Yesterday, on Sunday, December 4, 2015, the Minnesota Vikings suffered a humiliating and humbling loss to the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 38-7. It is amazing how one loss suddenly puts everything in panic mode. Now, some say there is credible evidence for this new panic mode, but some are also saying that the Vikings are still in first place, it's one loss, and the Vikings have their next game in just four more days on a Thursday night. This is not the time to focus on a bad loss. The Arizona Cardinals are not to be taken lightly as they have only two losses on the season.
The one thing that everyone seems to be giving attention to is the comments made after the game by running back Adrian Peterson. Now, if you read my previous blog about Adrian Peterson entitled "Yo Adrian", you know that I think the Minnesota Vikings handled his situation last year exactly as they should have. After all, he is an employee of a company whom he was under contract for. I don't know many people who work everyday jobs who could go out publicly and state how unhappy they are with their current employer. Most people would be fired. Not only did Adrian Peterson keep his job, he also got paid millions of dollars in salary to be suspended because of his choices, and he even got a new, more lucrative contract once the dust settled. The Vikings flexed their muscle by not caving into Adrian Peterson's demands and social media antics to a point, and I am proud of them for that.
Going into last Sunday's game, Adrian Peterson was the leading rusher in the NFL. Because of the Vikings poor effort against the Seahawks at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis last Sunday, Adrian was only able to get something like 8 carries for 18 yards. This pissed off Adrian Peterson and the one thing you shouldn't do when your hot because of anger is open your mouth, especially in front of a camera and a microphone. It is a typical pro athlete move when they are angry about gameday, Adrain voicing his frustration about the number of carries he received in the game. Adrian also carried on to state that this team was not only outplayed in every way, but also outcoached in every way. This actually floored me, and it floored me for a couple of reasons. First of all, this is the first game of this season where the wheels came off totally and ended in disaster. While you never want this to happen, it is a good time to happen when the loss still leaves you in a tie for first place and a record of 8-4. Second, the head coach is responsible for calling the shots as he is the boss. The head coach has coaches under him to support his choice of playing system that he wants to incorporate into his team, because he is the boss. Most people choose to visit with their boss over some displeasure and in private to iron out some differences and not go to the media first. A good example of being a talented athlete and pissing off your boss is Cordarelle Patterson. Cordarelle had a breakout rookie season, became a threatening kickoff return man, and because of some choices, gets zero playing time at the wide receiver position that he was drafted as and has about a 1% chance of being resigned to a new contract. So, I am warning Adrian Peterson right now. Make sure as a 30-year old pro athlete that you make your choices wisely. I don't care who you are in sports, your records can be broken and you are always replaceable. For a man who is so hung up on breaking many individual NFL records, if you push the coach and Vikings in a way like you almost did last season, they could bench you and chose not to play you for the remainder of your contract. There is no positive outcome to going to a camera and a microphone to call out your head coach, also known as your boss. I hope head coach Mike Zimmer stands up for himself in this situation as he has so far in other situations since joining the Minnesota Vikings because it is refreshing. If you don't do your job up to expectation, and in this case play poorly, you deserve to have your ass lit up and chewed. We have seen it time and time again in pro sports and, in the end, it usually motivates the athletes and gets them back on track. I hope this is the case here with Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings because, after all, it was one bad loss and the team is still in first place, the focus needs to be on getting back to winning and defeating a very challenging Arizona Cardinals team on Thursday night.
In a similar situation on the local sports scene, about a week ago, Ryan Suter of the Minnesota Wild got very frustrated with head coach Mike Yeo. Suter, like Adrian Peterson, made some unpleasant comments about the head coach in the media. Now in this case, the next day, Ryan Suter and Mike Yeo met in the coach's office and ironed out some differences. Since the public comments in which Suter didn't appreciate being yelled at by the coach, the Minnesota Wild have won three games, and lost only one game in overtime, in which they still receive one point in the standings. Again, the head coach is the boss and when performance is lacking, it is their job to call it out as the players are the employees of a company. The lighthearted funny thing in this situation is that the following day when the coach was asked by the media about the Suter situation, he responded jokingly saying, "I guess Ryan was a little unhappy with me." This was good to see. It is okay if people have differences and talk it out. It is human nature. Being mad is a feeling we all have and it is ok to feel mad. However, it is our responsibility to express it appropriately. The funny thing is, when the feeling is expressed appropriately, the individual looking for results will get them much quicker and with a higher level of success.
I am a big Minnesota sports fan and love all of our organizations. I am ready to attend a parade and celebrate a championship.
#nopackno
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