Notes Towards The Sisyphean Nature of Vikings Fandom
K. Joudry
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In all likelihood, ancient mythology nerds will be able to tell you about Sisyphus. The full story goes beyond just his punishment in the afterlife, but most folks who are familiar with him will recall his eternal punishment.
Sisyphus spends his damnation pushing a giant rock up a hill. Once he approaches the top, the giant rock rolls down to the bottom. He thus sets himself to the task of pushing the boulder up the hill again before it once again rolls to the bottom. This is how Sisyphus spends eternity. Now, a lesser-known fact is that Sisyphus is actually a Minnesota Vikings fan. Cheering for Minnesota wasn’t his choice. On the contrary, it was assigned as part of his punishment. The whole point of the boulder is for Sisyphus to spend his eternity pursuing a futile endeavor. Vikings fandom ended up being the perfect complement.
Sisyphean Vikings Fandom
Being a Vikings fan isn’t all doom and gloom. Last Sunday’s fourth-quarter comeback was magical. It’s hard not to wonder, though, if this win was basically our equivalent of rolling the boulder up the hill. Are we forever damned to an eternity of fandom futility, frustration, and foibles?
2020 is unlikely to give us any solid answer. It’s been a strange year for a lot of us, and the Vikings are no exception. Before the bye, they were a horrendous 1-5, prompting them to trade away the recently-acquired Yannick Ngakoue. For many (your humble author included), the Ngakoue trade signaled Minnesota’s acknowledgement of the obvious: the boulder has rolled down the hill, and the leadership recognized that something needed to be done to break the eternal pattern of futility.
Since the bye, though, the Vikings are 4-1. A win against the Jaguars – truly one of the most pathetic franchises in professional sports – would result in a post-bye record that is the inverse of their pre-bye record. 1-5 gets turned into 5-1. The result would be a 6-6 record as they head into the season’s final quarter. Though being a Minnesota Vikings fan often prompts one to empathize with Sisyphus, there is still that stubborn hope that perhaps this time up the hill will be different.
Putting Kris Boyd at Safety
We’ve been fans of Kris Boyd from the beginning. It’s hard not to like him. He is super aggressive and very physical. Sometimes, these traits work against him, which can put Minnesota in a bad position. Go re-watch the Marvin Jones TD from the Lions game; Boyd’s bad angle allowed the TD to happen.
Would a switch to safety – a position that gives the defender a bird’s eye view – be a worthwhile move? For the remainder of the season, Boyd will be a corner. There have been far too many injuries to start taking players from corner, and there is no way Boyd gets time over Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris.
After the season, though, Boyd may be tasked with a position switch. Harris will be a FA, and Smith can be cut with no dead money (a near-blasphemous move that will nevertheless be tempting for the cash-strapped Vikings). One thing that Zimmer repeatedly emphasizes with the OL is that he wants the best five guys on the field. The same standard should apply to the secondary. Boyd may be within the top 5-6 players who deserve to be on the field, and a switch to safety may be the key to making it happen.
A Mixed Bag for the Special Teams
It would be easy to focus on the Chad Beebe fumble, but let’s end on some positives.
The special teams had several good plays on Sunday. Dan Bailey consistently ensured the Panthers were unable to bring the kickoff back. He was perfect on field goals and extra points. Britton Colquitt had long, booming kicks that make a big difference in field position. There were a handful of penalties on special teams, and they most often benefited the Vikings.
Most importantly, D.J. Wonnum got a huge block on a Panthers field goal attempt. This wasn’t just any blocked field goal; Wonnum blocked a 28-yard attempt. The spot on the field is a big deal. Slye didn’t need to worry about distance. He could just pop the ball up in the air at a high trajectory, easily clearing the outstretched arms of the linemen. Wonnum, though, instantly got by the LG, allowing him to get his arm on the ball. Boyd promptly recovered the football.
It was a one-point game, so this blocked field goal certainly made a massive difference in the overall outcome. The special teams will need to make more impact plays if the Minnesota Vikings are to continue their unlikely playoff push while trying to flout their version of the Sisyphus curse.
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