01-14-2018, 01:37 AM
A couple of newly crowned, first-team All-Pro defensive backs were bantering with a reporter at Winter Park about Sunday’s potentially epic playoff collision between Hall of Fame-bound quarterback Drew Brees and a top-ranked Vikings defense that seemingly has everything except postseason W’s and a nickname for the ages.
“We got a nickname, right?” said cornerback Xavier Rhodes, nodding to safety Harrison Smith. “They call us the ‘Grim Reapers,’ right?”
Not exactly, said Smith.
“It’s ‘Zim Reapers,’” Smith said of a nickname that is gaining momentum via social media and the Mike Zimmer Foundation’s sale of trademark shirts to raise money for Minnesota’s underprivileged youth.
“Oh,” Rhodes said as the play on words finally dawned on him.
Smith smiled, looked at the reporter and said, “You can tell how much we care about nicknames around here.”
The Vikings have bigger concerns heading into their NFC divisional round game against the Saints at U.S. Bank Stadium. Nicknames aside, they would like to just earn their first playoff victory since Jan. 17, 2010, when a 34-3 rout of the Cowboys set up the franchise’s infamous 31-28 turnover-filled overtime loss at New Orleans in the NFC title game.
“I don’t think we can really talk about [nicknames and comparing] ourselves to great defenses without going forward and winning,” Smith said. “Everything we’ve worked for was to set us up for this opportunity in the postseason. Now, we have to take advantage of it.”
http://www.startribune.com/zim-reapers-n...469165143/
“We got a nickname, right?” said cornerback Xavier Rhodes, nodding to safety Harrison Smith. “They call us the ‘Grim Reapers,’ right?”
Not exactly, said Smith.
“It’s ‘Zim Reapers,’” Smith said of a nickname that is gaining momentum via social media and the Mike Zimmer Foundation’s sale of trademark shirts to raise money for Minnesota’s underprivileged youth.
“Oh,” Rhodes said as the play on words finally dawned on him.
Smith smiled, looked at the reporter and said, “You can tell how much we care about nicknames around here.”
The Vikings have bigger concerns heading into their NFC divisional round game against the Saints at U.S. Bank Stadium. Nicknames aside, they would like to just earn their first playoff victory since Jan. 17, 2010, when a 34-3 rout of the Cowboys set up the franchise’s infamous 31-28 turnover-filled overtime loss at New Orleans in the NFC title game.
“I don’t think we can really talk about [nicknames and comparing] ourselves to great defenses without going forward and winning,” Smith said. “Everything we’ve worked for was to set us up for this opportunity in the postseason. Now, we have to take advantage of it.”
http://www.startribune.com/zim-reapers-n...469165143/
