Adding to the misery of the Minnesota Vikings fans after their devastating loss in the NFC Championship is whether their starting quarterback Brett Favre will be back next season. The question arises on whether he should return or retire.
Favre Ponders Retirement Again
Favre is coming off of one of his best statistical seasons of his career. He passed for 4202 yards with 33 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. He also completed a impressive 68.4 of s passes. He led the Vikings to a 12-4 record , good enough to win the NFC North division.
Minnesota then defeated Dallas 34-3 in the division round of the playoffs in which Favre threw a career best four touchdown passes. He had the Vikings on the brink of the Super Bowl in New Orleans, when he made another poor decision that sealed their fate.
Most of the Minnesota players want him back next year. That is definitely in his favor for a return.
The poor decision in question is his third down pass that was intercepted when he had the Vikings in field gaol range at the end of regulation in the NFC Championship game. Instead of running, passing to a receiver in front of him, he threw cross field and got picked off.
This is what you get from a gunslinger like Favre.
He tries to force things when they are not there. While sometimes they pay off, this time it blew up in his face when it counted the most. Favre did the same thing a couple of years ago in Green Bay against the New York Giants. He again tried to force a pass, when there were other open receivers ,and it ended up with another interception. The Packers lost, and the Giants became Super Bowl Champions.
This seems to becoming a habit for #4.
I think that the rigors of the NFL season leaves Favre with nothing left at the end of the season both physically and mentally. This takes a toll on Favre and must effect his play deep in the playoffs. I would suggest that he hand the reigns to a younger quarterback. Favre does not have what it takes to to lead his team to the ultimate goal of a Super Bowl title. He should hang up the #4.
The Minnesota Vikings suffered a devastating loss yesterday at the hands of the New Orleans Saints 31-28 in overtime in the NFC Championship. It would be easy to blame some very shaky officiating in overtime, but a closer look tells the story of a team that has nobody to blame but themselves…
The Vikings outplayed the Saints everywhere but on the scoreboard. They moved the ball up and down on the field outgaining the Saints 475-257. The Vikes defense played more than well enough to get this team to the Superbowl. It was the miscues by the offense lead by Brett Favre that sealed their fate.
The Saints had more that a couple of “Home Town” calls in overtime. In particular was running back Pierre Thomas fourth and inches dive that appeared to be a certain first down. The officials went to replay. The replay showed that Thomas did not have control of the ball where the ball was spotted. It should have been spotted behind the first down marker giving the ball to the Vikings. Another big blown call was a catch by wideout Robert Meachem jut before the game winning field goal. Meachem’s catch was ruled a completion on the filed. The officials again reviewed the play that showed Meachem had trapped the ball. The Saints benefited again and Garret Hartley kicked a 40 yarder than sent them to the Super Bowl.The Vikings have reason to feel they were ripped off. If you going to rely on the instant replay, get the calls right. Everybody saw what I saw and it cost a team the right to play in the SuperBowl . WOW!
But as I said, this is only part of the story. If the Vikings protected the ball, it would of never have gotten to the point of overtime. Minnesota had five turnovers in all. Three fumbles and two interceptions. Percy Harvin fumbled deep in his own territory that lead to a Saints touchdown. Bernard Barrian also fumbled when the Vikes were on the move. But the biggest culprit was quarterback Brett Favre. Favre lost a fumble and had two picked off. The first two were drive killers and the last one sealed preventing them for ending the game at the end of regulation.
On third down and in field goal range, Favre made a decision that was reminiscent of a couple of years ago.Favre had room to run and a receiver right in front of him on the sideline that would of picked up very valuable yardage towards a game winning kick. But instead of seeing right in front of him, the gunslinger threw cross field that ended in a devastating interception. Green Bay fans will remember him doing that against the Giants a couple of years. Favre also had more viable options then but choked then as he did now. He will receive no sympathy form them. Favre ended up 28-46 for 310 yards, a touch and two picks. But it was his last pass, like Green Bay, that will be remembered by Viking fans. The Hall of Famer will have a long off season to think about a very poor decision.
The Vikings have lost five straight NFC Championship games. I have a little sympathy for them. I am a Eagles fan. They have lost four out of five. My advice for the fans of Minnesota is; Some things are not meant to be!
The NFL needs to decide whether or not it wants to enforce its own rules. It’s playoff time in the NFL now. Win, or go home.
In one of the best playoff games in recent memory, and arguably one of the greatest playoff games of all time, Green Bay was sent packing by the Cardinals. However, there were a few blown calls late in the game that could have cost the Packers a chance of advancing to play New Orleans.
Snyder Dismisses NFL Rules
On the second play in overtime after a thrilling four periods of regulation, Aaron Rodgers was hit in a helmet to helmet collision in the process of completing a fourteen yard pass. No personal foul was called, and the play was called back for offensive holding. Two plays later, everyone watched in shock as Rodgers was taken down by the facemask, losing the ball in the process as Karlos Dansby scooped it out of the air and into the end zone for the Arizona win.
Over the past season, and going further back into prior seasons, the NFL has shown their commitment to protecting the quarterback, no matter how minor the offense. Some argue that certain players have received special treatment from these rules, a la the “Tom Brady treatment.”
To maintain fair competition, the NFL needs to stop over blowing the whistle when these “elite” quarterbacks are out there or make consistent calls. Since the evidence shows that the calls are never consistent, they should stop overprotecting the quarterback position and let defenses go and do what they are paid to do, which is play defense.
Another rule that has become even more of a mockery than the protection of quarterbacks is the Rooney Rule. This states that teams who are in the process of hiring a new head coach must interview at least one minority. The purpose of this is to give the opportunity of obtaining a head coaching job to a minority. At the very least, even if said minority is passed over for the job, it gets their name out there for future vacancies.
However, it has become commonplace for owners in all sports, including the NFL, to continually recycle the same Caucasian coaches who have been mediocre in prior stints on other teams. Presumably some of this has to do with media hype over certain coaches when coaching jobs open up, no matter how merited that hype may be. The ignorance of the owners perpetuates this.
In two jobs that opened up shortly after season’s end, the Redskins and Seahawks had their positions filled (at least in principle) before full interviews really took place. Dan Snyder played footsie with Mike Shanahan for weeks with Zorn still under contract, and days after the season was officially over, he was hired. The Seahawks were quick to dump their first year coach in favor of USC’s Pete Carroll, who has been mediocre at best in his prior head coaching positions in the NFL.
What’s questionable is if and how these two teams complied with the rule when looking for their replacement. The Redskins interviewed one of their assistants during the season while Zorn was still head coach, and the Seahawks were trying to set up an interview with Minnesota’s defensive coordinator while at the same time working on a contract with Carroll.
It’s quite evident that the spirit of the rule was not followed by either team. Quick moves to dump their current head coaches were made to make room for candidates that were available and coveted by ownership of both teams. Any lackadaisical interviews that occurred with anyone were done simply for compliance sake, not to give those candidates their fair opportunity as was the plan when the rule was originated. But I guess ignorance is bliss.
The Green Bay Packers will look to keep things rolling as they return to Arizona for the third rematch of Week 17 looking to make it a clean sweep by the Week 17 winners. The New York Jets dominated the Cincinnati Bengals yesterday afternoon and the Dallas Cowboys blew the Philadelphia Eagles off the field last night. Its now up to the Packers to keep it going.
Woodson and Green Bay Defense Look To Be Difference Makers
Closing out the season with seven wins in its last eight games, the Packers entered the playoffs with the tag of the NFL’s hottest team. They rolled into Arizona last week and put a statement on a game that although meaningless to the Cardinals, they certainly didn’t roll over.
The Cardinals continue to be the same Jeckyll and Hyde team they were in their Super Bowl runner-up season in 2009. You never seem to know who is going to show up on a weekly basis. This season, the Cardinals have not shown the mettle they did last year and Kurt Warner appears to be showing his age.
This game will be decided on the defensive side of the ball between these two explosive offenses. Both teams field solid defenses that have their moments. Each need to have their moments today.
Green Bay’s defense led the league in turnover margin, which may be the deciding factor today. Green Bay registered a +24 turnover margin in the regular season, making big plays on defense and securing the ball on offense.
Conversely, Warner has a penchant for turning the ball over with errant passes. When he’s on, he has pinpoint accuracy. When he’s off, forget about it. If Green Bay can apply pressure to Warner and force him into mistakes, it is likely the Packers will leave Arizona with a similar result this week.
For the Packers offense, they will look to take advantage of an ailing Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie who missed practice all week. Rodgers-Cromartie, a Pro Bowler in 2009, injured his knee on just the third play of the game last week. It has been diagnosed as a deep bruise on the knee cap. Rodgers-Cromartie has been limited in practice and has been unable to plant and cut, which could prove disastrous against Green Bay’s WRs Donald Driver and Greg Jennings as QB Aaron Rodgers looks to exploit his injury.
Look for Green Bay to move on in the playoffs with a solid victory.
