Matthew Stafford is banging on the door, but the conversation about the top quarterback in the NFC North begins and ends with two names: Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre.
There may be some Jay Cutler apologists out there muttering that last season was an aberration and that he is ready to prove himself once again this fall. I beg to differ because his utter refusal to be accountable for his performance does not bode well for future success in Chicago, the country’s second biggest market.
What follows is a list of key factors in the decision-making process for the top spot in the division for the sport’s most important position.
By Patrick Herbert
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While perusing the official site of the Minnesota Vikings, I came across a timeline of the team’s history. The newfound bandwagon jumpers of Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson have no recollection of the lean years and near misses in the playoffs of this sometimes proud franchise. Favre changes his mind about playing more than a middle school girl switches her best friend forever. It is quite certain that his recent bout with uncertainty had everything to do with restructuring his contract in order to receive a substantial raise for the upcoming season.
But Favre will have to achieve a lot of glory in order to overcome the failures of the past.
By Patrick Herbert
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It has been a tumultuous training camp for the Minnesota Vikings. The recent medical issues pertaining to Percy Harvin’s migraines and Sidney Rice’s hip surgery have added more questions to the mix. With Brett Favre’s late arrival and all of the missed time for Adrian Peterson, the Minnesota Vikings have not taken many snaps together as a cohesive offensive unit this preseason.
The Vikings’ receiving corps has obviously suffered some major blows recently, but the front office has attempted to offset these somewhat by the recent signing of Javon Walker. He’s of course an old target for Brett Favre with the Green Bay Packers, but he is currently on the wrong side of thirty and has some unproductive seasons recently.
Greg Lewis is another receiver on Minnesota’s roster. The Big Ten product out of the University of Illinois has made some big catches with this franchise, but seems to be undersized to have the kind of impact that Rice could consistently have in the red zone.
By: Patrick Herbert
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The NFL’s answer to Weird Al Yankovic is FINALLY back. Friend of The Sports Bank and fellow New England Patriots fan BF83, known on YouTube by the proper name of Brady Fan 83, has given us a musical summation of the story that dominated the sports blogosphere last week.
That whole penis picture text exchange alleged by sideline princess Jenn Sterger, and denied by the Minnesota Vikings Brett Favre, for more on that go here.
Now onto the music.
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On a day that everyone is talking about Brett Favre, his indecision, and his alleged retirement/fake retirement publicity stunt (or whatever you want to call that media mush)…this happens! And by this, I mean allegations that could conceivably take the biggest Favre story of the day, crush it, and grind it up into dust due to it’s enormity. If true, and enough smoke is visible now to make us believe there’s a legitimate fire burning here- this will overshadow everything Favre related.
Deadspin’s A.J. Daulerio claims that The Daily Line’s Jenn Sterger, the infamous Florida St. Cowgirl who rode a screen capture of her large artificial chest into 15 minutes of internet fame, and then generated a media career from those 15 minutes, claims former Packers legend and Minnesota Vikings QB BRETT FAVRE SENT PICTURES OF HIS YOU KNOW WHAT to Sterger’s cell phone; and also left the sideline princess creepy, borderline stalkerish sounding voicemails. This allegedly occurred when both were members of the New York Jets organization.
If Sterger releases the evidence, as Daulerio is aggressively cajoling her to do, let’s see how the NFL spin can this damaging information about their silver-haired fox.
By Paul M. Banks
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I don’t buy this garbage. Not for one second. He’s not really retiring. How do I know? Because Favre is an attention whore. Plain and simple. Even HIS OWN AGENT called him one.
Well, he specifically called Favre a drama queen, and “attention whore” is a common synonym for that word. Here’s one of the word “drama queen’s” definitions according to Urban Dictionary.com
Someone who turns something unimportant into a major deal. Someone who blows things way out of proportion when ever the chance is given.
Sounds an awful lot like the current Minnesota Vikings, and long time Green Bay Packers QB, doesn’t it? Isn’t it great when the people in the NFL closest to the celebs we hate feel the exact same way that we do about that celeb’s deluded self-absorption?
By Paul M. Banks
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By the end of today, and certainly by the end of tomorrow most NFL teams will have opened training camp. So it’s officially football season!
The NFL is an extremely complicated game when you break it down on paper for betting purposes. Just ask the Vegas odds makers who literally live and die by a three-point margin week after week. And we’re just talking about a regular game here. Picking next season’s Super Bowl favorites and actually being right about it is a shot in the dark, no matter who’s doing the picking.
Gambling in July over who the top dogs in each conference will be in February is about as accurate as betting the “sure” thing via internet slots. Nevertheless, some teams just stand out as head and shoulders above the competition and earn billing as early Super Bowl XLV favorites.
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Remember the Hyundai Super Bowl commercial of Brett Favre accepting his MVP award in 2020? I thought it was joke then, but now I’m not so sure. In an interview with USA Today, Brett Favre admitted that he might be able to play football until he’s 50 years old.
By: Justin Mertes-Mistretta
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Want to know where the Miami Hurricanes are headed as a program? Then you must first learn where they’ve been, and who better to tell you than ‘Canes Heisman Trophy winning quarterback and Minnesota Vikings draft pick Gino Torretta. I had an exclusive with him on the night of his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
There’s been a tremendous buzz about Billy Corben’s provocative ESPN 30 for 30 documentary “The U.” It reminded us about the time when college football got slammed with a decade long hurricane, with the Canes winning four titles in an eight year period. Torretta, along with fellow QB Vinny Testaverde, were the only Canes to bring home the Heisman in the program’s glory period.
By Paul M. Banks
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By Mike Gallagher
The Minnesota Golden Gophers football team definitely did better for themselves in the NFL draft than they did for themselves on the football field.
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By: Melissa S. Wollering
Brett Favre’s agent Bus Cook isn’t kidding around. He took this picture of Brett’s bruised and swollen, tennis-ball-size ankle and another of his ailing purple hamstring. Now, Favre’s orthopedic surgeon says Brett would indeed need surgery before he would be able to return to the Minnesota Vikings.
With his 20th season in the NFL on the line, is it possible Favre’s worst fear is becoming a reality? Brett may no longer be able to go out on his own terms. And who can deny that retirement may be smarter now regardless of whether he goes through with the surgery or not?
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By Mike Gallagher
The Minnesota Vikings are a very good football team. The great thing about very good football teams is that there really aren’t too many holes to fill, especially those impacting the team immediately.
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by Peter Christian
Before I get all worked up into a rant that runs into a word count that Paul M. Banks will frown upon, let me get one thing straight: I know.
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by Peter Christian
The Vikings won 12 regular season games, they were 8-0 at home, they were 4-1 against 2009 play-off teams, they were 3 point favorites (2.5 at kick-off) and yet the majority of “the experts” were picking the Cowboys to knock off the Minnesota Vikings in the Metrodome… er… on Mall of America field.
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By Peter Christian
The Minnesota Vikings have a long and rich history that dates back almost 50 years that includes 4 Super Bowl appearances, 7 appearances in the NFC Championship game and the 2nd highest team winning percentage in NFC history. So the Vikings fan base should have plenty to sit back on, right?
Wrong.
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By Andy Weise
Brad Childress is staying on as the coach of the Minnesota (for now) Vikings until 2013 after it was announced yesterday that he received a contract extension. Childress was .500 before the 2009 season began but an 8-1 start has cooled some of the “Chili Haters” that once dominated the Metrodome on game days.
Childress came over from the Philadelphia Eagles in 2006 after being labeled as the person who helped develop Donovan McNabb. He then tried to develop Tarvaris Jackson into a quality NFL quarterback even after calling him a piece of clay after drafting him. To Childress’ credit, each year the Vikings had gotten better record wise, 6-10, 8-8 and 10-6 last year but before a certain quarterback arrived this year Vikings fans weren’t too sold on him.
One thing is for sure: No Brad Childress, no Brett Favre. The ties with Childress and his offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell are the main reasons why Brett Favre is playing for the Vikings. Childress allowed Favre to come in still after missing camp and has silenced most of his critics. As we know, winning football games often cures all problems or “schisms.”
My personal opinion on the extension? I’m fine with it however the timing is a little weird. I’ve loved the way the Vikings have started out but there is still plenty of time for things to blow up, and then what? Childress should have been given an extension following the season, assuming [More …]
By Peter Christian
Every week I feel a little happier and a little more queasy at the same time. The Minnesota Vikings are currently sporting their best Week 11 Record since 1998. Yes, the same 1998 where the Vikings went 15-1, scored more points than any team in NFL history (at that point) and then lost in the NFC Championship game at home because Gary Anderson missed his only kick of the entire season blah blah blah.
So as the Vikings reel off win after win and play the most balanced brand of football that I can remember, I watch with one eye towards the future. With each long bomb by Brett Favre to Sidney Rice, Bernard Berrian or Percy Harvin I try and ignore the similarities of Randall Cunningham throwing to Jake Reed, Cris Carter or Randy Moss. The truth is however, that there are just far too many similarities between this 2009 team and the one that literally made me hate football for more than a year when I was in high school.
Randall Cunningham is pried out of retirement to sign with the team, Brett Favre pretends he needed to be convinced to come out of retirement.
In 1998, the Vikings 1st round pick was an exciting WR named Randy Moss that is causing headaches for opposing DB’s. In 2009, Percy Harvin is taken in the 1st round and is contributing to the high powered offense immediately.
In 1998, a speedy running back with long strides [More …]
By Jake McCormick and Andy Weise
As of roughly 3:13 p.m., Sunday, October 25, the Brett Favre Ball dropped in Minnesota and Wisconsin, prompting the inevitable, yet excruciatingly redundant conversation about Favre’s return to his former 16-year winter home in Green Bay. His first game against the Packers went as well as he could’ve hoped, but returning to the scene of the crime in Northeastern Wisconsin is really the more interesting game of the two for obvious reasons. As much as The Sports Bank’s Andy Weise and Jake McCormick LOVE talking about the most polarizing quarterback since Tom Brady, they also realize that a game of football involves more than the play of one man. Welcome to the second, and barring a playoff matchup, last Packer/Viking exchange!
Jake McCormick: First off, I would like to apologize for 16 years and 32 games of being on the opposite side of the Brett Favre slopfest from every network’s television announcers. My revelation came about halfway through the Monday night matchup when Jon Gruden started welling up with tears of joy that he coached the honorable, distinguished, Jesus Favre for a season or two. I feel closer to Viking/Bear fans than I ever have. Going into this weekend, I will promptly mute the television after I get goosebumps from an entire stadium booing so loud they are hoarse before the first quarter even starts. With that said, I couldn’t ask for a better situation for the Packers going into this [More …]
By the TSB Staff
PAUL M. BANKS
I think anyone who’s neither a.) A die-hard Minnesota Vikings fan or b.) possessor of a serious Favre man-crush, should (no, it is their patriotic duty as an American) boo the hell out of Brett Favre. As much respect as I had for his ability and resume prior to 2008, it is impossible for me to separate that from the pathetic attention-whore he is today. As a Chicagoan, I have to say Michael Jordan the basketball player- loved him, best ever to watch play. Michael Jordan the brand/person- awful disgusting corporation with psychopathic tendencies disguised as a person.
I made the distinction here, but after being beaten over the head with Favre coverage for two years straight, I’m to lazy to make a similar segmentation again, or I don’t care enough to do so.
If you consume any sports at all, you should be rooting against Favre. He recently said (which ESPN repeated AD NAUSEUAM) “There will always be Favre haters, nothing will change that.” Yes and why is that? Because you’re an attention whore with a solipsism eclipsing that of anyone in history- except maybe the Holy Roman Emperor Constantine.
JAKE MCCORMICK
Would you be happy with an ex-player that strung you along with retirement talk for years, can’t handle ever being told he’s been wrong before, goes to an archrival partially out of spite, and then seven games into [More …]
