Vikings' Bold European Trip Could Cost Them More Than They Bargained For

The Minnesota Vikings are at the start of their 10-day trip to Europe. On the surface, they have two winnable games ahead of them as they face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin followed by the Cleveland Browns in London.

This was not a trip that the NFL mandated for the Vikings. Instead, when the idea of playing consecutive weeks in Europe came up, the Vikings were the team that raised their hands and shouted “Ooh, ooh,” hoping the teacher would call on them. The Vikings got their wish.

These trips are huge revenue enhancers for the NFL. They will have sell-out crowds at Croke Park in Ireland and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in England and a lot of NFL-related merchandise will be sold. The Vikings will gain their share of the financial windfall.

Owner Mark Wilf explained why the Vikings wanted to participate in the two-game excursion.

“We're club first, but we are also very mindful of making sure the league and the sport grows," 

Wilf said. "The more the business grows, the more the fandom grows, and it just makes it exciting for everyone. Our players are up to it."

More likely that the players love their jobs and want to keep them, so that objections to the trip are not made public. Arguing with the boss is not a favorable idea for any player or coach.

But despite all the preparations the team has made for a 10-day trip to Europe, this is likely to have an impact as the season plays out. The immediate reaction from Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard was a SMH (shaking my head) 

post on social media. He would later back off from that position, saying it was a logistical issue for a player traveling with his young family, but that it was a great experience for the team.

Vikings attempt to keep routine intact

It is hardly that. The Vikings may have taken every precaution on how to lessen the impact on the players and coaching staff, but this kind of travel is draining. Additionally, NFL players have a routine that they have to follow in order to get through a 17-game schedule. Typical weeks include a game on Sunday and then film breakdown, weight training and light afternoon practice on Monday. Tuesday is almost always the day off.

Wednesday and Thursday are long practice days. The gameplan is revealed on Wednesday for the next week’s opponent and specific plays for that game are implemented on that day. All plays are practiced on Thursday and this is the day that teams try to perfect their performance on their core plays.

The Friday practice session consists of extra work on special teams and the 2-minute drill. This session is not the full-day session that the players have on Wednesday and Thursday.

Saturday sessions usually consist of a morning walk through and position meetings. Teams often fly on Saturdays for road games and whether the game is home or road, the players stay in a hotel and most teams will impose a curfew.

The Vikings will try to execute their normal schedule for this trip but the bottom line is that they will have 10 days out of the country and two very long cross-Atlantic flights.

After playing the Browns in Week 5, they have a bye the following week before resuming their schedule in Week 7 with a daunting home game against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles.

The Vikings should have an excellent opportunity to beat the Steelers and Browns, but once they return, the schedule gets far more difficult and their body clocks will still be adjusting

The impact of this trip is likely to be felt throughout the year, and it seems unlikely that the enthusiasm that accompanied the acceptance of two weeks in Europe will be rewarded at the end of the season.