Archive for February, 2010

Brad Childress says Brett Favre can have all the time he wants to make up his mind about returning or retiring. I’m wondering, though, if a prolonged Favre-watch would be the best thing for Chilly’s mental health right now.  I ask because…well, watch this video from the combine and tell me if that seems like a sane man to you. Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more. Clearly, the stress of waiting to see if Brett will return to save his ass for one more season is wearing on Chilly.  For Chilly’s sake, I hope Brett [...]

It’s been a rough week to be a former Pro-Bowl running back. First the Chargers said goodbye to one-time MVP LaDainian Tomlinson, leading to lots of tears and speculation on where LT would wind up next.  Then, just a day later, the Philadelphia Eagles cut ties with Brian Westbrook, who will forever be remembered by Vikings fans as the guy whose long TD run knocked us out of the playoffs. The LT speculation almost immediately centered around the Vikings, but in my estimation, such speculation is silly as LT is just not the right guy for our situation. Brian Westbrook [...]

LaDainian Tomlinson, a former NFL MVP and likely Hall-of-Famer, is now a former member of the San Diego Chargers. Finances were partly responsible for the decision to cut Tomlinson.  The Charges would’ve owed him a $2 million bonus had he remained on the roster into March, and the team decided the money could be better spent elsewhere. Of course, had Tomlinson’s performance been up to snuff, the money would not have been so big an issue.  Unfortunately, Tomlinson is coming off the worst year of his career statistically, and another season in which injuries hampered him. Oft-injured running backs with [...]

Bryant McKinnie‘s reputation already took a huge hit after he bailed on the Pro Bowl in a completely punk fashion, and now Bryant’s wallet has suffered a similar blow. A $26,785.13 blow, to be precise. That figure reflects the loss of the $22,500 game check McKinnie would’ve earned for showing up at the game, plus $4,285.13 in expenses the NFL has ordered him to pay back. Bryant, who makes millions as a mediocre offensive tackle for the Vikings, will have no problem absorbing the financial hit.  And, judging by his defiant, who-gives-a-crap attitude toward the criticism he’s received from the [...]

The NFL has started a nice tradition by featuring the defending Super Bowl champions on the season’s opening night.  This year, that game will be played on September 9, and will – obviously – involve the New Orleans Saints. What we don’t know is who the Saints will be matched up with in that game.  According to Mike Florio, who would know such a thing because he is a football blogging genius, the potential other teams for that game are the Falcons, Panthers, Bucs, Seahawks, Rams, Browns, Steelers and Vikings. Because the NFL enjoys creating big-hype match-ups for its opening [...]

Tarvaris Jackson has a blog, which he uses to tell everyone what he’s up to.  This week, T-Jack is just chilling with his family, playing video games, cooking…and not worrying about Brett Favre. “I’m not sweating whether Brett comes back or not because I’m a free agent,” Jackson blogged.  “Depending on the collective bargaining agreement I’ll be either restricted or unrestricted, just waiting to see. Right now I still feel like a Viking, but I’m just going to have to wait a while to find out what’s going to happen.” One thing has become clear:  Jackson’s blogging is nearly as [...]

No one can say the New Orleans Saints had an easy road to the championship.  Just look at the quarterbacks they had to defeat along the way: Kurt Warner, Hall-of-Famer.  Brett Favre, Hall-of-Famer.  Peyton Manning, Hall-of-Famer. The Saints beat Warner and Favre by mercilessly pounding them, sending Warner into retirement and Favre into a bruise-covered limbo.  Peyton Manning was spared the physical punishment, but by game’s end, had received a psychological beat-down perhaps even worse than that suffered by his predecessors. As with Favre two weekends ago, the final blow to Manning’s psyche was delivered by Tracy Porter.  With the [...]

For the second straight year, a great Viking of the 1990s will join the immortals in Canton. Last year it was stalwart guard Randall McDaniel.  This year it is high-energy defensive lineman John Randle. Randle becomes the third Viking defensive lineman enshrined in the Hall-of-Fame, following famed Purple People Eaters Carl Eller and Alan Page. He enters the hall as part of a class that includes Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Russ Grimm, Ricky Jackson, Floyd Little and Dick LeBeau. One of Randle’s teammates, Cris Carter, was among the 15 finalists also considered today by Hall voters, but he was eliminated [...]

I know you’ve all been waiting for the chance to get The Viking Age delivered straight to your iPhone, so you can keep up with my sometimes nonsensical, often deliberately contentious posts even when you’re away from your desk or wherever you keep your computer.  Well, as they say in the advertising biz, you don’t have to wait any longer.  Thanks to Notice Software, The Viking Age now has its own iPhone app.  I know nothing about any of this stuff – phones are not my bag – but I’m sure this app is one of the coolest things ever [...]

Everyone who watched the NFC Championship Game knew Brett Favre received an epic pounding at the hands of the Saints.  Now, Favre and his agent Bus Cook have elected to show the world exactly how epic that pounding was, by releasing photos of Favre’s bruised leg and foot. Though the injuries aren’t nearly as bad as those sustained by, say, many victims of the Haiti earthquake, they are still pretty nasty, and serve as a stark reminder of exactly how violent and potentially damaging football can be. I have a funny feeling, however, that Brett and Bus weren’t simply motivated [...]