“The Joe Webb Energy” is chronicled in a video feature that debuted on Vikings.com and the team’s YouTube channel on Wednesday. The feature film takes viewers to practices and Webb’s first game on the Mustangs sidelines, illustrating the meaningful connections the former quarterback and receiver is developing.
“I wanted to make a difference in my community. I wanted to be the guy to help change it — not just the football program but in general, just to have some kind of positive light in the community,” Webb explained.
“The area our kids come from is very poor. Buildings are burned down, a lot of them are abandoned. When you drive through, you say, ‘This is a tough place to be, a tough place to live,’ ” Webb added. “A lot of these kids, their situations at home, they’re pretty much the adult. This is at 14, 15, 16 years old, and they’re having to live that 24, 25, 26 life.”
The documentary includes interviews with Webb’s high school coach Henry Pope, Jackson-Olin running backs coach Josh Stillings, former Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway and others to help tell the story of Webb’s impact.
“The kids here will respond to you, but you can’t be fake with them,” Stillings said. “If you’re fake, they’re going to see through that.
“In this area, that’s what they needed. They needed a Joe Webb,” Stillings added.