Relative Something

Forgive me for a gushing sports fan post. I’m trying to learn how to fully appreciate the wins and my NFL team, the Minnesota Vikings pulled off a victory against a sequence of circumstances that appeared to doom their chances several times over. What stands out to me is that they didn’t give in when repeated misfortunes knocked them for a loop.

Our star quarterback suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in a game a week ago and his backup was inexperienced. The team traded for a quarterback with experience (Joshua Dobbs) but didn’t plan to use him until he had a week or two to learn the intricacies of the Vikings’ system.

Near the end of the first quarter in yesterday’s game, the first backup, who was playing respectably, scrambled toward the endzone and was tackled powerfully, resulting in him getting concussed. At that point, with our chances already suspect, it felt to this fan like all was doomed.

Thank goodness that isn’t the way the players and coaches interpreted things.

In came the guy they had just traded for. He hadn’t been around long enough to learn his new teammates’ names, let alone the custom play-calling language the Vikings use. Then he got sacked in the endzone for a two-point safety, followed by having the ball knocked out of his hands for a fumble.

Things just kept going from bad to worse. One of our big play receivers caught a long pass and was walloped in the helmet forcing him out of the game with a concussion.

This is where I am so impressed with how well the coaching staff –I think it starts at the top with the head coach, Kevin O’Connell– maintained poise and calmly guided the athletes toward opportunities to succeed.

Joshua Dobbs put in some impressive individual effort to scramble for big gains and throw key passes, but his success was made possible by critical blocking from the offensive linemen and essential plays by the entire defensive unit. Yesterday’s road game for the Vikings was an impressive display of teamwork in the way they dealt with adversity and ground out a victory against the odds.

I would have understood it if we had lost, and that makes the surprising win even more rewarding entertainment.

Now here is a “horse tax” in a nod toward readers less interested in the goings-on of an NFL franchise…

Speaking of teamwork, our horses, Swings, and Light often team up to eat from one feed pan at the same time.

The thing is, Swings tends to pick her head up to chew between bites and feed pellets leak out of her mouth and rain down on Light’s head.

It’s cute because Light appears totally oblivious. Sometimes I think Swings knows what she is doing. A passive aggressive way of suggesting Light might rather go back and eat from her own pan. Is that a form of teamwork?

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