Face it, people. The only reason you don't want to believe this about the Minnesota Vikings is because of him. And honestly, that's fair. Brett Favre drives everybody crazy all summer with his anguished, will-he-or-won't-he retirement drama. There are and should be consequences for something like that. In this case, the consequence is that you won't let yourself believe the gray-haired Sears pitchman from Mississippi has his hands on the reins of the best team in the NFC.
But I'm sorry to report that Favre and the Vikings don't care what you think, because as of this morning they were 6-0. And regardless of how good the Saints looked against the Giants, Minnesota is the deserving favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Two weeks into the 2009 NFL season, 49ers' running back Frank Gore already has experienced his nightmare and dream scenarios. And both keep him up at night.
There was the horror of rushing for only 30 yards in the season-opening victory against the Arizona Cardinals. And then there was the validation of dominating the Seahawks' defense and producing 207 yards, a career-high 246 scrimmage yards and two of the longest scoring runs of his career, 79 and 80 yards, in a Week 2 victory at Candlestick Park.
CLEVELAND -- One of the most striking sights from Sunday's 34-20 Vikings' victory over the Browns was a third-quarter camera shot of blood pouring from the left arm of Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson following his second touchdown run.
While it was widely assumed that Peterson's arm bled profusely as a result of a halftime IV to combat dehydration, the Vikings All-Pro rusher said a second-quarter gash from a chin strap caused the scary wound.
MINNEAPOLIS -- The best quarterback on the field Friday night played for the Vikings, but he didn't wear No. 4 and he's nowhere near 40 years old. The best Vikings quarterback in this game was Tarvaris Jackson, who lost his chance to be the starter when the team signed Brett Favre earlier in the week, who might still get traded before the season starts and whose performance was summed up by Vikings coach Brad Childress with a single word.
"Perfect," Childress said. "Look up the numbers. It was perfect. That's what the numbers say. He was perfect."
And indeed he was. Jackson's quarterback rating for the game was a 158.3, which is the highest number attainable by the byzantine formula that calculates that statistic. He completed 12-of-15 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns, including a 64-yarder to Darius Reynaud in the third quarter. And if teams were looking at this game to see if they might want to trade for Jackson, he didn't do anything to hurt his case.
MINNEAPOLIS -- He had butterflies, which Brett Favre took as a good sign -- that a creaky quarterback on the precipice of 40 could still feel nervous before a preseason football game. And as he played on the Metrodome turf in the home purple jersey of the Minnesota Vikings on Friday night, the former Packer (and Viking nemesis) had to shake his head.
"It felt a little odd, after so many years being on the other side," Favre said after the game, in which he was 1-for-4 for four yards on two get-your-feet-wet first-quarter series. "But I thought it was a welcome reception. It was a little loud when we were on offense, but I think this place is just loud, period."
They were loud for Favre on this night -- a preseason crowd of 62,782 showing up to watch and cheer a quarterback who signed with the team just three days earlier and whose goal was, basically, to not screw up.
Some of the concerns are legit. Brett Favre is going to be 40 this year. He did break down in the final five games of last year. His whole, dramatic, soap-opera act is undeniably annoying, and it's entirely possible that some of his new teammates are among the annoyed. But when assessing the impact Favre will have on the 2009 Minnesota Vikings, it's important to remember that he doesn't need to have much impact at all.
The Vikings were going to be one of the favorites in the NFC with Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels at quarterback. Signing Favre doesn't make them much more of a favorite, and it certainly doesn't make them any less of one. Favre and the Vikings will be at their best if the veteran QB can play to and work within his new team's strengths, of which there are plenty.
It's July, the slowest month of the year for the NFL, and it's driving you nuts. You need a fix. A hit. Anything NFL to pull you through the dog days. FanHouse is here to help with an in-depth look at each division that should have you plenty prepared for training camp. We're calling it the Summer Scramble. Today we look at some burning questions in the NFC North and offer a ridiculously early prediction for how the teams in the Black-and-Blue Division will finish.
It's July, the slowest month of the year for the NFL, and it's driving you nuts. You need a fix. A hit. Anything NFL to pull you through the dog days. FanHouse is here to help with an in-depth look at each division that should have you plenty prepared for training camp. We're calling it the Summer Scramble, and today we look at the NFC North's looming position battles.
Our annual Brett Favre fatigue is upon us. The once-beloved Green Bay Packers icon is dominating the sports news again, in the ponderous, mind-numbing way only he can, and if you're sick of the guy you're in good company.
But the blame is all misplaced. This isn't Favre's fault. It's our own fault, and we can fix it. At the end of this season, which it increasingly appears Favre will spend with the Minnesota Vikings, when it comes time to ask whether this is it -- whether he really, truly is retired this time -- we all need to stop, think and NOT ASK.
The goofy NFL news of the day Saturday was the renaming of the home of the Miami Dolphins after Jimmy Buffett's beer company. "Land Shark Stadium" will be the fifth different name this building has had since it opened in 1987.
The stadium has an interesting history. Its $115 million construction cost was completely privately funded (imagine that!) with the help of season ticket holders who made long-term commitments in exchange for the promise of a state-of-the-art football facility. Joe Robbie, the owner of the Dolphins at the time, envisioned it as a stadium that could host baseball as well as football, and for that reason, the front-row seats are set back further from the sidelines than at traditional NFL venues.
Next February, Super Bowl XLIV will be the fifth Super Bowl this stadium has hosted -- under four of its five different names:
Face it, people. The only reason you don't want to believe this about the Minnesota Vikings is because of him. And honestly, that's fair. Brett Favre drives everybody crazy all summer with his anguished, will-he-or-won't-he retirement drama. There are and should be consequences for something like that. In this case, the consequence is that you won't let yourself believe the gray-haired Sears pitchman from Mississippi has his hands on the reins of the best team in the NFC.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Two weeks into the 2009 
CLEVELAND -- One of the most striking sights from Sunday's 34-20 
MINNEAPOLIS -- The best quarterback on the field Friday night played for the Vikings, but he didn't wear No. 4 and he's nowhere near 40 years old. The best Vikings quarterback in this game was 
MINNEAPOLIS -- He had butterflies, which 
Some of the concerns are legit. 
Our annual 
The goofy NFL news of the day Saturday was the 
