Skol is NOT A Type of Tobacco

To love something unconditionally is pretty tough, especially when it’s a Minnesota sports franchise. When it’s the Minnesota Vikings, you are better off just ripping out your own heart and handing it to a Packer fan. I remember back in 1998, sitting in the Dome in a very uncomfortable chair, watching the Vikings rumble to what seemed like their first Super Bowl in decades. Thirty minutes later, you could hear a pin drop as they missed the field goal to seal it, and im sure my heart sinking made a pretty audible sound as well. Alas, this is my plight as a member of the Purple Pride Brigade.

The good thing is, now we have something to look forward to for the first season in about five. All Day is coming off a hugemungous year, T-Jack has another year under his belt, the Williams wall is still standing tall, and most of all we have the new NFC roughneck in Jared Allen. Its looking good in a Favre-less NFC north, and I think we have a shot.

For collectors this year is also pretty huge, mainly because you have five billion people who want their All Day investments to skyrocket so they can sell them to homers like me. Its also a make or break year for people sitting on Tarvaris, and Sidney Rice collectors are secretly gathering for what they call "the coming of the light," or some shit like that. Me? Count me in for all three, though secret cults are not my thing. Here are my predictions for 2008 - Minnesota Fucking Vikings style.

Record: 10-6
Place finish: Tied 1st

Lets face it, in a division dominated by the green and gold parade for as long as I can remember, its good Fav-rah is gone. Very good. The Lions did crap to help themselves, and Chicago still is counting on Gross Rex and Kyle Orton (laughable - I would be pissed!). I think, due to this fact, Vikings fans can take solace in the amped up defense and returning offense. Our biggest loss could pose some problems, but ill get to that later.

All Day: Okay?



When it comes to Adrian Peterson, I am a follower of the Purple Jesus. The man is a straight beast and is poised to have an even bigger season than last. The problem is that he wont. Not even close. Put your money on Marshawn Lynch, because this Viking ship is going down for collectors… for now. Peterson, like the majority of the games in the second half last year, will consistently face 8-9 in the box every down we are expected to run (8 when we arent expected). Due to lack of creativity that the 80's and 90's lions had with Barry Sanders, Childress will let this ship sink and not even think twice, mainly because he sucks my left ball when it comes to coaching. The second huge problem deals with the Vikings' biggest loss: Tony Richardson. Without him, I hope they can still have the same success due to the line from hell, but we shall see. In all reality, All Day's season success hinges on the success of two men: Bernard Berrian and good ole Sid Rice. If they get open and catch some balls, teams will no longer be able to stack the box. Every one wins because his cards regain some of their value and Sid Rice's cards come in to their own.

Ive said it before that T-Jack should be able to get Rice the ball. It shouldn’t be a problem, but as a Vikings fan, I know it will be. The good thing about this season is we should only have to put up 21 points to win consistently. Another QB note - one guy I would probably hold off on besides Jackson is Booty-call. As a fifth rounder, they dont have much invested in him and he will probably ride the bench the whole year as a third stringer. I wouldnt invest because next year the first round pick may be a QB if things dont work out. If he was a third rounder or higher, I would rewrite my tune.

Best investment: Sidney Rice
Worst investment: Adrian Peterson (Fuck all you people who raised his prices for me!)
Possible Big Hit: Bernard Berrian
Still NO: Tarvaris Jackson

Defensive No-Show


This is the only Williams Auto I have seen.

Personally, I wish Kevin Williams had more cards. Especially autos. But, like Allen and most D-Linemen, they don’t. With that, I cant even tell you to invest, just because there isnt anything out there. The one thing I hope happens this year is that Antoine Winfield finally makes a pro-bowl. He deserves it. But, even without a pro-bowl year from the strong side monster, the defense is much improved, and they should help make the offense look like the Bears of 2005. The difference is that OUR offense actually has a few impact players.

The Stone Cold Bottom Line

Basically, the Vikings should be on their way to the playoffs. Thats all that matters. If we cant get there this year, we seriously need to re-evaluate a few things.

If I Had a Million Dollars...

Well, there is still a ridiculous amount of time until the NFL season is even close to getting started, and naturally I am bored. So I decided to put together my own prospecting sheet for the 2008 season on some players you may want to get your hands on cheaply while you still can...

(In no particular order)

1. Sidney Rice - WR - Vikings



Yeah, yeah, I know, hometown bias. Still, this guy is going to be a beast. In an injury shortened season he led the team in just about everything, even though thats like saying I led my little league team in everything when I was 25. I would say that with Bernard Berrian on the other side of the field and All Day requiring 8-9 in the box every play, he should have a mammoth year. Tarvaris Jackson (another awful, awful first name that should never be used again) should come into his own this season now with a few under his belt. I am one that believes they should have gone for Brohm in the second round, but now we gotta work with him. He definitely has the chops, but maybe not the intelligence. This is a make or break year for him and I would expect Sidney to benefit greatly.

Approx Price for Exquisite Auto /225: 80 dollars
Approx Price for 3 clr SPA: 65 dollars
Approx Price for standard auto: <30

2. Kevin Kolb - QB - Eagles

This guy was a second round pick that I never put much thought into, honestly. This year, however, he is worth more than a thought to the sheep out there. If you guys think Donovan McKneeinjury is going to make it through the year as the QB of this team, forget it. He hasnt played a full season in 3 years, and Mr. Kolb will be the shoulders it all falls on. When this happens his cards will jump and you will profit - even if he does shitty at first. They drafted DeSean Jackson to build up their WR corps, a great move with Westbrook tearing up D's like they are tissue paper. I think by next year Kolb will be a starter for good and you can expect good things from him on a playoff caliber team.

Approx Price for Exquisite Auto /225: 90-100 dollars
Approx Price for 3 clr SPA: 50-60 dollars
Approx Price for standard auto: <30

3. Marshawn Lynch - RB - Buffalo

Im putting Lynch on here because he deserves to be. His cards are already expensive, but to tell you the truth, I think they will be more so come next year. He broke the 1000 yard mark last year with a handful of TDs and you can expect he will do it again. Unlike All Day, he wont face 8-9 in the box every play, so he will have some room to run. I expect him to blow up - and I expect the same thing from his cards. If you have some extra coin laying around, you may want to consider dropping some on his SPA or at the very least, his Limited auto.

Approx Price for Exquisite Auto /99: 400-500 dollars
Approx Price for 3 clr SPA: 300-400 dollars
Approx Price for standard auto: <70

4. Laurence Maroney - RB - Patriots

Maroney is a beast, dont let anyone tell you different. He had an okay first 2 years in the league and will definitely be better come next year. He was kind of the forgotten son of Bellichek's offense, but this year I have a feeling he wont be ignored. His Exquisite is already expensive because he is a Patriot, but his SPA and other autos are still quite affordable. I would check him out and maybe spend the 20 bucks to get his lower end autos.

Approx Price for Exquisite Auto /225: 200-250 dollars
Approx Price for 3 clr SPA: 70-80 dollars (watch out for fakes!!)
Approx Price for standard auto: <40

5. Anthony Gonzalez - WR - Colts

Marvin Harrison likes to shoot his gun and Anthony Gonzalez will benefit. He was a first rounder last year and his non-exquisite stuff is dirt cheap because of the colts depth chart. I would expect him to have a better year mainly due to the fact that his QB is probably the smartest person in the league, and the fact that they love to pass even when ahead - despite having an awesome Joseph Addai. I would say he is a good investment to take a look at.

Approx Price for Exquisite Auto /99: 150-200 dollars (Tier 1 price)
Approx Price for 2 clr SPA: 40-50 dollars
Approx Price for standard auto: <20

Other mentions:

Steve Smith - WR - Giants: Not impressed with play during playoffs or reg season, stuff already at its peak even if he has a good year. Needs a GREAT year for stuff to boom.

Patrick Willis - LB - 49ers: Defensive guys never do much in the hobby with few exceptions. If he has another monster year, expect his stuff to go up - just not that much.

Reggie Bush - RB - Saints: His stuff is so down that it may be the time to get it. If he has even an inkling of a good season his stuff will jump. So many people are sitting on his stuff and waiting, that I think its a good idea to buy low. Its definitely a risk.

Santonio Holmes - WR - Steelers: He's a Steeler so that helps, but the Steelers dont pass much, and when they do its to Hines Ward, so thats bad. He still has major potential, despite having ANOTHER fucking awful first name. Man, some people should not be able to name their kids.

Maurice Jones-Drew - RB - Jaguars: Another great buy, but still very expensive due to a great year last year. I would say that you should wait to see how he does this year before making a large investment. You could save yourself some dough - just a hunch.

Everyone Should Have Goals

At the beginning of the 2007 NFL season, I had two goals. First was to build a nice football PC, and second was to end up with my two favorite cards of the year for All Day and Sidney Rice. Well, ladies and gentlemen, "WE GOT HIM!"






These beauts will be displayed right next to my other cards I am currently showing off. Sadly, I need to remember some cards that didnt make it to this day. Their memory will live on in my bucket for all eternity.


Died 5/1/08 - Ebay sale


Died 5/1/08 - Ebay sale


Died 3/24/08 - Trade


Died 11/1/07 - Ebay sale (stock photo, original not avail.)

A moment of silence please.


Thank you.