One of the fortunate aspects of being a fan of the Minnesota Vikings since the early 1970s is the consistent success of the team. Except for the unfortunate absence of a Lombardi Trophy, the '70s were a fantastic decade to be a fan of the Vikings. Granted, no Super Bowl victory is a pretty big exception. The worst thing about the '80s was 1984. I still think that Les Steckel's single season was the worst season in my time as a Vikings fan. The 3-13 record of 2011 may have matched it but 1984 was far worse. The Vikings had to bring back Bud Grant to get past that disaster of a season. The 1987 season, especially the incredible playoff run, was the best of the decade. The '90s were great because the team was in the playoffs every year. They didn't do much in the playoffs but there was always a thrill in being part of the postseason party. 1998 should have been the year that the Vikings finally won it all. That team was fantastic. Like the '70s, it didn't happen.
The new century hasn't been so kind. The Vikings made it to the NFC Championship game following the 2000 season. They faced the New York Giants in that game. It was tragic. The Giants simply took apart the Vikings 41-0. Since that day the Vikings have done this:
2001 5-11
2002 6-10
2003 9-7
2004 8-8
2005 9-7
2006 6-10
2007 8-8
2008 10-6
2009 12-4
2010 6-10
2011 3-13
2012 10-6
With Sunday's tie against the Green Bay Packers. the Vikings have assured themselves of their sixth losing season since 2001. The Vikings had five losing seasons in the previous three decades. They haven't seen concentrated losing like this since their early years in the league. The Vikings had four head coaches from 1961-99. Five if you count Les Steckel and his single year. I tend to ignore that single year. Since 2000, the Vikings have had four head coaches. Brad Childress' run from 2006-10 was the most promising time. The two-win gain each season had fans thrilled with the prospect of an undefeated season by 2011. The 2009 season brought back memories of 1998 and the glorious '70s. That team was fantastic. There should have been a Super Bowl. It didn't happen and everything exploded in 2010. There was no 16-0 team in 2011 because Childress didn't make it through 2010. This stretch of losing since we hit the 2000s just doesn't feel like Minnesota Vikings football. I'm certainly not used to it. I don't ever want to get used to it. This 2013 Vikings team has been a puzzle. They've had pathetic performances against the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, and Green Bay Packers but they've been competitive in nearly all of their games. They were even in the game against the Seattle Seahawks until the offense imploded in the fourth quarter and it got out of hand. The Vikings are about three minutes away from being 6-5 and part of the NFC North division race. If they'd simply held late fourth quarter leads, this is a different season. I'd be talking about a feisty football team rather than thinking about all the recent losing seasons. It's easy to forget past losing when your team is fighting for something this season.
The Vikings have some nice talent on this roster. The past couple of drafts have been excellent. Much of that nice talent is now young talent. That may brighten the future but there's growing pains now. Of course, the often sad quarterback play is the biggest problem. It's actually been the biggest problem throughout all the recent woes. It's no surprise that Brett Favre's one brilliant year was the year, 2009, that was almost Super. The Vikings will get this losing behind them and they'll get back to their winning ways.
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