Great moments in Viking playoff history

OK. So over the course of this week, I might post a few of these great moments in preparation for the game against the Saints. The purpose of posting these are to make you feel pity for me and thus cheer for the Vikings this weekend... and then if they don't win, you will feel it in your heart to console me. And pay off my rent to heal the wounds a little faster.

1998 NFC Championship Game:
This was my first year as a *big* Vikings fan. I followed football and all, watched the games that weren't blacked out (we had really crappy owners back then...) and watched as we fought towards the playoffs, only to get the crap kicked out of us (our comeback against the Giants in 1997 in the playoffs really got me into the game and such.)

The main thing that changed that made me into a huge fan was that we drafted Randy Moss in the 1st round of the 1998 draft.

I saw him play a game as a college athlete and was pretty much bowled over. I heard he wasn't the greatest person on earth, but he could play. Anyway, we only had the 21st pick, so we had no chance at all at getting him. Except he kept dropping. And dropping. Until all of a sudden, he was in our hands. It was glorious.

And then we had the best season we've ever had. Our offense was pretty much unstoppable, we had the best receiving corps in the league, Robert Smith had one of his better seasons, and then Randall Cunningham suddenly reemerged as a potent QB, and we couldn't be stopped. We COULDN'T BE STOPPED. Even our f'n kicker Gary Anderson didn't miss a single field goal all year. No one on our team could be stopped.

I mean, we lost once in the regular season, but that was more of a "well, we were going to lay an egg once during the season" than anything *really* to worry about. Every other game was pretty much in our hands, with maybe only two or so actually coming down to within 10 points. Every other game we just rolled over our opponents. It was beautiful. This was our season.

So the Vikings probably took the Falcons a little too lightly. Which probably wasn't the smartest idea, since they were 14-2 and nothing to sneeze at. But still... Moss. Carter. Cunningham. WE COULDN'T BE STOPPED. JOHN ELWAY AND TERRELL DAVIS WERE GOING TO BE QUIVERING IN THEIR BOOTS.

Cunningham fumbled the ball before the 1st half, Falcons score... cutting our lead from 20-7 to 20-14. Gary Anderson misses his first field goal of the season with 2 minutes left in the game that would have put the game away. Falcons score. Denny Green sits on the ball despite having PERHAPS THE BEST OFFENSE OF ALL TIME. We lose.

Now, I'm just a 11 year old kid. I don't really know heartbreak all that well. I mean, I know losing... I followed the Timberwolves and they were losing all the time, but that was to be expected, cause they were terrible. The Vikings... well, they were the best team in the league. They just were, and there was really no way we should have lost. I am 11 years old. I can't really understand this well.

So I cried. Will probably be the only time in the history of ever that I cry over the result of a football game, but it's what I did. I cried because this illusion I had of this unstoppable force was just destroyed, and the world had just shown me its first glimpse of how cruel life could be.

Well, maybe not. But I'm 11 years old... and one of my favorite teams is playing unbelievably well... and then it all comes apart.

Over the years I regretted shedding tears over a stupid football game (cause the Vikings would make losing painfully pretty much commonplace that sacrificing tears would be giving *way* too much for such an aggravating team), but honestly if I were the age I am right now and the Vikings had an amazing season like they did only to lose it like they did... I'd probably cry still.