Tensions are high with the Minnesota Vikings this week, after a “heated discussion” between quarterback Brett Favre and coach Brad Childress.

If you don’t already know what happened, I’ll fill you in. It all started with a conversation on the Vikings sideline Sunday. Brad Childress was looking to bench Favre in the game against the Panthers on Sunday, while the Vikings were up 7-6. Brett Favre adamantly disagreed, and went on to play the rest of the game. Minnesota was eventually beaten 26-7, as the Carolina Panthers scored 20 unanswered points in the 4^th quarter. Favre also threw an interception in the final minutes of the game.

Now the debate has begun on whether Brett Favre should be benched for the rest of the regular season.

I believe he should be benched. Brett Favre has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns in the last few games, signaling that he needs to take a break before the playoff run that the Vikings may make.

The Vikings don‘t want to make the same mistake that the Jets made last year. Favre was outstanding for most of last season as quarterback of the Jets, but his level of play trailed off at the end. The Jets were in playoff contention all year, but failed to make them. The Vikings certainly don’t want the same thing to happen to them.

Also, it’s not as if their backup isn’t a good quarterback. Their 2^nd stringer is Tavaris Jackson, a former NFL starter (and would have started this year if not for Favre). The Vikings would still have a great leader at the helm of the offense, and would still have a great chance of winning out.

Minnesota has already clinched a playoff spot, so why not give your starting QB a rest?

Benching Favre would be a great decision by Brad Childress.

Posted by Ben

Above: Brett Favre - (Note: Favre is actually pronounced 'narcissistic asshole')

December 22, 2009

[Minneapolis, MN] - After a causally bizarre weekend of football which included the first loss of the season for the New Orleans, the Minnesota Vikings might have begun making a play for the top seed in the National Football Conference.  This potentiality was all but completely negated only 24 hours later when the Vikings dropped a close game to woeful Carolina Panthers.  Moreover, a win for Minnesota would have created even more breathing room between the Vikings and the Green Bay Packers, who also lost on Sunday to the enigmatic 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers.  

When asked about his offenses sloppy performance on Sunday, Vikings quarterback, Mississippi folk hero, and the worldwide visage of Wrangler Denim, Brett Favre said the following: “I dunno.  I just love to play football.”  He went on to say, “maybe we should have slung the ball around a bit more.  I mean, darnit, I just love to sling the ball around.  Like those adds I do on TV for those Dad-jeans, I’m just slinging the ball around with whoever I can find to sling it too.  Man, let me tell you, if there’s a guy out there I don’t care where he’s hiding or how fast he’s running, I’ll find him and I’ll find a way to sling it out to ‘im.  I guess that’s why they call me the gunslinger.”

When an Associated Press reporter pointed out that Aaron Rogers, his Green Bay counterpart, and successor at the helm of his former team had himself “slung the ball around” to the tune nearly 400 yards for “like the bazillionth week in a row,” only to see his team lose in the final seconds by the statistically meaningless margin of a solitary point, Favre initially demurred to comment.  

But seconds later, with his cheeks gaining a rosy luster and his upper lip quivering Favre blurted “Rogers!  He’s…he ain’t no gunslinger.  ME!  That’s ME! I’m the damn gunslinger!  I, Brett Favre, am the gunslinger, so that’s what you call me.  I don’t care how many bajillions of yards that wuss throws for.  His team is stupid and his stupid beard is too!”

Favre then proceeded to crack open a cold brewsky right at the podium and shotgunned it before tossing it just left of the “United Way Cares” patch on the lectern beside where he sat.    What came next was perhaps one of the most remarkable exchanges in the history of live press conferences.

“Ahh hell,  can anyone give me the number to Rodgers’ cell?”  Favre asked the pool of correspondents.  He then explained that he used to have it himself but that when he tries to call Rodgers that he gets “one of those weird disconnect-y messages with the funny, machine ladies voice” leading him to the conclusion that Rogers must have “changed his number or some shit like that, you know.”  After a scrum of some ten minutes punctuated by much rustling of notebook pages and the clicking of fingers upon digital receivers, Rodgers’ number was eventually provided to Favre by the self-described ‘Vikes beat writer’ for the Land o’1000 Lakes Evening Gazette.

“Since clearly, the discussion of my fitness to sling the ball cannot be determined on the field of play, and also, because of the ongoing intrigue between myself and certain persons in the Green Bay Packer organization, I am here to tell you — (Favre paused to polish off a second ‘Silver Bullet’)  – that the only way, in my mind, for reasonable men to resolve these issues is for Aaron Rodgers and I to fight in the round.  And in case you were wondering, yes, I will I propose a 7 foot-tall titanium cage to encircle the octagon.  And in a best-case scenario, the winner will be determined by way of manslaughter.  That is all.”

And then by way of conclusion, “Happy holidays.”

Reached for comment Aaron Rodgers said only: “I’m just focusing on the Seattle Seahawks this week.”

[[This is a fake news-wire story; cleary a satire of actual Reuters Reportage.  No one at Reuters even knows that this fake story exists.]

Terrell Owens gets a lot of flak because he loves him some him. Randy Moss has recently gotten criticized because of his penchant for not giving 100% during games. A ton of players around the league get a ton of shit for not being good team players. But why the hell is Brett Favre getting a pass?

I like Favre. Always have. The guy is good at quarterbacking. Except for that and driving a tractor, I don’t think he is good at much else. The man was put on the planet to throw a football. He throws it fast, he throws it accurately. His receivers are better for playing with him.

For three years now, he has dominated the NFL offseason with his indecision about playing. He still hasn’t retired. He still hasn’t played a season of football. I’m okay with that. At his age and with the demands that football takes on your body, I don’t blame him for being hesitant about playing or wanting to avoid training camp.

What I do have a problem with are these reports about Favre being selfish with the play calling.   When he was with my favorite football team last year, there were stirrings about how Favre felt handcuffed in the offense. Even though the team had two very capable running backs and an offensive line built to run, the team still attempted more passes then runs. I don’t really trust Brian Schottenheimer as an offensive coordinator when it comes to game planning, so I’ll let that slide.

But now there is talk that Favre is being way too hands on with the offense. Audibling out of run plays and not being attentive to his head coach, Brad Childress. This is of course all after an embarrassing loss to a team knocked out of the playoffs, but lets look deeper.

At his current pace, Peterson will finish with 40 less carries than he did last year. But he has also never scored more touchdowns than he has this season. AD has also lost a career high 5 fumbles. Peterson is averaging 88 yards per game while putting up a career worst 4.4 yards a carry, both lows for his career. One of the biggest potential benefits of bringing Favre onto the team this season was forcing teams to spread out the defense to deal with both pass and run threats.

Let me break this down for you, and its completely crazy, but I can’t find other lines of reasoning that work. Peterson isn’t having a good year. The only stats that have improved are touchdowns, receptions and reception yards.  Meanwhile, Favre is on pace to finish the season with his lowest interception total and best passer rating in his career. The team has the best record since 2000.

Favre is a diva, but the team is in a lot better place now than they were several months  ago. They have finally tapped into the talent on the offensive side of the ball that isn’t named Peterson. Childress needs to accept that his team had a bad night in Carolina and ran into the buzzsaw that was Arizona weeks ago. If he rights the ship and wins next week, the team will have the 2 seed in the conference. When this team is playing for a right to go to the Super Bowl, and I believe they will, the media will be back to deepthroating Favre, believe it.

-JerseyYo!

In January, Topps plans to release its highly anticipated 2010 National Chicle Football product.  One of the artists that worked with Topps to paint some of the base cards and inserts is Monty Sheldon, who I have interviewed for the site in the past.  Monty sent over some scans of his paintings that you could very easily see next month in National Chicle Football.  Below you’ll find some of my favorites, and you can see more of his work here.

Brett Favre

David Tyree

Jim Brown

Michael Vick

Peyton Manning

DeSean Jackson

Let’s be honest, even the Packers look good in Black and White! I’m posting this picture more for comic relief than for an artistic reason. Although, Lambeau Field does have some great architecture on its new addition. Missy, Heidi, and I went to a Green Bay game this summer and I took this shot on our way in. Of course, I wore my Brett Favre Jet’s jersey. Needless to say, I had a bunch of drunk fans and townies give me dirty looks. Several people also yelled at me, including someone in a car screaming for me to “TAKE OFF THAT JERSEY AND BURN IT!” Once we got to our seats things calmed down. So far, I’m having the last laugh now that Brett is up for MVP honors at age 40.

Take that Ted Thompson & Mike McCarthy.

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On My Playlist: History – Funeral for a Friend
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The Good:

Pat Williams – He was one of the few bright spots.  He was getting penetration and batting balls (I’m going to take the high road and not make a joke here. Wait, I just did.) at the line of scrimmage most of the night.

Percy Harvin continues to make his case for R.O.Y.

The defense held its ground after turnovers.  Two Favre interceptions translated into only 6 points.

The Bad:

The offensive line – This game started with injuries to the offensive line and it was so bad at one point during the first half that Star Tribune writer, Jim Souhan wrote the following on his twitter page:  ”Now McKinnie going off. I’d bring in Kleinsasser to block on every play. Forget winning; they have to leave with Favre and Peterson alive.”

The offensive line woes continued all night.  The protection for Favre wasn’t good, particularly on third downs, and the run blocking was horrible.

Speaking of running the ball, Brad Childress abandoned the running game early in this game.  I don’t think this will be highlighted by the media this week, but it was one of the keys of this loss.  When you have Adrian Peterson, you need to give him the ball.  13 carries? You don’t even have to read the rest of the box score to realize the Vikings lost this one.

Special teams:  You can’t give the opposing team good field position after kickoffs and punts and expect to win games. Period.

Brett Favre hasn’t been BrINT Favre all season – Mainly because he hasn’t had to play from behind, and he hasn’t had to win the game by himself. Favre threw his first pick since October 25, and followed it up by a second interception.  As the announcers put it last night, he just didn’t look comfortable.  Credit the Cardinals’ defense; they were the first defense to pressure Favre all year.

There is going to be a lot of criticism of Brett this week. My gut tells me he’ll be just fine for the stretch run into the playoffs. However, it definitely puts doubt into your mind for any given playoff game, doesn’t it?

This week you’re going to see a lot of comments and polls like this and like this.  My suggestion is to do what my dad does after Packers’ losses:  Don’t read the paper.

The injuries speak volumes, and it’s pretty obvious that staying healthy translates into winning in the NFL.  VikingsNow reported that, “Loadholt, McKinnie, Shiancoe and Griffin [were] all injured in some capacity this game. Although they returned, I think OTs are hurting a lot.”  They added that Tyrell Johnson went out as well.

Losing E.J. Henderson hurts. A lot.  He was having a great year and you hate to see his season end like this.  Let’s hope he makes a full recovery and is back for training camp next year. To read more about his injury, follow this link.

Overall:

The Vikings ran  into a better team tonight.  That’s all there is to it.

Good teams have short memories when it comes to games like this. The Cardinals had a short memory this week after their heartbreaking loss to Vince Young the Titans.

Good coaches make the necessary adjustments and get their team ready for next week. 

We’ll see what happens next week at home against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Great great games on today and also a bonus SEC Championship game on Saturday. And I wasn’t able to watch any of it. Unfortunately. I did catch some of the Raiders Steelers game though.

Games I watched - None. I must wait until next Sunday for my football fix.  Just some of the Pitt Raiders game but I can’t really count that. see below. I still had

Other high notes -

Raiders beat another good team

When I was able to catch the game the Raiders were surprising the Steelers with a lead in the fourth. I had to leave right when Steelers took the lead, scoring a TD. Watching Sportscenter as soon as I got the chance after arriving home I was definitely surprised to find Mike Tomlin and Ben Rothlisberger talking about a loss. The Raiders just beat the Bengals and now last years champs the Steelers. Polamalu was still out due to injury though. I just realized that I haven’t been able to catch the highlights for this game yet. Meanwhile fellow bay area team 49ers mismanage the game clock at the end of their game to allow a game winning field goal by Seattle.

Vick scores twice in Atlanta

Michael Vick returned to Atalanta for the Philly Eagles vs Atlanta Falcons. Bird fight. Fans responded well and Andy Reid actually used Vick. Vick even went on to score a passing and rushing TD. It really is weird how the Eagles show some fight this time of the season every year. I was all down on Mike Vick went dog-gate happened. But I’m happy to see him get a 2nd chance and continue to be more productive. Phil won.

Undefeated

Saints remain undefeated in exciting fashion. Looked like time mismanagement to me by Washington but its been that kind of season for the Saints. And it definitely has been that kind of season with the Redskins. Would have been a funny end to the Saints streak from a lost to a team with a coach that has been stripped of playcalling duty. Colts also stay loss free with a win over a lackluster Titans matchup. Good thing I didn’t get around to writing a what to watch with a highlight of this game.

Speaking of undefeated, the Patriots lost back to back games with the 2nd being the Miami Dolphins. Wildcat! I really hope Miami makes a run toward the playoffs so we get to so the wildcat in the playoffs.

and finally

old man Favre lost to old man Kurt Warner. Monday Night Football tomorrow is Ravens vs Packers. Might seem like a boring game to some people but some cool stuff to look for. Ray Rice is the Ravens running back and he’s 5 ft 8. Small size for a RB so yay for the short guy. Ray Lewis is still a beast. Aaron rodgers gets sacked a lot. He’s also got a good QB rating when he’s not sacked. Some say he holds the ball to long (me!), some say the o line sucks. Probably a combination of both. You can decide come MNF.

SEC, BCS, Tebow

The college great Tim Tebow and the Florida gators lost handily to Alabama and Nick Sabin in the SEC championship game. There were tears. Missed this game too unfortunately. I don’t know much about the BCS and college football . I spent a chunk of time again today wiki’ing the BCS, bowls, and conferences. I remember doing this before. Hopefully the BCS and college football will be a little easier for me and everyone else to understand at some point. Regardless the Bowl games and BCS championship game deliver. BCS champ game was announced as Alabama vs. Texas.

My crappy short video game review – Gears of War

Game was really short. Came out a while ago. Solid shooter but nothing new or too crazy. Can’t speak for multiplayer because don’t have live. I kept thinking their is not nearly enough action going on for War to be used in the title of this game. I’d even say just from playing the first GoW game and Halo 1&2 that Halo seemed better. Oh I did really like the active reload mechanic. Nonetheless solid and fun game and I’m looking forward to the 2nd in the franchise. Might tackle Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion next. But the game is massive and I’m guessing time committing so we’ll see.

If you stumble upon my blog feel free to comment on what you watched or caught you this weekend. or anything on GoW.

The LOPG has decided to give you another FREE NFL pick for this coming weekend. We already advised you to take the Denver Broncos and now we are releasing a second Freebie.

Take the Minnesota Vikings (-3) at Arizona on Sunday and keep that bankroll growing. Get your momma a nice, big, fancy car!

We have just survived the annual Stuff Yourself Silly Festival here in America.  Held in combination with Shout At The Stupid Football Ref Rave and The Stand In Line With 500 Of Your Closest Friends At Wal-Mart Breakfast Party, it’s a wonder we made it at all.  I refer to, of course, Thanksgiving.  It is four days of excess in just about every way imaginable, and I think we’ve lost the whole point of the holiday.

For the last couple years, it’s just been my husband and me at the table.  My family is a fourteen hour drive away, and it would be too tempting to stay there when the weekend was done because I just so hate living where I do.  And my husband is enjoying being estranged from his family, mainly because it makes for a much more pleasant experience at the holidays.  So I would put together the whole feast for just the two of us, while he got paid double-time for working on a holiday.  This year, finances being what they are, we debated the level of our pig-fest and there was even a moment when my husband didn’t want to do it at all.  That’s when I realized just how important it is to keep a semblance of normalcy even in tough times.

With the prospect of no turkey and stuffing and gravy and pumpkin pie facing me, I found myself suddenly a little kid again, crying like I’d just been kicked in the stomach.  Which I had, metaphorically speaking.  Rationally, I understood why it made sense to not spend a bunch of money on a meal that would leave us (two already way-too-fat people) comatose on the couch and our frig stuffed to the rafters with leftovers we couldn’t finish off before they went bad.  But emotionally, it was a stealth bomb that went off in stages until I couldn’t stop the tears.   The last little bit of normal had been taken away from me.

Humans are creatures of habit.  Our little rituals, daily routines, regular observances, are crucial for us to keep going, because they signify that all is right with the world.  Disrupt even one of those habits, and the whole day is ruined.  Just watch the next time your co-worker doesn’t get their Grande Latte Half-Caf in the morning.  Being a little OCD, I’m probably more dependent on routine than most.  Being out of work and without a car forces me into a different routine than I’m used to.  Not that I can’t adapt, but a lot has been thrust on me in a short amount of time, and it takes time to change.  And then you take my turkey away.  Suddenly, I was a prisoner who had no control over anything.  I felt helpless, despondent, crippled. I pride myself in being a strong person, but these last few months have torn that to shreds.

Sitting there with all the air knocked out of me, I tried to explain to my husband why I was crying, while not really understanding myself.  Thankfully, he only pretends to be a big dumb guy and we managed to figure out what the problem really was.  He had gone into full survival conservation mode, automatically dismissing anything that wasn’t absolutely necessary without even realizing that was what he was doing.  And I needed normal.

So we compromised.  We scaled back the food fest with a much smaller turkey and less sides, and opted to have our Thanksgiving on Sunday, since he was working on Thursday and Friday, so we could work together on the meal.

It was lovely.

We chatted about the various topics of the day while stuffing the turkey.  We applauded Brett Favre as he handed out yet another ass-whipping on the football field. We laughed at each other’s jokes while mashing potatoes.  We fell asleep together on the couch after just a plate of food apiece.  We had pumpkin pie with whipped cream.  Life was good.

And that’s what Thanksgiving is really about.  Our modern society has turned what was a quiet, reflective holiday into a gigantic monster of merchandising, marketing and excess, pretty much like everything else in our world. We’ve lost what Thanksgiving really is about: being thankful for our family and friends and our lives and celebrating that in the company of those that matter to us most.  It doesn’t matter the size of the celebration, it just matters that you have a few choice hours together, holding hands, enjoying good food and good times and having a little bit of normal in a world of chaos.

Here’s hoping you have some normal, too.

© 2009   Cheri K. Endsley   All Rights Reserved.

Brett Favre looks incredibly good so far this year. In fact, if I had to decide on NFL MVP right now, Favre would be in the mix (along with Charles Woodson, Manning, Chris Johnson). I don’t like to admit this because I’m still bothered by his role in the GB divorce and I hate anyone who has anything to do with the Vikings. I’ve heard the counter-arguments: that he’s played against mostly weak teams/defenses, or that he has Adrian Peterson behind him, or that the Vikes’ have a strong offensive line, or that their defense helps the team keep leads, or that the Vikes are just a very talented team overall. Those things are all true and yes they help. But I have seen him play enough this year to say confidently, Brett Favre might be playing at least close to this well just about anywhere right now. His passes are crisp, his timing is phenomenal, his pocket awareness is special, he’s shown he can still make any throw (and the MN offense hasn’t been shy about letting him let it fly), he’s not hiding behind AP and the run game and perhaps most curiously, his playcalling has been top-notch. (There have been rumors alleging that most of the offense’s success is due to Favre finally getting  the green light to call some of his own plays. Together with Bevell and possibly Childress, they are making tremendous play calls game after game.) Favre’s stats this year speak volumes: 24TDs, 3 picks, #2 in completion percentage at 69.3 and #1 in QB rating at 112.

I can’t say this surprises me though. As soon as the Vikes’ rumored interest in Favre surfaced earlier this year, I went on record saying he’d improve their record to at least 12-4. At that time, my 12-4 claim was mostly met with “Andy’s on crack again” comments. But I mostly held to it. I think it’s now safe to say the doubters were wrong. He has played extremely well this year. The offense is so smooth and very difficult to defend due largely to Favre’s performance. Heading into this season, the popular comment was “who’s he going to throw to?” Now it’s “man, look at all the weapons he has”. I think it’s fair to give some credit to Favre for making superstars out of guys who otherwise may have languished in mediocrity. He did it in Green Bay and he’s doing it in MN.

As well as Favre has played though, a question keeps popping up in my mind: did both the Packers and the Vikings end up winning in this divorce situation? I’m not saying this like the kid who says (pouting) “I didn’t want the most expensive brand new football that all of my friends got for Christmas anyway” here. I really am beginning to believe that this has worked out well for both the Pack and the Vikes. They got their franchise QB who could come in and provide competent quarterbacking while importantly bringing a strong sense of confidence to a position that had been a negative focus for years. The Packers, meanwhile, got a high quality young QB better suited to dealing with (and more willing to deal with) the ups and downs of leading a young team. The Vikings are dominating the division, but the Packers are slowly creeping back into the race – largely because of the efforts of Aaron Rodgers.

Wouldn’t it be something if these two teams squared off again this season, in the playoffs…and the Pack snatched the one that counts most!

The Good:

1. This team is very good and playing at an extremely high level.

2. Favre continues to have one of his best years.

3. Sidney Rice will catch anything you throw at him.

4. You cannot run on this defense.  Just ask Matt Forte. Or Ryan Grant. Or Steven Jackson. Or any running back they have faced this year.

5. Just how dominating was the defense today?  As Chicago Sun-Times writer, Brad Biggs pointed out “The Bears ran 12 plays in the second half.  They gained 2 yards.“

6. 3rd down conversions? No problem.  3rd and long? No problem.  Today the Vikings were 12 of 18 on third down.

7. If you want more of the good, just take a look at the game statistics.

The Bad: (and they really aren’t that bad)

1. Why was Adrian Peterson playing at the end of the game?  Wasn’t he hurt this week? I sometimes get the feeling that Chilly loses focus of what is important and forgets what he’s doing in the middle of the game.

2. Penalties: 10 of them to be exact.

3. Adrian Peterson putting the ball on the turf.  Just ask Bushytop how he feels about that.

4. Brett Favre threw the ball 48 times.  That’s a lot.  It will be interesting to see how the end of the season plays out when the Vikings secure their playoff spot home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

5.  The play of the special teams was not very good, just ask the folks over at The Viking Age.

Overall:

This is a great team.  The offense seems to be able to score at will, and the defense is dominating. Perhaps most impressive is that the defense is doing all of this without one of their best players: Antoine Winfield.  Finally, you know that something special is going on if Prince is coming to your games.

Could this be the year for the Vikings?  Let me know what you think in the comment section.

Ever since Adrian Peterson started running past demolishing embarrassing defenders in the NFL, he has forced defensive coordinators to scheme against him.  His dynamic running and exciting play has helped put the King back in Vikings. However, this year things seem to be different.  He doesn’t need to carry his team as he has in the past few years, yet he is quietly having a great year – (through 10 games) 999 yards, 11 touchdowns, and averaging almost 5 yards a carry.  What’s different this year?  Media stories seem to revolve around Brett Favre and not Adrian Peterson.  Don’t get me wrong, Favre is having an amazing year, and the media attention is deserved, but no one seems to be overly concerned with Peterson missing practice this week.

Almost nothing is mentioned about Peterson’s ankle and/or illness in the news this week.  Last year a questionable tag on the injury report would have caused the state of Minnesota to be in a panic.  This year, it gets a few sentences from the Star Tribune’s Vikings writers.

I understand Brett Favre is having an MVP season, but should I even have to point out that Adrian Peterson is an integral part of this offense?  Just today I was talking to a Vikings fan who told me that if Favre were to ever miss time, the Vikings would be in trouble, but if Peterson were to miss time, his backup (Chester Taylor) would fill in just fine.

Although I agree that an injury to Brett Favre would hurt the Vikings more than an injury to Peterson, I don’t think the Vikings could win a Super Bowl without Adrian Peterson.  As I mentioned earlier, Peterson keeps defensive coordinators up at night. He causes defenses to scheme around stopping him, and simply having him in the backfield changes the way defensive players move towards the ball.

Do I think Adrian Peterson is going to miss any time because of his ankle/illness/whatever Childress decides to tell us?  No. It’s a division game and his team needs him.  I think he’ll play.  My point is that Adrian Peterson seems to be forgotten behind all of the Favre-mania.

If you’re interested, here and here are the latest on whether he’ll play or not.

No time to dawdle today. The Super Elitist Investors Society is holding a benefit for themselves in about an hour, and guess who the MC is? Yup, it’s Fred Willard. I love that guy. And guess who’s one of the 100, vitally important, seat-holders? That’s right. Yours truly. And these pores won’t exfoliate themselves.

Q: How could you not give a Honcho Award to Favre?

- Donovan Merronious, Diamondhead, Mississippi

A: I’m going to use a technique we writing types like to call “answering a question with a question.” It’s just a little sleight of word that works wonderfully when we want to shift the onus of answering back onto you, the original, uh, question-asker person. More often than not, you don’t even realize that we’ve manipulated the conversation such that you’re technically doing all the work. When skillfully applied, as you’ll see in a moment, you’ll come out thinking that we’ve answered your question expertly, and generally feel better about yourself.

So, when you ask “how could you not give a Honcho Award to Favre”, I’ll “answer” with “what’s wrong with you?!” Then “who do you think you are, questioning my choices?” See how I did that? Yeah… crafty.

Q: I find it highly unlikely that you have a friend named Secretariat Jones. As a matter of fact, If I had to wager, I’d say you made him up. Care to defend yourself?

- Caleb Eckles, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

A: Says the guy from “King of Prussia” Pennsylvania. If you’re going to accuse me, falsely, I might add, of making things up, the least you can be is not from some fictitious town that quite obviously doesn’t exist. And… what’s that? Hold on a minute… my editors are telling me that there is, in fact, a King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Well that’s a stupid name. Who’d they name it after?

But… oh, wait a minute. I’ve come up with the spin. Just like “King of Prussia” is a hardly believable name that actually exists, so is Secretariat Jones. Besides, in a society that produces Kokain Mothershed, God Shammgod and Adolph Blaine Charles David Earl Frederick Gerald Hubert Irvin John Kenneth Lloyd Martin Nero Oliver Paul Quincy Randolph Sherman Thomas Uncas Victor William Xerxes Yancy Zeus Wolfe schlegelstein hausenberger dorffvoraltern waren gewissenhaft­schaferswessen schafewaren wohlgepflege und sorgfaltigkeit beschutzen von angreifen durch ihrraubgierigfeinde welche voraltern zwolftausend­jahres vorandieerscheinen wander ersteer dem enschderraumschiff gebrauchlicht als sein ursprung von kraftgestart sein lange fahrt hinzwischen­sternartigraum auf der suchenach diestern welche gehabt bewohnbar planeten kreise drehen sich und wohin der neurasse von verstandigmen­schlichkeit konnte fortplanzen und sicher freuen anlebens langlich freude und ruhe mit nicht ein furcht vor angreifen von anderer intelligent geschopfs­von hinzwischen sternartigraum, Senior (yes, it’s real), is Secretariat Jones really that odd a name? I say no. Oh, and so does he. He’s also asked for your address so that you two may discuss it in more detail.

Q: So now that we know your take on the BCS, who would your 8 playoff teams be?

- Libby Listo, Jamul, California

A: I’ll go you one better, Libby. I’ll seed them. And keep in mind… these are my seeds, not where I think they would be seeded (i.e., I’m paying no attention to their BCS or poll rankings, only what I see… though I will be keeping the conference champs in, as I see no way this gets done without the champs):

1. Alabama
2. TCU
3. Florida
4. Texas
5. Georgia Tech
6. Cincinnati
7. Oregon
8. Ohio St.

Now, much to the chagrin of my mother, I’m no idiot. I know it wouldn’t go down like this. Texas would be #2, Cincinnati would probably be #4 and TCU would be relegated to 5 or 6. A travesty. I know this… teams that play the kind of defense they do win championships. I’m just saying.

Q: It’s clear from your tone that you’ll have an opinion on this; what’s the deal with those full body suits swimmers are allowed to wear? For? Against? What’s up?

- Grier Moses, Elton, Maryland

A: I’m not really sure how to take this, so I’ll just pretend it doesn’t bother me. I’m in two minds about it. On the one hand, if everyone’s wearing them, who cares? The playing field is level, and isn’t that what we’re after, what with the testing and the sampling and the rules upon rules upon rules? On the other hand… uh… on the other hand… that is… uh…

I can’t take it! What do you mean by “my tone”? Are you trying to say something about my manhood? Are you!?… I… you know what. It’s OK. I can handle this. I can handle this. Deep breaths, Eddie…. deep breaths…

OK, sorry about that. Anyway, on the other hand, these suits clearly make swimmers faster. The history of the sport is being shredded to bits… and what’s a sport without its’ history? And to think that it’s not just a legal form of cheating is ridiculous. Why not just allow them all to get gills and have their toes sewn together? How is changing their skin any different? In a perfect world, everyone would be nude. That would once and for all decide the best. Alas, our antiquated modesty gets in the way, just like it always does. And another… uh… and another thing… um, is that… if….

OK that’s it! What does my tone have to do with competitive swimwear?? I can’t… It just doesn’t… there’s no sense… oh, forget it, let’s just move on…

Q: Benoit Pouliot for Guillaume Latendresse? Or not sophisticated enough to have an opinion?

- Yves Roussimoff, Rigaud, Quebec

A: Nice little psychological ploy there, Yves. You toy with what you assume must be insecurities by playing on my clearly superior levels of sophistication… even applying it to something as questionably-sophisticated as hockey. Well… yes, damnet! I have an opinion!

Big picture… meh. Average underachiever for average underachiever. But Pouliot’s got skills, no doubt. You don’t get drafted 4th overall without ‘em. It seems to me the Canadiens went with the hit or miss approach… you hit, and you’ve got yourself a star. You miss, and you didn’t give up that much. Latendresse on the other hand will probably be no more than a complementary big man. His ceiling’s nowhere near as high, though the likelihood he washes out is lower as well.

Sophistication… dropped.

Q: So what are you, some sort of underdeveloped kid with a thesaurus or something?

- Irving Loamscroft, Prairie Creek, Arkansas

A: A thesaurus… I’m chuckling, you can’t hear me chuckling, but rest assured, it’s happening. About to morph into a full belly laugh. Please. My words are my own, and I don’t never use a thisaurus. Never have, never will. No dictunary, spell-check, gramar-check neither. Nope, this way I talk and this way it be when you talk to me. I know you know it true by words in qustions. Ed Honcho the man! And devloped fine, thnks. No really like way thngs going. Qustions dun, yeaux.

Clearly, Brett Favre has still got it.  His final numbers were outstanding, and he only played 3 quarters:  22 of 25 for 213 yards, four TDs, no picks, 141.7 rating.  Brett looks better than ever.

Adrian Peterson is already over 1,000 yards was over 1,000 rushing yards for the season, but a few negative yardage carries and he finished with 999.

At the beginning of this year, I seem to recall people talking about the Vikings receiving corps as being average.  Brett Favre has made many average receivers (see: Antonio Freeman, Robert Brooks, etc.) look good.  That’s not the case here.  Percy Harvin, Sidney Rice, and Bernard Berrian are the real deal.

The Vikings are playing great, and most all, playing like a team.  Case in point:  Shiancoe missed a block and did pushups on the field.  Seriously.

Finally, I have to completely agree with Adam Schefter, “There’s only one word to describe how well Vikings are playing — schism. They’re creating a schism between them and the rest of league.”  Well played, sir.

My brother-in-law is a Vikings season ticket holder.  He’s kind enough to bring me to the annual Packers-Vikings match-ups.  As we approached our seats for Favre Bowl I this year, I noticed an older man sporting a Favre high school jersey.  I listened to him and his friend as they analyzed plays, and when I offered my insight (or lack thereof), I learned they were self-proclaimed “Brett Favre Fans.”  Through their thick southern accents, they professed their Favre-love.  ”We rooted for Brett when he was in Green Bay, and we root for Brett now.  We’re just Brett Favre fans.”

Growing up a Packer fan, it was a little harder for me to understand why non-Packer backers loved Brett Favre so much.  But there is a reason why people are Brett Favre fans – It’s just hard not to like this guy.  Take a listen to Favre mic’d up…

(Thanks to The Viking Age for the link)

Read this article from Jay Sorgi at WTMJ’s website. Feel bad for these guys.

The Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn was fined $10,000 for his illegal chop block in the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens linebacker, Terrell Suggs, in their 16-0 defeat on Monday Night.

Quinn threw an interception to Chris Carr on the play was attempting to go tackle Carr, but instead hit Suggs below the knees, thus causing Suggs to possibly be sidelined for the rest of the season with a MCL injury.

Quinn getting a fine exactly the same as the $10,000 mark that Brett Favre received for the similar type of hit during a preseason game against the Houston Texans, but these types of hits need to stop occurring.  The NFL is a sport where careers do not last long for the most part, and more importantly life after football is hard to adjust to as the hits catch up with the players.

These types of hits of players below the knees on purpose that look to have serious intent to knock a guy out, regardless of the individual, Quinn or Favre are just dirty plays.  These plays are uncalled for and should be suspended as well as fined.  Taking a guy out at the knees, especially when he did not even have the football in his hands is something that is not needed in the league.

I know Brady Quinn is not a dirty player, and I know he is not having the kind of career he as well as everyone else had anticipated him to have, but nonetheless, this type of play by Quinn deserves the $10,000 fine, and even a suspension for the hit as well should be necessary.

Why is it that March through June drags by with no gridiron action (unless you count the Draft as action, which we only do because we’re desperate by April) while September and October streak by like a Jared Allen blitz?  Yeah, yeah – time flies and all that.  But I am shocked that we are past the halfway mark of the 2009 season.  However, be comforted football faithful.  Even though it’s Week 10 – we’ve got the playoffs coming in the new year – all the way to February!

In the meantime, the favorites ruled again in Week 9, much to my chagrin.  And to quote Forrest Gump:  ”That’s all I have to say about that.”  Onward to bigger and better picks:

San Francisco 49ers -3.5 over the Chicago Bears.  Despite their recent losses, the Gold Rush boys are definitely coming along as a cohesive team.  Alex Smith is still somewhat tentative and inconsistent, but I am hopeful that he may succeed in this comeback attempt.  Vernon Davis has apparently drunk the whole vat of Singletary koolade .  Result:  his best season to date.  The defense takes steady steps forward each week.  Chicago probably has more talent, but the WR’s and Cutler haven’t quite put it together yet.  I’ll go with SF at home – but don’t go ANY higher on this spread.  Straight Up:  49ers.  Barbara’s Best Pick.

Oakland Raiders -1.5 over the Kansas City Chiefs.  The Chiefs made a very smart move last week by snatching WR Chris Chambers off of waivers when San Diego let him go.  This move gave them a legit #2 WR to work alongside Bowe.  Then they made a very gutsy move by dumping immature RB Larry Johnson.  The backups may not be as talented but they couldn’t possibly be as disruptive.  Todd Haley is on the right path, but I don’t think they’re ready to win consistently yet.  Not that the Raiders truly resemble a successful NFL franchise at this point – but I think they can prevail at home.  Straight Up:  Raiders  Barbara’s Best Pick

New Orleans Saints -13.5 over the St. Louis Rams.  Yeah, I know it’s a big spread – but I cannot pick against Drew Brees when he’s facing the Rams’ D.  No offense to Steve Spagnuolo, but – really.  Steven Jackson may have his usual stellar day – especially since all-Pro Safety Darren Sharper (who went to my alma mater William and Mary btw) is out with a sore knee – BUT it won’t make any difference in the final score unless the entire Rams’ D has a body transplant.  Straight Up:  Saints.  Barbara’s Best Pick

Dallas Cowboys -2.5 over the Green Bay Packers.  Apparently the entire Cheesehead squad had revival meetings this week to try and right their proverbial ship.  Will it work?  Probably not – unless Romo has a meltdown.  But it’s a little early for his annual deconstruction, so you have to go with a Cowboys’ team that’s really clicking right now.  Particularly since it’s a balmy 45 degrees and mostly sunny on the not-so-frozen tundra today.  Straight up:  Cowboys  Barbara’s Best Pick

Cincinnati Bengals +6.5 versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.  I’m in the minority on this one, but I think the Bengals are for real in ‘09.  (And, incidentally, could we let up on Chad a bit – I’m sorry, but that dollar bill thing last week WAS funny.)  Bottom line, Pittsburgh has won enough for a while – it’s someone else’s turn.  Take a look at that Bengals’ D – first sighting of any kind of defense in the Rust Belt city in years!  Straight Up:  Bengals.

New York Jets -6.5 over the Jacksonville Jaguars.  My gut tells me that Sanchez will be recovering from his rookie rough patch about now.  Coupled with a Rex Ryan defense and the best rushing attack in the league I think they’ll be too much for an inexplicably flat Jaguar team that’s being completely carried by diminutive dynamo Jones-Drew.  Straight Up:  Jets

Indianapolis Colts -2.5 over the New England Patriots.  I’m the only one I know picking the Colts in this one, but I just can’t bring myself to cheer for a team that’s won 3 Super Bowls this decade.  I have no idea who will really win this game, but I sure wouldn’t miss it for the world.  Indy is in danger due to all of the injuries in their secondary.  We’ll find out if the young replacements can play with the likes of Moss and Welker.  I’m guessing they’ll play better than anyone expects; these are, after all, the players that Tony Dungy drafted and coached up in his last couple of seasons.  Brady is back to his old self, though, so this one will be close.  Go NO higher on the spread.  Straight Up:  Colts

Minnesota Vikings -16.5 over the Detroit Lions.  The Lions are still very much a work in progress, but 16 and a half points is an awful lot.  This could be a bit of a trap game for the Vikes, but I simply cannot cheer against Favre – even on paper.  Straight Up:  Vikings.

Washington Redskins +6.5 versus the Denver Broncos.  I’m so far past being in the minority on this pick that I might be the only person in California picking the ‘Skins.  Denver SHOULD win and cover but I also think that at some point Washington will pull off a rally this season.  And this could be the week.  Straight Up:  Denver

Arizona Cardinals -8.5 over the Seattle Seahawks.  This game will depend on which Cards Oline shows up:  the one that lets Warner hit the dirt or the one that keeps him upright so that he can throw 5 TD’s as he did last week.  The Seahawks have better talent than their record indicates, but they are not playing well or as a unit yet under their new Head Coach.  Mora looks like he isn’t in charge at all in the Emerald City.  Rumors even abound that Holmgren may be back next year.  WHAT?  At any rate, I’m picking the Cards at home.  Straight Up:  Cardinals

Carolina Panthers +1.5 versus the Atlanta Falcons.  Carolina has found its stride finally with their lethal running duo of Williams and Stewart.  Unfortunately for Panthers fans, Michael Turner is back to his burner ways for the Falcons.  Ryan is by far the better QB, but I’m hoping that home field and keeping the ball on the ground will help the Panthers prevail.  Straight Up:  Panthers

Philadelphia Eagles +2.5 over the San Diego Chargers.  I do NOT trust the Chargers.  They are far too inconsistent on defense and their running game is nonexistent.  Westbrook is back for Philly and the team really needs this game to keep pace with Dallas in the NFC East.  Straight Up:  Eagles

Miami Dolphins -9.5 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Yeah, I know Josh Freeman had a great winning debut last week.  But the Dolphins D will shut him down Sunday in this Sunshine State battle.  Williams and Brown will eat the aging and disorganized Tampa D alive.  Straight Up:  Miami

Baltimore Ravens -10.5 over the Cleveland Browns.  Can’t the Browns just concede the season and go on vacation until free agency?  It hardly seems sporting to make them keep playing.  Quinn will be back under center this week.  Why, you may ask?  Who knows what goes on in the mind of Mangini.  The Ravens will want a decisive win to get them back on track.  Straight Up:  Ravens

Tennessee Titans -6.5 over the Buffalo Bills.  VY is on his way to redemption in the second half of ‘09.  Good for you, Vince.  Don’t go any higher on this spread since the Bills are battling all the way to the whistle on every play.  Straight Up:  Titans.

That’s it for now, sportsfans – break out the nachos!

Last week was a crazy terrible week. With the Bye week at the Giants can’t lose.

These have to be one of the coolest box toppers that can be pulled from 2009 Topps Mayo Football.

Rivalry is what makes loyalty in sports.  Seeing John Starks dunk over Jordan made every single victory at MSG so much sweeter.  A Bears season is a success if we sweep the Packers in the regular season.  These are the moments we circle on our calendars.  These are the moments we live for as fans.  This is because these are the moments that create the most drama and have the best payoff.

Rivalries allow us to assign good and evil into our sports.  It gives athletic competition an increased sense of drama.  I boo the Pistons because I remember Bill Laimbeer’s hard fouls, Isiah’s attitude and later Rasheed Wallace’s protestations of every foul.  I don’t boo the Philadelphia Eagles as hard because there is no such history.  There is no rivalry.  Rivalry gives us spectacle.  It gives us a storyline.  It gives your loyalty to your team soul.  You remember the crushing defeats.  They are more real to you than the Alamo.  You remember the victories.  Even if your loyalty was passed down from your parents, there is an oral history and a grand sense of right and wrong that floats in the ether when you watch that great rivalry game.  Rivalry is the best part of sports.

That’s why I hate Brett Favre forever more.  I hated him before because he was a Packer.  I hated him for beating the Bears.  I hated him for winning a Super Bowl for them.  I hated him for winning seasons.  I hate him now for still being in the league.  I hate him even more for still being in the division.  I hate him most for making me root for the Packers to beat his stupid Vikings.  So I will boo him when he comes to Soldier Field.  I will boo with the hope that my voice can negatively affect his play.  I will boo him for his history and his present being.  That is rivalry.

Die Hertha aus der Hauptstadt bewegt sich im Moment zügiger Richtung 2. Bundesliga als ein ICE von Harburg nach Altona. Gestern musste ich über die besoffene Transferpolitik des großen FC Bayern lästern, aber dass ist nichts im Vergleich zu dem Chaos was sich die Hertha um Neu-Manager Michael Preetz und Nicht-Mehr-Trainer Lucien Favre geleistet hat. Ein kurzer Rückblick in die letzte Saison: Die Hauptstadt wurde um ein Haar Deutscher Meister und verpasst um ein Zentimeter die Champions League. Die Stützen dieser tollen Mannschaft waren Jaroslav Drobny, Joe Simunic, Andrej Voronin und Marko Pantelic. Was ist passiert? Alles fing mit der Entlassung von Dieter Hoeneß an. Dadurch sammelte Favre mehr und mehr Macht um aus Hertha BSC Berlin den Favre BSC Berlin zu gestalten. Also was musste sich ändern? Ganz klar! Die Mannschaft muss umgebaut werden!! So ungefähr stelle ich mir die Transfergespräche zwischen Preetz und Favre vor:

Preetz: Wir haben ein Angebot aus Hoffenheim für Joe Simunic.

Favre: Simunic? Brauchen wir nicht mehr, zu alt, zu rotgefährdet. Weg mit dem!

Preetz: Ok gut. Was ist mit Voronin, den können wir uns nicht leisten. Der Dieter hat unseren Safe leer geräumt. Aber wir hätten noch den Marko Pantelic! Sein Vetrag läuft aus und es gibt keinen Interessenten. Sollen wir mit ihm nicht verlängern?

Favre: Wer? Pantelic? Den kenne ich gar nicht. Spielt der überhaupt in der 1. Mannschaft? Schnick, schnack verlängern. Dann holen wir lieber irgendein Brasilianer aus Vorwärts Dubai! Meinetwegen auch einen Polen von irgendeinem Bundesliga-Absteiger. Die werden in der Euroliga schon für Furore sorgen!

Preetz: Ooookay. Ich hoffe nur, du weißt was du tuest.

Favre: ICH BIN EINE LICHTGESTALT! Natürlich weiß ich was ich tue….

Ja! Genauso wars. Aber wie es halt so läuft im Leben….erstens kommt es anders und zweitens als man denkt. Simunic, Pantelic, Voronin weg und Drobny verletzt und schon steht Hertha auf Platz 18 mit 4 jämmerlichen Punkten. Favre geht stiften und Supermanager Preetz macht sich auf Trainersuche!

Seine Liste: Wolfgang Wolf, Jürgen Röber, Ewald Lienen, Peter Neururer, Friedhelm Funkel….erkennt jemand einen Trend? So eine geballte Unerfolglosigkeit auf einem Haufen, in der jeder der genannten schon mindestens 10 Vereine auf dem Buckel hat. Also entschließt sich Preetz für den Einäugigen unter den Blinden – für Friedhelm Funkel (vor der Saison bei Eintr. Frankfurt noch vom Hof gejagt). Funkel’s Bilanz: – wird hier aus Mitleid nicht genannt -.

Was jetzt? Ein Retter muss her – ein Stürmer. Aber wer würde freiwillig zu mit der schlechtesten Bundesliga Mannschaft dieser Saison gehen? Als heißer Kandidat wird nun ein Mann gehandelt, den man vor der Saison mit mehreren Tritten in den Arsch weggeschickt hat…Marko Pantelic…