Daily Norseman
As I look back on the team that I begin the season with to defend my back-to-back championships in the Kings of the Gridiron Fist fantasy football league, I obviously have football on the mind. Last week was as close to “must-watch-tv” as we have seen since the draft with return of Adam Thielen to Minnesota and 80% of Micah Parsons getting traded to Green Bay. We got a little bit extra in what seemed like one of the longest off-seasons in recent memory. Personally, I think the offseason was long because of the excitement and nervous anticipation around the 2025 Minnesota Vikings. The last memory of meaningful Minnesota Vikings football is inundated with visions of Sam Darnold getting knocked on his rear end. It was a painful end to an otherwise fun season.
I think back to the week 17 win over the Packers, with Darnold being carried in on his teammates’ shoulders, and KOC standing back and letting the team take in the moment. Now, I’m not one for conspiracy theories (which is a total lie because I love conspiracy theories), but I believe that Kevin O’Connell knew last year’s team massively overachieved. He knew that the win over the inferior Packers was going to be the highlight of Darnold’s career and the beginning of the end of a Cinderella season. He knew Darnold was not the answer. He knew the future quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings would have to fit within his system. I remember calling out for some adjustments on offense in the final two games of the season. However, in week 18 and the Wild Card, we didn’t see those adjustments. KO knew that the only way the Vikings were going to win was to play the way he envisioned. We needed quicker reads from Darnold and to see an elevated version of his game that just was not there. Those last two weeks were a test to see if Darnold was THE GUY. We quickly learned that he’s not OUR guy, but I hope he finds success in for 17 weeks this season. In the past 7 months of reflection, I have come to firmly believe that Kevin O’Connell is a true mastermind, and he hasn’t even started to show what he can do as a head coach.
I’m not a huge stats guy (unless you’re talking about half-ppr points per game). That might not be the best wording. I’m not a huge math guy. I am more of a gut feeling type of fan. I trust my eyes and my intuition when watching the Vikings. My gut feeling tells me that this team is ready to make a serious championship run. Not next year, not in 5 years, but THIS season. We have a quarterback who is not afraid of the bright lights. We will see J.J. McCarthy’s first pass in a regular season NFL game on Monday, and I can’t wait! I...
