Daily Norseman

Week 12 Matchup Between Bears and Vikings Moved to 3:15 PM Central

2009-11-11T22:33:47Z

Well, as we mentioned earlier, if everything bounces right for the Beloved Purple, they may have a chance to close out the NFC North division race in Week 12. If that's the case, the National Football League has given anyone that wants to see it the opportunity to do so.

Pro Football Talk is reporting that the Week 12 matchup between the Bears and the Vikings that was scheduled for noon Central time on 29 November has been moved to 3:15 PM Central time instead. Why? Because, well, apparently Fox didn't have a 3:15 game scheduled that say. They obviously came to the conclusion that the Bears have been woefully underexposed this season so far, and so decided to put the Bears/Vikings game into that featured afternoon slot.

So, if you had any plans for anything after about 3 PM Central on 29 November, you might want to move a few things around if you can.

Aaron Rodgers Sack Tracker

2009-11-11T18:59:41Z

Aaron Rodgers Sack Tracker

Here's a fun little site if you're interested in killing a few minutes. I know I enjoyed it.

Madieu Williams is Really, Really Generous

2009-11-11T15:02:55Z

Madieu Williams is Really, Really Generous

Great story from the Star Tribune about Vikings Free Safety Madieu Williams giving TWO MILLION DOLLARS to his alma mater, the University of Maryland. The money will go towards health care research. Williams didn't want any attention for his incredibly generous gift, but I'm afraid I have to give credit where it's due. Kudos to Mr. Williams for reminding us that many athletes do great things with their wealth.

The Division Race Could Be Over Soon. Really Soon.

2009-11-11T14:55:53Z

More photos » by Jeffrey Phelps - AP

Thanks, guys! Because of you, we might be able to get a lot of rest over the last month of the season! (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps, File)

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How soon? Well, how does Week 12 work for you?

In an entry on his blog this morning, Kevin Seifert points out to us how the NFC North divisional race could be over before the calendar hits 1 December. How? Well, a few different things would have to happen, none of which are entirely unfeasible at this point. According to Seifert, the things that would have to happen are as follows:

1) Minnesota would have to win their next three games to move their record to 10-1.

Thankfully, Minnesota has a three-game homestand coming out of their bye week, and none of those games are against teams that are playing particularly well. After the Vikings (hopefully) beat the Detroit Lions on Sunday, they have games against the Seattle Seahawks (currently 3-5) and the Chicago Bears (4-4) at the Metrodome. The Vikings should be favored in all three of those games, and probably heavily favored in the first two. . .heck, I've seen lines that show Minnesota as a 16.5-point favorite over Detroit (for entertainment purposes only, of course). Seattle has been abysmal on the road this year as well, sporting an 0-3 mark thus far and losing those three road games by an average of 17 points.

2) Chicago would have to lose one of their next two, in addition to their Week 12 matchup against Minnesota

The Bears have to turn around on a short week and fly out to the west coast to take on the San Francisco 49ers tomorrow night. (I almost feel bad for. . .wait, no I don't.) The Niners are reeling a bit, having lost four straight after getting off to a 3-1 start, but the Bears are reeling as well, having given up 40+ points in two of the last three weeks. After that, Chicago gets a little bit of extra time to plan for a home game against Philadelphia, (tenatively) scheduled for Sunday night, part of the NFL's inexplicable "Hey, let's try to get the Bears on in prime time as much as possible" strategy.

In any case, a loss for the Bears to either of their next two opponents and a loss to the Vikings would leave them at 5-6, and incapable of finishing any better than 4-2 against the NFC North, thanks to their Week 1 loss to the Packers. Speaking of Green Bay. . .

3) Green Bay would have to lose two of their next three games

It's tough to determine how many "easy" wins are on the Packers' schedule right now, what with them just having lost to the last winless team in the NFL. However, this seems like the least likely of the three things we would need to have happen to occur. On Sunday, the Packers will host a Dallas Cowboys team that is leading the NFC East and is riding a four-game winning streak since starting the season 2-2. It's going to be some tough sledding for the Packers to win that one, and frankly I'm not sure if they can do it. A loss there would put us halfway to what we would need.

However, the Packers' two games after that are a bit easier, with them hosting San Francisco and then getting a trip to Detroit on Thanksgiving. The Niners will probably give them some trouble, and Thanksgiving in the Motor City for the Packers has always been a bit of a minefield, but there's a pretty good chance of the Packers winning both of those games, in my opinion. But if the Packers were to fall to Dallas and to either Detroit or San Francisco, they would also be staring at a record of 5-6, and they've already been swept by the Vikings head-to-head.

So, if all three of these things played out over the next couple of weeks, the Vikings could go 0-5 over the last five weeks of the season to drop to 10-6, and if either Green Bay or Chicago ran the table to get themselves to 10-6 as well. . .they can't both run the table, as they have a head-to-head matchup in Week 14. . .the Vikings would remain ahead of the Packers on the strength of head-to-head record, and they would stay ahead of the Bears on the strength of division record (a Minnesota victory over Chicago in Week 12 would mean Minnesota couldn't finish worse than 5-1 against the NFC North, while a Chicago loss in that game would mean they couldn't finish better than 4-2 inside the division). Hence, the Vikings would sew up the NFC North division title after their upcoming victory over the Bears in Week 12.

Basically, it's not a matter of if the NFC North division race is over. . .it's a matter of when it's going to be over. We're Niner fans for the next couple of weeks for sure, as they'll be taking on both of our "closest" competitors, so hopefully they can help us out a bit on that front.

Happy Veterans Day, America

2009-11-11T13:07:59Z

I'll make with the football stuff later on today. However, today is about something much bigger than football.

I put this video on the site every 11 November, and the song develops a greater meaning for me with every year that passes by. So some of you have seen and heard this one before.

After the jump, you'll find the text of General George S. Patton's "Blood and Guts" speech. I'm putting it after the jump because, for starters, it's lengthy. And also because. . .well, General Patton was known in his time for using some, shall we say, "colorful" language. So there's your warning.

Enjoy the rest of your day, and we'll be back with some Vikings stuff later on.

Be seated.

Men, this stuff that some sources sling around about America wanting out of this war, not wanting to fight, is a crock of bullshit. Americans love to fight, traditionally. All real Americans love the sting and clash of battle. You are here today for three reasons. First, because you are here to defend your homes and your loved ones. Second, you are here for your own self-respect, because you would not want to be anywhere else. Third, you are here because you are real men and all real men like to fight. When you, here, every one of you, were kids, you all admired the champion marble player, the fastest runner, the toughest boxer, the big league ball players, and the All-American football players.

Americans love a winner. Americans will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise cowards. Americans play to win all of the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost nor will ever lose a war; for the very idea of losing is hateful to an American.

You are not all going to die. Only two percent of you right here today would die in a major battle. Death must not be feared. Death, in time, comes to all men. Yes, every man is scared in his first battle. If he says he's not, he's a liar. Some men are cowards but they fight the same as the brave men or they get the hell slammed out of them watching men fight who are just as scared as they are. The real hero is the man who fights even though he is scared. Some men get over their fright in a minute under fire. For some, it takes an hour. For some, it takes days. But a real man will never let his fear of death overpower his honor, his sense of duty to his country, and his innate manhood.

Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best and it removes all that is base.

Americans pride themselves on being "He Men" and they ARE "He Men." Remember that the enemy is just as frightened as you are, and probably more so. Because they are not supermen!

All through your Army careers, you men have bitched about what you call "chicken shit drilling." That, like everything else in this Army, has a definite purpose. That purpose is alertness. Alertness must be bred into every soldier. I don't give a fuck for a man who's not always on his toes. You men are veterans or you wouldn't be here. You are ready for what's to come. A man must be alert at all times if he expects to stay alive. If you're not alert, sometime, a German son-of-an-asshole-bitch is going to sneak up behind you and beat you to death with a sockful of shit! There are four hundred neatly marked graves somewhere in Sicily, all because one man went to sleep on the job. But they are German graves, because we caught the bastard asleep before they did!

An Army is a team. It lives, sleeps, eats, and fights as a team. This individual heroic stuff is pure horseshit. The bilious bastards who write that kind of stuff for the Saturday Evening Post don't know any more about real fighting under fire than they know about fucking! We have the finest food, the finest equipment, the best spirit, and the best men in the world. Why, by God, I actually pity those poor sons-of-bitches we're going up against. By God, I do!

My men don't surrender, and I don't want to hear of any soldier under my command being captured unless he has been hit. Even if you are hit, you can still fight back. That's not just bullshit either. The kind of man that I want in my command is just like the lieutenant in Libya, who, with a Nazi Kraut poking a Luger against his chest, jerked off his helmet, swept the gun aside with one hand, and busted the hell out of the Kraut with his helmet. Then he jumped on the gun and went out and killed another German before they knew what the hell was coming off. And, all of that time, this man had a bullet through a lung. There was a real man!

All of the real heroes are not storybook combat fighters, either. Every single man in this Army plays a vital role. Don't ever let up. Don't ever think that your job is unimportant. Every man has a job to do and he must do it. Every man is a vital link in the great chain.

What if every truck driver suddenly decided that he didn't like the whine of those shells overhead, turned yellow, and jumped headlong into a ditch? The cowardly bastard could say, 'Hell, they won't miss me, just one man in thousands.' But, what if every man thought that way? Where in the hell would we be now? What would our country, our loved ones, our homes, even the world, be like?

No, Goddamnit, Americans don't think like that. Every man does his job. Every man serves the whole. Every department, every unit, is important in the vast scheme of this war. The ordnance men are needed to supply the guns and machinery of war to keep us rolling. The Quartermaster is needed to bring up food and clothes because where we are going there isn't a hell of a lot to steal. Every last man on K.P. has a job to do, even the one who heats our water to keep us from getting the 'G.I. Shits.'

Each man must not think only of himself, but also of his buddy fighting beside him. We don't want yellow cowards in this Army. They should be killed off like rats! If not, they will go home after this war and breed more cowards. The brave men will breed more brave men. Kill off the Goddamned cowards and we will have a nation of brave men.

One of the bravest men that I ever saw was a fellow on top of a telegraph pole in the midst of a furious firefight in Tunisia. I stopped and asked what the hell he was doing up there at a time like that. He answered, 'Fixing the wire, Sir.' I asked, 'Isn't that a little unhealthy right about now?' He answered, 'Yes Sir, but the Goddamned wire has to be fixed.' I asked, 'Don't those planes strafing the road bother you?' And he answered, 'No, Sir, but you sure as hell do!' Now, there was a real man. A real soldier. There was a man who devoted all he had to his duty, no matter how seemingly insignificant his duty might appear at the time, no matter how great the odds.

And you should have seen those trucks on the rode to Tunisia. Those drivers were magnificent. All day and all night they rolled over those son-of-a-bitching roads, never stopping, never faltering from their course, with shells bursting all around them all of the time. We got through on good old American guts!

Many of those men drove for over forty consecutive hours. These men weren't combat men, but they were soldiers with a job to do. They did it, and in one hell of a way they did it. They were part of a team. Without team effort, without them, the fight would have been lost. All of the links in the chain pulled together and the chain became unbreakable.

Don't forget, you men don't know that I'm here. No mention of that fact is to be made in any letters. The world is not supposed to know what the hell happened to me. I'm not supposed to be commanding this Army. I'm not even supposed to be here in England. Let the first bastards to find out be the Goddamned Germans! Someday I want to see them raise up on their piss-soaked hind legs and howl, 'Jesus Christ, it's the Goddamned Third Army again and that son-of-a-fucking-bitch Patton.' We want to get the hell over there. The quicker we clean up this Goddamned mess, the quicker we can take a little jaunt against the purple pissing Japs and clean out their nest, too. Before the Goddamned Marines get all of the credit!

Sure, we want to go home. We want this war over with. The quickest way to get it over with is to go get the bastards who started it! The quicker they are whipped, the quicker we can go home. The shortest way home is through Berlin and Tokyo. And when we get to Berlin, I am personally going to shoot that paper hanging son-of-a-bitch Hitler. Just like I'd shoot a snake!

When a man is lying in a shell hole, if he just stays there all day, a German will get to him eventually. The hell with that idea. The hell with just sitting back and taking it! My men don't dig foxholes. I don't want them to. Foxholes only slow up an offensive. Keep moving. And don't give the enemy time to dig one either. We'll win this war, but we'll win it only by fighting and by showing the Germans that we've got more guts than they have; or ever will have. We're not going to just shoot the sons-of-bitches, we're going to rip out their living Goddamned guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. We're going to murder those lousy Hun cocksuckers by the bushel-fucking-basket!

War is a bloody, killing business. You've got to spill their blood, or they will spill yours! Rip them up the belly. Shoot them in the guts. When shells are hitting all around you and you wipe the dirt off your face and realize that instead of dirt it's the blood and guts of what once was your best friend beside you, you'll know what to do!

I don't want to get any messages saying, 'I am holding my position." We are not holding a Goddamned thing. Let the Germans do that! We are advancing constantly and we are not interested in holding onto anything, except the enemy's balls! We are going to twist his balls and kick the living shit out of him all of the time. Our basic plan of operation is to advance and to keep on advancing regardless of whether we have to go over, under, or through the enemy. We are going to go through him like crap through a goose; like shit through a tin horn!

From time to time there will be some complaints that we are pushing our people too hard. I don't give a good Goddamn about such complaints. I believe in the old and sound rule that an ounce of sweat will save a gallon of blood. The harder WE push, the more Germans we will kill. The more Germans we kill, the fewer of our men will be killed.

Pushing means fewer casualties. I want you all to remember that.

There is one great thing that you men will all be able to say after this war is over and you are home once again. You may be thankful that twenty years from now when you are sitting by the fireplace with your grandson on your knee and he asks you what you did in the great World War II, you WON'T have to cough, shift him to the other knee and say, 'Well, your Granddaddy shoveled shit in Louisiana.'

No, Sir, you can look him straight in the eye and say, 'Son, your Granddaddy rode with the Great Third Army and a Son-of-a-Goddamned-Bitch named Georgie Patton!'

"That is all."

--General George S. Patton, 5 June 1944

Winfield Back in Action

2009-11-09T21:26:07Z

Winfield Back in Action

Some good news coming off a great bye week: Antoine Winfield was able to get on the practice field for a bit today (though not during the part of practice that was open to the media). Still don't know when he'll be back -- Chilly didn't address that today -- but Toine's apparently getting there.

How to Win On Your Bye Week

2009-11-08T21:35:05Z

More photos » by Nam Y Huh - AP

Pictured: Chicago Bears' quarterback Jeff George. Not pictured: Jay Cutler (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Browse more photos »

Step 1 - Watch Jeff George v2.0 and the Bears get completely undressed at home by Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and company.

Step 2 - Watch the Green Bay Packers ensure that there will be NO winless teams in the National Football League in 2009.

And. . .well, that's all you need, really.

So, if the Vikings play .500 ball the rest of the way. . .the Bears would have to go 7-1 to catch them (and, presumably, hope that that one loss isn't to the Vikings), and the Packers would have to go 8-0 in order to catch them for the NFC North division title.

I don't want to say it's over. . .but there's a rather large woman off-stage there getting her vocal chords warmed up.

Week Nine Open Thread

2009-11-08T17:22:18Z

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

Take the day off, guys. . .you've earned it. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

Browse more photos »

Not going to be paying a whole lot of attention to football today, I'll be honest. . .going to be doing some schoolwork and will likely just have football on the TV for background noise.

The other three NFC North teams will all be in action this week. The Bears will play host to the Arizona Cardinals, and will hope to hold them to less than 40 points. . .I have my doubts. The Packers travel to Florida to take on the last winless team in the NFL, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And in one of the late games, the Lions head out to Qwest Field to face off with the Seattle Seahawks.

There's lots of other NFL action to be had today as well. . .and, if you'd like, you can discuss it all here with your fellow Viking fans. Enjoy!

How Could Flex Scheduling Potentially Affect the Minnesota Vikings?

2009-11-08T12:00:42Z

Anthony Carter. . .not THE Anthony Carter, I assume, but who knows. . .brought up something worth pondering in one of the FanPosts yesterday, and that's whether or not the NFL's "flex scheduling" rules will affect the Minnesota Vikings in some way, shape, or form as we move down the stretch. It's getting to that time of year, and the Vikings are becoming a bit of a hot ticket, so it might be worth examining if any of the Beloved Purple's games could end up getting placed into a prime-time slot.

For those unfamiliar with the rules of the flex scheduling, here's a rundown, and we'll look more specifically at the Vikings after the jump.

-Begins Sunday of Week 11
-In effect during Weeks 11-17
-Only Sunday afternoon games are subject to being moved into the Sunday night window.
-The game that has been tentatively scheduled for Sunday night during flex weeks will be listed at 8:15 p.m. ET.
-The majority of games on Sundays will be listed at 1:00 p.m. ET during flex weeks except for games played in Pacific or Mountain Time zones which will be listed at 4:05 or 4:15 p.m. ET.
-No impact on Thursday, Saturday or Monday night games.
-The NFL will decide (after consultation with CBS, FOX, NBC) and announce as early as possible the game being played at 8:15 p.m. ET. The announcement will come no later than 12 days prior to the game. The NFL may also announce games moving to 4:05 p.m. ET and 4:15 p.m. ET.
-Week 17 start time changes could be decided on 6 days notice to ensure a game with playoff implications.
-The NBC Sunday night time slot in "flex" weeks will list the game that has been tentatively scheduled for Sunday night.
-Fans and ticket holders must be aware that NFL games in flex weeks are subject to change 12 days in advance (6 days in Week 17) and should plan accordingly.
-NFL schedules all games.
-Teams will be informed as soon as they are no longer under consideration or eligible for a move to Sunday night.

Now, the one thing that hurts the Vikings when it comes to flex scheduling is that they only have one game this season against a team from the NFC East. . .and ~~official studies~~ casual observations by people that have even an iota of common sense have shown that games involving one or more teams from the NFC East are ten to fifteen times more likely to end up on NBC's Sunday Night Football than games that don't involve any NFC East teams. (Hey, if you think I'm making that up, go back and look at the SNF schedule since it moved to NBC. The imbalance is freaking outrageous.)

So, how many of the Vikings' last seven games have a chance to get flexed into a prime-time slot? Let's take a look at this week by week. . .both the Vikings' scheduled opponent for that week, and the game that NBC has tentatively scheduled for the Sunday night slot.

Week 11
Vikings schedule: vs. Seattle
Current SNF game: Philadelphia at Chicago

There's no way that Seattle at Minnesota is intriguing enough for the NFL's schedule makers to move to Sunday night. The Seahawks have been pretty bad this year. . .they'll be 4-5 at best coming into the Metrodome (more than likely 3-6) and aren't looking at a whole lot of post-season prospects, so I don't give this game much of a chance of being flexed. I don't know if Philly/Chicago will stay in that spot, though. . .there's a pretty juicy looking matchup with Indianapolis traveling to Baltimore that would look good in that spot. However, NBC has a game that fulfills their NFC East criteria, so I don't see the current game being moved from its slot.

Week 12
Vikings schedule: vs. Chicago
Current SNF game: Pittsburgh at Baltimore

Sufficient to say. . .I think NBC has exactly the game they want for Week 12. The Bears, despite not being that good in 2008, were somehow scheduled for five prime-time appearances this season, based largely on their acquisition of Jeff George v2.0 to be their starting QB. How many NFL and network executives do you suppose are kicking their own asses over that brilliant idea right now? (I, personally, hope that somebody has been fired for their ignorance.) So, I think that the NFL would like to forget that fiasco, and I think the only way the Bears are going to get flexed into prime time is if they somehow go against a team from the Lingerie Football League.

Week 13
Vikings schedule: at Arizona
Current SNF game: New England at Miami

This could provide NBC with an intriguing option. The Cardinals, if they can turn it around, should be in position to take the NFC West title again, and after all, they are the defending NFC champions. There's the angle of Warner vs. Favre to look at as well. The only other game that appears to be a candidate to be moved would be Philadelphia at Atlanta. NBC could very well keep the game they currently have, but the Dolphins haven't had a lot of success this year against teams not named the New York Jets, and are fading a bit quickly in the AFC. But I think this game definitely has some flex potential.

Week 14
Vikings schedule: vs. Cincinnati
Current SNF game: Philadelphia at New York Giants

NBC currently has a game that features not one, but TWO NFC East teams scheduled for this week, so we can probably take that game away from NBC when we pry it from their cold, dead hands. But Bengals/Vikings, based on the way things look right now, might be the best game of Week 14. We have the Saints/Falcons rematch, but they've already had one prime-time game, and there's a game between the Chargers and Cowboys that could potentially have some post-season implications for both teams, but again. . .I'd be surprised if the current game gets moved from Week 14 at all.

Week 15
Vikings schedule: at Carolina
Current SNF game: Minnesota at Carolina

The Vikings are already scheduled for Sunday night in Week 15. . .but is there a chance they could get flexed out? The Panthers haven't been very good, and if Jake Delhomme keeps performing like. . .well, like Jake Delhomme. . .there's a very good chance that they'll already be looking to 2010 by the time this game comes around. There are two other solid possibilities for flex scheduling this week, those being Packers at Steelers and Chargers at Bengals. If Carolina's season continues to keep trending south, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Vikings get bumped to an afternoon slot in favor of one of those two games.

Week 16
Vikings schedule: at Chicago (Monday night)
Current SNF game: Dallas at Washington

Monday night games can't be affected by flex scheduling, so there is no chance that the Vikings will conclude their season sweep of the Bears at any time but Monday night. Will Dallas and Washington remain on Sunday night that week? There is a matchup between the Ravens and Steelers out there, although that would make a second SNF matchup for those two teams, as well as the Broncos traveling to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles. It will be interesting to see whether this game gets changed.

Week 17
Vikings schedule: vs. New York Giants
Current SNF game: None

The Week 17 SNF matchup won't be decided until after the Week 16 games have concluded. . .presumably by Sunday night, since the Monday nighter that week should have no post-season implications (except, possibly, for home field advantage through the NFC playoffs for the Vikings). This game could potentially have implications for a first-round bye, among other things, so there's a chance that Giants/Vikings could be the Sunday night game of choice. From the look of the schedule right now, the only other game that appears to have the remote possibility of intrigue is Green Bay at Arizona. . .the rest of the Week 17 matchups look like real stinkers, for the most part.

So, the Vikings do have a bit of flex possibility for the last seven games of 2009. Hopefully the league will see that the Vikings should be in prime-time more frequently. . .certainly more than their division rivals deserve to be. . .and adjust the schedule accordingly.

EDIT: DangerDale has pointed out a thread over at The 506 that says both CBS and FOX get to protect five games from flex scheduling. According to that list, the protected games are as follows:

FOX: Washington/Dallas (Week 11), Chicago/Minnesota (Week 12), Dallas/New York Giants (Week 13), Green Bay/Chicago (Week 14), Green Bay/Pittsburgh (Week 15)
CBS: New York Jets/New England (Week 11), Tennessee/Indianapolis (Week 13), San Diego/Dallas (Week 14), Cincinnati/San Diego (Week 15), Baltimore/Pittsburgh (Week 16)

Minnesota Vikings Player Power Rankings, Mid-Season Edition

2009-11-07T19:44:23Z

I really meant to do one of these back during the pre-season so that we'd have something to compare it to at this point, but I forgot to. I apologize for that. But, as usual, we'll have our mid-season version. . .conveniently designed to go along with the Vikings' bye week. . .and our post-season version to compare.

I've done these for the past couple of seasons, after originally getting the idea from our friends over at Dawgs by Nature. (See the 2007 mid-season and post-season versions, as well as the 2008 mid-season and post-season versions.) These aren't official or anything, and are more designed to spark conversations/debate than anything else. Since the table that these rankings are placed in is pretty huge, I'll put it in after the jump for everyone to have a look at. Enjoy, and tell us what you think!

Player Power Rankings
Rank	Player	Comment
1	Jared Allen, DE	Greatest trade in Vikings' history? If it's not, it's certainly on the short list. In 24 games since coming to Minnesota, #69 has 25 sacks (3 of which have resulted in safeties), 5 passes defended, 6 forced fumbles, and has generally just been the best 4-3 defensive end in the National Football League. He'd probably be the Defensive Player of the Year if the season ended today.
2	Brett Favre, QB	Okay, raise your hand if you thought the guy would be this good. looks around I doubt it was that many, but anyhow. . .in eight games, Favre has turned the ball over all of four times (only one of which. . .against St. Louis. . .could probably be classed as egregiously awful), has a 4:1 TD/turnover ratio, and a quarterback rating of a cool 106.0. Yes, it remains to see how he'll perform over the second half of the year, but the returns have been good so far.
3	Adrian Peterson, RB	You know the bar has been set pretty high for you when you're tied for second in the NFL in rushing yards, averaging almost 5 yards/carry, are second in the league in rushing touchdowns. . .and some folks are under the perception that you're struggling. He's on pace for 40 fewer regular season carries this year than he got last year, and as long as teams still want to defend the Vikings like they have Gus Frerotte at quarterback, his numbers will probably stay low. . .keeping him fresh for the post-season.
4	Percy Harvin, WR	Surprised to see him this high? Don't be. How much of an impact has Harvin had? With him returning kickoffs, the Vikings have the best average starting field position in the NFL. He's also been a big part of the Vikings going from having one of the worst special teams units of the last 20 years to being one of the better units in the league, according to the DVOA rankings from Football Outsiders. Oh, and he's done alright catching the ball, too. Barring an injury, we can probably just stop the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting right now and hand the award to #12. (Oh, and another big thank you to T.J. Houshmandzadeh for signing with the Seahawks. . .because if we had him, we likely wouldn't have Harvin.)
5	Kevin Williams, DT	The best all-around defensive tackle in football has been blowing up interior linemen all season long. He's on pace to have his first double-digit sack season since 2004, and he's still incredible against the run. Oh, and he's thrown in 6 defended passes, too. To borrow a phrase from Eric. . .greatest "missed draft pick" ever? Greatest "missed draft pick" ever.
6	Sidney Rice, WR	Nobody on the Vikings' roster has benefited more from the addition of Brett Favre than El Sid. It's hard to believe that the University of South Carolina produced both Rice and Troy Williamson, since Sidney is pretty much the anti-Williamson. He's on pace to have 1170 receiving yards (and hopefully more than the 2 TDs he has currently), and he has the most ridiculous set of hands this team has seen since Cris Carter left town. Yes, Randy Moss included.
7	Ryan Longwell, K	Ridiculous to put the kicker this high? Perhaps. . .but ponder this: Every time this season a ball that he's kicked has gone past the line of scrimmage, it's gone through the uprights (his only "miss" this season was the block at the end of the first half of the San Francisco game). His kickoffs have been pretty darn good, too. One can't underestimate the importance of a kicker as good as Longwell has been this season.
8	Chad Greenway, LB	The Vikings' leading tackler after the first half of the season, he's also tossed in a couple of interceptions and 4 passes defended. He's really gotten a lot better in coverage over the course of his Viking career, and has become one of the better all-around linebackers in the NFL.
9	Steve Hutchinson, G	Still the best at his position in the National Football League, despite getting called for his first holding penalty in 27 games last weekend against Green Bay. Meanwhile, Nate Burleson is still doing nothing in Seattle. Yeah, I still think the Vikings got the better of that little exchange.
10	Bryant McKinnie, T	McKinnie has been much maligned over the course of the past couple of seasons, and we would lament how he would get abused by speed rushers. However, after making the adjustment to having Brett Favre at QB early in the season (along with the rest of the O-line), McKinnie has done a hell of a job, and is finally really starting to live up to the huge payday he got a couple of years ago. He looks like the tackle the Vikings thought they were getting when they drafted him in 2002.
11	Antoine Winfield, CB	Ordinarily he would be much higher on this list, but his injuries. . .coupled with the fact that the Vikings haven't missed him nearly as much this year as anybody might have thought. . .push him down a little bit. Don't get me wrong, he's still one of the best in the league at his position, but he hasn't had quite the impact so far this season that one would think.
12	Pat Williams, DT	Phat Pat got off to a bit of a rough start in 2009, some of which could possibly be attributed to getting a late start on the pre-season festivities, but has come around over the course of the past few games, and is back to being his usual bad-ass, run-stuffing self. He's even contributed his annual sack with his takedown of Aaron Rodgers in Week 8.
13	Ray Edwards, DE	You know. . .when he's not busy jumping offsides or getting ridiculous late hit penalties, Ray Ray has actually had a pretty solid year thus far, with 26 combined tackles and 3.5 sacks. Sure, he might be the "weak link" on the defensive line, but being the weak link on a defensive line this good is sort of like being a MENSA member with an IQ of "only" 135.
14	Visanthe Shiancoe, TE	Second in the NFL in touchdown catches among tight ends, he gives the Vikings yet another weapon to utilize around the goal line. One could argue that he should be getting more catches, but with the emergence of Harvin and Rice, I'm not sure where those catches would come from. (Yes, I know, "Tahi" is the obvious answer.)
15	Ben Leber, LB	Still the quietest member of the defense, but as always, you don't hear his name called very often, which means he's doing what he's asked to do. Occasionally spectacular, but always solid. Still the only good thing Fran Foley ever did for the Minnesota Vikings.
16	Phil Loadholt, OT	The massive rookie from Oklahoma grabbed hold of the starting RT slot in training camp and, like most things he gets a hold of, he hasn't shown any signs of letting go of it any time soon. He did miss a game because of injury, but overall has provided a level of play that few may have expected from him as a rookie. We'll have to keep an eye on him to see if he hits the "wall" during the course of the year.
17	E.J. Henderson, LB	I'm surprised that he's down this far, too, but really. . .who ahead of him do you move? Frankly, E.J. just hasn't looked like E.J. most of the time this season. A good portion of the Vikings' woes against tight ends can be attributed to him (though there is blame to be spread around. . .give me a bit), and he just hasn't been the beast that he was prior to the dislocated toes that caused him to miss most of 2008. He is getting better, though, and hopefully will continue to do so as the season goes on.
18	Bernard Berrian, WR	He's had some injury problems this year, and his average yards/catch is significantly lower than it was in 2008, but he's still providing a pretty steady presence on the outside. He's become pretty much automatic on slant routes thus far this season, and it's only a matter of time before corners and safeties start biting on those and opening up big gainers over the top. He's not the #1 option any more, but he's still solid.
19	Cedric Griffin, CB	This is just my personal opinion, but there isn't a more frustrating player on the Vikings' roster to watch than Cedric Griffin. The guy has a ton of talent, and we know he has the capability to be really good (see the second half of last year), but there are too many times when he forgets how to tackle and gets beaten in coverage. Sadly, he's not even the most disappointing member of the secondary this season.
20	Anthony Herrera, G	Another guy we haven't heard a whole lot from this season, which is a positive. For the most part, he seems to be doing a relatively solid job at the right guard spot.
21	John Sullivan, C	For a guy starting at center for the first time in the NFL to be the pivot on an offense this good says a lot about Sullivan's ability. Has he been great all the time? No. . .but he hasn't been a tremendous drop-off from Matt Birk's play last year, either, and he's still been pretty good, despite a couple of mental errors (like the mis-timed snap in Green Bay).
22	Chris Kluwe, P	Yeah, he had a crappy ~~game~~ half against Pittsburgh, and Joshua Cribbs got a punt return TD against the Vikings in Week 1. . .he does that to a lot of teams. . .but Kluwe has made a lot of strides over last season, in my opinion. The willingness of the Guitar Hero to (finally) sacrifice some distance for hang time has been another part of the Vikings' special teams turnaround.
23	Jimmy Kennedy, DT	If Jimmy Kennedy isn't a testament to the amazing abilities of Vikings' defensive line coach Karl Dunbar, I'm really not sure what is. Kennedy has served the Vikings very well as a rotation player to this point of the season, and may be putting himself in line to be a replacement for Pat Williams in the near future. Yeah, "solid rotation" player isn't necessarily what you want from a guy that was once drafted #11 overall. . .but it's a hell of a lot more than St. Louis, Jacksonville, or Chicago got out of him.
24	Madieu Williams, S	One of the bigger disappointments on the team this year, in my opinion. There have been a few occasions where Williams has just looked completely lost this season, and for a veteran guy like him, that shouldn't happen. He really, really needs to step up his level of play in the second half of the season in order to bring the Vikings' pass defense up to where it needs to be.
25	Tyrell Johnson, S	The other biggest disappointment for the Vikings this year. I know this is his first year as the full-time starter, but he just hasn't been all that good. Nobody questions Johnson's physical ability, to be sure, but he needs to show more of why the Vikings took him in the second round in 2008.
26	Jim Kleinsasser, TE	We just keep putting Kleinsasser out there as a blocker every year, and he just keeps destroying everything in his path. I'm not sure how many years the guy can keep doing this, but he certainly hasn't shown any signs of slowing down.
27	Cullen Loeffler, LS	I'll put the same thing I put next to his entry every year. . .when's the last time you remember the Vikings' special teams units being victimized by a bad snap? Loeffler is solid.
28	Heath Farwell, LB	The Vikings had a lot of turnover in their special teams coverage units between 2008 and 2009, but the return of Heath Farwell has been huge. He's always around the ball on special teams, whether it's kick returns or punt returns, and his tackling is as sure as ever.
29	Jeff Dugan, FB/TE	Remember when most of us thought the only reason the Vikings drafted Jeff Dugan was because he went to Maryland like Mike Tice did? Yeah, that was five seasons ago, and Dugan is still here. He's a solid blocker, and has even gotten a couple of passes this year. One of the more underrated Vikings. . .probably underrated on this list, too.
30	Chester Taylor, RB	This may seem way too low for Chester, but his yards/carry average is way down this year, and I really think we're seeing his last season in Minnesota, as he's in the final year of his contract. With the expansion of Adrian Peterson's role as a receiver and the improvement in his pass blocking, #29 just isn't as vital as he's been in years past.
31	Naufahu Tahi, FB	Good enough blocker, but again, I'll go with something I say every year. . .STOP THROWING HIM THE FOOTBALL. (Although he did have a 30+ yard catch-and-run against St. Louis, which means there are probably more plays in the playbook for him than ever.)
32	Brian Robison, DE	It's not that Robison is bad or anything, because he's clearly not. He just doesn't get a whole lot of opportunities with the guy he has in front of him taking all the snaps. Oh, and Brian. . .the next time a kickoff bounces into your hands, just fall down. . .please?
33	Jaymar Johnson, WR	Another guy that could probably be a few spots higher, he's stepped into the punt return role quite nicely after the injury to Darius Reynaud. Wouldn't mind seeing him get a few more shots as a receiver, but who's he going to displace, barring injury?
34	Kenny Onatolu, LB	I was really rooting for this guy to make the squad after his pre-season performance, and he hasn't disappointed, adding more solid play to the Vikings' special teams units.
35	Greg Lewis, WR	IT'S GREG LEWIS! TOUCHDOWN! OH MY GOODNESS! GREG LEWIS! WELCOME TO MINNESOTA! OH MY HEAVENS!
36	Fred Evans, DT	Twenty-nine taser-free months and counting for Evans. Way to go, #90!
37	Benny Sapp, CB	Could make an argument that he could be higher, I suppose. He's had his moments but, like many parts of the Vikings' secondary this season, he's made a few highlight reels for the wrong reasons, too.
38	Tarvaris Jackson, QB	Hasn't been a disruption, and has actually taken his demotion quite well. Has seen a bit of time in mop-up duty as well. I hope we don't have to see him this year, but if we do, I have confidence that he could do the job for a little while, at least.
39	Letroy Guion, DT	Has bounced back and forth between the active roster and the inactive list, but has done a solid enough job in the time he's gotten.
40	Artis Hicks, OL	Filled in for Phil Loadholt when the big guy was out with an injury, and played pretty well. Still a solid backup at numerous positions.
41	Asher Allen, CB	Has spent most of the year on the inactive list, but has been up for the last two games and has asserted himself pretty well. Easy to see the potential the Vikings seem to think he has.
42	Jasper Brinkley, LB	Hasn't seen much time as a LB, but has been a very good special teamer thus far.
43	Karl Paymah, CB	After watching him get thoroughly abused against Baltimore, it became clear why he was brought in as a special teamer and not a cornerback. He recovered nicely against Pittsburgh, though. . .and, hopefully, will be finding his way back to a strictly special teams role here soon.
44	Darius Reynaud, WR	Was doing an outstanding job as a punt returner before his injury, and now might not get his punt returner spot back thanks to Jaymar Johnson's performance.
45	Eric Frampton, S	Hasn't gotten the opportunity to come alive on defense. . .yes, I continue to murder that joke. . .but has been a good special teamer.
46	Husain Abdullah, S	See above, but without the reference to Peter Frampton.
47	Jamarca Sanford, S	Hasn't been up for all the games, but again has been a solid special teamer in the games that he has been.
48	Ryan Cook, OT	No Ryan Cook on the field makes Gonzo a happy blogger and Vikings quarterbacks much healthier than they may normally be.
Non-Ranked Players/Incomplete Grades
Rank	Player	Comment
NA	Sage Rosenfels, QB	The best-compensated #3 quarterback in the league. Nice work, if you can get it.
NA	Jayme Mitchell, DE	Still pretty talented, but there just isn't room for him in Minnesota's defensive line rotation. Damn shame, too.
NA	Erin Henderson, LB	Heck, I'm not sure if Henderson the Younger is even still on the team.
NA	Jon Cooper, C	Was signed, then released, then signed again, and I don't think he's seen the field this year.
NA	Albert Young, RB	Hasn't seen the field this year, either.

And there you have it. I'm pretty sure that I haven't missed anybody. . .if I have, let me know, and I'll work them into the rankings at the appropriate place.

"Save the Vikes" Pushes for Stadium at Capital

2009-11-06T19:39:08Z

"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

2009-11-06T02:52:07Z

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.

A Question for the Favre Haters Out There

2009-11-06T00:52:50Z

More photos » by Jerry Holt - AP

10 days ago: Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre reacts after throwing for the Vikings' final touchdown in a 38-26 win over the Green Bay Packers in an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Star Tribune, Jerry Holt)

Browse more photos »

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.

And On the Ninth Week, They Rested.

2009-11-05T18:56:19Z

It appears only one NFC team stands in the Vikings' way at the halfway point of the season. Here are their cheerleaders.

View full size photo »

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.)

Obviously, the Vikings are in great shape halfway through the 2009 season. They're 7-1, they already have 5 road games out of the way, they pick up after the bye with three home games, and if that wasn't enough, the first one is against the Lions!

But as The Wolf uttered one of my favorite lines of all time in Pulp Fiction, "Let's not start sucking each other's d---- just yet."

We all remember the team that our quarterback was on last year, right? The Jets started 8-3, then Favre got hurt and the wheels fell off. Yes, I know, this team is different, and undoubtedly better overall. I'm just sayin', OK? Of any fan base, we Vikings fans should know that a season can turn at any time without warning. We have a looong way to go before we start seriously talking about that February game in Miami, especially with that team in New Orleans putting up 40 points a game at will. But so far, so good, right?

Let's just hope that the Vikings take this most opportune time to rest, recharge, and be ready to make the second half of the season even better than the first.

Now for my Week 9 NFL picks (home team in CAPS):

FALCONS over Redskins: My Eliminator pick this week (still going at 8-0). I have always loved Clinton Portis' wild characters and costumes he thinks up during press conferences. This year, he's even wearing them on the field! Although I'm not sure "Washed-up NFL Malcontent Running Back" is quite as funny as "Dolla Bill."

BEARS over Cardinals: I wouldn't bet your money on this game. Have two teams ever looked so good and bad on a week-to-week basis? I'm taking the Bears here, but I wouldn't be surprised by a 40-point blowout either way in this one.

Ravens over BENGALS: Big-time revenge game here; Baltimore had their first meeting locked up until they went all penalty-happy. Fun drinking game if you're watching this one: drink every time the announcers mention "leader", "motivator", or "intensity" when referring to Ray Lewis. You should be bombed halfway through the second quarter.

COLTS over Texans: It only took Houston seven and a half years to get two games over .500! Congratulations! I'm a little worried about Indy's rushing attack, but the Colts are in the "not picking against them until they lose" category with New Orleans.

JAGUARS over Chiefs: If I was Maurice Jones-Drew and my team fell behind early to Kansas City on Sunday, I would strip the ball from David Garrard and run it myself every time a pass play was called.

PATRIOTS over Dolphins: Like I'm going to pick against Bellichick at home when he's had two weeks to prepare for a gimmick offense.

Packers over BUCCANEERS: Give the Packers credit--they have looked AMAZING against awful teams this year. Good work Pack! You're 4-1 against teams not named the Vikings!

SAINTS over Panthers: It looks like John Fox is finally figuring out that his rush offense is approximately 48 times more efficient than his pass offense...but it's hard to run the ball a lot when the Saints are putting up Arena League scores.

SEAHAWKS over Lions: Hey, T.J. Houshmandzadeh: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! How's choosing Seattle over Minnesota working out for you?

GIANTS over Chargers: The Chargers are 0-3 against teams with winning records. Believe it or not, the Giants still have a winning record.

49ERS over Titans: Although the Niners seem to have mastered the art of "How to Look Good and Still Lose", I think they'll get a big enough lead in this game to not have to worry about their new skill.

EAGLES over Cowboys: I'm rooting for only one thing in this game: lots and lots of injuries. Worst two fan bases in football? Worst two fan bases in football.

Steelers over BRONCOS: Like Christina Hendricks and Lindsay Lohan, these two teams seem like they're heading in opposite directions.

Last week: 8-5

Season so far: 83-33

On the horrifically-awkward/hilarious-when-taken-out-of-context meter, I think Brad Childress'...

2009-11-05T07:32:46Z

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)

"He is Jared. He makes the plays. They pay him the money, and that's what he needs to do. But I...

2009-11-05T04:39:15Z

"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.

Van Heusen Hall of Fame Interview Part 3: Bart Starr

2009-11-04T03:03:54Z

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.

Van Heusen Hall of Fame Interview Part 2: Paul Krause

2009-11-04T02:01:49Z

Go to www.fanschoice.com to vote for the 2010 Hall of Fame class today!

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.

Van Heusen Hall of Fame Interview Part 1: Jan Stenerud

2009-11-04T01:22:51Z

Go to www.fanschoice.com to vote for the 2010 Hall of Fame class today!

How have you seen the effect of Brett Favre's return in Green Bay this week? Do you think it's good for football?

JS: I think it is. I live in Colorado so I don't see all the local press, but I did see the articles like in the USA Today. I thought it was pretty neat except for a couple things. I think people can go a little too far at times, but overall I think it's great for the game. But you know once the ball is kicked off all of that stuff is forgotten. Brett Favre is surrounded by his teammates and he can handle it.

Now you went through this too, going from the Packers to the Vikings right? What was the experience like the first time you ran out of the visitors' tunnel?

JS: Well yes but on a lot lower level. (Laughs) I spent three and a half seasons in Green Bay and then went to Minnesota. Of course we came back and there were some mixed feelings, but nothing on this level. It was strange not to be in a Packer uniform obviously. Actually the first time I came back the game was in Milwaukee, which was very different than playing here. But still, you are a hired gun when you play pro football and you do the best for the employee you have at the time. It wasn't that big of a deal then, but hardly anything is as big as [Favre's return] when it comes to a player going from one team to another.

Can you talk a little bit as to why you're here today?

JS: Certainly. For the first time, the fans have a chance to vote for the 2010 Hall of Fame class. It's to get the fans more involved and more interested about the Hall of Fame vote, and it'll go on from now on obviously. I know there are several Packers on the list such as Sterling Sharpe and Jerry Kramer, so it's kind of fun to get the fans involved, and Van Heusen and JCPenney have made this possible.

How important do you think the fan's opinion is for the Hall of Fame? Do you think it will influence how the usual Hall of Fame voters cast their ballot?

JS: I don't know how important it's going to be, but if you're a selector and you see the fans make a really great case for a player, you can make the selectors take a real close look at them. If you look at all the players on the list, I think there are 130 or so, they're all really great players. So I guess what you're looking for is making the selectors really dig in as much as possible to make the best choices. I think it's good to get the fans involved.

You're one of only three kickers in the Hall of Fame, and you're the only one that solely kicked throughout your career. George Blanda and Lou Groza played other positions in their career. Do you see any current NFL kickers that have a shot at the Hall of Fame?

JS: Well I was the only one that only kicked because I couldn't do anything else! (Laughs) There will always be a lot less kickers in the Hall of Fame than other positions, I do know that. Twenty years from know do I know how many kickers there will be? I couldn't tell you. But there will be a few, I'm sure of that. Morten Andersen and Gary Anderson were great kickers. I think Gary is eligible this year--I don't know what's going to happen, but he has some great stats. Vinatieri has made two game-winning kicks on the biggest stage of all of pro football. He's off to a great start and he'd be a strong candidate. Ray Guy is probably the best punter of all time. He was drafted in the first round. Oakland, with their championship teams, thought the punter was that important to draft him in the first round. And he lived up to all the expectations, and you know that field position is very important in football. You would think he would get consideration but he's never really made it to the final round of voting. Maybe this year.

Thanks for your time Jan.

JS: My pleasure.

Goodell Begging Congress to Clean Up His Mess

2009-11-04T01:10:07Z

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has spent a good amount of time in Washington, D.C. over the past couple of days, and I can't say that he appears to have enjoyed himself too much. He got ripped by Congress for the disgusting way the league treats its former players, and now, according to Pro Football Talk, he's asking the nation's legislative body to close a loophole that he and everyone else in the league offices didn't quite bother to catch until it came back to bite them.

And, as he has since the beginning, Goodell continues to lie his ass off about the circumstances surrounding the StarCaps case:

As the league would have Congress -- and anyone else who cares -- believe it, the NFLPA betrayed the league by assisting the efforts of the members who faced suspension based on the consumption of StarCaps, an over-the-counter supplement that had been secretly spiked with a banned substance. But the evidence in this case supports a finding that the league knew that StarCaps had been spiked with a prescription drug, that the league knew players had been taken StarCaps, and that the league issued no specific warning to the players that taking StarCaps could be hazardous to their careers -- and more importantly to their health.

See, this is what anybody with a clue has been saying all along. The question in this case, in my opinion, has always been "What did the NFL know, and when did they know it?" And damn near all of the evidence in this case suggests that the league knew that StarCaps contained the substance bumetanide way, WAY in advance of the positive tests of Pat Williams, Kevin Williams, Charles Grant and Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints, and Grady Jackson of the Detroit Lions.

Quite frankly, Goodell's pathetic begging in front of Congress to get this rule changed as a result of these events taking place tells me one simple thing.

He's conceding a loss.

I think he's under the impression that there's no way that he wins this case against the Williams Wall, and is now trying to get the rule changed so that he and the liars in the NFL front office don't have to potentially face such a problem again in the future.

Sorry, Roger. . .maybe you and yours should have been more honest in the first place rather than fooling around with the lives of your players in a pathetic attempt to yell "GOTCHA" at some of the guys that line your pockets.

As I always say. . .get up, get get, get down. . .Roger Goodell is a joke in your town.