Tommy Kramer's greatest year: NFL Comeback Player of the Year. The man had massive talent and drive. A glimpse of what might have been for him, if one or two things had broken his way. Thank you Tommy for a great career! True Vikings fans love ya!
This was an up and coming Vikings team that barely missed the playoffs at 9-7, beat the 49ers at the stick and were but a 4th and 17 Phil Simms conversion from beating the eventual SB champion Giants at home. I think Jerry Burns was a good replacement for Bud Grant. Floyd Peters is up there with Buddy Ryan, Ritchie Pettibon, and Bill Arnsparger as one of the great defensive coordinators ever. They were on the way up in 1986 and even beat the 49ers in 1987 in one of the biggest playoff upsets of all time. I remember it all going downhill from there, the locker room was divided, then they traded for Herschel Walker and then didn’t use him correctly. The fans soured on Jerry Burns by the end of the decade. Maybe if Anthony Carter had stayed healthy. Maybe if Walker was used correctly or maybe if the Walker trade never happened at all. The 1986 Vikings showed tremendous promise, were talented and were coached well. And they were in a long line of promising contenders who were never able to make the next step to champion. Tommy Kramer was underrated as a QB
The Giants/Vikings game was a turning point for the Giants. They were 8-2, but Phil Simms said it felt like they were 2-8. He was terrible and out of sync with his WR, the media was hounding him, and Parcells said that the Vikings game was where the season could have spiraled out of control. The 4th and 17 pass turned around the entire season, and the Giants wouldn't lose another game the rest of the season.
A team building over several years. Now, there’s an old concept! This crop, through at least 1990, was built on most of the same star players, adding new ones sparsely, to fill needs. Anthony Carter, Hasan Jones, Alan Rice, Chuck Nelson, Joey Browner, Chris Doleman, an aging Kramer (backed up a reserve Wade Wilson, who actually broke the QB rating stat, in a season... ), Steve Jordan, Sammy White, Leo Lewis, Darrin Nelson, Alfred Anderson, Tim Irwin, Gary Zimmerman, Isaac Holt, Carl Lee, David Huffman, Dennis Swilley, Scott Studwell, Jesse Solomon, Doug Martin, Tim Newton, Keith Millard, and _especially_ Jerry Burns-taken over for by the return of Bud Grant, a minute-who’d replace key players with folks like Jack Del Rio, DJ Dozier, Fuad Reveiz, who altogether helped make Robert Smith’s 10-years with the team seem not nearly long enough. Thank god for Adrian Peterson - who almost made us forget Herschel Walker and Dallas’ three SBs... Despite how great 1998 was, how great 2002 could’ve been with one dude sticking around for that year, and how great 2017 was (on a fluke - not with Stephon Diggs (who’s gotten no closer to a SB and has to live in relative obscurity, on a team that’d disappoint more often than the Vikes, if they were a biennial playoff team... and lost four seasons _in a row_ their Super Bowls) _so much as_ with backup Case Keenum ), the 1987 Vikings are still my favorite team. If I were ten years younger, that’d pro’lly be different, but so many _incredible_ players and personalities. Plus, AC’s _ridiculous_ catches that’d still make SportsCenter, today...
The Vikes had an awful draft in 86. They snagged Hassan Jones in Rd 5 and Jesse Solomon in Rd 12. But in every other round, they selected players who went bust.
Giants, Redskins and Browns games we had 99% won and somehow gave away. I never understood why the defending Super Bowl champion Bears got the world's easiest schedule and the Vikings played all the top teams.
Just think if we had drafted Marcus Allen an Dan Marino instead of Darrin Nelson and Joey Browner. Disturbing that a kid could make that choice and adults chose wrongly.
Marcus Allen was a no brainer. Dan Marino was terrible his senior year in college at Pitt. Joey Browner was an all time Viking great, and we had a high level quarterback in Kramer. There was no logical reason to take Marino.
@@ckobo84 Marino had no talent around him his senior year at Pitt. I was 12 and I knew that. They picked Disco Darrin because he ran better on astroturf (Vikings coaches words to press) Browner, while in hindsight ended up being good. No one ever said Safeties win Super Bowls.
1. Not taking Marcus Allen was a massive mistake. Allen had greatness all over him. The Vikings would have been a great fit. 2. Not taking Dan Marino was not a huge mistake. Joey Browner ended up being a 6x Pro Bowler. He is borderline HOF. You could argue that not drafting Darrell Green was more of a mistake. Green was a 7x Pro Bowler and is a HOFer. The Vikings had a lot of QBs. Wilson, Dils, Kramer. The expectation was that Kramer would lead the Vikes through the rest of the 80s.
@@MGAF688 while I agree to a small point about Browner. No one ever said a safety was the final piece of the puzzle. Marino was the best qb in the country the year before he was drafted. Wilson and Kramer went to schools more known for running the football and Dills went to Stanford and was clearly not ever going to be a long term answer at qb in the NFL. Marino threw to the sweet sisters of the poor for one season and was dogged by rumors that were never remotely accurate regarding drug use. I stand by my original statement and the assessment of my 11 and 12 year old self. It is ok if you didn’t see it or don’t. I did.
@@myride7216 I agree with all of that sentiment. Marino was 11-1, 11-1, 11-1, and 9-3 as a starter in his college career. That's 42-6. Pitt finished 4th/3rd/2nd/13th in the nation. In 1982, Marino had to deal with a new coach. Marino should have been drafted second overall behind Elway. He wasn't because of those false accusations and who knows what. I am a HUGE Marino fan. He and Elway are my 2 favorite football players ever. Darrell Green is #3. But I grew up in Minnesota. I saw Browner a lot. I rarely missed a Vikes game in the 80s. He was not a mistake for the Vikes to take. Otherws like Dozier and Nelson were. Missing out on Kosar also hurt. But the Vikes did hit some homeruns too. Doleman and Zimmerman come to mind. Millard too.
Tommy Kramer's greatest year: NFL Comeback Player of the Year. The man had massive talent and drive. A glimpse of what might have been for him, if one or two things had broken his way. Thank you Tommy for a great career! True Vikings fans love ya!
This was an up and coming Vikings team that barely missed the playoffs at 9-7, beat the 49ers at the stick and were but a 4th and 17 Phil Simms conversion from beating the eventual SB champion Giants at home. I think Jerry Burns was a good replacement for Bud Grant. Floyd Peters is up there with Buddy Ryan, Ritchie Pettibon, and Bill Arnsparger as one of the great defensive coordinators ever. They were on the way up in 1986 and even beat the 49ers in 1987 in one of the biggest playoff upsets of all time. I remember it all going downhill from there, the locker room was divided, then they traded for Herschel Walker and then didn’t use him correctly. The fans soured on Jerry Burns by the end of the decade. Maybe if Anthony Carter had stayed healthy. Maybe if Walker was used correctly or maybe if the Walker trade never happened at all. The 1986 Vikings showed tremendous promise, were talented and were coached well. And they were in a long line of promising contenders who were never able to make the next step to champion. Tommy Kramer was underrated as a QB
The Giants/Vikings game was a turning point for the Giants. They were 8-2, but Phil Simms said it felt like they were 2-8. He was terrible and out of sync with his WR, the media was hounding him, and Parcells said that the Vikings game was where the season could have spiraled out of control. The 4th and 17 pass turned around the entire season, and the Giants wouldn't lose another game the rest of the season.
Also, the 1987 strike came at the worst time for the Vikings and Giants.
walker trade was paid off.Come on, the ONLY player at that time worth that many picks was Montana. It was when jones took over Dallas. nuff said
Nice! You can see the Capella Tower being built in the background of the opening shot
Capella Tower?
RIP Burnsie!
They didn't know how good they really were.
Great team.
A team building over several years. Now, there’s an old concept! This crop, through at least 1990, was built on most of the same star players, adding new ones sparsely, to fill needs. Anthony Carter, Hasan Jones, Alan Rice, Chuck Nelson, Joey Browner, Chris Doleman, an aging Kramer (backed up a reserve Wade Wilson, who actually broke the QB rating stat, in a season... ), Steve Jordan, Sammy White, Leo Lewis, Darrin Nelson, Alfred Anderson, Tim Irwin, Gary Zimmerman, Isaac Holt, Carl Lee, David Huffman, Dennis Swilley, Scott Studwell, Jesse Solomon, Doug Martin, Tim Newton, Keith Millard, and _especially_ Jerry Burns-taken over for by the return of Bud Grant, a minute-who’d replace key players with folks like Jack Del Rio, DJ Dozier, Fuad Reveiz, who altogether helped make Robert Smith’s 10-years with the team seem not nearly long enough. Thank god for Adrian Peterson - who almost made us forget Herschel Walker and Dallas’ three SBs...
Despite how great 1998 was, how great 2002 could’ve been with one dude sticking around for that year, and how great 2017 was (on a fluke - not with Stephon Diggs (who’s gotten no closer to a SB and has to live in relative obscurity, on a team that’d disappoint more often than the Vikes, if they were a biennial playoff team... and lost four seasons _in a row_ their Super Bowls) _so much as_ with backup Case Keenum ), the 1987 Vikings are still my favorite team. If I were ten years younger, that’d pro’lly be different, but so many _incredible_ players and personalities. Plus, AC’s _ridiculous_ catches that’d still make SportsCenter, today...
A tragedy that this team didn't make the playoffs. Top 5 in offense and defense. Their only real weakness was the run defense
The Vikes had an awful draft in 86. They snagged Hassan Jones in Rd 5 and Jesse Solomon in Rd 12. But in every other round, they selected players who went bust.
The Martye McDole, Robin Sendlein, Jarvis Redwine draft was pretty terrible as well.
this seems like it was like 10 years ago..
Giants, Redskins and Browns games we had 99% won and somehow gave away. I never understood why the defending Super Bowl champion Bears got the world's easiest schedule and the Vikings played all the top teams.
Just think if we had drafted Marcus Allen an Dan Marino instead of Darrin Nelson and Joey Browner. Disturbing that a kid could make that choice and adults chose wrongly.
Marcus Allen was a no brainer. Dan Marino was terrible his senior year in college at Pitt. Joey Browner was an all time Viking great, and we had a high level quarterback in Kramer. There was no logical reason to take Marino.
@@ckobo84 Marino had no talent around him his senior year at Pitt. I was 12 and I knew that. They picked Disco Darrin because he ran better on astroturf (Vikings coaches words to press) Browner, while in hindsight ended up being good. No one ever said Safeties win Super Bowls.
1. Not taking Marcus Allen was a massive mistake. Allen had greatness all over him. The Vikings would have been a great fit.
2. Not taking Dan Marino was not a huge mistake. Joey Browner ended up being a 6x Pro Bowler. He is borderline HOF. You could argue that not drafting Darrell Green was more of a mistake. Green was a 7x Pro Bowler and is a HOFer. The Vikings had a lot of QBs. Wilson, Dils, Kramer. The expectation was that Kramer would lead the Vikes through the rest of the 80s.
@@MGAF688 while I agree to a small point about Browner. No one ever said a safety was the final piece of the puzzle. Marino was the best qb in the country the year before he was drafted. Wilson and Kramer went to schools more known for running the football and Dills went to Stanford and was clearly not ever going to be a long term answer at qb in the NFL. Marino threw to the sweet sisters of the poor for one season and was dogged by rumors that were never remotely accurate regarding drug use. I stand by my original statement and the assessment of my 11 and 12 year old self. It is ok if you didn’t see it or don’t. I did.
@@myride7216 I agree with all of that sentiment. Marino was 11-1, 11-1, 11-1, and 9-3 as a starter in his college career. That's 42-6. Pitt finished 4th/3rd/2nd/13th in the nation. In 1982, Marino had to deal with a new coach. Marino should have been drafted second overall behind Elway. He wasn't because of those false accusations and who knows what. I am a HUGE Marino fan. He and Elway are my 2 favorite football players ever. Darrell Green is #3. But I grew up in Minnesota. I saw Browner a lot. I rarely missed a Vikes game in the 80s. He was not a mistake for the Vikes to take. Otherws like Dozier and Nelson were. Missing out on Kosar also hurt. But the Vikes did hit some homeruns too. Doleman and Zimmerman come to mind. Millard too.
whatever, Viking fan for over 50 years. Realized long ago it was never going to happen. Play outdoors to start.
Terrible fan