25 SKOL’s of Christmas: Jeff George’s moonshots

Welcome to the 25 SKOL’s of Christmas!

In a similar vein to how Freeform has done the 25 days of Christmas, we will look back at different moments in Vikings history to bring a little extra joy to you this holiday season.

It’s that simple. The holidays can be a trying time for some people and we want to put a smile on people’s faces by reminiscing about some truly joyous times in Vikings’ history.

On the twenty-first SKOL of Christmas, the Vikings gave to me: Jeff George saving the 1999 season with moon shots.

The 1999 season was an interesting one for the Vikings. They were a field goal away from making the Super Bowl. Quarterback Randall Cunningham was such a renaissance with his near MVP campaign that the Vikings traded Brad Johnson to Washington for first, second and third-round picks.

Unfortunately, Cunningham couldn’t duplicate the same magic as the Vikings started out the season with a 2-4 record. Jeff George took over halfway through week six against the Detroit Lions and ended up finishing the season with an 8-2 record. It was another quarterback in the long line of journeymen that Green had success with.

Him playing well as a whole isn’t the story. It was how he played. George was the ultimate gunslinger. He had all the arm talent in the world but his attitude kept him from ever reaching his full potential. Some of the throws that he made were on another level. They are on the level of Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.

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The arm talent was absurd and he meshed well with the Vikings’ receivers, but they chose to move on in favor of third-string quarterback and 1999 first-round pick Daunte Culpepper. The tenure was only one season, but they made that season count.

Previous SKOL’s of Christmas:

Drafting Randy MossVikings 1997 Wild Card ComebackJarius Wright Walks Off the JetsJared Allen Traded to VikingsAdrian Peterson Sets Rushing RecordBrett Favre Revenge TourBud Grant Rocks a Polo in Freezing TemperaturesAdrian Peterson Stiff Arms Defender to OblivionAnthony Carter Dominates the 1987 PlayoffsKirk Cousins’ First Major ComebackRandy Moss Dominates Monday Night FootballTuesday Night Joe WebbRandy Moss Laterals to Moe WilliamsMiracle At The MetCris Carter catches number 1,000Resurgence of Randall CunninghamSam Bradford Opens Up U.S. Bank StadiumTeddy Bridgewater’s Triumphant ReturnRandy Moss on ThanksgivingBernard Berrian 99 Yard Touchdown

Story originally appeared on Vikings Wire