With putrid Viking team..

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Gophers have a great opportunity to make them = Minnesota's team... Beat Nebraska!
 

It would raise some eybrows, but that's about it. We need a 10 -11 win season and a major bowl a couple of years in a row for the Gophers to be " Minnesota's Team " Until then the putrid "Little Darlings" and their delusional fans will remain number one.
 


Ponder had his problems, and couldn't carry the team on his back, but the real problem the Vikings had was on defense. Now both the offense and the defense have fallen apart.
 

Ponder had his problems, and couldn't carry the team on his back, but the real problem the Vikings had was on defense. Now both the offense and the defense have fallen apart.

I actually thought the defense looked pretty sharp last night. They only gave up one touchdown, and got some big stops to force field goals and keep the offense in it. Jared Allen's sack though the O-lineman was pretty awesome.

Pro and college football have pretty different fanbases, I agree with ruppert that it would take a very dominant season by the Gophs to start to flip any significant number of Vikes fans.
 


Perhaps I'm the only one who feels that the underlying problems for Vikings are actually stemming from Rick Spielman being a very poor GM. I have consistently wondered why he was hired for player personnel decisions and general management. He put the Dolphins back 10 years and they still haven't recovered from his personnel decisions and now we see him doing this to the Vikings.

There may be many issues with coaching and players, but I wouldn't be surprised if the major problem with the Vikings isn't Rick Spielman himself. I don't know him from Adam, but he strikes me as more show than substance and I believe his track record may support that assessment.
 

Perhaps I'm the only one who feels that the underlying problems for Vikings are actually stemming from Rick Spielman being a very poor GM. I have consistently wondered why he was hired for player personnel decisions and general management. He put the Dolphins back 10 years and they still haven't recovered from his personnel decisions and now we see him doing this to the Vikings.

There may be many issues with coaching and players, but I wouldn't be surprised if the major problem with the Vikings isn't Rick Spielman himself. I don't know him from Adam, but he strikes me as more show than substance and I believe his track record may support that assessment.

I agree with this on the Spielman and the Vikings 100%.
 


We see these posts a few times every year but their is no chance the Gopher Football program will take the state over from the Vikings. They don't play enough games for one thing and the Gophers will need years and years of winning to get people to supplant the Vikings. There is also the timing of football Saturday isnt the best day for the average person to watch football unless they are big fans. Sunday on the other hand is much easier to sit down and flip on the TV. I hope one day the Gophers can become more than a blip on the average Minnesota Sports Fans radar.
 



It would raise some eybrows, but that's about it. We need a 10 -11 win season and a major bowl a couple of years in a row for the Gophers to be " Minnesota's Team " Until then the putrid "Little Darlings" and their delusional fans will remain number one.

Agree. The Vikings and their fan base is made up of far too many whackos for them to even notice. It would take more than a few years of major accomplishment by the Gophers to even register on their radar. They're still completely enamored (both financially and emotionally) with a team that hasn't been to a Super Bowl in 36 years and counting.
 

It has been proven multiple times that a winning program will draw the numbers needed to sell out every week. Just look at the Iowa game this year. If the Gophers can string together 4 or 5 years of 9-10-11 win seasons then we will see TCF Bank packed every weekend. Until then, it's more of the same.
 

Agree. The Vikings and their fan base is made up of far too many whackos for them to even notice. It would take more than a few years of major accomplishment by the Gophers to even register on their radar. They're still completely enamored (both financially and emotionally) with a team that hasn't been to a Super Bowl in 36 years and counting.

Kind of ironic to post that in a forum of die hard Gopher fans. Just saying.
 

Kind of ironic to post that in a forum of die hard Gopher fans. Just saying.

Exactly. Viking fans who poo-poo the Gophers yet will do ANYTHING to keep their precious NFL team happy never bring up their own sad little drought. That's the point in a nutshell.
 



The 'Us' vs 'Them' talk about the fan bases is so tiring. You guys do realize that aside from a few hundred folks on here who loathe the Vikings, most Gopher fans are Vikings fans too, right?
 

It's different fan bases and the Vikings' fans are simply more rabid in their zeal. I was listening to KFAN this morning and it sounds like all the guys let their beards grow because they didn't want to pick up a razor for fear of what they might do to themselves. After a Gophers' loss, the angst rarely reaches a quickened pulse.

Hard to know what the Vikings' problems are.
 

The 'Us' vs 'Them' talk about the fan bases is so tiring. You guys do realize that aside from a few hundred folks on here who loathe the Vikings, most Gopher fans are Vikings fans too, right?

Yep, I completely understand that...which is why I specifically called out those fans of the purple that look down on the Gophers, of which there are many.
 

I love Sause's take on KFAN morning show that Nelson is the best QB in the state of MN. Anyways. I watch or listen to both games every weekend. I enjoy going to gopher game more bc I enjoy the college feel more plus the stadium doesn't feel like a coffin like the dome does. I would consider myself a fan of both. Most people my age (mid 20's) I would consider bigger Vikings fans. I don't get this idea of the US vs Them?
 

Yep, I completely understand that...which is why I specifically called out those fans of the purple that look down on the Gophers, of which there are many.

Here is part of the problem....playoffs versus bowls. In the NFL, you can sneak in as a wild card (# 6 seed) and it's generally looked at as a good season. There are 30 teams (I think, maybe 32 now) and 12 make the playoffs (40%).

Now in college, lets use the top 40% from the NFL....that would put the Gophers roughly somewhere around the Heart of Dallas Bowl or the Insight Bowl. Oddly, that isn't considered a successful season by a lot of people.

Perception
 

Here is part of the problem....playoffs versus bowls. In the NFL, you can sneak in as a wild card (# 6 seed) and it's generally looked at as a good season. There are 30 teams (I think, maybe 32 now) and 12 make the playoffs (40%).

Now in college, lets use the top 40% from the NFL....that would put the Gophers roughly somewhere around the Heart of Dallas Bowl or the Insight Bowl. Oddly, that isn't considered a successful season by a lot of people.

Perception

I think we need to also bear in mind that in college, unlike the NFL , there are different tiers of conferences even with FBS. If we are going to talk about the Gophers finishing in the top 40% of the B1G, that would be a 4-4 or 5-3 conference season, which I think everyone here would call successful (at least this year). We could also use the top 40% of the BCS schools, recognizing that they are at a different level than the non-BCS FBS conferences. Comparing the Vikings finishing in the top 40% of the NFL to the Gophers being in the top 40% of all BCS schools would be a lot more fair than talking about us beating out the UNLV's and NMSU's of the world.
 

Saw the Vikings v Steelers at Wembley the other week. Will be at Vikings v Packers sunday. Will be interested to see the difference in Atmosphere. London is not really suited to NFL.

More looking forward to watching the Gophers hammering Nebraska on Saturday though. That will be most enjoyable
 

can't wait until the whole vikes staff is axed after this year. gonna be glorious. and i'm a big vikes fan..
 

I can't WAIT to take all those Viking beer banners in front of Bars/Sports Bars and shove them up the owners ass. ( My dieing wish)
 

I agree there is some overlap between the two fan bases - but there are also clear differences. anyone who attends a Gopher game understands that the fans in the stands - at least a significant percentage - skew a little older. The Vikings fans skew a little younger.

In essence, fans who have grown up during the Gophers' down years and the Vikings' peak years are predominately Vikings fans. the Gophers have basically lost an entire generation of fans. The question is this: If the Vikes string together a few bad years, and the Gophers are posting better records, can the Gopher capitalize by "flipping" some of the younger fans and make them gopher fans - or at least get them equally interested in the Gophs?
 

The 'Us' vs 'Them' talk about the fan bases is so tiring. You guys do realize that aside from a few hundred folks on here who loathe the Vikings, most Gopher fans are Vikings fans too, right?

Somebody submit a credentials report.
 

I actually thought the defense looked pretty sharp last night. They only gave up one touchdown, and got some big stops to force field goals and keep the offense in it. Jared Allen's sack though the O-lineman was pretty awesome.

Pro and college football have pretty different fanbases, I agree with ruppert that it would take a very dominant season by the Gophs to start to flip any significant number of Vikes fans.

Where does this notion come from? I've lived in markets with NFL teams and those with major colleges. While there are a few college football aficionados, football fans follow football and in the few markets where there are both, the NFL dominates. In college-only markets the same fans who here are Vikings fans, are college fans with secondary interest in some nearby NFL team. The NFL has marketed their product so well that they dominate wherever they are -- dominate over not only college football but also over the other pro sports. In our market, the Gophers football program has to compete for fan and media attention with not only the Vikings, but also the Twins, Wolves, Wild, Lynx, Gopher hockey and HS hockey. I think the Gophers could go undefeated for several years before you'd be able to measure the shift. Read the reader postings following any story about the Vikings v Gophers and you'll see how much attention is paid to each. I've been saying for many years that the NFL and other pro dominance in this market is what has made it hard to recruit coaches and top players. I grew up here when the Gophers were the state's team. With the early success of the Vikings, the emphasis shifted. With the strength of the NFL marketing, that shift is permanent. I saw a billboard on Lake Street today though that gives me hope -- some mayoral candidate urged voters to "end the Vikings stadium deal." If only!
 

Agree. The Vikings and their fan base is made up of far too many whackos for them to even notice. It would take more than a few years of major accomplishment by the Gophers to even register on their radar. They're still completely enamored (both financially and emotionally) with a team that hasn't been to a Super Bowl in 36 years and counting.

Kind of ironic to post that in a forum of die hard Gopher fans. Just saying.

I'll agree, it is ironic. At least Gopher fans can point to a National Championship (or six) and say we had something. I'm sorry, but saying you went to the Super Bowl once (or four times) is well...nothing. The number of teams that have NOT won a Super Bowl is shorter than the number that have. In fact, the only franchises older than the Vikings founding in 1960 to not win one are the Browns, Lions, Eagles, and Cardinals. The Titans, Chargers, and Bills are the same age. Who's left? The Falcons, Bengals, Seahawks, Panthers, Texans, and Jaguars. Only the Browns, Lions, Texans, and Jags have never even been to one.

Only 8 MLB teams have not won a World Series, two have never been there (Mariners and Nats/Expos). The other six: Astros, Padres, Rockies, Rangers, Rays, and Brewers. All 8 of those teams are younger than the Vikings except the Rangers (former Senators II).

Where am I going? Nowhere really. I used to be a big Vikings fan as a kid, and as lately as 15 years ago--which strangely coincides with my Gopher season tickets. When the Gopher lose, it takes me a week to get over it. When the Vikings lose, about a minute. If it wasn't for fantasy football, I wouldn't know who half of the key NFL players are. But that's me. I'm no longer much of a fan of pro athletes. I guess that comes with age.

Lastly, you're going to see half of the Viking fans wetting their pants this week because Freeman is starting at quarterback. You're going to see the other half wetting their pants this week because Freeman is starting at quarterback.

I'm done.
 




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