The last 10 days or so has been a weird mix of excitement and sadness for the fans of the Minnesota Vikings. On the one hand, training camp has started, and the Vikings are a talented team, expected to compete for the Super Bowl. On the other hand, it’s overshadowed by the sudden passing of OL coach Tony Sparano, with his death and funeral service muting what is an otherwise exciting time of the season.
And sadly, for this franchise, this isn’t new territory. As a matter of fact, the team is in an somewhat similar situation as they were when this happened some 17 years ago.