In honor of my Yelp buddy Bruddah Fran from O'ahu, this review is for you. A promise is a promise.
Locals in Hawai'i are a funny bunch when it comes to their favorite NFL team because they don't have a "local" team to support. Unless you count the University of Hawai'i's Rainbow Warriors, which produced plenty of talented and HOF players from this island. And just like a rainbow, locals support almost every NFL team as "their" team, and they stay loyal to that team whether it's the Niners, Packers, Patriots, Raiders or Vikings. I'm a Niners fan, and I'll incorporate tidbits here and there between the two teams.
The Minnesota Vikings is a proud franchise that was established in 1960. The Viking is appropriate in honor of the Scandanavian culture, heritage and history that is prominent in Minneapolis area going back hundreds of years even predating Columbus. The Vikings has produced many a Hall of Fame players and they are one of a few franchises who's got an all-time winning record above .500.
Speaking of HOF players, Fran Tarkenton was Steve Young before a running and elusive Quarterback became the norm. Back in the day, they criticized his type of play, and it was frowned upon. He certainly was ahead of his time and one of the pioneers in the modern era of QB play. He also had two stints with the Vikings and returned to the team after being traded to Giants. He won MVP and NFL Offensive Player of the year in 1975.
I also associate the Vikings with great defense. They had one hell of a nickname with the Purple People Eaters anchored by the great Alan Page, who also became Associate Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court after this playing career. The other members of the vaunted group were Carl Eller, Gary Larsen and Jim Marshall. Speaking Marshall, he was involved in one of NFL's bloopers playing against my Niners at Kezar Stadium on October 25, 1964. He picked-up a fumble and ran the wrong way scoring a safety for the Niners. However, the Vikings still ended up winning that game. But that play became known as the "Wrong Way Run" and part of NFL's history.
Speaking of Defense, John Randle was a beast who terrorized QB's and RB's at the old Metrodome. I had great respect for that man, and he surely was also a colorful character. Can't mention Vikings without mentioning Randy Moss. A talented WR who had all the tools necessary to even surpass Jerry Rice, but he was too immature and let's not talk about his stint with the Raiders. He did have a good season with the Niners though under Jim Harbaugh era. Another great WR was Chris Carter. He had a bunch of highlights catching footballs one-handed while falling on the sidelines and staying inbounds. That would have to be his signature move.
Adrian Peterson? Enough said. One of the most dominating RB's in the modern era, and if you had him on your Fantasy Football Team, more than likely you were winning your league. Even one of my favorite players growing up ended up playing for the Vikings. As a lifelong Niners fan, it was weird seeing Roger Craig wearing the purple. I remember the Niners played the Vikings and he torched us in that game both as a runner and receiver. Craig should be in the HOF, but that is for another conversation.
Have I mentioned that I am a Niners fan?
During the 1987 season, the Niners were on roll and didn't lose a game in December and finished with a 13-2 record. They faced the 8-7 Vikings during the playoffs, and everyone expected them to steamroll the men in purple out of town. What followed was a shock and plenty of Anthony Carter (another great WR) TD's and receiving torching our DB's, including Ronnie Lott. The Vikings ended up upsetting the Niners 36-24. To call it an upset was an understatement and that was one of my worst experiences as a fan. I don't think I recovered for several weeks after that.
Another memorable game against the Vikes was when Brett Favre was now at helm and led them to a last-second victory September 27, 2009, at the Metrodome with the Niners having a 24-20 lead. With 12 seconds left, Favre avoided pressure and stepped up on the line of scrimmage and threw a bullet 32 yards to the endzone, which Greg Lewis caught for the game-winning TD. A no-name WR who I remember because of this play. Oy vey...
But cheer up Vikings fans, you've got some recent miracles of late and the most recent one was the Steffon Diggs last-second TD catch and run against the Saints during the playoffs on January 14, 2018. Forever known as the Minneapolis Miracle. Again, I'm a Niners fan, but even I had to cheer for that miraculous play. Even though he's with the Bills, you got a young stud of a WR in Justin Jefferson.
One of the winningest franchises in the league with multiple division titles, playoff wins and runs. Tied with the Bills with Super Bowl appearances but have yet to win the big one. I hope that Bruddah Fran will one day feel and experience the joy and elation of finally winning the Super Bowl. read more