Mike Lynn was serving fried chicken in the locker room to his Minnesota Vikings Wednesday.
”Another wing, A.C.?” the general manager asked receiver Anthony Carter.
”Here`s some more spicy,” Lynn said.
He was wearing a Popeye`s hat, saying the chicken was a substitute for spinach. There was laughter and TV cameras, and all appeared right in their frozen corner of the world. And why not?
Week 13 and the Vikings are in first place in the NFC Central in control of their own destiny. They play the Bears, Falcons and Bengals inside their home sweet dome in December, and they go on the road only once, to Cleveland. None of their foes have won more games than they have. So what`s wrong with this picture?
”That`s the positive way of looking at it,” coach Jerry Burns said.
”But we`re like a guy hanging out a 50th story window. The guy next to him is already down. I`m looking for someone to grab me and pull me back up. We`re like the Bears. Can`t do a thing.”
At 7-5, tied with Green Bay, coming off consecutive one-point losses to the Eagles and Packers, they worry that the fried chicken is fattening. They notice Lynn is being more generous with second helpings than he was in July when Carter, Joey Browner and Chris Doleman wanted new contracts.
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They notice this is the first time Lynn ever has served lunch in the locker room, a place where frivolity has been missing most of the season. These are not happy campers on the field or off.
Wade Wilson, one of 12 Pro Bowl players on the team, has thrown four touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Herschel Walker has gained 148, 89, 68, 76, 48, 48, and 42 yards in his seven games and keeps getting asked why he`s not fitting in. Carter, Browner, Steve Jordan and others are playing hurt. Offensive coordinator Bob Schnelker is getting pounded because the great players aren`t making great plays. Placekicker Rich Karlis is setting records and getting booed.
New linebacker Mike Merriweather beat the Rams with a blocked punt in overtime but missed an interception (so did cornerback Reggie Rutland) that would have beaten the Packers. ”What`s he get a million dollars a year for?
To ALMOST make the play?” Burns asked in frustration.
The Vikings aren`t having fun yet.
”With all the expectations and pressure to perform, we`ve overlooked having fun out there and flowing free and having a good time,” Wilson said.
”We`ve been uptight, and it`s affected our play.”
Beating the Houston Oilers 38-7 in their opener was the only victory that satisfied the critics of both offense and defense. Since the Bears hit them with a fourth-quarter barrage in Week 2, there has been doubt about the Vikings` heart, sometimes expressed by the players themselves.
Burns said he doesn`t believe his players aren`t playing hard, and if he thought they didn`t have heart, ”I`d get out of the business.” But he does wonder about their confidence, which is not reflected in their faces.
”The players look around. They see the 49ers and the Giants. It becomes a matter of self-doubting themselves or the coaches or the philosophy,” Burns said.
”I think it`s important that everybody be happy,” defensive tackle Keith Millard said. ”We can`t say a whole lot of players are happy because of the last two weeks, especially. We`ve been up and down all year. I think we`re a better team than 7-5. No way we should have lost to some of those teams.”
”There`s a lot of disappointment, and I think there should be,” Lynn said.
As for Walker`s addition, it has not resulted in any more great plays from the great players. ”The quirk was what he did the first game,” Lynn said.
Burns looks around the league and sees what every coach sees: running production is down.
”I see Eric Dickerson ran the ball 18 times for 30 yards last week. All due respect to Neal Anderson, Gerald Riggs, Walker, but Dickerson is recognized as the premier running back in football. He can`t just jam the ball down anybody`s throats,” Burns said.
So fried chicken is the only thing that brings a smile on this day. And Lynn is serving.
”One of the things players mentioned to me,” said Lynn, ”is that the only time they see me is when I`m disciplining them or negotiating a contract. So I am going to be more visible when we`re not in confrontational situations.”
In December, teams will try anything.