Couldn't help but notice that Doogie Wolfson, formerly of the Chad Hartman show on KFAN, posted an interesting article on the Strib's website yesterday. In it, Doogie lists his picks for the best and worst TV sports anchors/reporters in the Twin Cities -- with Mark Rosen and Anthony LaPanta as his two top picks and Phil Aldridge and Mike Max as the metro area's two worst sports anchors/reporters in his view.
Any takes on this? I think it's a pretty interesting topic, and I'm completely in agreement with Doogie on his pick of Rosen as the best in the market -- of the sports anchors for the evening newscasts in town, he's easily the sharpest. I also refuse to watch/listen to Mike Max; if I wanted to hear nonstop nauseating cheerleading from a local sports reporter, I'd open to page three of the Strib and read Sid. I might throw Eric Perkins into the mix for the "worst" category -- can't say I've ever found him terribly insightful when he's anchoring the KARE 11 sports, and it's also beyond me why they keep taping those "Perk at Play" segments.
Anyways, let's shift to some Vikings notes as the weekend carries on...
My Attempt to Talk About Something Other Than Favre
In a Vikings story that doesn't involve Brett Favre, I want to point you over to Bleacher Report for a solid breakdown by Andy Rarick of what to expect from the NFC North's rookie class this season. Here are his prognostication for Percy Harvin's 2009 stat line when it's all said and done:
Harvin is a dual threat who will add some spark to a terrible passing offense. He also has the ability to run out of the backfield. I would be surprised if he doesn't start every game next season.
His 2009 will define who he is as an NFL player. Maybe he'll hit somewhere in the range of 48 catches for 690 yards and 5 touchdowns. He'll have some runs out of the backfield, but not many with Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor.
Good calls all around in my book -- and if anyone's gonna derail those serviceable numbers, I'd make the argument that it'll be Chilly and not Harvin himself. When it comes to Harvin, the character concerns aren't even at the top of my list of things to be worried about. Take a look at the featured poll on the main page of this site, which asks, "Do you think that Brad Childress and the Vikings know how to properly utilize Percy Harvin?" 52% say yes; 48% say no.
That's what you've really gotta be concerned about, as opposed to the possibility that Percy will do something stupid -- which does indeed remain a possibility, even though I think the character concerns were largely overblown by the media. Indeed, I do have big questions about Childress' ability to break out of the boring, vanilla offense he's been running since he came to town and reinvent himself to make things work with Harvin. The addition of a terrifyingly-athletic multi-purpose player to the offense is a golden opportunity for Chilly to bring that monotony to an end, but part of me thinks he's too damn stubborn to do so.
From the Fanposts: Where Does Vick Fit?
Over in the Fanposts section, Macdaddy4508 makes a solid case against Brian Baldinger's claim that there isn't a good fit for Michael Vick out there in the NFL. Hell, if Vick wouldn't be a public relations nightmare/the Vikings weren't in the middle of a Brett Favre circus, I might even be tempted to give him a shot in Minnesota. Just think -- Michael Vick, Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin on the same field. That's so frightening, it should be illegal (again, provided Chilly could make it work, which would be a significant question mark).
Back to reality, though -- I do hope Vick gets a shot to make a comeback, but it'll be entirely his responsibility to lay the groundwork for a team making the decision to take a chance on him. I think many people are of the opinion that he's paid his debt to society and deserves another chance, though he'll need to do some interviews, show some remorse, etc. before an NFL team will give him a shot. If Vick can make it past that hurdle -- which will be easier said than done -- he deserves a chance, and I think the public will gladly, and rightly, grant him one.
OK, Back to Favregeddon
I don't know the complete background on this, but Alex Marves of Fox Sports has a quote from Chad Greenway about Favre that's a bit more diplomatic than what Greenway said last week (the Vikings already have "two great quarterbacks"). Here it is:
Minnesota linebacker Chad Greenway says he would support the signing of Brett Favre provided he was "all in" — i.e. a participant in the team's offseason program like fellow quarterbacks Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson.
Ha ha ha ha ha! Well, I certainly admire the wishful thinking on Greenway's part, and I also appreciate the fact that he's consistently shown support for Rosenfels and Jackson -- two guys who probably aren't feeling very great right about now, and probably haven't felt very great for the past few weeks. But there's no chance in hell of Favre coming within 1,000 miles of the team's offseason activities.
That, Chad, would be the precise reason for the should-I-or-should-I-not Brett Favre dance that #4's perfected by now. I couldn't agree more with the concern Chad is expressing -- that Favre is setting himself up to be a distant presence in the locker room, something that apparently happened last year in New York -- but again, this is the price you're required to pay if you want Brett Favre in purple.
The Docs Weigh in: How Risky is Favre?
Albert Breer of The Sporting News caught up with orthopedic surgeon Neal ElAttrache, a former team doctor in the NFL, to get ElAttrache's take on just how big a risk Favre's partially torn biceps would be for the Vikings:
Bottom line: if Favre so desires to play for the Vikings, playing through a completely torn biceps tendon a) poses very minimal risk for further injury, b) should have very little detriment to his performance and c) comes with precedent.
"Is it too risky to sign a player (with Favre's condition)? I know those Minnesota doctors, and if they're looking at the rotator cuff, and see that the cuff looks reasonable, I'd bet they wouldn't be scared off," ElAttrache said. "The complete biceps tear doesn't cause stress or strain on the rotator cuff. ... I think there's really no risk at all. The treatment would be to surgically cut it. You saw it with Elway, and he was immediately better for it."
Florio wonders how seriously we should take doctors who comment on Favre's condition and yet haven't examined him -- still, I can't say I have a problem with it. Sure, you should take this with a grain of salt or three, but these guys know what they're talking about. At the end of the day, the only verdict that matters is that of the Vikings team doctors, but from this report and another one from Sean Jensen (which quotes a shoulder specialist as saying Favre's injury will require, at worst, minor surgery), it certainly seems like a comeback is more than doable for Favre.