This week’s Online Buzz finds the Vikings trouncing the Saints in team-related searches with 3,699 for the Vikings and 1,207 for the Saints. (Read my methodology here.)
Chris Hovan searches (70) edge out Saints defensive end Charles Grant. Daunte Culpepper has exactly double (182) the number of search that his Saints counterpart, Aaron Brooks has (91). Interest in the Vikings running back situation has increased, with an uptick in searches on Michael Bennett (124) and Mwelde Moore (48) from last week, while searches for Onterrio Smith remained flat (81); these compare searches for Saints featured back Deuce McAllister whose 42 searches don’t even equal the Vikings’ fourth-string back. Ouch.
The match-up of first-round picks falls in the Saints favor, with rookie defensive end Will Smith‘s 32 searches more than tripling Kenechi Udeze‘s 10. That may be a bit unfair to Udeze, however, since the Smith shares the same name as search category killer, actor/musician Will Smith, so presumably some of his 32 search are people looking for information on the I Robot star.
The most glaring example stardom versus superstardom becomes clear when you compare Randy Moss seaches against practically any team’s star player: Randy Moss’ 963 searches verus the Saints most popularly-searched player, Aaron Brooks, who had ninety-one. Or even add up all of the aforementioned Saints players’ searches, and you get 246.
