58 minutes ago
RandBall: Hoping the Vikings would tank for a draft pick? I have some bad news.
Go ahead and ask a professional athlete to be OK with losing.
There’s an irrational argument to be made for Vikings fans wanting the Vikings to lose at this point in the season, an almost counterintuitive desire for misery to compound so that grievances about the team can continue to be expressed.
And there’s a more rational argument to be made for Vikings fans wanting the Vikings to lose at this point in the season, given that poorer records equal higher draft picks and the possibility of someday, somehow turning this thing around and getting back to the Super Bowl for the first time in a half-century.
I found plenty of those sentiments expressed on social media in the past week.
If you were a fan in either or both of those categories heading into Sunday’s game against Washington — a contest that wagering and predictive models essentially labeled a toss-up — I have some bad news.
Professional athletes always want to win. Almost all of them grew up being the best at what they do. And they can easily find ways to motivate themselves even in the midst of a disappointing season.
Sunday’s motivation in a 31-0 shellacking of Washington, other than mere pride, appeared to come in the form of a speech from running backs coach Curtis Modkins. He implored players to think of their 16-year-old selves and what the opportunity to even play in an NFL game would mean back then.
Multiple Vikings mentioned it after the game, including J.J. McCarthy (age 22) and Harrison Smith (age 36) — two players at very different stages of their NFL journeys.
Smith, who had his first interception of the season, became emotional talking about the privilege of player. McCarthy played his best game in the NFL so far.
And you want them to tank so that next year’s Vikings might have the No. 8 pick instead of the No. 12 pick in the draft?
Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. It’s one thing to go into a season with the intention of rebuilding, a much kinder word than tanking that takes into account youth and the need to restructure the roster.
The Vikings did not do that. They thought they would be competitive this season, and a lot of us agreed that they would be.
Instead, they are 5-8. Their playoff chances, even if they improbably win out, are basically as close to zero as you can get without being zero.
Things have not worked out for a variety of reasons, and the top of the list is subpar quarterback play. (Next on the list is injuries and inconsistency on the offensive line, which went hand-in-hand with the QB struggles and also Sunday’s success).
Gaining information about and experience for McCarthy is far more important the rest of this season than a few spots in the draft. And even if it wasn’t, rest assured that athletes will never be on board with trying to lose.
STRIB
Go ahead and ask a professional athlete to be OK with losing.
There’s an irrational argument to be made for Vikings fans wanting the Vikings to lose at this point in the season, an almost counterintuitive desire for misery to compound so that grievances about the team can continue to be expressed.
And there’s a more rational argument to be made for Vikings fans wanting the Vikings to lose at this point in the season, given that poorer records equal higher draft picks and the possibility of someday, somehow turning this thing around and getting back to the Super Bowl for the first time in a half-century.
I found plenty of those sentiments expressed on social media in the past week.
If you were a fan in either or both of those categories heading into Sunday’s game against Washington — a contest that wagering and predictive models essentially labeled a toss-up — I have some bad news.
Professional athletes always want to win. Almost all of them grew up being the best at what they do. And they can easily find ways to motivate themselves even in the midst of a disappointing season.
Sunday’s motivation in a 31-0 shellacking of Washington, other than mere pride, appeared to come in the form of a speech from running backs coach Curtis Modkins. He implored players to think of their 16-year-old selves and what the opportunity to even play in an NFL game would mean back then.
Multiple Vikings mentioned it after the game, including J.J. McCarthy (age 22) and Harrison Smith (age 36) — two players at very different stages of their NFL journeys.
Smith, who had his first interception of the season, became emotional talking about the privilege of player. McCarthy played his best game in the NFL so far.
And you want them to tank so that next year’s Vikings might have the No. 8 pick instead of the No. 12 pick in the draft?
Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. It’s one thing to go into a season with the intention of rebuilding, a much kinder word than tanking that takes into account youth and the need to restructure the roster.
The Vikings did not do that. They thought they would be competitive this season, and a lot of us agreed that they would be.
Instead, they are 5-8. Their playoff chances, even if they improbably win out, are basically as close to zero as you can get without being zero.
Things have not worked out for a variety of reasons, and the top of the list is subpar quarterback play. (Next on the list is injuries and inconsistency on the offensive line, which went hand-in-hand with the QB struggles and also Sunday’s success).
Gaining information about and experience for McCarthy is far more important the rest of this season than a few spots in the draft. And even if it wasn’t, rest assured that athletes will never be on board with trying to lose.
STRIB
