Well...

...that sucked.

Still a Vikings girl forever.  But hot damn, that was awful.

Minnesota Stadium Solution

Please, just take one minute and fifty-six seconds to watch this.  The Vikings are so important to Minnesota - and to me, and all the fans out there.  We just need a stadium that we're more than willing to share with the rest of the state.

A New Vikings Stadium

Frankly, I'm disappointed in what's going on with the state of Minnesota and the stadium debate. But I decided to do what little I can do about it: contact those in charge. I wrote this to Kurt Zellers, the speaker at the Minnesota House of Representatives at rep.kurt.zellers@house.mn

If you want a Vikings stadium, and the Vikings to remain the Minnesota Vikings, I urge you to write too.

Dear Mr. Zellers,

I haven't lived in Minnesota a long time - fifteen years to be precise - but I have remained an avid Minnesota Vikings fan since I was six years old and saw my very first game in September 1994.

The Vikings are so much more than just a football team; they are the driving economic force behind downtown Minneapolis (this was clearly demonstrated to me as a Florida Gator - I'm told three restaurants went out of business when the stadium authorities forbade people to leave and come back at halftime) and they are a symbol of unity and pride for the entire state. How many football teams are named for states rather than cities now? We are unique, and with Christian Ponder, Percy Harvin, Adrian Peterson, and Jared Allen at the helm, we will only get better.

Frankly, if the Gophers and the Twins deserve funding for new stadiums, the Vikings deserve it ten times more. Not to mention the new stadium wouldn't be solely for the Vikings! Lacrosse games, soccer games, UFL games, even concerts could be held there depending on the type of venue built. Privatize the parking around it and have people pay to park there during the week (I believe they did this with parking at the new Amway in Orlando) to up the income as well!

The Vikings are so much more important than politics. I may not have a vote in Minnesota, but I have a voice and I will send as many emails, call as many people, and write as many blogs, tweets, and Facebook statuses as it takes to get the voters to pay attention to you (and the other Minnesota politicians), and what you're prepared to do for the state - and the Vikings.

Yours sincerely,

Carla E. Pereira, BA

Off Topic: Sunsets

Despite all the things I dislike about Southern California - the lack of football and/or fans being one of them - I have to admit there are some BEAUTIFUL sunsets here!

Pondering Ponder

So being a grad student is not particularly conducive to writing three different blogs...and a thesis...and all the other crap I have to do every day...

Anyway. The Christian Ponder era is officially ushered into the Minnesota Vikings franchise!

Originally when we picked up McNabb I hated it because I was materially convinced that no good could come of liaisons with the dastardly Iggles, although I grudgingly admitted it can do a great deal of harm to a rookie's confidence and his overall adjustment to the NFL if he's thrown right into the brouhaha.

As it turns out I was RIGHT about not wanting McNabb on the team (I usually love being right, but not when it means we're 1-5) and McNabb was, shall we say...less than a perfect fit for our team. According to word on the street, though, he has every intention of staying around and mentoring Ponder, which frankly impresses me. That shows a LOT of character, especially when you lost to the freaking Chiefs and he almost beat the Packers.

Anyway. Christian Ponder.
I didn't get to see the game live because I was at work (it ended just when my shift was over) but I've seen replays, highlights, and devoured Twitter and First&Skol for details.

I like what I see - he's calm, spreads the ball around, and hasn't actually done too much in the time-honored rookie tradition of forcing a pass late over the middle so it can be intercepted by any half-assed corner.
Admittedly he did get picked off twice by Woodson, but that's Woodson. Anyone can (and probably has been) picked off by that crazy bastard! Honestly, I hate Woodson, but if we had D players on fantasy football I'd totally draft his ass.

I never was impressed with Ponder at FSU - just look up The Soak At The Doak and you'll see why - but to be honest, he didn't have a lot going in the o-line and receiver departments there. At Minnesota there IS an o-line, although it certainly has its moments, only slightly relieved by the departure of Bryant McKinnie... But we DO have Percy Harvin, Kyle Rudolph and Visanthe Shiancoe who have all pulled off some pretty amazing catches (and let's be honest, they've shown some horrible stinkers too), not to mention we have a certain workhorse star runningback named Adrian Peterson who forces defenses to stay honest.

And I was incredibly impressed by his organizing unofficial mini-camps while the lockout was on so that he could stay in football shape and get to know his receivers. That relieved me a lot, because, well, as a Florida fan I hate FSU and was shocked that someone we beat so handily (in the pouring rain) was picked #12 overall (I was hoping for Prince Amukamara)...well I am VERY happy and relieved to say "Good job!" to Speilman. Clearly he saw something in Ponder that I totally missed, what with the fact he got picked off by our MLB, Brandon Spikes in the very first drive of the second half at the Soak.

I thought throwing Ponder to the wolves also known as the Green Bay Packers was a terrible idea (I wanted him in at the second half), but once again I was wrong, because the man showed poise, determination, and guts.

Oh, and he knew how to throw the football. After all, that's what quarterbacks are for!

The Next Minnesota Vikings Quarterback

For some years now - as long as I can remember actually - I've had dreams only to later have all or parts of them come true. The one I remember most vividly is a few years back when I dreamt that I was in the parking lot of the Metrodome and I saw EJ Henderson in his car trying to make a left turn into it, was hit by an oncoming truck and carted off to the hospital.
Two days later it was the Cardinals game and he broke his leg and was done for the season.

Last night I dreamt I was doing some shopping at a big crowded mall; as I was leaving I noticed a lot of commotion on one of the lawns near the exit so I went to have a look. It was a quarterback, dressed up in purple and white, alternating between tossing balls into targets, and shaking hands and talking to the people waiting by the barrier. In the dream I recognized him at once; it's frustrating because in the dream I called him by name, now I'm awake I only remember that it started with a "K".

Anyway, he was the quarterback we're going to get after Ponder leaves. In the dream I asked him how he was doing adjusting to the NFL (clearly a rookie), and I had to look UP into his face so he's over 6 feet tall...I also remember asking him about Ponder's records, but I don't remember the reply.

I'm sure you'll all think I'm silly, but the dream was so very real! I'm also hoping that since the me in the dream asked about Ponder's records he'll have a long and awesome career with us...a girl can dream, can't she?

Although - now that the news has broken that Ponder is the new starting quarterback for the Vikings I wonder if THAT's what the dream was about? Oh well...we should know in 8-10 years time :)

Oh dear!

So I work Saturday AND Sunday this week (which is good in the I-Have-Bills-To-Pay department) which means I don't get to see the Gators OR the Vikings play...

The Gators are playing a super-tough game against LSU (I'd normally just say "tough" but we are minus our starting quarterback), and the Vikings are playing a must-win against the Cardinals...now that I think about it, being at work might be easier on my nerves than watching the games would be!

Random Vikings thought of the day: If we draft o-line in three rounds next draft, and address further o-line needs in subsequent drafts, how many drafts will it take before our o-line is good again?

Welcome To My Rambling

So far, this Vikings season hasn't been exactly good...in fact, it's veering alarmingly towards "Well, the #1 draft pick is a slight compensation."

Thus, I have decided I need a forum in which to say what I want to say about the Vikings, and since it's my blog, I can say exactly what I want and no one can "moderate" it!

I might as well start out by talking about why I'm a Vikings fan.

When my family first moved to the USA, we moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and got into the habit of sitting around the tv together every night; my mother with her book, my little sister (a toddler) with her favorite stuffed animal, me with my coloring book, and my dad with his newspaper. Some nights we would watch figure skating; some nights The Muppet Show...and some nights we would watch football.

I still remember the very first Minnesota Vikings game I ever saw; it was September 1994, I was six years old, and we opened at the Green Bay Packers...and lost by (I think) two points to their relatively new quarterback, Brett Favre.

Needless to say, I have rocked purple and gold and hated the Packers ever since. When Favre was added to our team I quietly got very drunk, but I did stop cursing him until that final, fatal interception. Then I started cursing again.

My favorite Vikings memory so far is probably Percy Harvin signing my Harvin rookie jersey at the UF Pro Day 2010:


I had been in Ethiopia for the past six weeks, excavating a cave site (I'm currently a masters' student in archaeology) known as Moche Borago. I landed in Orlando late Monday night, spent a few hours with my family, then drove to Gainesville the next night, saw my boyfriend, then went home to my apartment to sleep until 10 am when I took the bus to campus to meet up with my buddy for Pro Day. Unfortunately, this one had been really well advertised so there were a lot of morons about (the kinds who burst out squealing, "I love you Tim Tebow!"), but Percy still came down to where we were standing, and signed my jersey. I'm impressed with him, because the walls of the Swamp are pretty high, so he was reaching above his head to sign for at least an hour...he is one classy dude, doing all of that for his fans!

Now I live in California (only until I get my MA, then I'm moving elsewhere for my PhD...there's no money for academia left in this state!!!), and I'm continually amazed by the complete and utter lack of football fans in this county. The only fans are (like me) transplants from other areas, or are related to present and former players. I do not think I'm cut out to be a California girl.

But I do know, no matter what, I'll always be Carla the Viking!