the decree is that no one will dictate on Buc soil ... could payment be at
hand?
SPECIAL TEAMS:
Do you have any idea what this team is capable of? Just take a
look at what has transpired. Imagine our team being on the recipient end
of 3-INT's or to have a punt returned for a touch down. This is not to say
that we need it but rather a statement on how we've consistently overcome all the
adversity.
The point is, is that our special teams
plays is probably easily fixed. The answer lies within KISS! The
units are overcompensating causing reaction rather than a clear action. A
higher punt is always better than a longer one (is your focus on a record or the
ring). A phone booth is always better than a staggered spread that becomes
too vertical. Containment is always better than flash and dash! It's
always better to cause a runner to bleed energy by having to change direction
... significant directional change versus slight changes! Drive the hunted
to the hunters. If you're willing to sacrifice a few yards ... it's just
might be a damn sight better than giving up the home run, especially if you have
a defense that can shut down just about anything.
Called Out
Correct me if I'm wrong ... but Ryan
Longwell's numbers versus the Green Bay Packers are alarming. My suggestion
to Ryan is to take a closer look at the signature on the bottom of that
check. You are no longer playing for the Green and Gold team. Does
this sound like I'm calling you out ... you'd better believe that I am. Why ...
the theme is way too redundant. In other words ... it mattered ...
again. By the way ... there is no way that your going to replace that kid
up in Green Bay so you better come to terms with
it.
Before you consider the easy way out ...
the low road ... or the short cut to that pile of grease ... you'd might want to
consider the following. Sure ... you've been laying out for the team ...
or better said ... were laid out making "the play" ... and your
thinking to yourself ... no love ... and you've pondered the question ...
exactly why ... what's the meaning of it all. Just for a moment consider
that the stitch is fleeting. What goes on forever is the surging blood
within the perilous struggles that engrains itself deeply within your conscious
mind. Deeply immerse yourself within this weeks film and take note of the
divergence. Within it is individual heart ... the never ending struggle,
the surging, the perseverance of will. Did they know? The answer was
written upon their faces ... there is no hiding from that fact.
Their collective response to this dilemma
was to dig in as a team and give a rebirth to an old axiom ... it takes 11 to
execute an offense and 1 instrumental feat of excellence to blow it all to
hell. This ... on its own ... will be our guiding light for the remainder
of the season. There was no way these souls ... on this day ... were going
to be denied.
The Viking advantage is now clear.
You will have been made to face
the best that the 2008 season will have to offer ... and to a man ... you all
must be wondering the very same thing. What this brings is confidence in the task at hand.
Electron Spin:
There is a
very famous theorized experiment that goes something like this. If you
change the direction of the spin of an electron, then its corresponding partner
electron, must also change its direction spin in that very same instant in time. What makes
this particular bit of theory remarkable and exceptional, is that these electrons can be
separated by the distance of light years and beyond. Imagine instantaneous
communication with space crafts like Voyager I & II well beyond our solar
system ... the proverbial tip of the ice berg.
Do you think that it's
some sort of coincidence that former Viking alum, like Hank Basket, Mewelde
Moore, and many others throughout the league are playing at an exceptionally
high level ... or could it be some sort of cosmic Viking alignment? One
thing is for certain is that each and every game has become beyond
explanation.
The Viking Ghost
Writer
MyVikingBlood.com
Date: Tuesday,
November 11, 2008