So, for those of you wondering what the new perspective part is about...I was watching something on ESPN about NFL players being targets for attacks, such as the tragedy of the Sean Taylor murder.  It really dawned on me that no matter how popular you may be as a professional athlete, there are always lowlifes and #### who will want to hurt you for no good reason.  As kids, we think that professional athletes are heroes in the same vein as the superheroes in our comic books and cartoons, including invincibility.  But as we grow older, we begin to realize that they are ordinary people just like us, except everyone knows who they are.  Sure, premeditated attacks happen to all of us, it's just a sign that we all need to be careful. 

Now, on to some lighter stuff.  The Twins are (as of this blog) 77-60, tied with the Chicago White Sox for first place in the AL Central.  The roadtrip which many thought would be their undoing is almost over, and they are about where they were when it started.  Sure, it would have been nice to have some of those games when the Sox lost, but the only time that first place will really matter will be on the last day of the season.  From what I've seen this season, I think that the Twins' final series against Chicago will decide the division, and perhaps the Wild Card as well (personally, I would love to see the Sox and Twins go, and leave the perennial East Coast powers in the dust). 

As far as football goes, the Golden Gophers won their season opener against Northern Illinois 31-27, after a last minute comeback.  For the first time in his Gopher career, Tim Brewster can say that he is undefeated.  Now to see if he can get his first Big Ten win sometime this season.  I'd like to see a couple more non conference victories as well. 

And last but not least, the Vikings open their season against the Green Bay Packers this Monday Night, after a 1-3 preseason.  Am I concerned?   No, because when the Vikings last went 4-0 in a preseason, they went 5-11 in the games that counted.  Adrian Peterson barely played, Tavaris Jackson was hurt but looked good when he did play.  The good news is, besides Madieu Williams, none of the Vikes' heavy hitters were seriously hurt during the preseason.  I expect a season opening victory on Monday, but we shall see.

Yes, for those of you wondering, Francisco Liriano has been able to pitch more innings, record more strikeouts, and maybe the most important thing of all, his velocity is returning.  I've heard reports that his devastating slider is getting back to where it used to be in his sensational rookie year.  I think if the Twins hadn't tried to plug him back into the major leagues so quickly, he'd have probably done a lot better whenever he did come up.  I thought they learned this lesson when he got hurt back in '06, when they brought him back too early from an injury.  I imagine Liriano will be back sometime this year.  And when they bring him back, he will remain at the big league level for the rest of 2008.  Of course, if the Twins don't pick it up soon, it may be a long season regardless. 

Right now, the Twins are on a six game losing streak.  On top of losing by the score of 1-0 to the Indians, who they should have scored 3 runs off of in the first inning alone, they were swept in 4 games by the White Sox, who were directly ahead of them.  I'm always one to follow Tom Kelly's old philosophy of taking the season one game at a time, but this six game losing streak is killing them off early.  They've gone from 2 games out of first, to about 6-7 games out of first.  Now, no one knows how long this will go on for Chicago, but then again, no one expected the Detroit Tigers to be battling with Kansas City for 4th place either.  I guess it is a long season, but you can't go on a cold streak when your opponent is on a hot streak.  The Twins need to win, and win often right now.  Hopefully, Francisco Liriano can come back in some kind of positive form and help this team win some ballgames, because they showed a serious lack of pitching in the White Sox series.  We all saw how good Scott Baker is last night, with just the one run against Cleveland.  Nights like that are where the offense has to come through!  And if the Twins aren't in the chase by September, I guess that's okay, because I think the Vikings are going to have a pretty good season.   

So...a couple days ago, Francisco Liriano took the mound to pitch against the Oakland A's.  He only got 2 outs in the first inning while giving up about 6 runs.  Yes, the Phenom has officially lost his dominance.  I think he needs to go down to the minors for the rest of this season to see if any of his former skill can be reclaimed.  Anyway...what else to talk about...oh yeah.  Brett Favre was named the official cover athlete for all versions of Madden '09.  This means that this could be the year the Madden Curse is finally broken.  Then again, Favre could trip and break his leg on the stairs at home or something.  Time will tell, I guess.  I guess it's better than having to watch Adrian Peterson suffer a career ending knee injury.  Anything else...oh yes.  My former high school put on the production "Godspell" last night and it was quite the good play.  I'm not huge on musicals, but this was one of the best I've ever seen.  There were three performances that blew me away.  Two were friends, and the other I had just met during the intermission.  Anyway, hopefully I'll have something more sports-talk-ish next time.  See you then.

Woo...it's been awhile hasn't it?  Let me just recap what's gone on in Minnesota sports while I've been gone:

-The Vikings lost the final game in Denver 22-19, only after a Tavaris Jackson-led comeback and a tremendous mistake in OT.  8-8 on the season, more on that later.  Adrian Peterson won Rookie of the year and went to the Pro Bowl where he tore it up. 

-The Timberwolves recently completed the definition of a rebuilding year, only winning about 20 games with an entirely new bunch of players acquired in the Kevin Garnett trade.  Good luck in the playoffs, KG.  May Al Jefferson one day lead our squad there.

-The Wild recently completed a division championship season, only to fall to the Colorado Avalanche in 6 games in the first round of the playoffs. 

-The Minnesota Twins are currently 10-10, on a 3 game winning streak, and Livan Hernandez is on fire.  He's 3-0, though his last 2 starts have been no decisions.  However, the Twins won both games late.  Carlos Gomez may not be a stud with the bat, but he is an instant run scoring threat when on base.  Nick Blackburn pitched a shutout against Cleveland last Saturday.   This team may take its lumps this year, but they'll still be fun to watch.

 

Now for the main portion of the blog.  The Vikings recently acquired last year's sack leader in the NFL, Jared Allen.  The trade consisted of a first round pick, and a few other draft picks, as well as one of the biggest contracts in recent memory.  With all this said, I'm excited for this upcoming season.  Tavaris Jackson now has a great supporting cast surrounding him, including wide receivers Bernard Berrian and Sidney Rice, ROY runningback Adrian Peterson, a new fullback and former Gopher Thomas Tapeh, and an upgraded defense.  To say my expectations for this team are high would be just about right.  However, it all depends on the person of one Tavaris Jackson.  If he blows it, this team will not go anywhere, even if they make the playoffs.  However, if Tavaris's confidence reaches an all time high this year, oh baby, I'm shaking here at my computer just thinking about it!  I expect a season close to last year if he struggles, but if he does really well, I say the Vikes win at least 10-11 games. 

Join me again sometime as I marvel at the wonder that is this new Twins team, and their attempt to prove that they aren't going to lay down for anyone in this so-called "rebuilding year." 

I'll just make it short and sweet.  The Redskins clearly wanted this game more than the Vikings did.  They jumped out to a 22-0 lead and cruised to victory.  It was the ultimate letdown for anyone who was planning to bust out the champaign for a playoff berth.  Now the Vikings need to beat Denver and hope that Washington somehow blows it against the Cowboys.  Whoever wins is in, whoever loses is out, it's that simple.  Tavaris Jackson played his second bad game in a row, and lo and behold the Redskins capitalized on another night of miscues by the Vikings.  I'm going to be busy during Christmas here, so my preview probably won't be up until Sunday.  Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, whatever you celebrate, do it up right this year.  Here's hoping for some luck next week.

For the second week in a row, the Minnesota Vikings will be seen by a national audience as they try and put a stranglehold on the final wild card spot.  The funny thing is, it will also be the second straight Sunday night game for the Washington Redskins, fresh off a victory over the Giants last week.  The Vikings, of course, are fresh off last Monday night's win over the Bears that came down to defense.  The team that wins this game will be the team who was the most prepared for prime time.  The Vikings had to shake off some jitters before coming back to beat the Chicago Bears, but the Redskins have had plenty of night game practice, having played a Thursday Nighter, and a Sunday nighter, both of which they've won.  One thing is for sure.  If the Vikings play like they did vs the Bears on offense, they will lose against the Redskins.  Chicago had no offense, the Redskins do.  However, I believe it will all depend on quarterback play.  Todd Collins is the 'Skins' backup QB, playing for a done-for-the-season Jason Campbell.  Tavaris Jackson will cost the Vikings this game, and possibly the playoffs if he plays another game like last week.  Yes, he threw for 250, but he also threw three passes to the wrong guys.  I believe this will be a close game, with whichever team leads needing a late turnover to ice it.

There are two other games that require the attention of Vikings (and 'Skins) fans tomorrow.  Philadelphia is playing New Orleans, who sit below the Vikings and Redskins on the wildcard table.  Should the Vikings win and the Saints lose, the Vikings are automatically into the postseason a week early.  However, if the opposite happens, then it will be a dogfight between the three teams for that last spot, with New Orleans likely taking the spot due to tiebreakers.  My suggestion to the Vikes: Win now, and avoid the quagmire of a three way tie going into week 17.  Buffalo is playing the Giants, and if they can pull the upset over New York, the Bills would help the Vikings out, because New York won't beat New England, who will likely be 15-0 by that time.  If the Vikings win this week, and New York loses, the teams would have identical records of 9-6, with the Vikings taking over the 1st spot due to a victory over New York a few weeks back. 

Playoffs still seem to be wishful thinking.  Do I think the Vikings will beat the Redskins tomorrow night?  I sure hope so.  Will they?  We'll only know that when the clock reaches zero seconds on NBC.  Here's to a big day of NFL football, and hopefully, a sixth straight victory for my favorite football team.  Skol Vikes. 

 

Wow...just wow.  I swear, my breath has just returned to me about a half hour since the Monday nighter between the Vikings and Bears.  This game had me hyperventilating from start to finish.  Chicago came to play on defense tonight on the national stage, and they lost an ugly game.  More importantly, the Vikings won an ugly game, overcoming three interceptions thrown by Tavaris Jackson, who proved to us that he is still a young QB who is still learning the game.  It is this reason that makes me think we'll either lose to Washington and Denver or lose in the playoffs.  But I'm willing to ride the roller coaster out, what a ride it's been.  Brooks Bollinger had two snaps in the game, and those two snaps happened to be a handoff to Adrian Peterson when he went for his second touchdown, and a two point conversion, which he made by diving into the endzone.  We all (my family) went wild when Darren Sharper picked off Kyle Orton and sealed the game.

Now, let's talk about what made this game so ugly.  First of all, Tavaris Jackson had his first bad game since Detroit, tossing 3 interceptions of which one set up a field goal, and one a touchdown.  At that point, Chicago led 13-3.  He had a good game otherwise, throwing for 249 yards.  Adrian Peterson didn't exactly light up the Dome, but he scored two touchdowns, the second which put the Vikings up for good at 20-13.  Neither team really got their offense going.  Well, the Vikes looked decent besides the four turnovers, which will cost us a win against Washington if we do it again in that game. 

Now let's talk about why this game was so good.  It was definitely dramatic, with the Chicago defense coming out to play for real on Monday Night Football.  Tavaris Jackson had never played in primetime before, and it showed.  The Bears have to be commended, because if not for their offense, or lack thereof, they could have taken this game and shocked the Dome.  A big play for the Vikings got them down to the goal line when Robert Ferguson busted loose for 71.  That got the Vikings going, and the defense shut Chicago's offense down long enough for the kill shot to occur with AD's touchdown.  You have to commend the Vikings' defense for coming up with the biggest plays at the right time.  Sharper's pick to end it was just the icing on the cake.  I am in freaking love with this big play defense.  8-6, still in wild card contention, we control our destiny, and I am elated.  Skol Vikings!  Vikes/Skins preview this Saturday. 

The Vikings played the Redskins in the very first regular season Monday Night Football game after the move to ESPN last season.  On Monday Night Dec. 17, they will play the Chicago Bears in a Northern Division Collision that is looking ever more intriguing now that it appears third string QB Kyle Orton will be the starter for the Bears.  The Dome is bound to be filled with screaming fans, and I'm bound to be at home, wishing I'd bought a ticket for the game.  There hasn't been a late season Vikings game with this much impact since late 2005, when the Vikings lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Going into that game, the Vikings had won six in a row and were in the process of salvaging a season that started out with an opening day loss at home and a loss by rout at Cincinatti.  2-5 was the lowest point of that season...2-5 was also the lowest point of this season.  Or was it 3-6?  Either way, the Vikings have won 4 straight and will be gunning for a fifth against Chicago.  Let's flash back to the first encounter between these teams.  The Vikings had a monster day from Adrian Peterson at Soldier Field.  The Vikings built a 31-17 lead before Chicago found the endzone twice to tie it with some time left on the clock.  On the ensuing kickoff, Adrian Peterson returned it to the Bears' 37.  After three plays, Ryan Longwell made the longest field goal of his career to win 34-31.  If the Vikings want to keep the Bears in check, there's one simple thing to remember.  Don't kick to Devin Hester.  Punt the ball out of bounds, kick the ball away from him on kickoffs, don't give Hester a chance to make a play, because he scored two touchdowns, including the game tying score in that other game. 

I'm feeling a big game from Rookie of the year.  Adrian Peterson is going to put on another home performance to remember, and as long as Tavaris Jackson plays the way he has, the Vikes should be fine on offense.  All the defense has to do is get after Kyle Orton and make him make mistakes.  Nothing would be worse than if a third stringer came in the Dome and ruined the Vike's postseason plans.  The Vikes need to be ready for anything, because Chicago will have nothing to lose, except their pride.  All I have to say is here's to another Vikings win, and may the Return To Relevance tour continue.

Edit: If you didn't already know, the Vikings/Redskins game has been moved to next Sunday night.  Yes, the Vikes have two national TV games in a row.  So, I'll have my preview for that game up sometime next week...probably next Saturday.

Adrian Peterson had his longest run of the day called back on a penalty, and he finished with next to nothing on the ground.  The Vikings offense didn't score a point in the second half.  Earlier in the season, that would have almost automatically meant a loss.  Today, it didn't matter.  From the opening snap, it was a big day for the Vikings.  Kevin Williams intercepted Trent Dilfer on the first play of the game and returned it for a touchdown.  Out of 5 takeaways, 3 were interceptions by Kevin Williams, Pat Williams, and Spencer Johnson.  Yes, three defensive linemen on the same team had interceptions in the same game.  The Vikings scored all 27 of their points in the first half, and cruised the rest of the way to victory.  7-6, with two home games coming up, I like our chances. 

6-6.  Not quite the ideal record in the NFL this time of year, but considering where the Vikes were after that "game" at Green Bay, we'll take it.  The Vikings have suffered so much from inconsistency this season.  They clobbered Atlanta in week one, only to come back and lose in overtime to Detroit the next week.  What bothered me the most about that first Lions game is that the Vikings were so close to victory despite an awful performance by quarterback Tavaris Jackson.  If Ryan Longwell avoids the left upright, the Vikes are 7-5.  But I can't go complaining about what might have been, seeing as this season is not over yet.  What saved it was the development of some sort of consistency from the Vikings' offense, and some timely victories.  This needs to continue against the 49ers. 

Another big game is upon us.  This, like every other game down the road, is one the Vikings have to have to get into the postseason.  Don't get me wrong, the Vikes pretty much control their own destiny, but they have to keep winning to keep that control and not have to depend on someone else to win or lose for them to get in.  Can Tavaris Jackson handle the pressure of such a situation?  We know Adrian and Chester can, but can our young QB keep it together and help this team win out to finish 10-6?  Given the fact that the Vikings have strung together over 100 points in three games since their last loss, and the fact that San Francisco is starting a backup quarterback, this could be a big day for the defense.  Look for them to have at least one pick and a few sacks against Trent Dilfer.  San Fran is 3-9, with two of their victories coming against Vikings wildcard opponent Arizona.  They put up 31 before losing against Seattle last week.  The Vikes cannot let their guard down.  Don't choke.  These last four games are all winnable, and it starts Sunday.  I feel a defensive score to set the tone either early or late in the game.  Go Vikes!!

Watching the Vikings absolutely destroy the Lions this past Sunday was great fun, and it left me wondering where this team had been all season.  If we could have played like this all year, we would at the very least be 9-3 right now.  I do understand that it has taken time for Tavaris Jackson to mature and develop.  He just had his best game as a pro, and he has looked better every week since that 4 interception game (against the Lions, ironically) in Week 2.  What really astounds me lately, though, is the overall play of the team.  We just put up over 100 points in the past three games after 34-donut at Lambeau field.  I've also enjoyed watching Adrian Peterson this season.  He showed no ill effects from his little injury suffered in the loss to Green Bay.  I honestly get giddy every time they hand off to him, because you never can tell if he'll go 4, 40, or 80, depending on where they are on the field.  If Adrian Peterson loses out on Rookie of the Year, it will only be because of a bad injury, and I'm praying that never happens.  I want to see him be successful, and I want to see this team win.  We've got a home run hitter in the backfield...let's see if we can't find another good receiver to complement Sidney Rice and/or Bobby Wade.  Though I think they could use Andrae Allison a bit more as well, seeing as how he just broke a 42 year team record last week.  All I know is, the Vikings haven't lost in a month, and I'm happy about that.  And if not this season, they've really got me going about next year.

Okay, let's talk Pats/Ravens.  When was the exact moment that the Ravens lost that game?  Was it when Ed Reed fumbled the ball back to the Patriots after his late 1st half pick?  Was it Billick calling a timeout before the play when the Patriots got denied on 4th down?  Was it when they committed defensive holding on a pass that was knocked away in the endzone?  Everything seemed to go wrong in the last several minutes of that game for the Ravens.  Boller throws a pick while driving his team down to stick the dagger in the undefeated season of the Pats.  Brady gets his team a field goal, and the Ravens can't  sustain a drive to at least get a field goal.  Brady and the Patriots caught so many breaks it wasn't even funny.  I'm beginning to think they will go unbeaten, but they'll look back on this game as the ultimate lucky number 12.  Baltimore came just a yard shy of pulling the upset on the last play of the game with the Hail Mary that actually worked, but didn't get in.  It was one of the most entertaining football games I've ever seen.  Bottom line: Billick blew the game with that timeout.  The Ravens almost pulled an '85 Dolphins, but the timeout spoiled everything.  What a game, what a final minute, what a near-miss finish.  

The dust settled.  The hype was over.  In the end, Tony Romo stood tall, and the Dallas Cowboys triumphed against the Green Bay Packers by the final score of 37-27.  Strangely enough, Brett Favre missed the entire second half of this game because he was knocked out in the second quarter, which was bad enough considering his team was trailing by 17 points at the time.  At this point, I seriously thought the Cowboys were going to make a laugher out of this game.  But I was wrong.  Aaron Rodgers entered the game and, well, looked like Brett Favre had looked coming into this game: calm, cool, collective, determined...and he even led the Packers within three points at 27-24.  However, Tony Romo shredded the Packers' defense all night long, and he took over later on in the game.  The Pack came so close, but left so far.  Now even Brett Favre is a question mark for next week.  Aaron Rodgers showed he can make plays, but is this the end of Brett's legendary streak?  Terrell Owens provided the main comic relief in this game with his little popcorn bucket act.  The Packers need to fix that pass defense, because Tony Romo took them apart with that long ball to T.O.  it reminded me of Daunte to Moss here in Minnesota not too long ago.   

Now let's shift focus to a couple of teams who don't have the luxury of already having clinched a playoff spot.  The Vikings appear to be on an upswing just three weeks after one of the worst losses in franchise history.  The Detroit Lions are on a slippery slope, and have fallen to 6-5 after a 6-2 start.  For the Vikings to have any shot at entering the playoff picture, they have to keep up their winning ways this week.  The good thing is that they would match their victory total from last season with a win.  6-6 would not look too bad at this point of the season.  Everything seems to be falling in place for the Vikes right at the right time.  Tavaris Jackson has shown consistency and ability in his two starts since returning from injury.  The Vikings are 5-2 when he starts.  Adrian Peterson is scheduled to return, though I wouldn't bet on a huge day from him.  Chester Taylor is more than capable of carrying another game for the Vikes.  When they first played Detroit this season, the Vikings offense played a remarkably horrible football game, and they still had a chance to win it late.  If they play even a shred better than they did in that week 2 showdown, they should be victorious on Sunday.  Tavaris needs to keep his wits about him, and Adrian/Chester need to bust some big runs.  This is it.  This is your season right here, Vikes.  This and every other game needs to be treated like a playoff game.  It is officially "crunch time" in Minneapolis.   

As you can see from the title, I believe the Packers and Cowboys should have faced off last week for Thanksgiving.  Green Bay beat Detroit by double digits, and the Cowboys destroyed the Jets, as I thought they would.  Indy wound up coming back from a 10-0 first quarter deficit to beat the Falcons handily. 

On to business.  The Packers and Cowboys are playing tonight at 7 for what many believe the #1 seed in the NFC.  The team that wins this game could very well go 15-1.  I believe this game is a passing of the torch from one great quarterback, to another great quarterback in the making.  I have seen Tony Romo play this season, and despite a 5 pick game against Buffalo, he is among the best in the NFC.  Brett Favre honestly needs no introduction.  Besides, John Madden and every other commentator in existence who has ever done a Packers game has said anything I would want to say about the guy.  Madden might as well move in with Favre.  Although, I think Deanna might get a little freaked out if that happened.  Thus the reason why you shouldn't take that statement literally.  BY the way, this game will only be on NFL Network, so the NFL is going to catch a lot of flak for not having this game on NBC.  As great as their "Must See TV" lineup is, I'd trade it out for a prime time football game in a minute.   

All jokes aside, I think this could be the best game in the NFC this year.  Favre and Romo are going to duel, and I think they are going to score in the 20s-30s.  My prediction: Cowboys 30, Packers 27.  Have a great night. 

As I write this, the Green Bay Packers have just taken the lead over the Detroit Lions 7-6.  A victory for the Packers would mean the NFC North is pretty much theirs.  Happy Thanksgiving, and we are looking forward to a full day of NFL football.  First up, the game that is in progress, Packers vs Lions, then, the New York Jets, fresh off an overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, have some extra inspiration to face the Cowboys later today.  The nightcap features the Indy Colts against the Atlanta Falcons.  As I see it, Packers vs Lions is probably going to be the best game of the day.  I could be wrong, though, as I was when I said the Vikings had a chance to beat the Packers two weeks ago. 

Speaking of the Vikings, they beat the Raiders last week 29-22.  My only gripe about the game is that it shouldn't have even been close the way the Vikings pounded the Raiders.  It was a game that came down to a final hail mary play for Oakland, and it obviously didn't work.  Next week, the Vikings head to the Meadowlands to play the New York Giants.  What was that about the Vikes letting down against a quality opponent after a big victory? 

Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving, and we'll see you after the game.

As we all know, the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings renew their rivalry twice a football season.  We also know that this Sunday is the latest edition of this classic rivalry's collision.  Another well documented fact is that Brad Childress has never beaten the Packers since he took over as Vikings head coach last season.  But the most impressive fact may be the play of Brett Favre.  You might look at his stats and say nothing is different, that just means you never saw him the last couple of seasons.  2005 was especially bad for the guy, tossing 29 interceptions.  The Vikings beat him twice that season.  They haven't beaten him since. 

Thus sets the stage for tomorrow's game (or, if you're reading this Sunday morning, later today).  Brad Childress is 0-3 against the Green Bay Packers so far.  It's pretty well known that Brett Favre is playing some good football this year.  The Vikings and Packers have played 3 close games, games in which defense hasn't really been the problem.  Well, unless you're talking about pass defense.  I have come up with three objectives for the Vikings to win tomorrow. 

Objective #1: Stop Brett Favre.

Since the Vikings have one of the top rushing defenses in the NFL, don't expect a lot of ground success for Green Bay.  Brett Favre is the main reason why the Packers have beaten Brad Childress three times since he became the Vikes' head coach.  The defense needs to get some pressure on Favre, and make him make mistakes like the Brett Favre that defensive backs love. 

Objective #2: Offense, namely Brooks Bollinger, needs to play well.

This objective is pretty much right to the point.  The last time the Vikings got an other-worldy performance from Adrian Peterson was against the Chicago Bears, before last week's record setting game against the Chargers.  My point here is, they let down the next week against another team with a winning record: The Dallas Cowboys.  The offense has to come out and play well.  They need to block for Adrian Peterson, Brooks Bollinger needs to connect with his receivers, and the Vikings need to avoid 3 and outs like the plague.  Most importantly, score some points. 

Objective #3: Do not collapse.

If the Vikings get a late lead, they have to hold it, obviously.  Favre has broken the Vikings' fans' hearts too many times.  If they have the lead with 2 minutes left in the game, pick Favre off when he tries to orchestrate a miracle.  Do something, don't just let him pick you apart to steal a game away from you. 

As you can see, I did not include Adrian Peterson in the discussion, because that's a given.  Could the Vikings do at least two of these things and lose tomorrow?  Yes, but if they accomplish at least two of these goals, they have a better shot at a major upset.