Post by Purple Pain on Jan 10, 2020 18:34:14 GMT -6
“It’s Not Ending Here!” by Kyle Rudolph
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Full piece at link:
www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/kyle-rudolph-minnesota-vikings-playoffs
I was almost going to be a free agent this summer. Not a lot of people know that.
Or actually, maybe people did know, but they just didn’t talk about it much — which is exactly how I wanted it. I wanted it to be real low-key, because I knew my decision was going to be real low-key. The idea of exploring free agency was definitely interesting to me, and maybe even appealing. It’s something that I think every professional athlete dreams about, to a certain extent: having other teams in your league pitch you, and recruit you, and sell you on this idea that you’re the missing piece of their puzzle.
But at the end of the day, I decided to forgo my free agency.
And that’s because, as tempting as it might have been to field a bunch of offers from some other teams this summer….. I knew that ultimately those offers would all have one fatal flaw: They’d be offers to leave.
And all I ever wanted to do was stay.
All I’ve ever wanted, for as long as I’ve been in this league, is to keep on playing tight end for the Minnesota Vikings — and to be a part of the team that finally delivers this franchise its Super Bowl.
Or actually, maybe people did know, but they just didn’t talk about it much — which is exactly how I wanted it. I wanted it to be real low-key, because I knew my decision was going to be real low-key. The idea of exploring free agency was definitely interesting to me, and maybe even appealing. It’s something that I think every professional athlete dreams about, to a certain extent: having other teams in your league pitch you, and recruit you, and sell you on this idea that you’re the missing piece of their puzzle.
But at the end of the day, I decided to forgo my free agency.
And that’s because, as tempting as it might have been to field a bunch of offers from some other teams this summer….. I knew that ultimately those offers would all have one fatal flaw: They’d be offers to leave.
And all I ever wanted to do was stay.
All I’ve ever wanted, for as long as I’ve been in this league, is to keep on playing tight end for the Minnesota Vikings — and to be a part of the team that finally delivers this franchise its Super Bowl.
After the game, I guess the video of Coach giving me and Kirk our game balls went pretty viral — and I’m glad everyone got to see that. Not because of my moment or anything, but because the people outside our locker room got to catch a glimpse of how the players inside our locker room feel about Kirk. That’s our guy, you know? And he’s been our guy. And I think we’ve all felt a little weird about just the nature of how our team gets covered: where, if the team loses, then no matter who’s to blame, or who played poorly, or who played well — that L gets hung right on Kirk. And so there was this narrative, this frankly ridiculous narrative, that “Cousins can’t win the big one,” or “can’t win in prime time” or whatever. Meanwhile, I’ve seen Kirk ball his heart out in so many of those games, make the right plays at the right time, keep mistakes to a minimum….. only for us as a group to fall short.
Something else happened a few months ago that you guys might not know about: I turned 30.
Man….. thirty.
It’s hard to imagine. I still remember getting drafted by the Vikings when I was 21….. and how one of the main things on my mind then was that, you know, my high school football team’s uniforms were purple — So this is good. I look good in purple. I really was just a kid. And on some level it’s impossible to figure out where the time has gone. It feels like it’s all happened so fast.
But then on another level….. I remember all of it. Every play, every block, every catch, every win, every loss — every moment of where it’s gone, I remember. And I’ve learned so much in those moments. And I’ve grown so much over those years. I’ve absorbed this team’s history, and I’ve become this team’s history. I’ve absorbed its culture, and I’ve become its culture.
We believe we belong — and that’s a belief that’s only getting more and more powerful.
I feel like when I first got here, I was Kyle Rudolph, who plays for the Vikings.
And now I’m Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Viking.
It’s a part of me.
And like I said — that’s why I had to re-sign. That’s why I had to come back for another shot at this thing. Because this is all a part of me now. Those Super Bowl losses, I cringe when they’re mentioned. Those heartbreaks in ’98, or ’09, or you name it — I ache when I hear about them. And those playoff losses that I’ve been on the team for myself? Man, they’re never far from my mind. I’ve gotten to see this fan base, close-up, when it’s been a win away from the Super Bowl — and it was one of the greatest experiences of my entire life. And then to not have been able to follow through with that win, and deliver that chance at a ring….. it’s still a tough one to swallow.
But I also understand now how that’s kind of the point.
I understand now how all of that, each one of those setbacks, this whole journey, the unique relationship between the players on this team and the fans of this team — it’s what makes the experience of being a Viking so special. We’ve built something stronger than an organization here.
It’s more like….. a community, I think.
And we’re going to keep on building that community every day — all of us together. Memory by memory, brick by brick.
And hopefully, over this next month or so, win by win.
Man….. thirty.
It’s hard to imagine. I still remember getting drafted by the Vikings when I was 21….. and how one of the main things on my mind then was that, you know, my high school football team’s uniforms were purple — So this is good. I look good in purple. I really was just a kid. And on some level it’s impossible to figure out where the time has gone. It feels like it’s all happened so fast.
But then on another level….. I remember all of it. Every play, every block, every catch, every win, every loss — every moment of where it’s gone, I remember. And I’ve learned so much in those moments. And I’ve grown so much over those years. I’ve absorbed this team’s history, and I’ve become this team’s history. I’ve absorbed its culture, and I’ve become its culture.
We believe we belong — and that’s a belief that’s only getting more and more powerful.
I feel like when I first got here, I was Kyle Rudolph, who plays for the Vikings.
And now I’m Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Viking.
It’s a part of me.
And like I said — that’s why I had to re-sign. That’s why I had to come back for another shot at this thing. Because this is all a part of me now. Those Super Bowl losses, I cringe when they’re mentioned. Those heartbreaks in ’98, or ’09, or you name it — I ache when I hear about them. And those playoff losses that I’ve been on the team for myself? Man, they’re never far from my mind. I’ve gotten to see this fan base, close-up, when it’s been a win away from the Super Bowl — and it was one of the greatest experiences of my entire life. And then to not have been able to follow through with that win, and deliver that chance at a ring….. it’s still a tough one to swallow.
But I also understand now how that’s kind of the point.
I understand now how all of that, each one of those setbacks, this whole journey, the unique relationship between the players on this team and the fans of this team — it’s what makes the experience of being a Viking so special. We’ve built something stronger than an organization here.
It’s more like….. a community, I think.
And we’re going to keep on building that community every day — all of us together. Memory by memory, brick by brick.
And hopefully, over this next month or so, win by win.
Full piece at link:
www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/kyle-rudolph-minnesota-vikings-playoffs
... and neither is this Chris guy.