The Whisperer Remembers ... Matt Blair.

When he arrived in Minnesota by way of Iowa State University, he brought with him a rare blend of size and speed … the kind of speed the league had yet to see in a man his size. It was the kind of speed that allowed him to roam from sideline to sideline, the kind that meant no play was out of his reach, and no ballcarrier was safe from the force he came to be known as.

He never met a collision he didn’t like and no matter if it was a pulling guard, a protecting tackle, a fullback doubling as a battering ram, a runner or receiver, or his favorite, an unsuspecting quarterback, he played no favorites. He played no favorites and everyone he came in contact with met the same brutal end, tasted the grass, and felt the pain of what it meant to be in the grasp of a true gridiron great.

His office was the vaunted NFC Central during a time when three forces took the field at the same time: the home team, the away team, and the brutal conditions they were forced to inhabit for however long the test of wills lasted. No matter the duration, no matter the temperature, or opponent, no one ever outlasted him. Regardless of the score he was always the last man standing so today, Whisperer Nation, stand to your feet and give a rousing round of applause … for former Minnesota Vikings linebacker supreme … the one and only, Matt Blair. #RIPSir