The mad dash started on Thursday at roughly 1:15 p.m. That’s when Vikings players started to file into the locker room at TCO Performance Center and the clock started to tick.
Though the players had a few hours to themselves before the transatlantic flight to London, Mike Parson and his team didn’t have the luxury of time. They had about an hour after practice ended to get the truck full of equipment loaded and on its way to the airport.
No pressure.
“It’s organized chaos,” said Parson, the director of equipment services, who took over for the legendary Dennis Ryan last year. “There’s a method to the madness.”
The scene inside the locker room at TCO Performance Center proved that point.
An equipment bag awaited each player at his locker while Parson walked around with a clipboard in hand making sure everything went according to plan. After packing his helmet, shoulder pads, cleats and whatever else he felt he needed, each player was instructed to leave the equipment bag unzipped so it could be checked.
Occasionally, an item would be missing, and Parson would take it upon himself to make sure it got packed.
“It’s a lot of double-checking and triple-checking,” Parson said. “I’d much rather be able to close my eyes on that plane knowing that we double-checked and triple-checked.”
As soon as an equipment bag was given the OK by Parson or a member of his team, he zipped it up, checked the player’s number off his list, then started the process again with the next bag to check.
After about 45 minutes, most of the players had filed out of the locker room at TCO Performance Center, while Parson and his team of Adam Groene, Terrell Barnes, Kyle DeLaura and Blake Schroeder had gotten most of the equipment bags loaded onto the truck and ready to be driven to the airport.
In total, the Vikings took about 20,000 pounds of stuff with them to London, along with 10 pallets worth of stuff sent via cargo ship back around the Fourth of July. That initial shipment that traversed the Atlantic Ocean arrived a couple of weeks ago and included everything from various toiletries to nutritional items to athletic training supplies.
“This is exciting for us because it’s not routine,” Parson said. “This is kind of where we get to show our talents.”
The ultimate goal for Parson is making sure the Vikings feel as comfortable as possible when they play the New York Jets on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Nothing about the this week is normal for the players and coaches, so Parson has been working tirelessly with his team to make sure everything goes off without a hitch.
“There’s so much stuff that goes into it and not once have they ever complained,” right tackle Brian O’Neill said. “We wouldn’t be able to do any of this without them.”
The stress that comes with the position has never bothered Parson. He got his start in the NFL as an equipment intern with the New Orleans Saints a couple of decades ago and found himself drawn to the impact he could make while working behind the scenes.
After making a good impression and staying in touch with his former bosses, Parson ended up returning to the Saints when Hurricane Katrina forced them to evacuate to San Antonio, Texas. Eventually, Parson parlayed that experience into an opportunity with the Houston Texans, where he worked his way up to director of equipment services before being hired by the Vikings last year.
Though it wasn’t easy to follow in the footsteps of Ryan, who served in the role for the Vikings for nearly 50 years, Parson knew it as important not to come in and try to reinvent the wheel. He spent a lot of time observing last year as he figured out the likes and dislikes of everybody within the organization.
Vikings director of equipment services Mike Parson has been integral in getting the team ready to play in London. He and his crew have been working tirelessly in preparation for the international game between the Vikings and the New York Jets.
“No major changes even now,” Parson said. “Just putting my stamp on it a little bit.”
His attention to detail hasn’t gone unnoticed by the players.
“I saw what Denis was able to do in his time,” defensive tackle Harrison Phillips said. “It’s hard to think that anybody could follow in those shoes, and Mike has done an amazing job.”
No doubt the trip to London has been the biggest challenge for Parson during his short tenure with the Vikings.
The planning started nearly 10 months ago when the NFL announced that the Vikings would be playing across the pond. After taking a site visit to get a lay of the land, Parson returned with a bunch of ideas in his head. He got together with his team and slowly started brainstorming everything they were going to need.
Usually, for each game on the schedule, Parson keeps a file folder to make sure everything is in order. He has a full binder for the trip to London because there are so many moving parts.
“I’m happy it’s finally here,” he said. “Instead of worrying about London in the background while everything else is going on, we can kind of put the plan into action.”
In that same breath, Parson once again heaped praise on Groene, Barnes, DeLaura and Schroeder for all the work they do. He made it clear that he wouldn’t be able to do any of his job without his team working alongside him.
“We enjoy doing our little part to help the Vikings win a game,” Parsons said. “We consider it a privilege to be able to do what we do.”
On that note, there was a cool moment in the locker room at U.S. Bank Stadium a couple of weeks ago, when head coach Kevin O’Connell gave Parson a game ball after the Vikings beat the Texans. Instantly, edge rusher Jonathan Greenard mobbed Parson, celebrating a man who rarely gets the spotlight.
“He treats everything personal,” Greenard said. “He wants to make sure we’re 100 percent comfortable and ready to go whenever we’re out there. I appreciate him more than he knows, and I probably need to tell him more. He’s an unsung hero.”
As soon as the Vikings boarded the plane on Thursday, with everything packed neatly underneath, Parson knew he could take a breath.
“The plane is my sanctuary,” Parson said. “Nobody can call my name and ask me for anything because I can’t tell the pilot to stop the flight.”
After getting some sleep on the plane, Parson woke up in London, made his way to customs to get everything released, then got back to work.
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