As Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway, a first-round pick 10 years ago who has spent his entire career in Minnesota, never has played in a Super Bowl. There’s a not-so-quiet confidence that the Vikings could make it this year, the 40th anniversary of their last trip to the title game.
Greenway is exited about the possibilities, but also pragmatic about the situation.
“We’re pumped,” Greenway told Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune at a local football camp. “You have to be optimistic. If you’re not optimistic at this time of year, what’s the point?”
Most teams are optimistic when all teams are 0-0. But it’s always better to stay off everyone else’s radar, if possible. The Vikings are blipping loudly, which often is a recipe for unfulfilled expectations.
“We have a good team,” Greenway said. “We’re young and very talented. But you have to have a hot quarterback at the right time and put things together. So many things have to happen before we’re back where we want to be.”
He’s right. After blowing a chance to knock out Seattle and return to Arizona for a rematch of a December game that went down to the wire, the Vikings have to get back to the postseason before they can try to advance beyond the wild-card round. With plenty pegging the Vikings as one of the “it” teams for 2016, every team they face will be even more motivated to knock them off.
And Greenway is right; they’ll need quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to get hot, and the team will need to deliver in key moments of key games. If they can, anything (and everything) can happen for them.
