Thank you to everyone who has filled out a survey so far. If you're a fan of an out-of-town team and I haven't given you a questionnaire to fill out, please let me know ASAP, as I am looking to profile as many people as possible.
My fourth feature is on Tim Caleca, who represents the Minnesota Vikings. I attended broadcasting school with Tim for 10 months between 2010-2011. While there, he was very vocal about his love of the Vikings (and dislike of the Bears - to put it nicely). His team's woes of the past couple years hasn't stopped him from loving his team any less. Thank you to Tim for giving his thoughts on the Vikings.
Here's a list of other blogs in the out-of-town feature series:
1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Tennessee Titans
3. New Orleans Saints
Who knew a kid's first jersey would play the biggest role in deciding what NFL team to root for the rest of his life?
That's exactly what happened with Tim Caleca, whose purchase of a future Hall-of-Fame wide receiver jersey set up a lifetime of fandom for the Minnesota Vikings.
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| Right now, things aren't looking up for the Vikings |
He seems to relish in his bickering with Bears fans, who hassle him every Sunday during football season.
"Mostly because being in Chicago as a fan of the enemy, I have to constantly defend myself," Tim said. "Some years, (Bears fans) praise my team for being quality; some years (such as this year), they don't."
He utilizes bars with the DirecTV package when they are not on local TV and is kept up-to-date on Vikings news through ESPN, NFL Network, the Vikings mobile app and a Vikings site called dailynorseman.com.
He's been able to attend a few Vikings games at Soldier Field. Each of them have been memorable in their own way, he said.
"(I went) mostly in the mid-00's when the Vikings were rebuilding," Tim said. "I've never had to give so many middle fingers."
Out of the current batch of players, his favorite players are Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen. He also noted that Chad Greenway is one of the more under-rated linebackers in the NFL (keep an eye on him, Bears fans).
As far as football fans go, Tim is as outspoken as any of them. However, he is also one of the most realistic fans of any team I've encountered.
When mentioned that B-Bo Knows predicted a 4-12 record for the Vikings, Tim didn't seem to disagree.
"I'm extremely realistic when it comes to projections," he said. "I haven't made my predictions but I can't imagine they'd be far off from yours.
"Off the top of my head, between 3 and 5 wins seems realistic to me."
Tim doesn't seem sold on Christian Ponder as the team's franchise quarterback, with the team's offensive talent surrounding him not helping much.
"We'll have to see what he does this year," he said. "He's got tight ends that make plays, but his receiving core isn't very deep. They have a questionable offensive line, no vertical threat and a healing AP.
"I think the front office will say 'No' to him before they surround him with enough talent."
| Tim Caleca | |
| Whole Life in Chicago area | |
| Favorite team | Vikings |
| A fan since… | early 1990s |
| # of games attended | several (all at Soldier Field) |
| Choice of Team Consumption | bars w/ DirecTV |
| Favorite Player(s) All-Time | Cris Carter |
| Favorite Player Currently | Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen |
| 2012 Prediction | (4-12) |
| Vegas Projection for team | 6 |
| (as of 8-30-12) 5dimes.eu | |
| Over/under? | Under |
| Odds to win division - 5dimes.eu | 32/1 |
| Super Bowl odds | |
| (as of 8-30-12) - 5dimes.eu | 335/1 |
