The night before they would take the field in front of their own fans for the first time in nearly 19 months, Vikings players gathered for a team meeting to begin training camp. The message, from coach Mike Zimmer, was an imperative not to miss the opportunity in front of them.
"Act professional, work really hard and work together and maybe the biggest thing, is let's not fall short of what we can do," Zimmer said Tuesday morning. "Whatever our level of ability is and intelligence and hard work, whatever that is, let's make sure we at least fulfill that part, if not do more.