To be honest, it would be nice if the biggest ego in sports bowed out. However I won’t believe it until I watch the Vikings play the Saints in the season opener and he’s not out there. Even then I don’t know if I’d believe he wouldn’t hold another press conference to tell the world he’s not sure if he’s not sure he’ll ever play football again.

Quite frankly I’m getting sick of Brett Favre. He had an excellent year last year there’s no doubt about it. I even think it was the best year he’s ever had. But I mean c’mon pal, quit stringing everyone along. You have zero credibility when it comes to what you say about whether you’ll retire or play another year. He can have 30 press conferences from now until the season opener and I’ll still have my doubts.

Here’s the biggest problem I have with this whole situation. Brett Favre has had several press conferences where he let’s the word out so the whole sports media world is hanging off what he’s going to say. And you can bet he knows this. Yet he still plays into it like there’s nothing else in this world going on that’s bigger than whether he’s done playing football or not. Not since the days of Rick Henderson have I seen someone feed there ego this much. And even Ricky Henderson would tell you that Ricky Hendersons ego isn’t that big.

Now he’s going to have another press conference to announce his retirement, maybe, and nobody is going to believe him. Anyone familiar with the story of the boy who cried wolf? So why have a press conference? Because Brett Favre can’t handle not having his name flashed on ESPN and the NFL Network and every front page of every sports section of every newspaper in North America.

So here we are, having to put up with another Brett Favre press conference, even though nobody will believe a word that comes out of his mouth. But like good NFL fans we will appease him and go along with him and spend the next few weeks talking about how great he was and watching all the highlights of his career on tv. Then, when the time is right. Favre will swoop down and tell all the Vikings fans to fear not, for he will play one more year even though he doesn’t think his ankle can handle it, covering his ass just in case he has a shithouse year. And I thought wrestling was the male version of a soap opera.

Technorati Tags: Brad Childress, Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings, retiring

Favre is coming off what I believe to be his best season ever, I even felt he deserved the league MVP award. It’s not too often 40 year old athletes have the best season of their career.

The bigger picture here is that all signs are pointing to Favre returning for one more year with the Vikings. While he hasn’t come out and said he will return, it’s even harder to believe now that he won’t.

If Favre does return, the expectations on him and the Vikings will be bigger than big. Anything less than a Super Bowl appearance will be a disappointment, and that still may not be enough. This team and city firmly believes a Super Bowl victory is closer than it’s ever been.  Whether or not they are able to improve on last season remains to be seen. The key is Favre, he needs to be there and to have another stellar season. It will be a tough test for a guy who will turn 41 in October.

Technorati Tags: Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings, NFL

Filling the void left by running back Chester Taylor they jumped on Stanford running back Toby Gerhart. He’s a real thumper of a back and should make the Vikings backfield a painful one to deal with. The jewel of their draft was USC defensive end Everson Griffen. Like pretty much every player on the Trojans roster he’s extremely athletic, but he’s a project and I’m sure Leslie Frazier will enjoy working with him. The offensive line needed depth so they drafted Wake Forest tackle Chris Degeare. At 6′4″ he’s a smurf compared to their other tackles and he’s lacking in the smarts department (missed 2008 on academic probation and isn’t familiar with any moves defensive lineman use) but he’s got a good burst and good athletic ability. Linebacker E.J. Henderson went down last year with an injury so they looked to shore up the position. They brought in hometown kid Nathan Triplett from Minnesota and Ryan D’Imperio from Rutgers. Triplett brings really good depth and D’Imperio brings an intense presence that will be well suited for special teams.

Yes, even with ageless wonder Brett Favre, quarterback should be a concern for the Vikings, as much as Brad Childress doesn’t think it is. They drafted UAB quarterback Joe Webb. The Blazers super-athlete quarterback may wind up finding his way to receiver, which tells you Childress may be oblivious to how important the quarterback position is to his team. Second generation footballer Mickey Shuler, tight end from Penn State, adds depth to the position behind emerging star Visanthe Shiancoe. The Vikings will be a tough team again next year. But the fact that Brad Childress is ignoring bringing in a young quarterback to groom behind one of the best ever could be a foolish mistake.

Technorati Tags: 2010 NFL Draft, Minnesota Vikings, NFL

Free agency started on Friday and teams were chomping at the bit for it to start. The Bears seem to have been the most active, or at least have signed two of the bigger names in free agency. They landed Julius Peppers to a 6 year deal with $42 million guaranteed. They also grabbed Chester Taylor away from the Vikings.

Karlos Dansby signed with the Dolphins for 5 years. The deal gives him $22 million guaranteed. Division rival New England Patriots signed Tully Banta-Cain to a three year deal and were able to reach an agreement with Vince Wilfork for 5 years with $25 million guaranteed.

Baltimore was able to trade for Anquan Boldin. Arizona gets Baltimores 3rd and 4th round picks this year in exchange for Boldin and the Cardinals 5th round pick in 2010.

Lots of action for the first few days of free agency, and I’m sure it won’t be letting up anytime soon.

Technorati Tags: Anquan Boldin, Chester Taylor, Julius Peppers, Karlos Dansby, Tully Banta-Cain, Vince Wilfork

Look, I’m a huge Prince fan. He’s one of the most amazing musicians ever and he’s released a lot of great albums. So it really pains me to say this, but this song is pretty shitty.

I mean if you’re a Vikings fan you’re probably creaming your BVDs, having Prince record a rally song for your team is pretty rad. But when it’s this song it’s not rad at all. If I were a Viking fan I’d probably just have preferred him to rehash “Let’s Go Crazy”.

Having said all that I don’t think the Vikings need any kind of rally song or any more flash than what they already add themselves. If it didn’t work for LTPrice, it probably won’t work for the Vikings. And if the Vikings happen to lose on Sunday it will only serve to remind them of the real glory they missed out on.

Technorati Tags: Minnesota Vikings, NFL

Last nights loss to the Carolina Panthers is a lot more troublesome than meets the eye. It’s becoming more and more apparent that the Vikings have the talent but may be lacking in other areas. Mainly coaching.

Brad Childress has done an excellent job of fooling people into believing he’s a good head coach over the past few years. He even fooled his owner into giving him a contract extension.

But now that the Vikings have the talent to be a top level contender it starts coming down to coaching, and that’s why the Vikings will go nowhere in the playoffs.

When you have a look at the Vikings you have to wonder what it is exactly Brad Childress has done, besides convince Favre to come play there. Calling him an offensive genius is a crock. Having Adrian Peterson running the football can make any offensive coachs job easier.

And if you think he’s telling Favre what to do you need to get your head examined. Or just watch the little tirade the two of them got into on the side lines last night. Apparently Childress has tried to yank Favre twice during the season, only to have Brett tell him to go pound sand.

As far as the defense goes, the guy that’s created it flies totally under the radar. Leslie Frazier should be the Vikings head coach but Zigi doesn’t see it that way I guess.

The Vikings are obviously still going to make the playoffs. But their best football has already been played this year. The weakest part of the Vikings just happens to be one of the most important things come playoff time. Childress is going to actually have to come up with some real game plans now instead of playing sandlot football. If I were a Vikings fan I wouldn’t feel to confident about it.

Technorati Tags: Minnesota Vikings, NFL

Arizona was able to win the game last night because they kept Adrain Peterson in check. Not many teams can do this but the Cardinals fast, aggressive defense kept the leagues best running back in check all game.

With the run threat stifled Arizona made Brett Favre beat them with his arm. When you force Brett to throw he’ll make mistakes. He made some last night and the Cardianls were able to capitalize.

The loss last night put the Vikings 2 games behind the Saints for the top spot in the NFC. It’s now looking like the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC will be played in New Orleans.

The win was huge for the Cardinals. Coupled with the loss by the 49ers, it puts Arizona 3 games up on San Fran and anyone who wants to catch them has to play mistake free football the rest of the way.

The game itself showed the Vikings maybe aren’t quite at the same level as the Saints. It also showed that Brett was playing the way he has been because of Peterson.

If the leagues MVP trophy is awarded to the player who has the biggest impact on the teams success, maybe people should be a little more focused on Peterson and not on the guy who is the benefactor of Adrians greatness.

Technorati Tags: Adrain Peterson, Arizona Cardinals, Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings, NFL

So far this season Favres arm has done more than hold out. Brett is on pace to have the best season of his career. On in which he hopes has one more Super Bowl win.

This time last year Favre was starting to show signs of wear. He and the Jets finished the season off horribly and people thought the end was here for Favre.

But Brett has proved all the doubters wrong. The Vikings are 10-1 and looking like the only team in the NFC to give New Orleans a run for their money.

Farve has had the luxury of having the best running back in the league lined up along side him. He’s never had a running game like the one the Vikings have this year. Don’t kid yourself folks, this is the reason Favre is having the success he’s having.

As the season head into the final month the Vikings are going to have to rely on that run game more. This can only be beneficial to Favre. Even if his arm is holding up great, it’s always nice to have the option to run if you need to. If teams can’t stop the run game they won’t be able to stop Favre or the Vikings.

Technorati Tags: Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings, NFL

Childress spoke to reporters today after practice and said there was a document waiting on his desk for approval. He better get to reading and signing that quick before the Vikings come to their senses.

The Vikings hired Childress in 2006 and he’s got them off to a 8-1 start so far. Many people have praised Chilly for his offensive genius, which is displayed every Sunday. Now the man that devised the give-the-ball-to-Peterson-and-let-Favre-throw-the-odd-bomb offensive game plan is being rewarded for his brilliance. Rejoice Vikings fans!

Technorati Tags: Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings, NFL

I think what suprised me the most was how well Minnesotas senconday stayed together when they needed to. I don’t think they played great but in the fourth quarter I thought they stepped it up. There were times Rodgers had some time to make a throw or he scrambled to give himself some more time, but he didn’t seem to be able to find an open receiver. The 52 rushing yards Rodgers picked up were a direct result of the coverage downfield being pretty good.

Minnesota did a great job too of responding when Green Bay was starting to get something going. Some teams would have buckled under that kind of pressure, being on the road and all the other factors that made that game so important. The Vikings were able to get back on track when they wavered a little bit, just like they did against Baltimore a few weeks ago. That’s the sign of a good football team for sure.

Green Bay needs to step back and take a look at where they’re at right now. I don’t discredit Minnesota but there were times where they just seemed to shoot themselves in the foot. The best it’s looking for them at this stage of the season is a wildcard spot. That’s gonna be tought when you look at what’s going on in the NFC East right now as well as the NFC South, especially if Atlanta can find a way to beat New Orleans tonight.

The Packers need to find an identiity. I really couldn’t figure out what their plan was yesterday offensively. They got into a rhythm at times but it didn’t last. Sometimes they seem like they want to establish a running game and then they give up on it right away. If they can’t get it figured out I don’t like their playoff chances. As for the Vikings, they look like they’re right up there with the Saints in the NFC. I’d bet on them to be in the Super Bowl representing the NFC. So far though my predictions don’t seem to hold too much weight.

Technorati Tags: Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, NFL