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Growl November 16, 2023
What do Kevin O'Connell & Herb Brooks have in common? Well, as you
will recall Herb Brooks was apart of the 1960's Olympic Hockey Team but did not
take part in the Olympics. That in itself became a driven factor in his
life. Kevin O'Connell was released by the Patriots ... his NFL experiences
were brutal although he did work directly with Tom Brady & Bill Belichick.
Within them they both developed a shared empathy for all players that have the
willingness of the flesh ... to both learn & strive ... knowing that
proximity to the bubble. Maybe that gave them an innate ability to see
telling factors within the athlete. Both were also keenly aware of
everything that transpired on the field of play. Combining all of it, it
is clear to understand how our Coach is able to bond with these athletes like
Dobbs as he's been there ... where he still maintains all those experiences ...
that results in a ravenous drive to "share-in" what may
come.
Well, this franchise has finally broken that barrier in response to the recent
injury to Jordan Hicks that placed him on IR for at least 4 weeks. The
last time Anthony Barr played in NFL was in January of 2022 which means that
Barr did not play at all in that 2022 NFL season. In other words, having
Barr join the practice squad makes an innate sense of brilliance giving Anthony
one more opportunity to draw-in upon himself. Now begins his preparation
combined with a new learning curve under Flores.
Coincidentally, the last season that Adrian Peterson played in was in 2021 also
where he did not participate at all in that 2022 season ... just like
Barr. Maybe you haven't noticed but there is a definite need to respond to
that running back position ... as something is clearly missing. It's not
that each of our options is deficient for the upcoming contest with the Broncos
... in fact it is just the opposite as both Kene & Ty are explosive
... but we are missing a major piece ... where it is clear that Alexander is
missing a key element to his game ... something innate within Adrian
Peterson. Defenders can rely on Alexander, whereas with Peterson there is
no such key.
It wouldn't surprise anyone if both Anthony Barr & Adrian Peterson re-enter
the fray on the practice squad ... sporting a Scowl & A GROWL (missing
pieces from their career) ... with something very hard ... that can to be
learned. The hard knocks of life ... opportunities & missing
pieces. No one ever wants to look forward to confronting their own
mortality ... where a players mortality is both very real & is just as
finite. In that 2021 season, Peterson ended his season with very short appearances
with both the Titans & the Sea Cocks where he was activated from the
practice squad to score a touch down in each of those games. Since he was
no longer considered to be the Bell Cow, he became what he is today ... The
COFFIN NAIL. For all those years he literally had very little (Ponder) to
bolster his overall career where much of it was lumped upon his back. If
we were to imagine being in their shoes today, once again succumbing to that
practice squad position for the chance at re-defining their epithet ... growls
& snarls would be expected as the common fare of consumption. Would
you expect anything less? Maybe ... just maybe ... all that youthful skill
would pay close attention to it ... so that they wouldn't overlook there very
real present ... relenting backward sometime in their future.
Sure, Anthony Barr may just be a shadow of his former self however that might
not be such a bad thing. Before, Zimmer couldn't use him as he originally
intended (the reasons that he was drafted). You see, Zimmer's defense over
the years had glaring weaknesses, where Barr was pulled off a regular dosing of
blitzing & intended rushing duties in favor of being used elsewhere on the
field in coverage. Today, under Brian Flores ... there is no such
requirement as his defense is litered with a bunch of self aware studs. In
other words, if & when Anthony Barr is unleashed upon an opposing offense
... absolute hellation will follow. Remember back at the opening of our
season when Zimmer unleashed Barr upon the Falcons quarterback Ryan. After
that play the Falcons never recovered as Ryan was spooked for the remainder of
that game ... being down an immediate 7. Let us never forget
"Neck-Bones - A. A. Ron Rodgers" when Barr delivered a textbook tackle
upon him & ended his season which ultimately resulted in our admission to
the NFC championship game. Seeing this big man in that role was so rare to
see ... but the impact was huge. It's hard to compare Zimmer & Flores,
as there were two very different squads, but do you think Zimmer may have missed
something that Flores will definitely not overlook?
Now, ask yourself a question. What would be the league wide response to
seeing both of these players on our practice squad? Will there be soilage?
The Viking Ghost Writer
http://MyVikingBlood.org
Date: November 16, 2023
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