It is so difficult to even get to the Super Bowl, let alone win it. It takes a lot of skill and a good chunk of luck and good fortune. But every year a team puts all the pieces together, players seem to play above expectations and the plays seem to always go their way. There is a feeling in the air. It is destiny.
For the Minnesota Vikings, 2009 was that kind of year.
A 39 year old, arch nemisis, who I spent every year despising, was leading my team. And playing out of his freaking mind! Percy Harvin, our first round pick, was adding the kind of flavor on offense the Vikings had always seemed to be lacking. Sidney Rice was looking like another Rice. And of course AP. The defense was dominant, which we expected.
We even had the luck on our side with the miracle catch on Favre's pass to Greg Lewis in the back of the end zone to beat the 49ers. The pieces were all together and you could feel that there was just something special about this team and this season. Could this be our year?!?
But it can never be that easy for the Vikings. Never.
There was another team that was having the same kind of year. The New Orleans Saints. High powered offense. Solid defense. Oh and Katrina.
When these two teams met in the NFC championship game, there was two teams destined to go to the Super Bowl. Only one could go. It had to be settled on the field. I wouldn't have it any other way.
The Vikings out played the Saints the whole game. No one can argue that. But they ended the game the way only the Vikings can, with heart break.
Even with how poorly the Vikings played, they still had a great chance to go to the big game. They were driving deep into Saints territory, and then I made the one mistake that I SWORE to myself I wouldn't make. I said to myself "they actually might go to the Super Bowl!!!" Dumb dumb dumb. Then it happened.
12 men in the huddle penalty...after a time out.
Take a second to read that and really process that.
Amazing huh? They took a time out...and couldn't get the right number of people on the field. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it with my own two eyes.
At this point, my excitement has turned a 180. I fear the worst. It is starting to slip away. I see the other shoe about to drop, and its headed right for my nuts. I can't stop it. Favre rolls out to the right, no ones open and there is daylight to the right! All he has to do is run a little bit and get out of bounds, kick a field goal and then we are NFC champs. But he decides to throw across his body and the field....picked off.
Heartbreak.
The reason I chose to just relive one of the most painful moments in my life is for a couple reasons.
First, it helps deal with what happened to write about it. This is my Vikings therapy after all.
More importantly, I wanted to explain why I think and act the way I do about the Vikings. My family and friends think I am just a bitter fan. A mid western kid corrupted by the negative attitude of New York sports fans.
But I get it. I understand that each year is a new year. Doesn't matter how close we were last year, we have to start all over. From scratch.
Last year was our year. To come so close and lose was absolutely devastating to me and I still haven't recovered. And I wasn't even on the field. Think about the players. Some will never recover or be the same ever again.
I guess that this was a long way of me saying that I am not one bit surprised that they are 0-2.
It is gonna be a long year folks.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
No comments:
Post a Comment