Memo to Vikings: It’s what you do with a first-round bye that matters
If the Vikings secure a first-round bye for the NFC playoffs on Sunday with a win over the Bears or a win from the Saints or Rams or loss from the Panthers, Terence Newman has a speech prepared for his teammates.
The 15-year veteran cornerback doesn’t want his message to overshadow what would be a 13-3 regular season, the Vikings’ best record since their 15-1 season in 1998.
But knowing the road to the Super Bowl over the past four seasons started with a first-round bye, he wants to make sure the Vikings handle a hoped-for week off the right way.
After all, Newman played on the 2007 Dallas Cowboys team that was 13-3 and coming off a first-round bye when they were upset by the New York Giants in the divisional round. During that bye week, among multiple Cowboys distractions, quarterback Tony Romo was spotted with then-girlfriend Jessica Simpson living it up in Mexico.
“I’ve been on the bad end of it,” Newman said of first-round byes. “Take that time, see your family if you want to, go home if you want to, but stay out of some stuff.”
https://www.twincities.com/2017/12/29/memo-to-vikings-its-what-you-do-with-a-first-round-bye-that-matters/
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Newman saw the downside after his only first-round bye, leaving him weary of extracurricular activities that players can find with so much extra fee time.
“There are a few examples of that — like the Giants last year,” Newman said, referencing when several New York receivers were spotted partying in Miami the Monday before they lost to the Green Bay Packers in a Sunday wild-card game.
Floyd, cornerback Tramaine Brock Sr., and offensive lineman Mike Remmers are other Vikings who have been a part of teams that earned a first-round bye, and they offer different tales of how a free week is spent during the playoffs.
With the Arizona Cardinals in 2015, Floyd said coach Bruce Arians gifted his players ample free time for a job well done in the regular season. With the Patriots last season, Floyd said coach Bill Belichick gave his team only two days off during the bye.
“Either way, I think everyone uses it to rest and recover,” Floyd said. “That’s basically what you’ve got to do. Just get ready for your opponent the following week. You rest and recover and then watch the game with the teams you could potentially be playing.”
Zimmer hasn’t revealed how the Vikings would spend the bye week if they get one Sunday.
“I think it’s a very important thing that you take very seriously,” Floyd said. “It’s a one-and-done season in the playoffs, so you have to make sure you’re in the best shape possible and make sure your body feels good.”
That likely means a speech from Newman if the Vikings beat the Bears on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, a talk that could stress the importance of bye-week studying over bye-week partying.
“If you don’t win, that’s what you’re going to be doing anyway,” Remmers said. “So everyone is working really hard with a common goal in mind. And then you can sip Pina Coladas later.”
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