It did not end well between Daunte Culpepper and the Minnesota Vikings.
It seemed impossible to believe at the time – that the quarterback who’d put together one of the greatest statistical seasons in NFL history, and carried the franchise’s hopes and dreams on his shoulders, could become such a figure of derision, such a pain in the keister. And it was tough for Brad Childress to believe as well. Childress has said many times that he took the Viking job “believing he had a franchise quarterback in place.” But this turned out not to be the case – much to Brad’s chagrin and all the fans’.
So what happened anyway? There was the knee injury of course – but even before that, Daunte’s command of things seemed to be slipping away. He played terribly in early 2005, his first season without Randy Moss as his receiver/security-blanket. He seemed lost, forcing balls into coverage, looking at times like the greenest of rookies. Was it because his offensive coordinator and confidante Scott Linehan was gone? Perhaps partly. But there was also the line, which did a miserable job protecting him. He had to scramble, and it was while running the ball against Carolina that he was injured. His season was lost (though Brad Johnson was nearly able to salvage the team’s). We didn’t know it the time, but Daunte had played his last game in purple.
He was supposed to rehab his knee and come back better than ever in 2006 – but somehow it never happened. He demanded a better contract, ignoring that he had gotten injured, was a less-than-certain proposition. He went to Florida to rehab, irking new coach Brad Childress, who wanted his leader back amongst the troops in Winter Park. He was criticized by Viking brass, and answered them by sending snippy emails to the media. He looked for all the world like someone who didn’t want to be a Viking anymore – and finally he got his wish, being traded to the Dolphins for a second-round pick.
The Vikings cut their losses on Culpepper, trading away a man who, in 2004, threw for 4717 yards with 39 TDs and 11 INTs, and a completion percentage of 69.2. Had it not been for Peyton Manning, he would’ve been the MVP that year. Times change though. Daunte went from dynamic to damaged – not just physically but in terms of reputation, having gotten caught up in the Love Boat fiasco (over which he never faced any charges). Brad Childress, having dealt with that headache T.O. in Philly, wanted no part of another star who might be inclined to disrupt things. Logically, it’s hard to argue with the decision that was made. From a purely sentimental stand-point, however, it was all very difficult to take.
It’s funny too, because in a lot of ways Daunte was not the most lovable figure. His personality was never that appealing – he didn’t seem like a bad guy necessarily, just sort of bland, at times a tad abrasive. In action he could be electrifying of course – with his mobility, and his cannon-like arm. But he could just as often be infuriating, with his propensity to fumble, and sometimes lose control of the game. Why then, given the mixed results attained during his tenure, should some of us have felt so personally sickened when it finally became necessary to send him packing? It was like watching Old Yeller get shot – we knew it had to be done, yet we couldn’t help wanting to cry.
Probably, our strong feelings about Pepp had less to do with him than our own lofty hopes. He took us to the cusp of the Super Bowl after the 2000 season, before personally laying an egg in the infamous 41-doughnut debacle. And then that 2004 season happened – we were only 8-8, but we went into Lambeau and beat the Packers in the playoffs (only to be knocked off by the Eagles the following week). Culpepper’s numbers placed him in the upper-echelon of all-time quarterbacks, at least for a single-season. It seemed, for awhile, that we had our hands on a legend in the making. Which made it all the more excruciating when that promise evaporated, leaving us with a nightmare season, a bitter taste in our mouths and no franchise quarterback to hang our hats on.
We didn’t love him – we loved what he could be, and what he could make us be. All right, so we probably over-estimated him – he was never as good as his numbers indicated in 2004, especially not without Randy Moss. But still, it was not unrealistic for us to think we had a Super Bowl calibre quarterback. If only we could assemble the pieces around him. We didn’t count on his shortcomings being thrust to the fore in quite so abrupt a manner. Scandal. Ignominious failure. Acrimony. Daunte tumbled from his pedestal in record time.
And, as with all who fall from grace, we can’t help but wonder – what if?
Like, what if Daunte had never gotten hurt? What if he had worked it out with Brad Childress and stayed in Minnesota? What if he still had that promise, in spite of the pieces around him not being as promising? Delusion? Foolishness? The typical mad musings of a frustrated fan? Perhaps. But we can’t help it. We still have that bitter aftertaste, and we want it to go away. We want to know once-and-for-all that Daunte has nothing left to give. We want what Rocky always wants – one more shot.
So, I for one am ready to say it:
Brad Childress, bring back Pepp.
The Miami Dolphins don’t want him – they’re ready to trade him for next to nothing. Make the deal, Brad. Swallow your pride and bring Daunte home. All right, so maybe he still doesn’t want to be here – maybe he’d rather retire. Would it kill you to look into it anyway? Seriously Brad – Tarvaris Jackson and Brooks Bollinger? Is a one-legged, grouchy Daunte Culpepper really that much worse?
Of course I know it won’t happen – Childress is far too stubborn to reverse course on a guy he openly criticized, and no one in the organization has the clout to overrule him. Childress wanted Culpepper gone, and he will remain gone. But, sometimes what we know doesn’t matter – sometimes we have to listen to that little nagging voice inside us, that thing that won’t let us rest. “What if,” that voice keeps repeating. “What if. What if…”