Skol Poll: What’s One Obscure Vikings Moment That Stands Out To You?

In my two years of blogging, this will be the first community engagement post I’ve ever written. Usually I like to stick to opinion-driven articles or topical subjects that have broad appeal, because it’s a tried and true way of creating discourse among the fanbase.

However, since joining Daily Norseman in March I’ve always wanted to experiment with creating different forms of content. Whether that be in the form of polls and other community engagement style posts; or even short-form, 2-4 minute vlogs about the Minnesota Vikings, where I talk directly to the camera about a singular topic from the comfort of my home office/recording studio.

Now that it’s the offseason and I’ve settled into my role a little bit, I figured this would be the perfect time to publish my first Skol Poll. Don’t credit me for the name, because I know I’m not the first to come up with it. The origins of the name being used online can be traced back as early as 2010. Granted, it does ring off the tongue better than anything else I can think of.

For today’s poll, I want to ask: What’s one obscure Vikings moment that stands out to you? It can be a specific game, play, or even an interaction with a player or another fan. It doesn’t have to be something that everyone has experienced. If it’s special or stands out to you, then feel free to share that story.

For me, it was delivering food to former Vikings tight end Tyler Conklin on two separate occasions in 2019. Well before I started writing, I was a delivery driver for a company called Bitesquad. Usually, delivery app drivers are independent contractors who can choose their own hours. Bitesquad paid their employees an hourly rate and drivers were required to pick up food and deliver across the metro area.

Eagan and Bloomington were two of my most frequented cities. There’s a lot of dining options in that area, especially near the Mall of America. Well, I had an order pop up that sent me to Yankee Tavern off of Highway 13 and Yankee Doodle Road. When an order pops up, you also get the customers name and address for verification and delivery purposes.

Immediately, I was starstruck to see Conklin’s name pop up on my driver app. Tyler Conklin ordered an enchilada, except with one modification. In all caps the description read: NO BEANS PLEASE! When I eventually made it to his luxury apartment in Bloomington, the main entrance for the building was locked. So I called him to notify that his food was here, and waited for him to come downstairs.

When Conklin arrived, the first thing I noticed was how he towered over me. The guy is 6 foot 3, and 250 pounds. He was wearing sweat pants, so it was obvious that he didn’t want to dress up and leave the apartment. Hence, why I was delivering his food. The second thing I noticed is how deep and slow his voice was. Here’s an interview he did as a rookie.

In that interview he talks a little bit faster and higher pitched, but when I interacted with him he was a bit more relaxed. His voice was deeper, and his speech a bit more mumbled. It’s probably because he was tired. I didn’t want to be too much of a bother, but I was able to casually say “Big fan” as I handed him his food. He said thanks, and I went on my merry way back to the car. He seemed like a very laid back and polite guy.

There was one other time I delivered food to his apartment, but I didn’t interact with him. If I recall correctly, his girlfriend was walking their Siberian Husky dogs and she ended up picking up their food from me. I didn’t say anything this time, but I knew it was them because their names popped up on the driver app.

So there you have it! That’s my obscure Vikings memory that stands out to me. Feel free to share yours in the comment section.