11-25-2020, 09:19 PM
Quote: @MaroonBells said:
The longer we can play meaningful football, and have a chance at a playoff spot, extending our season, allowing me to watch one or two more games, the happier I will be.
I've said this before, but unlike most of you I suspect, if there were only two choices, I would MUCH rather make the playoffs 10 years in a row and not win a Super Bowl... than win the Super Bowl once and go 4-12 for the next 10 years.
Watching meaningful football, win or lose, is fun. I like fun. Fun makes me happy. And I sorta think that if we ever do win a Super Bowl, I'll be like, YAY!! Ok....now what?
But is there really a scenario that extreme - win a SB and then go 4-12 for a decade? I guess Tampa Bay comes to mind, they won in in 2002, won the division twice in the following 5 years, but haven't made the playoffs for 12 seasons. That's a tough road, no doubt, but still... I don't know any Tampa fans, so the nearest comparison I could make is with the Twins. They struggle with postseason success as much as the Vikings - but I think those 2 championships, even that long ago, completely change the attitude of fans, at least those who remember.
I just don't think "1 championship in exchange for 10 years of incompetence" is a necessary bargain. Good coaches show progress to a championship. Reid didn't win a SB immediately with Chiefs, but he had 7 straight winning seasons, 4 straight divisional championships, better playoff success every year...they were consistently excellent and building towards the championship, and it doesn't look like they will be 4-12. Contrast that with the Zimmer era: we rotate every other season from a game or 2 over .500, or at or under a game. Not progressing.
Maybe it's all in the definition of "meaningful football". I think it means that, every December, we should be fighting for home field advantage and a first-round bye. The Zimmer-era definition is that we spend December hoping we can back into a wildcard spot.
