Prince may have found his way into the Vikings' playbook.
ESPN.com reported Sunday that quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was heard barking the phrase "Purple Rain" during a line check at training camp, a clear nod to Prince's landmark 1984 album and film of the same name.
The Minnesota-born pop star, who died in April from a prescription drug overdose, was a big fan of the region's sports teams and had reportedly been in talks to play a show at the Vikings' new stadium this month.
Prince has an interesting, not widely known, tie to the Vikings. He was sitting in a luxury box at the Metrodome when the Vikings blew out the Cowboys in the 2009 divisional playoffs. Inspired by the home team's effort, he quickly wrote, recorded and released a fight song called "Purple and Gold" ahead of the team's NFC Championship Game against the Saints.
The song, like the outcome of that title game, is probably best forgotten by Vikings fans, but it serves as a pretty cool artifact in franchise history.
In summation, "Purple Rain" easily supplants "New York Bozo" as the best line check in the NFC North. Now let's all watch Prince at the Super Bowl again. Miss that guy.