HERE WE GO
Now that the final piece of the puzzle is in place, we can start getting excited about the season.
Seriously.
Would it have been possible to get to the Super Bowl with our quarterback depth chart as it stood Tuesday? Possibly. (See Trent Dilfer.)
Would you have bet on it? No way.
Now that Brett Favre‘s back in the fold, the Vikings can get down to the business of winning their first Super Bowl. If you missed Favre’s press conference, watch the relevant bits here.
SO SORRY
Brad Chidlress manned up at the press conference and apologized to the reporters and to his coaches for sending Darrell Bevell and Brian Murphy out to tell reporters that the Captains Contingent were in the building when they were, in fact, not.
The mystery remains as to why you’d want to conceal anything anyway when The Favre was on his way to Minnesota anyway.
What was to be gained by the deception? What would have been lost?
Inscrutable.
‘BOUT TIME
It was nice to hear someone in authority finally acknowledge the cheap shots the Saints took at Favre during the NFC Championship game.
The Strib‘s Judd Zulgad quotes Childress thusly: “He knows there somewhere he’s going to get knocked on his keister,” Childress said when asked about Favre taking more shots this season. “That’s going to happen. As long as we’re doing it within the spirit of the rules, he’s all good with it and I’m all good with it. In terms of not doing it that way, hey, everybody talks about hitting the quarterback. Let’s just hit him the right way.”
Asked to confirm his opinion that the Saints “unduly punished” Favre, which I presume means “took cheap shots,” Childress said: “In my opinion, yeah.”
WE GOT OUR STORYLINE & WE’RE STICKIN’ TO IT
What Childress no-doubt would not address, if asked, would be the stunning lack of officiating during the NFC Championship game.
During the last ten years or so of Favre‘s career, he’s got the benefit of the doubt with roughing penalties. More often than not, if you sneezed on him, the flag got thrown. It was maddening when he was a Packer.
But during the NFC Championship game, the officials looked the other way. Saints defenders were able to assault Favre with impunity.
Then there was the phantom call against Ben Leber.
It’s hard not to draw the conclusion that the league had its Cinderella Story and there was to be no deviating from it. That storyline did not include the Vikings.
The ‘Aints, who never won nothin’ would advance to the Super Bowl. The poor Saints, ravaged by Katrina, would finally have their moment of glory.
Bitter much, Dave?
Well, yeah.
X MARKS THE SPOT
Darren Sharper started the theme with his “X marks the spot” tweet suggesting that the Saints would try and injure Favre in this year’s opener.
It’s continued with the likes of Tedy Bruschi, who encouraged teams to follow the Saints “blueprint” in attacking Favre.
For a league that has been notorious for protecting its quarterbacks, the lack of protection afforded Favre during the Vikings last game last year was breathtaking. Will it continue into this season?
We shall see.
THE GREY BUCKET
Favre’s mysterious grey bucket contained protein powder, a staple of an NFL diet.
WHAT SAY YOU, SIR FRANCIS?
We haven’t heard a peep out of Fran Tarkenton, who rather vociferously opposed Brett Favre donning Purple last year. I love Fran Tarkenton. I do. He is one of the best ever. He was the pioneer mobile quarterback [Watch the proof.]. He was my childhood hero. But, God love him, you know why he doesn’t like Favre in Purple.
He never won a Super Bowl.
And Favre has.
And he could again.
With the Vikings.
Which would make him the greatest Vikings quarterback of all time.
SPORTS & POLITICS
MSNBC political analyst Chuck Todd is not a Brett Favre fan. This is what he had to say on air yesterday morning: “We’re all hoping, though, his season will end again but this year with an interception to a Green Bay Packer, who takes it to the end zone so that they go to the Super Bowl, get the ultimate revenge on Mr. Farv-rah.”
Todd did not explain who “we” was.
SUCKS TO BE YOU, DUDE
First he breaks his thumb in the first preseason game, then some punk-ass 40 year old bumps him from the roster. Fate has conspired against Jaymar Johnson, whom the Vikings put on waivers as a result of his injury but also to make room for Brett Favre on the roster.
ON DEMAND
If you’re a Comcast OnDemand subscriber and get the NFL Network, you can re-watch the Vikings vs. Saints match-up in anticipation of the regular season opener at New Orleans. No, not THAT match-up. This would be the 2008 game against the then future Super Bowl champions. Got it?
I won’t spoil it by telling you who won.
If you get HBO, set your DVR for 10 a.m. on Friday to catch the rebroadcast of the excellent Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, with a segment devoted to traumatic brain injury and ALS, featuring Wally Hilgenberg.
And, remember to tune in to WCCO TV tonight at 10 p.m. for their segment on the Hilgenberg family.
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