Vikings at Play

I've always enjoyed hearing or seeing evidence of professional football players being, well, human. Hearing of interests and activities away from the football field. It helps them become real people beyond the characters that they play on Sundays. Former, unfortunately, Vikings receiver Sidney Rice excelled at everything he attempted. He's one of those. Bowling, pool, video games, everything. He and Adrian Peterson quickly bonded when they entered the league together in 2007. Peterson could never beat Rice at Madden. It killed Rice when Peterson finally won on a last second touchdown pass to, of course, Sidney Rice.

Linebacker Chad Greenway has Wii tennis battles with defensive end Jared Allen. Like Peterson with Rice, Greenway has great difficulty with Allen. Greenway's Novak Djokovic just can't get past Allen's Andy Roddick. Allen claims that he never practices but few believe him. Greenway experiences similar defeats at home. His wife, Jennifer, is extremely competitive and often dominates her husband at ping pong.

Locker rooms around the NFL pass the time with games of all sorts. Video games, card games, etc. When guard Steve Hutchinson joined the Vikings, in 2006, he and center Matt Birk became obsessed with cribbage. When Birk left for the Ravens, John Sullivan replaced him on the field and as Hutchinson's comrade in games. Crossword puzzles replaced cribbage as their game of choice. Hutchinson can be a difficult person from about July to January. He's a grumpy sort. During the offseason he's all smiles and cannonballs in the lake. Sullivan and Greenway are roommates on the road. Hutchinson will walk into their room, sit down, work on some crossword puzzles with his pal and leave. Never smiles or says a word. It's expected that Chris Kluwe is a whiz at crossword puzzles but he's too weird and busy with Warcraft and his band Tripping Iccarus. He's a bright guy but he's a punter. He's a bit off. He does paint his Warcraft figurines in the locker room. Something rarely seen in the NFL.

The TV program "Vikings Weekly" has  recently started profiling players and their dogs. This was an excellent and enjoyable addition. Sullivan has rescued a rottweiler. Rookie tight end Kyle Rudolph added an adorable bulldog puppy to his home. As an avid hunter, long snapper Cullen Loeffler has a labrador retriever. I can't wait to see what's next. Heard it might be a golden doodle.

It's just interesting to catch a glimpse of the lives of the Vikings. I enjoy seeing the human side. They are no longer the grunt robots from the football field. Knowing the person inside the helmet can help to better appreciate them when they win and to better understand them when they lose.