Posts Tagged ‘Minnesota Vikings’

Colts Caldwell calls his Shot

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

Jim Caldwell_Indianapolis Colts_Head CoachFor those of you who looked at the 13 and 0 Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints and 11 and 1 Minnesota Vikings and claimed NFL parody was dead, not so fast my friends!  The NFL playoff picture is a wild ride as we go into Week 17 with only one seed set in the NFC race and with multiple 8 win teams battling for the two AFC wild card slots.  In addition, three games this week, the Eagles-Cowboys, Cardinals-Packers and Jets-Bengals could be preludes to first round playoff match-ups.

     Adding to the mess, the only team that had their division sewn up weeks ago, the mighty Indianapolis Colts (who pundits are ranking as only the second best team in the AFC despite their 14-1 record), did the unspeakable and took out their players in the 3rd quarter of an eventual 29-15 loss to the New York Jets.  Fans in Denver, Pittsburgh and Houston are screaming foul as the Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell pulled his starters while sporting a 15-10 lead and let the Jets waltz to a win, an 8 and 7 record and the inside track to one of the AFC Wild Card slots.  Are they right? 

     In other sports, it’s a time honored tradition to try to play spoiler and send teams spinning out of the playoffs.  Only in football, where injuries are so prevalent, is it acceptable (to some…) to lay down and protect your starters for your own playoff run.  My thought is hey, protect your own, even if it means someone else will suffer for it.  Football teams only get 16 games and if you want a playoff spot, earn it.  I was a little unhappy with Caldwell’s call as the Colts were going for History as well, but I agree, the most important thing is to win the Superbowl.  Or do you think the Patriots were really satisfied with their 18 and 1 record two years ago???

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Brett Favre is a Viking, Stunning

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

Brett Favre_NFL_Minnesota Vikings

I am being facetious with that title of course, though I am absolutely stunned by the reaction to Favre’s signing with the Vikings.  Why all the hating?!?

     Oh my gosh he turned his back on the Packers!  Sorry, Green Bay fans, no he didn’t; Ted Thompson made it perfectly clear the Packers wanted to move on to the Aaron Rodgers era despite Favre’s wishes.  And by your tactit approval and support of Rodgers, you all moved on as well.  You didn’t move on?  Did you show any outrage over Thompson’s handling of the whole affair?  Did you stop going to games?  Nope… Guess what then, you moved on!  Was I thrilled watching Brett vacillate back and forth on his decisions to play or retire over the years?  No of course not, but it’s his decision, made much more difficult by you and Thompson who made it pretty clear Brett was considered old baggage and no longer wanted.  The Packers turned their backs on Brett well before he reciprocated.

     Why did he have to be so secretive?!?  Are you kidding me?  He’s in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, not LA or Miami.  He can’t blend into the scenery, he is the scenery!  Any time Favre burped, you had two reporters who told you what he had eaten…  How come its okay for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to sneak off to avoid paparazzi, but when Favre does it, its a major crime.  Wake up people, your rampant desire to know all and learn all about Favre, is the reason he has to do what he does.

     He skipped training camp and screwed the other quarterbacks who were working so hard!  Wow, and that’s the first time a major veteran has skipped training camp, right?  Ever heard of Michael Strahan or other guys who were in “contract negotiations” and didn’t go to camp?  This was all by design; why would Favre want to go through two a days, just for kicks?  Sure he could have used the time bonding with his new teammates, but its looks like he did plenty of bonding already based on all the emails, texts, tweets and voicemails his hopeful Viking teammates sent him, begging him to join them in Minnesota.  I feel a little bad for Tavaris and Sage, but guess what, play like a Hall of Famer and maybe your teammates will give a little more respect.

     All in all, this is a story of Supply and Demand…  The Vikings needed an experienced veteran quarterback and Favre needed the opportunity to stick it to Ted Thompson.  Both sides got what they wanted.  Was it worth it?  We’ll see, but Vegas improved the Vikings odds of winning the Super Bowl from 18 to 1 to 12 to 1 and the Vikings sold 3000 additional season tickets on Day 1 of the Brett Favre era. Sounds pretty good to me…

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