Vikings Message Board.Com

Six years ago, Mike posted a similar message here. Now it's my turn. As many of you have noticed, I haven't been around as much in the last year as I had in the past. Unfortunately, I've found myself losing my love of the game. Rick Reilly put it better than I could. I don't mean to try to convert anyone or bum anyone out. I just can't watch anymore. It saddens me because this board and football in general have been a lot of fun over the years. (My wife, OTOH, is happy not to have to schedule around games on fall weekends )

Cliff has agreed to take over as admin and he's already brought on some new staff to help him out. I hope you'll give them the same support you've given me over the years.

Thank you to everyone here. As Mike said when he retired, it’s not just the people that run this site that make it great, but the members here also.

Geoff, I understand and we all owe you a huge thank you for taking over this board after Mike decided to give it up. I'm sorry you've lost your love of the game but I understand and respect your reasons for choosing to leave it behind.

Thanks for the many great discussions over the years and again, thanks for keeping this place running. I appreciate it and I know I'm far from alone.

Cheers!

Jim

Thanks for everything Geoff! It's been appreciated by me and I'm sure by others as well.

Thanks for the great ride GLG! You will be missed.

Geoff, thank you so much for all you have done here at VMB! Good luck with all of your future endeavors!

Best wishes Geoff. Thanks for all you've done for VMB!

glg,

I know we started off on the wrong foot when I first signed up on this board, but I wanted to thank you for all that you have done for this board. Hopefully, you will change your mind about the Vikings down the line, but I respect your decision. Again, thank you for all you have done for the board.

I have to say, it's one hell of a way to try to get them to win a Super Bowl.

Seriously, I hope you all the best. As a Vikings fan for 48 years myself, I understand.

If you find yourself lingering on the sidelines, and need just that touch of football somewhere down he line.......come on back.

And another big thanks for all you have done in keeping this great board going.

Please do us a favor and check in now and again!

Thanks for everything glg, you will be missed!

Wow, it's been 6 years? I'm getting old. Good luck Geoff. You did a great job after I stepped down and I know that you are leaving the board in good hands. It will continue to prosper under the great people here.

RIP glg

Geoff, first of all, I want to commend you for doing such a great job over the years, not just while wearing your moderator hat, but also in sharing your perspectives and opinions. You consistently demonstrated the kind of class and patience that made this forum so irrestible for many of us, and it's a shame you are leaving.

With that said, I hae to admit I'm finding myself thinking similar thoughts as of late. The Rick Reilly article you linked to is some of it, and while I agree with a lot of what he's said, I don't think he went far enough. The sport of pro football has always been brutal, but within the last 20 years or so it seems almost like players are being specifically bred to be larger, faster, and more powerful than ever. Thrilling for us fans, but not surprising at all that many of them are suffering physical effects of the contact at seemingly younger and younger ages. I won't let my son play football at any level, and I cringe when I see kids playing it knowing what we know now about head trauma. They can fix ACLs and bicep tears pretty easily, but brain trauma is forever and the damage far more insidious, both for the players and those who love them.

And the game itself has changed. The Pro Bowl, for example, has become a total joke. That used to be a real game that the players played for pride if nothing else, but now they basically don't play at all. They just show up (if they want to) and go through the motions to protect themselves from any chance of injury. Heck, I think guys now run a greater risk of injury moving into and out of their training camp dorm rooms than playing in the Pro Bowl. But it's a sign of the times, and I can't say I blame any of them for treating it the way it's treated.

Add onto this the constant free agent turnover, the rule changes that manipulate the outcome by essentially handcuffing the strengths of certain teams, and it's getting harder and harder to watch, much less justify missing something else to watch.

I'm not quite at the point where I'm done watching it, but as far as the Vikings are concerned, I just don't see the light at the end of this tunnel. It's been how many years of the Wilf ownership, and they are still no closer to emerging from the shadow of the Packers than they were several years ago. They have some exciting players, but it sure feels like they are basically starting over from ground zero and with nothing to show for it. When I watch teams like Seattle or San Fran emerge from being bad teams to Superbowl contenders in what seems like a year or two, I just shake my head and wonder why the Vikings can't do the same. It's an open debate as to why, and sure, I don't know what might happen in any given year, but this team just seems cursed, because in the seemingly few years (recently) they have been good, they've still choked when it mattered the most, and the rest of that time the excitement has been for all the wrong reasons (terrible head coach in Chilly the Wilfs actually extended, trading a 3rd rounder for Moss only to have Chilly cut him outright a month later, etc.).

So between all of that it's getting harder and harder for me to be enthusiastic, both about the sport overall as well as the Vikings in particular. I haven't reached the point where I'm ready to go quite yet, but this season could well do it for me.

VikingLord wrote:Geoff, first of all, I want to commend you for doing such a great job over the years, not just while wearing your moderator hat, but also in sharing your perspectives and opinions. You consistently demonstrated the kind of class and patience that made this forum so irrestible for many of us, and it's a shame you are leaving.

With that said, I hae to admit I'm finding myself thinking similar thoughts as of late. The Rick Reilly article you linked to is some of it, and while I agree with a lot of what he's said, I don't think he went far enough. The sport of pro football has always been brutal, but within the last 20 years or so it seems almost like players are being specifically bred to be larger, faster, and more powerful than ever. Thrilling for us fans, but not surprising at all that many of them are suffering physical effects of the contact at seemingly younger and younger ages. I won't let my son play football at any level, and I cringe when I see kids playing it knowing what we know now about head trauma. They can fix ACLs and bicep tears pretty easily, but brain trauma is forever and the damage far more insidious, both for the players and those who love them.

And the game itself has changed. The Pro Bowl, for example, has become a total joke. That used to be a real game that the players played for pride if nothing else, but now they basically don't play at all. They just show up (if they want to) and go through the motions to protect themselves from any chance of injury. Heck, I think guys now run a greater risk of injury moving into and out of their training camp dorm rooms than playing in the Pro Bowl. But it's a sign of the times, and I can't say I blame any of them for treating it the way it's treated.

Add onto this the constant free agent turnover, the rule changes that manipulate the outcome by essentially handcuffing the strengths of certain teams, and it's getting harder and harder to watch, much less justify missing something else to watch.

I'm not quite at the point where I'm done watching it, but as far as the Vikings are concerned, I just don't see the light at the end of this tunnel. It's been how many years of the Wilf ownership, and they are still no closer to emerging from the shadow of the Packers than they were several years ago. They have some exciting players, but it sure feels like they are basically starting over from ground zero and with nothing to show for it. When I watch teams like Seattle or San Fran emerge from being bad teams to Superbowl contenders in what seems like a year or two, I just shake my head and wonder why the Vikings can't do the same. It's an open debate as to why, and sure, I don't know what might happen in any given year, but this team just seems cursed, because in the seemingly few years (recently) they have been good, they've still choked when it mattered the most, and the rest of that time the excitement has been for all the wrong reasons (terrible head coach in Chilly the Wilfs actually extended, trading a 3rd rounder for Moss only to have Chilly cut him outright a month later, etc.).

So between all of that it's getting harder and harder for me to be enthusiastic, both about the sport overall as well as the Vikings in particular. I haven't reached the point where I'm ready to go quite yet, but this season could well do it for me.

Go Vikes!


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Geoff, I certainly understand your feelings and definitely agree with Rick Reilly's article. Some of the same thoughts have gone through my mind lately. Heck, they were there before Childress was fired. I guess I'm going to stick with watching the Vikings at least another season, maybe more, because I still love football. But certainly not unconditionally. And I have to admit my interest has waned.

Regarding your commitment to the board, it was always first rate. I've enjoyed reading and responding to your posts since the NG days. You're a staple to any Vikings board to me, so I'll really miss you a lot. I hope you'll stop in from time to time. If not, that's cool. I understand. Best wishes to you and your wife.

Craig