Thread: Before we crack open the champagne. . .

Before we start partying, drinking the champagne, throwing confetti, and spilling coolers of Gatorade, we better wise up and face the cold reality of right now.

At 7-6, the Vikings have a winning record for the first time since opening the season by beating the Falcons. We've won some games on the road. We've won some games in a row. Suddenly all the NFL analysts from Steve Mariucci to Deion Sanders to Mike Ditka are talking about how great the Vikings are, how we're going to the playoffs, and how we're going to the Super Bowl, etc. Peter King says we're the third-best team in the NFC, ahead of the Seahawks and Buccaneers.

We've heard all this before. Remember 1998, 2000, and pretty much every year?

Right now the Vikings have seven wins. If the team takes the rest of the schedule lightly, stops working hard and doesn't show up again, the team's overall record will be 7-9. While that would be an improvement over 2006, dropping the last three in this season at this point would be a bitter, distasteful ordeal. Unfortunately, it's a possibility.

The Vikings have had a good stretch of games, beating the Chargers, Raiders, Giants, Lions, and 49ers, losing only to the Packers in the last six weeks. The Vikings have beaten two teams with winning records so far this year: the Giants and the Chargers.

The Vikings have lost to some teams with losing records this year. This includes: the Lions (6-7), Eagles (5-8), and the Chiefs (4-9). I admit that those three games feel like a season ago, and the Vikes have improved a lot since then. Nevertheless, it shows that any losing team is capable of beating the Vikings on any game day this year.

Every team in the NFL is capable of beating the Vikings. It is true that the Vikings are capable of beating any other team in the NFL. The next team we face, though, is the Chicago Bears, the defending divisional champions of the NFC North, and the reigning conference champions of the NFC. Yes, the Bears have had injuries and regressions this year. The Bears always play the Vikings tough. It's going to take a lot of hard work and preparation during the week, and a big effort on Monday night to play better than the Bears and take home the victory.

If we lose to the Bears, we no longer control our playoff destiny. We fall back to .500. We start to close the door we've worked so hard to open.

If we beat the bears, we go 8-6, we remain in control of our playoff destiny, we sweep the defending champions of the NFC North and the NFC, and we beat a Bears team, at 5-8, that we are supposed to beat. That's one of the marks of a team that is worthy of praise and eventually of a championship. At worst we would go .500 on the season, and we could go above .500 on the year. Winning means our January hopes are still alive.

Let's keep the champagne in the rack. We haven't gone anywhere yet. There's a big game against the Bears to be played.

Go Vikings! Beat the Bears!

I am not drinking the champagne, but I have tasted a little bit of the Kool-aid.

I don't understand the point of this post.
"Wise up to the cold reality right now?"...
you kidding me?
The reality now compared to not so long ago is AWESOME for vike fans!
I'm sure it's lovely to wake up to this reality.
What difference does it make on popping champagne bottles and such?
WE aren't preparing for next Monday night... the football players are.
Let vike fans celebrate and rub themselves for this awesome feat that's taken place over the past month or so...
Truly amazing thing to behold!

Now is the time to celebrate and push on... not to wring our hands and wait for some pending doom to befall us.

i dont think any of us are cracking open champagnes or dancing on the streets, .....YET

"hx38596" wrote:

I don't understand the point of this post.
"Wise up to the cold reality right now?"...
you kidding me?
The reality now compared to not so long ago is AWESOME for vike fans!
I'm sure it's lovely to wake up to this reality.
What difference does it make on popping champagne bottles and such?
WE aren't preparing for next Monday night... the football players are.
Let vike fans celebrate and rub themselves for this awesome feat that's taken place over the past month or so...
Truly amazing thing to behold!

Now is the time to celebrate and push on... not to wring our hands and wait for some pending doom to befall us.

clap clap clap clap clap

Honestly, I like fan optimism.
I think it makes the game more fun to watch if you are hoping for or expecting a win.
If you are expecting a loss, sure you may not be as disappointed if we do.
But you won't be as justified if we win either.

True but we lost to the Lions by 3, the Chiefs by 3, and the Eagles by 7. Right now we would beat these teams. Can we beat the Packers and Cowboys?! I sure as hell want another shot. Until we beat them I will not drink any champagne.

"hx38596" wrote:

I don't understand the point of this post.
"Wise up to the cold reality right now?"...
you kidding me?
The reality now compared to not so long ago is AWESOME for vike fans!
I'm sure it's lovely to wake up to this reality.
What difference does it make on popping champagne bottles and such?
WE aren't preparing for next Monday night... the football players are.
Let vike fans celebrate and rub themselves for this awesome feat that's taken place over the past month or so...
Truly amazing thing to behold!

Now is the time to celebrate and push on... not to wring our hands and wait for some pending doom to befall us.

So thats why they call you pud pounder!
;D

"marstc09" wrote:

"hx38596" wrote:

I don't understand the point of this post.
"Wise up to the cold reality right now?"...
you kidding me?
The reality now compared to not so long ago is AWESOME for vike fans!
I'm sure it's lovely to wake up to this reality.
What difference does it make on popping champagne bottles and such?
WE aren't preparing for next Monday night... the football players are.
Let vike fans celebrate and rub themselves for this awesome feat that's taken place over the past month or so...
Truly amazing thing to behold!

Now is the time to celebrate and push on... not to wring our hands and wait for some pending doom to befall us.

So thats why they call you pud pounder!
;D

D'Oh!!
Dangit... i would change the title, but it's kinda grown on me.
_{Plus, i haven't found out how to.}

We have lost games we should have won, were embarrassing against our bitterest rivals, while at the same time losing to injury the outstanding player in our team and then... contrary to everything we start to look like a football team again. I have to be honest there is no way I thought we could make the play-offs after the Green Bay debacle, so to be in contention now is pretty unbelievable. After all that has happened who knows what's going to happen next but after this roller coaster of a season, it's just good to be able to enjoy the ride to the finish.

Agreed, these next three games are Childress' true test, I'm still not sold on him. While I am optimistic, I don't think it's time to party just yet