The Minnesota Vikings had a gift waiting for them when they arrived for Monday’s practice: tee shirts with the words ‘Beat Green Bay’ on them.
Coming off a big road win against the up-and-coming Oakland Raiders, the Minnesota Vikings now turn their sights to their opponents next week: the Green Bay Packers. As fans of the Vikings know, games against the Packers aren’t just any game. They’re a division team, but there’s also a history and a rivalry between the two teams that puts even more on the line in the contest.
When the Vikings arrived for Monday practice, the team found gifts hanging in their lockers: tee shirts with the word “North” on the front and “Beat Green Bay” on them.
The shirts were a gift from head coach Mike Zimmer according to an article on the Star Tribune website. Despite the words on the back, Zimmer insists that the shirt is more about focusing on this week’s game rather than who the opponent is.
"“I think our players will know this is a big game. I don’t think I’ll have to pull out any magic wands or anything like that. I think they’ll understand. But, to me, it’s all about preparation. How you prepare. Make sure you focus. Like I told the team today, ‘One day, one week, one game.’ That’s all we worry about.”"
Nov 8, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Linval Joseph (98) smiles while speaking with a reporter after the game with the St. Louis Rams at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 21-18. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
A different article on the Star Tribune website had some reactions from some of the players.
“The Big Goon” Linval Joseph likes the shirt, but wants to focus on the details of the game. Despite that, he knows the magnitude of a division game against a tough opponent.
"“Just walked in this morning and saw it. So it’s a nice shirt,” defensive tackle Linval Joseph said with a laugh. “This is a big week. Green Bay is a very good team. We just have to execute small ball and [improve to] 8-2. ”"
Brian Robison’s response was a little different. His focus seems to be on Sunday’s game and doesn’t really concern himself with the gift from his head coach.
"“Shirts are shirts. I don’t care about shirts,” Robison said. “It’s about what we do on Sunday.”"
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The most elaborate quote about these shirts came from rookie wide reciever Stefon Diggs. His mind shifted to practices, where he knows that coach Zimmer is going to be running a tight ship considering the importance of the game. Still, Diggs gave us the same message that he does every week: keep working hard and keep improving.
"“[It is] not so much this game, but … what we got going on and how much more serious this is about to get,” Diggs said. “Of course it’s going to be a serious game. Of course coach is going to be even tighter this week to keep at it. Our record and what we’re doing right now, you can’t take a break and lighten up. You gotta continue to grind and grind even harder to be honest.”"
The Minnesota Vikings will have their opportunity to “Beat Green Bay” on November 22, 2015 when the Packers travel to Minneapolis. With the NFC North division currently open for the taking, this would be a great opportunity for the Vikings to assert their control. Hopefully, they can do what the tee shirt says.