Over the course of the last few days, a lot of Vikings blogs (including this one) have brought up Dr. Z.'s article that says he likes the Vikings to win this year's Super Bowl.  Many. . .again, including this one. . .have even gone so far as to say that it's possible that the good Doctor has jinxed the Vikings in some way, shape, or form.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm pleased to inform you that any jinx that Dr. Z. MIGHT have placed on the Beloved Purple has been effectively cancelled out, thanks to the good folks at Pro Football Talk.

History is also against the Vikings, when it comes to being a presumptive preseason favorite.  In 1988 and 1989, they failed to deliver.  In 1999, a year after the 15-1 campaign that collapsed under Gary Anderson’s only missed kick of the year, they struggled early and were no match for the Rams in the playoffs. 

In 2005, the Vikings were expected to be among the league’s elite, even though it was their first season without Randy Moss.  Then came a 1-4 start, followed not long thereafter by Daunte Culpepper’s knee implosion.

Some teams can perform well despite the glare of high expectations.  The Vikings, however, have traditionally proven that they can’t.  So the one thing Vikings fans should be rooting for over the next couple of months is that no one else follows Dr. Z’s lead.

You know, the same sort of things that the Indianapolis Colts heard every year prior to beating the Bears in the Super Bowl. . .the same sort of thing that the Boston Red Sox heard every year prior to winning the World Series. . .you know, that stuff.

Then again, I don't think the folks at PFT are what you'd classify as Viking fans by any stretch of the imagination.  If we go back to the pre-season Power Rankings that they put together last year, they made the declaration that only two teams in the entire National Football League would be worse than the Minnesota Vikings.  (To their credit, they managed to get both of those teams right, but hey. . .blind squirrel, acorn, etc.)  Most of us knew that that was a load of crap from the start, but it was thoroughly proven as the season wore on.  Now, the Vikings have improved all of their significant weaknesses, and PFT is still telling us not to get too excited.

So, basically, Pro Football Talk telling us not to get too excited is as much of a reason to get excited as Dr. Z.'s excitement is a reason for pessimism.  They, essentially, cancel each other out.

Good lord, can the season just start already?