A season that didn’t seem to be able to get any worse just did during the Christmas Eve game against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. Not only did the Vikings come out of the contest victorious, but franchise running back Adrian Peterson tore his ACL and MCL. Happy holidays to the purple people eaters. For those of you who are thinking that the injury isn’t a big deal because of the timing, consider the recovery. These are two severe injuries that require extensive rehabilitation. The treatment will be both physical and psychological for AP. It is not even certain if the recovery will be fully to his previous condition.
What we do know is that he is expected to make a full recovery in time for opening day 2012. He should be 100% by sometime in the early-mid preseason.
It’s that time of year where all of us vow to cut out those midnight snacks and work out more.
If I spent half as much time exercising as watching other people play sports, I’d be on a commercial for GNC. The Minnesota Vikings certainly have some resolutions that need to be adhered to in order to avoid the sub-par play fans have witnessed throughout the last two seasons.
The first would be to lend confidence to Leslie Frazier. I understand that he is on firm footing next season, but the club should use language in press releases and around its facility that implies a long term relationship. There is enough up in the air with the upcoming draft, the stadium issue in Arden Hills, and the myriad of injuries. Frazier has demonstrated poise and calm through adversity. He deserves some stability.
Owner Zygi Wilf should hire a general manager. The drafts and free agent signings haven’t been impressive over the recent past. If there was one person responsible for this ineptness, then accountability could occur. The group think concept of the organization leads to muddled decisions and a lack of clear direction. How foolish is it to run an organization worth hundreds of millions of dollars without a leader?
The coaching staff should invite Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Bill Young to informal workouts and training sessions. In a previous blog I stated the case for this team to be in the national title game; his accomplishments are exceptionally noteworthy. The Big 12 has the most explosive offenses in the country, and he nearly came out of the fray unbeaten. In addition, his first team has to practice daily against the likes of quarterback Brandon Weeden and wide receiver Justin Blackmon. There is no better preparation than that. He doubles as the defensive line coach, but I am sure that he has some innovative concepts for Minnesota’s secondary. There have been some backbreaking injuries, but that doesn’t explain all of the dismal performances.
Finally, members of the brass should resolve to pray more often. The majority of power in the NFC used to be in the East. Now it seems to reside in the North. Unlike other major sports-whose better clubs are on the coasts, the NFL goes through shifts cyclically. It is definitely an uphill battle for Minnesota to be competitive in the division for the foreseeable future.