For the past few years we have all witnessed what Favre does to his team in the offseason.  He holds the team hostage until training camp (this year it was until after two-a-days), then decides to return.  Year after year he talks retirement and returns to play, but will this year be different? I think not.  

This year is eerily similar to the way Favre imploded in the 2007 NFC Championship game.  He then proclaimed that he was retiring, which turned out to be a lie, and wanted to come back after the Pack had moved on.  He tried to hold the whole business/organization hostage even after they presented Favre with a fair offer, which was that he would compete for the starting spot. What more can you ask for?  

Nothing is given Brent, everything is earned.  I hope Vikings fans were watching when that drama queen wanted his way because they are in for a parade.  Yes, Favre has proven that he has some fumes left in the tank, but will he finally hang it up?

I caught the beginning of the press conference after the 2010 NFC Championship game last night. Favre held back the water works this time, but he sounded like an old man at the end of his road.  He sounded drained, especially after losing in the manner that he loves ( going down in flames). The gunslinger has lost a few MPHs on that fastball of his – he may need to use that Wrangler Jean wearing brain of his and make better decisions.  But has he ever?  No.  Will he ever?  I hope not (retire!)

It has been a long and storied career for the Ironman, and he should go down as the second greatest QB of all-time – second to Peyton Manning.  Favre should think about his last two shots at getting to the Super Bowl.  Once he threw the ball right to Corey Webster and once into a group of Saints with the same outcome – interceptions that blew his team’s shot at winning an overtime game to get to the Super Bowl.  

I think Favre’s main reason for unretiring was to stick it to the Packers, but did he?  Yes, he won both games against the Packers.  Yes, he ALMOST made the Super Bowl which was the team’s goal, but he has also stunted the growth of whomever is going to be the Vikings quarterback – which I appreciate!  He is also the sole reason why Brad Childress got  a contract extension – which I also appreciate!  As a Viking, Favre has done some good for us Packers fans.  But that should all be over now. Let’s enjoy as the Packers control the NFC North for years to come.

I hope the next time i see Favre will be on a “Just for Men” commercial, starring opposite Emmitt Smith.  Now that’s entertainment.

Lineup:

Brett Favre could return to the Super Bowl

It’s a great time to be a Packers fan.  Three straight wins, a newly ranked #1 defense, and a pretty good chance of earning a wild card home game are all things to relish at the moment.

However, what the Packers need is a signature win to prove they can make a run in the playoffs.  Most people are quick to argue that the win over Dallas could be considered the biggest W of the year, but the Boys’ have proven to be a flash in the pan with a few lackluster performances since then, so unfortunately the win doesn’t look or sound as impressive as it might seem.

The good news is that the Packers have, in my humble opinion, two remaining games that could truly build momentum going into the playoffs. I’m talking about Baltimore on Monday night, and December 20th at Pittsburgh.

Yes, Baltimore and Pittsburgh are holding on for their playoff lives at this point.  But you can’t ever discount a defending Super Bowl champion at any point in the season, and winning a game at Heinz Field would be something that not even Minnesota could do.  If Pittsburgh remains in the playoff hunt until that game, it’ll be a showdown for the ages.

The Packers will face off against the two Rays on Monday Night Football

As for Baltimore, they looked solid in their win against Pittsburgh on Monday. The defense showed signs of life, albeit against a Dennis Dixon-led Steelers team (note: I’m not slamming D.D. at all. Dude can throw, showed some flash running the ball, and looked confident in the pocket. In fact, that one start could earn him millions this offseason).

Plus,  you can’t forget about the budding chemistry between Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, and their veteran receiving core.  These guys are legit, and the strong veteran leadership will make sure they don’t quit at any point in any remaining games.

The rest of the schedule consists of a trip to Chicago (sandwiched between the Baltimore & Pittsburgh games), home against Seattle, and a finale at Arizona.  You could make an argument about Arizona being a big game, but it’s only worthy of the “signature” status if a victory that day assured us a playoff spot. And with the wild card race shaping up as it is, I could very well see that happening.

Mike McCarthy has most likely saved his job by passing the win total from last season, but questions about his coaching will linger if we can’t get a truly big win this year.

When ranking teams according to their all-time winning percentages, the Minnesota Vikings are fourth overall in the NFL and have the highest within the NFC north.  They also appeared in one-third of the first twelve Super Bowls.  So what’s stopping the Minnesota Vikings from being considered one of the NFL’s most prestigious franchises?

They are 0 and 4 in their four Super Bowl appearances — their last one being Super Bowl XII in 1977 — and are ranked 25th out of 32 teams in postseason winning percentage. Maybe they wouldn’t choke so much if they chewed their breakfasts more prior to their postseason games.

The odds-makers are singing a different tune this year (these are the people who make a living off of wagering large, difficult bets backed by their large crystal cajones). The Vikings are currently tied for second with the New Orleans Saints (+400) to win Super Bowl XLIV, only trailing Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts (+300).

"So You're Saying There's a Chance...."

With the NFC North Division practically already won — sorry Packers fans, there is always next season — many are already trying to put together the postseason puzzle.

Although upsets are always possible, some people are already drooling over a Vikings/Saints NFC Championship Game with the winner playing the favored Colts out of the AFC for the Super Bowl XLIV title.

Ruling out Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, and the rest of the present-day Purple People Eaters from a potential Super Bowl XLIV Title would be foolish. Every passing week brings that closer to reality.

A few months ago many Vikings fans thought Head Coach Brad Childress’ job was in jeopardy. Sure, the Vikings did win the NFC North last year with a 10-6 record. But they lost in the first round of the playoffs with a dominant defense and running game. Fan sentiment in the Twin Cities was that the Vikings needed a new Head Coach to get them over the hump of mediocrity.

Then a young whipper-snapper named Brett Favre came along. OK, maybe he’s not so young anymore. But 10 weeks into the NFL season, 40 year-old Brett Favre has the Vikings off to an 8-1 start and a commanding lead in the NFC North division.

Brad Childress’ ass four months ago:  Definitely on the Hot Seat

Brad Childress’ ass right now:  Quite Possibly on a Gold Toilet Seat

Financial terms have yet to be officially disclosed, but ESPN is reporting that the deal is between $4 and $5 million a year through the 2013 season (for the sake of comparison, the Packers’ Mike McCarthy is signed on through the 2012 season for about $4 million a year).

Why was Childress on the Hot Seat, you ask? Well, we could go for hours on that topic. But here is a microcosm of Vikings fans’ frustrations from the past few years under Childress:

3rd Down & 9.
Handoff to Adrian Peterson Off Tackle.
7-Yard Gain.
Vikings Punt.

Isn’t it funny what a good Quarterback can do for a Head Coach? Despite having one of the best defenses in the league (no question best defensive line) and easily the best Running Back in the league, the Vikings could only go so far without a decent Quarterback.

While frustration over Childress’ conservative offensive play-calling of years past is certainly understandable, it is also very misguided. What, besides the best Running Back tandem in the league (Chester Taylor would be starting for the Packers), is a coach supposed to lean on when he has no legitimate Quarterback?

Which brings me to my next question. How much of Childress’ new contract is he forking over to #4 for essentially saving his ass?

"Chili, give me your wife for one night and we'll call it even"

9. KOBE!!!

I am a Lakers and Bucks fan. But after George Karl broke up the big three, I have been much more of a Lakers fan. Kobe is currently, and has been, my favorite player since Jesus Shuttlesworth left MKE for SEA; rather, got ran out of town by George Karl.

In defense of my Lakers fandom, my favorite player growing up was a Laker: Nick Van Exel. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t know. I loved Jordan, but I loved NVE more for whatever reason.  In any event, it was good to see him win one without Shaq, who as of late looks like a shmuck.

10. Pittsburgh does it again

But this time it was on the ice. I don’t know much about hockey. But I do know the following: it’s fun to watch and is either the best or second best sport to watch live depending upon who you ask. I haven’t really cared all that much about hockey since the last lockout.

There are teams in cities that don’t support hockey and that really pisses me off (especially considering Milwaukee doesn’t have a pro team). My favorite team has always been the Pens (my best friend since 1st grade is a huge Pens fan), and my least favorite team has always been the Red Wings. So, needless to say, I was quite happy about the Stanley Cup finals.

Damn good year for sports in Pittsburgh

11. You knew I would be getting to this topic: Favre.

My feelings, thoughts, and opinions on this topic alone could be made into a book. So I will save the post about HeWhoShallNotBeNamed for later. Vuck Finnesota!

12. WE HAVE A HOME… and it’s name is TCF Bank *sigh*.

Well, the stadium is beautiful and the atmosphere is great. I wish I lived up there so I could go see my Gophers in action more (but that’s the only reason I still wish I lived in Minneapolis). Too bad we still kind of suck eyh?

Here’s to a season that will most likely end in a loss at the ThisBowlDoesNotEvenMatterSoChangeTheChannel.com Bowl. Here’s to next year and a good off season of recruiting… RAH!

13. The Yankees prevail… evil reigns supreme… Aaron rejoices?

Okay, I wanted the Yankees to win. I cheered for them for many reasons that you can hate me for. One, for sure, isn’t very logically sound.

A) A-rod played his single A ball in my home town, I got to meet him, I have a few of his autographs, the Timber Rattlers (formerly the Appleton Foxes — the team he and Big Papi played for) are now a minor league affiliate of the Brewers by the way.

B) I love hating the Yankees. But, lets face it; it’s not fun to hate on someone constantly if they are always down. Hell, they hadn’t won it in a while, regardless of how much I hate them because they buy all their players and perceived championships for astronomical amounts of loot.

The bottom line is they hadn’t been to the top of the mountain in almost a decade. It’s always best to knock the bully down when he is atop his high horse. And if baseball is going to continue it’s non-salary cap ways, then I might as well be able to hate the Evil Empire.

C) C.C: Dude gave his heart and soul for the Crew and threw out his arm at the tail end of the regular season. Just so we could say we made it back to the playoffs (prior to last year, in all of American pro sports, no team had a longer playoff drought than the Brewers).

He even wanted to stay with the Crew, and if it weren’t for the MLBPA practically forcing his hand to sign the NY deal, he most likely would have (this, btw, is more fact than speculation, if you care for me to explain it to you, I will later).

A collection of topics (and anything related to them) I plan to write about in the coming weeks:

Packers, Bucks, Gopher football/basketball, NBA, NFL, Vikings, HeWhoShallNotBeNamed, MLS Cup Final, etc.

That does it; I hope you liked numero uno. This is Mav, pulling the eject handle… WATCH THE GLASS CEILING!!!

If there is anything specific you want to hear my outlandish opinion on, just ask, and it will be duly noted.