All joking aside, an odd coping mechanism could be the reason the Minnesota Vikings have blown leads and are sitting at 0-4.

“The knock against Donovan [McNabb]…is his intensity level is not what it needs to be, both throughout the week and during games,” said Ron Wolfley, co-host of Arizona Sports 620’s Doug & Wolf Show. Wolfley was quick to add that this is not his opinion, but something he has heard around the NFL.

Apparently McNabb’s way of coping with the pressure brought on by a close game is to start laughing and joking with his teammates. This may be a great way to break the tension, but Wolfley said that seeing a man who commands respect throughout the NFL, like McNabb, smiling his way through the fourth quarter is demoralizing.

“He is a king in the locker room and you can’t have a mad king in the locker room,” said Wolfley, adding that joking around after a loss — especially a close one — can take the intensity that is needed to improve for next week and drop it through the floor.

“Football is a sobering game and it’s played by serious people,” Wolfley said.

When the Cardinals come to town on Sunday, it is going to be a test for two teams who entered the seasons with high hopes and the glint of a possible stunner season in their eyes. Two teams who now have won just a single game between them.

We’ll see who has the last laugh on Sunday.

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