Todd Swank: Are You Ready For Some Football?

July 28, 2024

Are You Ready For Some Football?

Todd Swank's Diary Entry for July 28, 2024

Krazy Kory was in town again this week. His job has been bringing him to Minnesota somewhat frequently which works out well because it allows us to hang out together more often. This visit brought us to my favorite restaurant. I loves me some Benihana!

We also had the chance to go to Canterbury Park where we bumped into Luke and his roommates. It's a bit dangerous mixing Kory and this group because things can get a little rowdy.

We tried to do some betting on the horses, but didn't fare too well. One of these days I need to learn some other methods for picking winners besides which horse has the coolest name.

Saturday brought us to TCO Performance Stadium in Eagan to see the first day of Minnesota Vikings Training Camp which was open to the public. Luke's roommate, Cade, joined us for the day and we were all hoping to be able to join in and get some action on the field. Alas, we were only able to watch from the stands.

Sheri and the boys stopped by the Vikings Museum to relive some classic moments from the team's history.

When Luke discovered he's the same size as Jordan Addison, he suddenly had the inspiration to re-invent himself as an NFL wide receiver. Not sure what his next steps will be, but obviously I wish him the best of luck in his journey.

Eventually we made our way to the practice fields to get our first glimpse of the 2024-25 Minnesota Vikings. The temperature was a balmy 93 degrees, but we were looking forward to sweating it out while spending the afternoon watching football.

Watching practice is fun, but it can be difficult figuring out who to watch and when. There's a whole bunch of people on the field and they're all very active. It can get to be a bit over stimulating at times. Luckily I really like being over stimulated.

Coach Kevin O'Connell runs a pretty tight ship, but generally he seems to be a great guy. I think we'd be really good friends if he'd just give me the chance.

We were excited to be cheering on our new players like our #10 overall draft pick, JJ McCarthy. He's not expected to be the starter right away, but he is definitely the future of the franchise.

He seems to be making new friends already. Which is a good thing. Camp can be a very lonely time for a lot of kids.

On the other side of the ball is our #17 overall pick, Dallas Turner. The team might not be competing for the Super Bowl this year, but the foundation is certainly being built for success down the road.

It's going to be fun to watch what Aaron Jones will be able to do for the team after seeing him run all over us the past several years while he was a member of the Green Bay Packers. Not sure how much gas he has left in the tank, but hopefully it's enough for at least a few good revenge games against his old squad.

Of course we're all very happy that the number one receiver in the league, Justin Jefferson, signed a long term contract extension with the team. He will be doing the griddy for us for many years to come!