Tim is on a charter flight that I call the flying tailgate right now so I (Bert) have hiacked the blog for the day.
There is nothing left to analyze, nothing left to do but dig in and put on the gear one more time. If the Vikings win, Tim and I will be loading up the Mastercards and heading to South Beach. If we fall short, let's give the Saints all they can handle and retire with pride. This is the game we have both feared and looked forward to for half a season - bring it on.
But I do want to take a moment to ponder the views from the other side of the aisle. Our friends from school have one very dedicated Saints fan - he lives in New Orleans and is a Saints season ticket holder. We will call him "Archie" to protect the innocent.
For some reason Archie isn't tortured. He isn't angst ridden or superstitious - in fact when presented with the idea that the Vikings would have a chance against his Saints, this is the blast email he sent out:
"Sorry, I can speak for the Colts or Jets, but the Saints will be playing there (the Super Bowl). I'm pretty sure the Superdome is the loudest stadium and it will be ridiculous Sunday. In fact, I'm feeling a blowout...!"
Wow! In 3 sentences, Archie managed to offend the average Vikings fan 2 or 3 times. Now, he isn't a bandwagon fan so he has lived through the tragic history of this franchse. I seem to remember the Vikings winning a road playoff game here before. In fact, I think they won in the Superdome a little more than a year ago. Was it less "ridiculous" on those days? Was he feeling a "blowout" then as well?
I post all of this to highlight the different culture that Vikings fans live in - we are always waiting for that sucker punch disaster that crushes our hopes for one more year. You know what? I'm tired of it. Let's put an end to it. Let's finally win that big game and break through - one time - put all the cynicism and doubts and fears to the side. Our friend Archie believes his Saints will blow us out today - Don't let it happen.