Training Camp And Optimism

Every NFL team enters training camp with optimism. Even teams with modest expectations enter camp optimistic that they will make strides in the right direction. The rest of the teams are much more optimistic. They have grand expectations. The Super Bowl. Every team wants it. Only one can win it. The Minnesota Vikings are one of the teams that enter the 2016 season with optimism. That optimism brings expectations. Expectations that haven't been a part of Vikings football for quite some time. The best seasons in recent years were 1998 and 2009. Is 1998 even considered recent? Both seasons were a blast. Both seasons brought real Super Bowl dreams. Both seasons ended a game short in overtime of their respective NFC Championship game. There was a lot of excitement entering that 1998 season. Red McCombs had purchased the team in the spring. After nearly 40 years of a gang of five to ten owners, the Vikings were finally owned by one person. Change usually brings excitement and it sure did in Minnesota in 1998. McCombs brought "Purple Reign." More significant than an ownership change, the Vikings drafted Randy Moss. A potent offense was suddenly the most explosive the NFL had ever seen. There was a lot of excitement in Minnesota. It was warranted as the Vikings were 15-1 and a Super Bowl favorite. There was a lot of excitement in 2009. The Vikings had improved in each of Brad Childress' three seasons as head coach. They had improved to the point that they were a playoff favorite. Then they signed Brett Favre. That 2009 Vikings team might have won three fewer games than the 1998 team but they were a more complete football team. The offense might not have been as explosive but the defense was much better. Both teams ended their season a game too soon.

I don't think that the 1998 or 2009 Vikings entered their respective seasons with as much optimism, expectations, or excitement as this 2016 Vikings team. They open their inaugural season at U.S. Bank Stadium. Their beautiful, new home. A stadium that has taken decades to become real. Unlike, the previous two exciting teams, this Vikings team is made up mostly of talented, young players. There's a nice mix of veteran players and leaders but most of the cornerstone players are around 25 years of age. Unlike those previous two teams, this Vikings team have a contending window that could be wide open for the foreseeable future. The 1998 team had a window that was open for a couple of years. Head coach Dennis Green was fired before the end of the 2001 season. The 2009 team had a window that slammed shut in disastrous fashion in 2010. Brad Childress was fired in the middle of that season. This Vikings team is built in the mold and vision of head coach Mike Zimmer. Benefiting from an apparent terrific relationship with general manager Rick Spielman and the entire personnel department, Zimmer has his team pointed in the right direction and a very bright future. He also entered his third training camp with the Vikings with a contract extension. There's a stability with the team that has probably never been seen in franchise history. Not in the 1970s. Not in 1998. Not in 2009. It's a great time to be a Minnesota Vikings fan. Now, the team has to do something that they have never done. Make the playoffs and finish the season with a win. That one big win.