Built to win, devastated by injuries, Vikings leave fans disgusted, apathetic

Football people love to say the word "football." Listen to a former player or coach on TV, and their patter sounds something like: "These football players need to win this football game for this football team on this football field. Also: Football."

Their second-favorite utterance is "Next man up." Spoken with resolve and attitude, "Next Man Up" connotes toughness and resilience. It's a supposedly macho way of stating the obvious — when your team endures a meaningful injury, the next player on the depth chart will have to perform.

The saying comes with a catch, though. If you're going to survive injuries, the next man up had better be good at playing professional football. Too many of the…