Merry Favre'mas

T'was two hours before kickoff, and all about Twitter,

Our mobile devices all began to fritter

The people I follow had written off Brett Favre

There was no way in Hades that old man would start

When from TCF Bank Stadium there arose such a clatter,

I logged on to ESPN.com to see what's the matter

Ed Werder, in snow, telling anyone who'd care

That Brett Favre would make one last Monday night start, right then and right there

(If I'm gonna write about Brett Favre again, why not have some fun with it?)

UPDATE: The old man took the field with the starting unit, completed 5 of 7 passes for 63 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and was knocked out the game with a concussion. One would think this would be the last we've seen of Favre, but...

End Of An Era: Brett Favre To Miss First Game in Over 18 Years

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Per this tweet from the Minnesota Vikings, an injury to his throwing shoulder will keep Brett Favre from starting or playing in tonight's game against the NY Giants, marking the first game Favre will not be under center after 297 straight starts. That is equivalent to 18 1/12 full NFL seasons.

Here is a picture of the official inactive list:

This season has been a tough one for the 41-yr-old Favre, who has had to endure struggles on the field as well as scandal off of it (namely the nude pics that were allegedly sent to a Jets employee the lone season Favre was there).

Nonetheless, Favre has been one of the greatest quaterbacks in NFL history and holds many career records. I chose the picture of Favre in a Green Bay jersey as his years with the Packers represent the best years of his well decorated career. Favre is the only player in NFL history to win the MVP award 3 consecutive years and holds records for most touchdown passes, passing yards, and completions, as well as most career interceptions.

Favre may be put on injury reserve soon which will most definitely end his career. If so the NFL will be saying farewell to a true warrior on the football field and on of the greatest to ever do it.

-ALR

Brad Childress On Vikings "What a difference 365 days can make"

Recently canned Minesota Vikings ex-coach Brad Childress finally spoke to the media, over a week after being sent packing after an embarrassing 31-3 loss to the Packers (no pun intended). In this interview with Minnesota's Pioneer Press Childress speaks on his firing from the Vikings, his support in the locker room and also the failed Randy Moss experiment. here are some quotes from the interview:

"What a difference 365 days can make," Childress told the Pioneer Press by phone today from his beach home in Bonita Springs, Fla. "You pull yourself into your work the best way you can each and every week, and you never expect something like this to happen. You go into every week thinking you'll win."

"It was never a week-to-week expectation with the Wilfs," Childress said. "They never told me win or else. It was just us trying to get back into what was a close game (against Green Bay) until the turnovers, and it all unfolded that day. I just said, '(Expletive).' We were just all more disappointed in what we put out there."

On his firing from the Vikings:

"I don't know if it's shocking," said Childress of the firing. "All you have to do is look around the league to know this happens. I didn't do everything perfectly, but I felt I coached my way. I left that job in a lot better shape than we were in (in 2006)."

Childress also touched on the reported tension from players in the locker room:

"If you pull a couple of quotes from a locker room, it all gets exacerbated a bit," Childress said. "By and large, I know the support I had. It's a good group of guys in that locker room."

On the sudden trade of  Randy Moss:

"Some players came up to me afterward and said, 'Coach, we would have been disappointed if you didn't do something,' " Childress said.

reading into the interview I gather that Childress at least is being somewhat realistic about his situation that led to his demise. He also spoke highly of interim head coach Leslie Frazier, saying "he is as good as any."

This is the first time in 32 years Bad Brad has been without a football position of some kind. Childress is owed $5 mil a year until 2012 by the Vikings, which would be reduced if he found another head coaching position prior (which I doubt will happen anytime soon). You can see more of the interview and the Pioneer Press' view here.

Wish I could get canned for a shoddy performance and still get chipped off $5 mil per. We should all be so lucky, right?

-ALR

Brad Childress Finally Fired By Minnesota Vikings... Frazier In As Interim

Per this tweet from Fox Sports Jay Glazer, Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress has been fired this morning. No official announcement has been made, but I'm sure one will be released at some point today. Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier will be named interim head coach.

The Vikings are a dissapointing 3-7 this season after being considered a Super Bowl favorite in the NFC. Brett Favre was "talked" into returning for one more season with the Vikings during the preseason, but the 40-yea-old has been hampered by injuries and ineffective more times than not.

The Vikings season has been something of a soap opera, with Favre, Percy Harvin and other players expressing displeasure with Childress in the media, and Childress doing the same at times.

Will this head coaching change have a big effect on the season? I think it won't, as they Vikings still have an aging QB at the helm and are 3rd in their division. Frazier has been a favorite for head coaching jobs in recent seasons and he may do a solid job.

More info on this as it becomes available.

-ALR

Chilly in Minnesota

In more Minnesota Vikings headline news, it has been reported that at least 6 players on the team wants Brad Childress fired. One player says, "We know that Childress does not have our back, so why should we have his?" Another player says, "As much as I hate Childress, I will keep playing." We all know Brett Farve's take on the subject of Brad...

Honestly, maybe it is time for the former slightly above average Offensive Coordinator to get the boot. It seems he doesn't have the respect of the players and there is a coach in waiting in Leslie Frazier who does have the players on his side. If this is that one last hurrah for Brett Farve, might as well get the most out of him and everyone around him. Super Bowl or Bust right???

- @lostherod

Randy Moss Waived By Vikings? (Updated)

This rumor has been all over the web, and NFL Network has confirmed that Randy Moss has been placed on waivers by the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings traded a 3rd round rick to New England just under a couple months ago for the wide receiver but you could tell in his body language and talk that he was not down with losing in Minnesota.

ed. - Apparently, head coach Brad Childress made the decision to release Moss without everyone in the organization on board. Moss doesn't officially hit waivers until tomorrow so this can develop in a number of ways. Once Waived, Moss could be claimed by any team, with waiver claims in priority of worst team to best (meaning New England stands the least likely chance of reaquiring the receiver).

When I head of this the first thing I could think of was a return to New England. But where will Moss really end up is anyone's guess.

One thing is for sure; Randy Moss press conferences > T.O. press conferences. Yesterday he sounded like he really missed playing for the Pats (who also own the league's best record). This season has been a circus so far. Just another week in the World's Greatest Reality TV Show, aka the National Football League.

-ALR

What Would Jimmy Do?

Jimmy Johnson has very few regrets from his NFL coaching career. One thing he says he would have done differently: sitting Dan Marino.

On Fox NFL Sunday, Johnson explained that toward the end of Marino's career with the Miami Dolphins, the Hall of Fame quarterback was injured, struggling, and in Johnson's eyes more of a detriment to the team than an asset. Johnson says he toyed with the idea of benching Marino in 1999, but ultimately decided against it, citing Marino's status, even though he felt the backup (Damon Huard) gave the team a better chance to win..

He used this analogy to explain why he feels Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress should bench his future Hall of Fame quarterback, Brett Favre.

In six games this season, Favre is 2-4, has thrown 10 interceptions to only seven touchdowns, and has a QB rating of 68.6. Adding injury to insult, he has two broken bones in his left foot, and possibly a broken marriage after a "sexting" scandal involving former NY Jets employee Jenn Sterger. He's 41 years old, immobile, and being paid $20 million this season.

The Vikings have no leverage to bench the ailing Favre, after bending over backwards this summer to woo him into returning. Favre currently has his consecutive games started streak that sits at an NFL record of 291games. Speculation is that Favre wants to get that up to 300.

After the Vikings most recent loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football, Childress attempted throwing Favre under the bus. In the press conference, he had this to say about a Favre interception that led to points for the Packers:

“Yeah, the (interception) to Desmond Bishop, I’d have to look at that because I’d like to know where we’re going with the football, because I believe the play was designed to go to the other side and I think Percy’s standing there in big air, so not sure why we’re looking at the left-hand side...”

The interception was only one of three for Favre that game. The Vikings lost 28-24.

In Johnson's eyes, the Vikings are sacrificing team success for the appeasement of one player. He said he openly treated star players on his teams differently than others, but never at the expense of compromising the idea of team unity.

Johnson won two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, a National Championship with the University of Miami, (FL), and is a spokesman for ExtenZe, a male-enhancement medicine. Childress has won a playoff game. He may want to listen up.

Quick'ems Hitter'ems

It's been a minute since I've posted and there has been a lot going on in the sports world, so here are a few things that have been on my mind these past couple weeks... Enjoy good readers

MLB
In baseball there are a few good story lines going into Major League Baseball's Playoffs, but the one thing that has really had me perplexed was the situation going on with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers have been the team that noone wants, and it stinks. The McCourts are involved in divorce court to find out who is going to have custody of the team. It seems in this case a big piece of evidence was how the lawyer that drew up the papers that separate the proprieties owned by the McCourts, went back and changed some of the verbiage after the documents were signed and notarized. Big Dummy (Fred Sanford voice)... I'm not sure of the official outcome, but it looked like Jaime McCourt was going to get custody from Frank McCourt. I hope Frank gets weekends and maybe Thanksgiving at his house...

On top of that Joe Torre gave the Dodgers the deuces (say bye bye...)

NBA
The season is upon us and it is a joyous occasion. I must say, I love NBATV because they gave us insight into training camps. As much as I didn't want to, I couldn't help but watch Miami Heat training camp. Those dudes, led by Lebron James, were intense in camp.

*Editorial Note... That will be the last time I mention his name, he will now be referred to as 6*

Anyway, the vocal and on court leadership of 6 will prove to have a big affect on the Miami Heat this season. It was evident in the preseason game against the Pistons. 6 looked energized and he looked like he was definitely going to live up to his twanksta statements. He still needs to get a jumper, but it looks like he will get himself to a place where Mr Wade can get him over the top. Chris Bosh is going to benefit the most as he will be able to score efficiently. I would not be surprised if he has a game going 12-12 from the field, 8 of those buckets being dunks.

Matchup wise they will have problems against the top teams in the league. I honestly don't see them winning a series against the Celtics to even make it to see the Lakers in the finals. The difference will be Shaq clogging the middle, and since 6 can't shoot, there will be a repeat of last season. I can go on about this in length, but I will save it for the NBA Preview.

Oh and John Wall is a beast and will be Rookie of the Year...

NFL
The hot news worth noting is Randy Moss returning to the Minnesota Vikings. I actually think this is a good move for the Vikes. One of my favorite Florida Gators, Percy Harvin, will get much space to operate out of the slot. I know the trade won't cure his injuries, but damn, we all have to know that his season will improve. It also helps the Ageless Wonder because when he gets in trouble he can close his eyes launch the ball down field and there is an 80-20 chance Moss will score.

NCAAF
I am not a Boise St fan, eventho most of their recruits come from the LA area, shame on me. Boise St plays a good brand of football and they do everything they are supposed to do. I just can't get passed their schedule and how weak their conference is. Part of me wants to see them play for a BCS Championship only because I want to see them get waxed by an Ohio St or an Alabama so we can put an end to all this cupcake schedule should make it talk. Bitter...

Boxing
The much hyped Super Six Middleweight Tournament has been a bust. The first round was good, but after Jermaine Taylor got KO'd he quit. Allan Green wasn't good enough to stand in for Taylor as he got outclassed by Andre Ward. Mikkel Kessler sighted injury, but inside circles says he quit. Glen Johnson, another Ageless Wonder, is joining the tournament but noone cares. Last and sadly, Andre Dirrell is out of the tournament with neural issues. Dirrell is very talented and this blogger wishes him the best of luck in his recovery.

I hope Paul Williams v Sergio Martinez puts a nice end of the year stamp on what was been a crazy boxing calendar year.

- @lostherod is back

Los That Links 9-10-10

This just in: Brad Childress is a lot worse at his job than we previously thought he was.

The Minnesota Vikings head coach, affectionately known as "Chilly", was ice cold with his offensive play-calling in last night's 14-9 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The alleged offensive wizard, couldn't produce even ten points out of an offense touting Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson. His Viking defense started the game getting carved up, allowing the Saints to score on a 29-yard TD pass after only five plays. The defense did regroup, only allowing one more TD the rest of the game. But they were unable to get the Saints offense off the field, as they ran off the final five minutes of the game.

Childress hasn't shown any ability to motivate his team under his terms. Watching the game last night, fans saw a Vikings team that began the game flat, regrouped out of sheer embarrassment, and ultimately were handcuffed by Childress' terrible play-calling (and admittedly, some shady penalties). The Vikings passed the ball 27 times last night, even though:

A.) They were missing their top receiver, Sidney Rice.

B.) Their second best receiver, Percy Harvin, has been hampered by migraines.

C.) Favre, the hall of fame bound QB, had missed most of camp, and hadn't built any rhythm with the backups. And...

D.) They have Adrian Peterson on the roster, and he was averaging almost 5 yards per carry.

The Vikings have no head coach, they have a handicap. Childress' only contribution to the leadership of this team seems to be designing the offense, and taking trips to Favre's Mississippi home the past two summers, to beg.

If the Vikings were going to win anything under the Childress regime, it would have been last season. All the planets were aligned. They were an unknown commodity. Favre signed, Sidney Rice had a breakout year, Percy Harvin emerged as a star rookie, and the defense had every player either at, or coming into their prime. A team like that doesn't need a coach, and Childress stayed out of the way for the most part, resulting in a 12-4 season, and an NFC championship game appearance.

But now, the team is a year older, injured, and other teams can see them coming. This is a team that needs a coach to navigate them through the adversity, and Childress' isn't that guy. He designs plays well, but he doesn't call them at the right time. His offensive pet project, Travaris Jackson, has yet to develop into a legit NFL quarterback. His starting quarterback (Favre) openly undermines his authority, and treats him more as an old college buddy that he never really liked, than as a coach.

There is still enough talent on the Vikings roster to make one last run at a championship, but "Chilly" will have to pull off a coaching job that we've yet to see him do.

Childress' teams have improved by two wins each season since he took over in 2006, but none of those teams carried with them the expectations that this 2010 team does. Its a safe bet that is one trend that won't continue.

Los That Links

- Speaking of coaches who can't get out of their own way, Tennessee Vols men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl will be taking a pay cut.

- The Ray Lewis Old Spice commercial debuted last night. You can decide how you feel about it on your own.

- Lewis and former teammate/current NY Jets defensive captain Bart Scott are in a war of media fed words.

- Floyd Mayweather is having some domestic issues.

- Pat Riley is all like, "Why ya'll hatin' on a Miami playa?".

- The players on your favorite NFL team don't hate the guys on the other sideline. In fact, they're working together.

Los That Links 8-24-10

Brett Favre made his return (to something he technically never left) with a bang last night in the Minnesota Vikings loss to the Super Bowl-bound San Francisco 49ers (bias). Literally. The return was a whopping four plays long, complete with one highlight (a 13-yard swing pass to Adrian Peterson) and the aforementioned lowlight.

For all the hype about Favre, I'd have to say the television audiences were left a bit disappointed. Unless you were like me, and appreciate watching a dominant pre-season defensive performance by a dark horse Super Bowl contender, you were probably looking to see Brett Favre do Brett Favre-type things for at least 3-4 series.

Too bad.

What viewers last night were treated to, however, was more of the same unabashed apologizing and excuse making for the legendary Favre's diva routine. There was the story of the three Viking players who traveled to Mississippi to talk to him. There was the halftime interview where he gave vague references to contentious feelings he may or may not have towards Brad "Chilli" Childress, who occaisionally serves as head coach for the team. There was the story of anonymous players in the Viking locker room were quoted saying Favre didn't trust Childress, and how they were cowards for doing so. And, of course, there were the "Favre just loves this game" stories, complete with Favre slapping the butts of his teammates, as proof.

I know just last week, I posted an article stating how we shouldn't hate Favre, or the game, for all the love he receives. I'm not backing off my position on that. It's okay to hate Jay Mariotti, but not Favre.

Still, as a sports junkie, it is a bit nauseating to listen to the positive Favre stories being told by the media members who scathingly criticize Terrell Owens and Albert Haynesworth for underming their head coaches, and basing those criticisms on words from anonymous sources. It's hypocritical, at best, to do so. What's worse, every allusion to the identity of the anonymous sources is played up as being either backup QBs Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels, implying that they're saying things out of jealousy.

So, its okay to label guys cowards and team cancers, when they may or may not have done anything to deserve those labels? And you don't need to back it up with fact, so much as an entertainig opinion? This is wrong.

I don't mind giving Favre the benefit of the doubt, or even special privliges. That's why they make the big bucks. Just don't do it at the expense of guys who are just as accomplished (Owens), guys who are in similar situations (Haynesworth), or guys who are just barely hanging on (Jackson and Rosenfels).

Shouldn't be too difficult, eh?

- Here's an article from the thegrio.com, asking whether Favre would be given the same amount of rope if he were a black athlete. (http://www.thegrio.com/)

- Two QBs looked pretty good last night in the Vikes-49ers game. Neither one was named "Brett". (http://www.sfgate.com/)

- Tiger Woods is officially a single man. Hide your Hooter's waitresses. (espn.go.com.)

- Have gun, will travel? Maurice Clarett on work release. (http://www.baltimoresun.com/)

- Another amazing centerfield catch coming from Japan. Call it "Spider Man 2". (sports.yahoo.com)