Check your calendar and beware of Vikings offseason tropes

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell / Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
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This week, the Minnesota Vikings held their first full-team OTA sessions of the 2023 offseason, and there is already plenty of excitement surrounding the team as they begin the process of preparing to defend their NFC North title.

So far, the aggressive nature of the Vikings defense under new defensive coordinator Brian Flores is what has drawn the most attention from those observing on the outside of the practice field.

Flores was already asked on Wednesday what he thought needed to be done during the next few months to turn Minnesota's defense into a top-10 unit. Hold on, a top-10 defense? Let's give the Vikings more than a couple of OTA practices before we start setting the expectations for Flores extraordinarily high.

Excitement about changes during the offseason is nothing new for the Minnesota Vikings

This sort of offseason excitement about the defense that is currently flowing through the veins of the Vikings fan base isn't something that has never been experienced before. It's just the latest in a long line of Minnesota offseason tropes during the last few years.

Around this time last offseason, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins stood at a podium after an OTA practice session and revealed how the defensive scheme implemented by new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell was making practice "difficult" for the team's offense.

That, obviously, didn't remain true during the 2022 season, when Minnesota's defense under Donatell ranked 28th in the NFL in points allowed and 31st in yards allowed.

This isn't to say that we shouldn't be excited about what Flores could bring to the Vikings defense. The fact that his scheme has Minnesota's defenders moving around and not remaining stationary like they were in Donatell's scheme should make Vikings ecstatic.

But we're nearing the end of May and there are still three full months left until Minnesota takes the field for their first game of the 2023 regular season. While it's difficult sometimes, Vikings fans have to remind themselves to temper their expectations a bit as we head into the summer.

Remember some of Minnesota's past offseason tropes like how Anthony Barr was going to be used more as a pass rusher, Mike Zimmer was considering giving up defensive play-calling, or the Vikings had solved their offensive guard problem with a veteran free agent?

As Minnesota fans, we should know better. But we seem to fall for the same traps almost every offseason. Perhaps we should work on changing that uncontrollable excitement to slight intrigue and any potential future letdowns won't be as devastating.

But that wouldn't be any fun, would it?

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