Monday Morning Fan

If you've read my blog, you probably know this by now, but just to be clear, I am a Minnesota Vikings fan.

However, I don't blog about football much. In some ways, this might be surprising. I tend to blog about things in my (non-work) life that I care about, and I care about the Purple. (I saw Carl Eller as we were walking out of the Obama health care rally this weekend. I was starstruck.) I also blog about games, and not only is the NFL a game, but I play fantasy football every year. (I'm in three leagues annually now!)

This year, though, I am likely to write more about the Vikings than in the past. Why? First of all, because I am almost always obsessed on Sunday nights and Mondays with how the Vikings did. If they won, I'm happier than I should be. If they lost, the world is a little more gray. Second, my team is poised to compete very strongly for their first Super Bowl berth in over thirty years. Third, I have the opportunity to see the Vikings more intensely than ever before -- I have hi-def TV this year for the "away" games, and I have season tickets for the home games.

So, while I don't stick to a schedule, don't be surprised if Mondays have some comments about the Vikings game the day before.

And what do I think about yesterday's game? It was wonderful. Adrian Peterson took some time to get going, but once he did, he finished with 3 TDs, including a 60+yard run when he pushed defenders off of him. Our rookie wide receiver, Percy Harvin got his first TD, and he looked really good running the ball a couple of other times. The defense was a bit soft early, but it stiffened later, and really took control of the opponent in the second half. And, finally, we had a QB who was able to do enough to keep the ball in our hands, not make mistakes, and not get flustered. Favre did exactly what he needed to do. There were even a couple of blatant drops by receivers (Kleinsasser, you know who you are) and yet Favre kept cool.

34-20, and it wasn't that close. Sure, it was the Browns, but the first thing a team needs to do is win the games they are supposed to win. Week 1, the Vikings did just that.

The week will be a bit better for me because they did.