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Feeds
"Save the Vikes" Pushes for Stadium at Capital
Great story about a grassroots organization called "Save the Vikes" that held a small demonstration at the State Capital today in support of a new Vikings stadium. I highly recommend checking out the group's website and connecting with it in one way or another. Here's the website, here's the group's Twitter page, and here's its Facebook page.
Anatomy of a Play: Favre to Berrian TD vs. Green Bay
Another nice job by Mike Mayock of the NFL Network to analyze the play that put the dagger into the Green Bay Packers last weekend.
Note the tackle by Al Harris at the end of the play where he grabs Berrian by the opening of his helmet while nothing gets called. Is there a dirtier defensive player in the National Football League than Al Harris? I generally don't hope for players to get injured, but after some of the crap that guy gets away with, I wouldn't shed any tears if something bad were to happen to him.
1 day ago
Gonzo
21 comments
0 recs
A Question for the Favre Haters Out There
by Gonzo on Nov 5, 2009 6:52 PM CST
in Vikings
34 comments
Not necessarily Viking fans that hate Favre, mind you. . .but more the fans of other teams that hate Favre, if they're out there and reading this.
Cliff Christl of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel wrote an article entitled "No Expense Spared by Team in Favre PR War." I can't link to the article here, as it's from a pay website. . .I don't pay for the site myself, mind you, but someone on a message board I frequent pointed it out. . .but I do want to point out this one little sentence from the article:
Don Hutson considered retirement and reported to camp late in 1939, and he then announced his retirement before the 1943, '44 and '45 seasons, only to play again. Forrest Gregg retired and unretired four times during his career.
Hmmmmmm. . .one has to wonder if the level of poutrage was as great from the other side of the river back in those days as it is today with #4. Hell, Favre still has one more retirement to go before he catches Hutson, and two more to go before he catches Forrest Gregg. (Although Gregg did sort of make it up to us by going to the Packers and being a really, really crappy head coach.)
Before people whine about the Brett Favre "will he or won't he" thing or whether or not he "betrayed" the Packers or whatever other WHARRGARBL the Wisconsin media wants to shovel our way this week, they should take a minute or two to educate themselves on the past. Just saying is all.
34 comments | 0 recs |
And On the Ninth Week, They Rested.
by ericj69 on Nov 5, 2009 12:56 PM CST
in Vikings 2009 Season
21 comments
If you gave every NFL team the option of when they wanted their bye week, I'm guessing most teams would pick Week 9 because it is the precise median of the 17-week NFL season. Thankfully, the Vikings get that perfect weekend off to kick back and enjoy their perch atop the NFC North. Of course I don't know any of the players personally, but here's how I envision some of them spending their free time this week:
Jared Allen: Hunting at least four species of wild animal using a variety of weapons: bow, shotgun, rifle, his bare hands, and his mullet. The nice thing for Jared is that he doesn't have to change his wardrobe at all when he goes hunting. (Speaking of hunting, I'm heading up to Warroad for my annual deer hunting trip in a few hours, which is why my weekly picks are coming out a day early. Didja see da turdy pointer?)
Brad Childress: Working the drive-thru at McDonald's. (What, you didn't think Mickey D's was just going to give him that headset did you? He has to work it off!) Childress also plans to watch his favorite DVD, "Awesome Beards in History, narrated by Chuck Norris" about five or six more times.
Adrian Peterson: Destroying brick walls and large construction equipment by simply lowering his shoulder into them. You know, just to stay sharp.
Percy Harvin: Making room in his trophy case for the 2009 NFL Rookie of the Year Award. And thinking up more mysterious illnesses to get out of practice during the week.
Asher Allen: Hopefully throwing away his "How to Tackle, by Deion Sanders" book.
Antoine Winfield: Miraculously healing his sprained foot in time for next week's game. (Please?!)
Chris Kluwe: Finally beating "Through the Fire and Flames" on Expert in Guitar Hero III and upgrading his Dark Elf Mage to Level 50 on World of Warcraft.
Brett Favre: Finally choosing that TV at Sears.
Tarvaris Jackson: Watching game film from last year's Arizona game alone in his house and quietly sobbing. "I had FOUR TOUCHDOWNS! FOUR! I CAN DO IT TOO!"
Sage Rosenfels: Finish writing his novel titled "The Easiest Money I Ever Made: My Time with Brett and the 2009 Vikings."
Pat Williams: Eating. A lot. Duh.
Bryant McKinnie: I actually know this one. He went through the "ESPN Car Wash" yesterday, appearing on roughly 42 ESPN radio and TV segments. This is a much better alternative to his original plan of fighting in parking lots clubbing in Miami.
(More bye week thoughts and my Week 9 picks after the jump.)
21 comments | 0 recs |
On the horrifically-awkward/hilarious-when-taken-out-of-context meter, I think Brad Childress' discussion of Brett Favre's groin easily shattered the record. By posting this soundbite, I, dear readers, have just lobbed you a softball...have at it. (HT: The Sporting Blog)
2 days ago
Anthony21
18 comments
0 recs
"He is Jared. He makes the plays. They pay him the money, and that's what he needs to do. But I think he's a (jerk), in my book, because he won't let me get on the field."
Too bad for Brian "Devin Hester" Robison, who has a tough time seeing the field with Jared Allen refusing to miss snaps.
2 days ago
Anthony21
19 comments
0 recs
Van Heusen Hall of Fame Interview Part 3: Bart Starr
by ericj69 on Nov 3, 2009 9:03 PM CST
in NFL
5 comments
Go to www.fanschoice.com to vote for the 2010 Hall of Fame class today!
[Ed. note: As I bragged about informed you yesterday, I had the wonderful opportunity to interview three NFL Hall of Famers before Sunday's game at Lambeau Field. The interview group consisted of about 10-12 media members. Of course in my case, I use the term "media member" in the loosest sense possible--I'll be the first to admit that I was just a lucky blogger with a new digital voice recorder. We split up into smaller groups on stage before the public event and had a chance to rotate around to each Hall of Famer to ask some questions. Not all of the questions below were asked by me, but I did ask most of them listed for each interview. Here's the final interview with Packer legend Bart Starr:]
This event marks the first time the fans have a say in Hall of Fame voting. Is this a good thing in your opinion?
I think it's great that the fans get a chance to vote and show up on occasions like this. Obviously they're not the selection committee, but I don't know if there's a sport out there right now that brings in the fans like this. It's good to give the fans a way to make a contribution and have at least a bit of a say in it.
The big news of the day is obviously the Brett Favre thing--what do you think is going through his mind getting ready to run out there?
Well I don't know, and I'm not trying to avoid your question, but I'm purposely not going to get into that today. One, I think it's too late--this has been going on for well before this week around here! (Laughs) I'm just happy to be here today and I hope it's a good game and we can have a lot of fun.
So a quick follow up then, do you think that's what's going through Brett's head today--just ignore it?
I have no idea. He has to focus on the game and what he's been trained to do all week and what he's supposed to do for this Packer game, so that's his focal point.
How have you seen the Green Bay/Minnesota rivalry evolve since your playing days? Obviously the Favre situation has escalated things this year, but has the intensity always been there?
It's been a big rivalry. I think it's great because being in the same division and having something that is that strong is good for the league, it's good for that division obviously, it's just great for everybody. And in this latitude of the country, I just think it's wonderful. My wife and I of course have been living in Green Bay for 31 years, so this will always be our adopted home. When you can be a part of something like that well after you've retired, it's just a great experience.
How do you think Packers fans should welcome Brett back when he comes out of the tunnel? Should they boo him? Should they cheer?
(Laughs) I think that's up to the individual. As I said to the question before, it's not my place to say. It's for him, it's for the fans here to do their thing, and that's exactly what everybody should be doing.
How unique of an experience is this with someone that played here so long coming back playing for a rival?
Well it is definitely unique and I can't comment on it because I've never been there, but it's going to be an interesting day.
What was it like to be a member of the Green Bay Packers so long and be such a big part of this franchise as a player then a coach?
It was a great experience. In hindsight maybe I shouldn't have coached right away because I wasn't quite in the position I wanted to be. We had a some talented players on those teams and it was a great learning experience, and from that perspective I don't regret it. But more important to me was to always cherish the great years we had here with the wonderful people of Green Bay, and all the wonderful people around here that enabled us to win five championships in seven years.
How important is it to you to be a part of the Hall of Fame event and the game today?
It's really special. I really love all the Hall of Fame people. If you haven't looked closely at it in a number of years, you'll see some remarkable stages of improvement. I think when they can have something like this available to the fans it can only help. Now the fans here may not necessarily get to bring anyone in, but to hear their opinions, I think it's great for everybody. And I like coming to every game here, it's very special. By the time this season's over, my wife and I will have been to at least five of the ball games here in Green Bay and we're very proud of that.
Thanks Bart.
Have a great day gentlemen.
5 comments | 1 recs |
Van Heusen Hall of Fame Interview Part 2: Paul Krause
by ericj69 on Nov 3, 2009 8:01 PM CST
in NFL
3 comments
Go to www.fanschoice.com to vote for the 2010 Hall of Fame class today!
[Ed. note: As I bragged about informed you yesterday, I had the wonderful opportunity to interview three NFL Hall of Famers before Sunday's game at Lambeau Field. The interview group consisted of about 10-12 media members. Of course in my case, I use the term "media member" in the loosest sense possible--I'll be the first to admit that I was just a lucky blogger with a new digital voice recorder. We split up into smaller groups on stage before the public event and had a chance to rotate around to each Hall of Famer to ask some questions. Not all of the questions below were asked by me, but I did ask most of them listed for each interview. Here's the second interview with former Viking great Paul Krause:]
What do you think about the fans getting involved in the Hall of Fame vote?
Well first of all, they've never been involved. And I think Van Heusen is doing something that's very good for our sport of football. You have to keep the fans involved in this stuff because they're the ones that are paying the salaries, they're the ones that are supporting everything. So I think it's very important that the fan has a say in who goes into the Hall of Fame. I also think it's about time that the players who are in the Hall of Fame have a say about who's going to go in. It's a program that has just started but I think it's very important for the NFL.
Do you think including the fans in the voting will improve the accuracy of voting to reflect who truly deserves to get in?
That's hard to tell; I really don't know. I'm not saying that anybody in the Hall of Fame right now doesn't deserve to be in there, and I don't know how many should go in every year. In my case, I was out of football for twelve years before I got in. Being the all-time interceptions leader for a career and the record is not even close to being broken, what in the world does it take for some of those sports writers to vote somebody in? You never know what they're thinking.
This is obviously a big game on a lot of levels. With all the emotions on both sides of the ball, how do you see things playing out today?
Well it's definitely a big game for both teams. On one side, you have Aaron Rodgers, who I think is doing a great job at quarterback. I think a big factor will be how well his offensive line can protect against the big pass rush of the Vikings. On the other side of the ball, you have Brett Favre, and I mean, the guy is living the dream right now! He's still playing, and he's getting a lot of criticism for coming back, but he's doing something that every other 40 year old would love to do. So I don't criticize him, I think it's great.
What do you think will be going through Brett's mind as he comes out of the tunnel today?
I think he's going to have fun with it. Every 40 year old ex-football player wishes he was in Favre's position. If he can do it, why not do it? He can still play. He's a great quarterback. I was traded from the Redskins to the Vikings, and when I played the Redskins for the first time, it was fun. I had a great time. I think he's just gonna let it hang out and go with it. I don't think there are going to be any ill feelings one way or the other.
Do you think the debate going on here in the Lambeau parking lot about whether or not Favre's return was a good thing is healthy?
Sure it is! That's what football's all about. That's what sports are all about. You get the fans talking...this is a good thing. This is a great thing for the game of football today. You've got a great day out here, you've got two great football teams. Both of them can win today, and both of them can get beat. The team that probably plays with the least mistakes is gonna win. They both played a great game on Monday night [in Week 4], but I don't know if both teams can do that today. It could be a blowout either way.
Do you think the Green Bay fans will boo Brett? Do you think they should if they do?
I don't think they should boo him. I mean my goodness, he made Green Bay what they are today, along with Bart Starr and everybody else. Why boo a guy? It's not going to affect the guy's way of playing. He's going to come out and do his very best for the Vikings just like he did for the Packers. So what if he's here now for the Vikings. He spent a lot of time here. He won a lot of hearts, broke a lot of hearts, both with the Vikings and Packers fans. So I don't think they should boo him.
You spent a lot of years dominating the defensive backfield in the NFL. Is there anyone currently in the NFL that plays in the defensive backfield that catches your eye as Hall of Fame worthy?
Well, I don't know...I think Darren Sharper is probably the closest player that's playing today to my record, and I think he's about 20 [interceptions] behind me. I don't know if he's going to play long enough to break the record or anything, but I know Darren and I've talked to him several times. He's a good football player. So we'll just wait and see. Some of the younger guys are having good years, but you have to have good years 10, 12, 13, 14 years in a row to get in the Hall of Fame. It takes a while to get in the Hall of Fame.
Thank you very much Mr. Krause.
No problem.
3 comments | 2 recs |
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