Intangibles

When the Packers were playing the Seahawks early on Thursday night, I knew they most likely were going to lose. Announcers droned on about early "momentum", but momentum isn't and never has been a real thing in sports. Circumstances change quickly in football games based on execution and preparation.

The bad teams fail to take advantage of an opportunity or do something stupid, usually early, and set the stage for the whole game. On Thursday night, the Packers did both. They dropped an easy interception that would have halted Seattle's first drive, and then a couple of plays later, ran into the Seattle's punter, extending the Seahawks first drive and basically GIVING them their first score. One game does not a season make, however. Good teams won't let those mistakes become a pattern. So I wouldn't write off the Packers just yet. Even the best teams have bad games.

Another term I hear announcers using is the word "intangibles". They'll say that the defenses or offenses are very similar but that the intangibles favor one team or the other.

I'd like to change that term to "tangibles." You can see and perceive in most football games the things that cost your team the game. When two very good teams collide, one of the determining factors, perhaps the primary factor, on determining who wins or loses is the officiating. EVERYONE could point to the one bad call that made the difference in the game if you examined the film later.

The good fans who pay attention, can see it when it happens. Much like a dropped interception or running into the punter, you sit back knowingly in your recliner, and think, that call is going to affect the outcome of the game.

But that's when two fairly even teams play. The good teams, the great teams, can overcome bad ref  calls and still win, just as long as the officials aren't horribly bad all night long. Why? because they have the "tangibles" on their side. They have better play selections, a better quarterback, receivers who rarely drop catches (especially on critical third down plays), they don't fumble, they make the interception catches. Every aspect of their games are crisp and clean.

And the good teams have coaches that prepare their teams week after week to do all of these things consistently. That's why they win.

Why am I talking about this today? Because for the first time since Denny Green was coach, the Viking appear to have the tangibles. For one brief season, Favre's first, the Vikings had what they needed to win it all. Officials, who stunk up the joint, stole the Vikings Super Bowl opportunity that year. This year potentially could be better.

I'm not predicting a Super Bowl, that would just be stupid. Seattle is the team that has proven over the longest period of time that they have every aspect of their game in high gear right now. They have to be the favorites. BUT our coaching IS better than its been in years. Our quarterback situation IS better. Our receivers ARE better. And our defense is showing more promise than they have for several seasons. The Vikings are the fifth youngest team in football. They are hungry and they don't have a stink of losing on them any more. We got rid of so much of the players that were coached so badly that they didn't know how to win any more.

If we don't win this year, I'll be disappointed. Today's game will be a good test of the new coach's ability to prepare his team to win a game they SHOULD win. The primary tangible? The Rams are missing Sam Bradford, their number one quarterback.

The Vikes are basically full strength. These are the games that good teams should win.

We'll find out if the Vikings are one of those teams by 3:30 today.