Souhan: Vikings are NFL's ad men in purple this week

London ? Give the Vikings credit: They?re good sports.

They suffered their most galling loss in three years Sunday. They boarded a redeye charter Monday night. They landed in London in the late morning Tuesday and instead of busing to their hotel, shuttled directly to Wembley Stadium.

Still bleary-eyed, they showed up at a smattering of soccer pitches outside the stadium, where they?ll play the Steelers on Sunday, to promote their league and the game. They ran London schoolkids through football drills and acted much more cheerful than typical international travelers.

Chad Greenway chased kids around in a mini-version of flag football. Adrian Peterson told the kids to ?go run around outside.? Jared Allen told them to eat fruits and vegetables. Leslie Frazier ran the kids through drills, clapping and yelling encouragement.

Their ownership sacrificed a true home game in exchange for a game in London, one in which a loss could end the competitive portion of the season for a team that made the playoffs last year.

Instead of complaining, the Vikings said all of the things an NFL marketer would want them to say.

?We were excited to be one of the four teams to have the opportunity to come over here this year, to be able to spread the brand of the NFL,? tight end Kyle Rudolph said. ?I think everyone in our organization has done a great job. They?ve prepared us since last spring to make this as normal a week as possible, to make this a normal week in every way. I think this is nice for us, especially at this time in our season, to get away and be in a hotel together and have a bonding experience.?

Cornerback Marcus Sherels was asked if, when he signed up to play at the University of Minnesota, he could have envisioned playing in an NFL game in London. ?Not really, nope,? he said. ?We look at it as a business trip, but at the same time, it?s a once-in-a-lifetime experience to come over to London and explore and see this beautiful city. Everyone?s looking forward to it. Wembley Stadium was actually the thing I wanted to see.?

Source: http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/225126572.html

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