The National Card Show: Day 1 Reports and News

The National delivered a few surprises yesterday, as expected. Unfortunately, most of the suprises were underwhelming at best, and yet were blown up like it was an earth shattering annoucement. Thus is the nature of the almighty NSCC, I guess, so here are some recaps about what was happening in Baltimore for opening night.

I think the biggest "news" was the annoucement that Brian Gray has bought all non-baseball brands from Razor, and then resurrected the Leaf brand in the place that was then left empty. This was basically a complicated, yet uncomplicated name change, and people are extremely excited over absolutely nothing. Leaf has been a property of DLP for the last however many years, and even then, it was kind of "meh." True, Leaf is back as a separate entity, but I don’t see why that is such a huge deal. I think the bigger deal will turn out to be the first MMA set they are releasing and the partnership with Muhammad Ali to release sets under his company name. But, as with any products under a newer company, the final product will be the judge, jury and executioner.

We also saw that Topps looks to be planning a huge celebration for their 60th anniversary of their brand, and if the 50th anniversary is any indication, it should be significant in their entire 2011 line. Im guessing we will have all sorts of retro stuff and throwback sets, but unlike the 50th, the emergence of products from the Topps high end stash will probably destroy any hope of a cool end to the party.

Speaking of Topps, the Strasburg redemption looks to be as popular as everyone thought it would be, even prompting DA Cardworld to offer 80 bucks on the spot for someone looking to sell. I personally think that is way too low to even consider, but its funny that there is an offer like that from a place like DA. Regardless, there have been a few reports of how off center the cards were, so Im guessing BGS is just going to have to put all of them at a 9.5 instead of a 10, right?

In the Game also announced that it was going to be releasing a baseball prospect and heroes product, but as with all of their stuff, it will be unlicensed. Oddly, one of the cards looks identical to 2008 Sweet Spot Baseball, so im not sure how that got through. Heyward and a few others will be signing for the product, and if their popularity in hockey holds true to this product, it could do okay.

As for the show itself, it seems like prices are absolutely ridiculous, as most shows are. Jeremy sent me an email from the floor with all sorts of funny asking prices for cards priced according to Book Value. My favorite was the guy who was selling all sorts of high end autos and was asking more than 250 dollars over ebay selling price. That is waaaaay too much of a mark up, even for a show like this.

Lastly, I have already gotten five or so emails from readers trolling the floor and seeing all sorts of fake patches and fake autos. This is one of the main reasons I have decided to avoid shows in general, mainly because I have gotten the idea that the sellers at the shows will do whatever it takes to make money. This includes defrauding people with cards they obviously know arent real.

Also, if you have further stuff from the show you want to report, let me know at the email above, I am always up for a good national card show story.

The NFL Season Ends On Highs and Lows

Wow, I didnt understand how crazy it could get in the AFC, and it doesnt look like things are even close to being done yet. There were sure some weird decisions all around, the Patriots, Eagles, and Cowboys, all with possible detrimental choices to say the least.

Chris Johnson

What a freak, the guy was just lightning AND thunder this year, and I am very glad that he got to 2000 yards. Not only because my two Chris Johnson auto auctions should do a little better, but because I think he proved that you dont have to be a huge guy to be successful in this league. He showed week after week that he is a force to be reckoned with, thus cementing his place atop the yardage list as well as next years fantasy drafts.

Wes Welker

A lot of people questioned teams starting their guys without a purpose, and Wes Welker looks to have taken the brunt of the punishment. He tore multiple ligaments in his knee and may have taken the Patriots playoff hopes down with him. Brady also has a broken finger, and all of it did not prevent the Pats from sitting their guys in a meaningless game.

Minnesota Vikings

When you pitch a virtual shut out of the Giants banged up offense, no one really thinks much of it. However when you have to go to the dome two weeks from now and its louder than an airport runway during rush hour, it becomes apparent that it was not a good thing for the opposing teams. Philly ended up being killed at Dallas, so the road to the super bowl will go through two domed stadiums, one where the Vikings have gone 8-0. Favre also rested much of the second half, and now the Vikings look like they have a shot again. I love it.

MVP

Im not sure if its very clear anymore, especially with how Favre has played in the last two halves. He ended up with over 4000 yards and 30 TDs while throwing fewer than 10 interceptions and leading his team to the two seed. He played every game, and we all know the hard on that the sports writers have for his success. Manning and Brees are pretty much a toss up other than the Favre factor, and I could even seen Chris Johnson win in a split decision. Absolutely crazy for sure, but I am eager to see how it turns out.

ROY

Im not as sure as I once was that Harvin will walk away with it, but he is the odds on Favorite right now. If Sanchez rolls over the Bengals tonight, he could be back in it, and so may some of the other guys. Harvin's contributions to his team were greater than many of the other rookies combined, although Austin Collie, Knowshon Moreno, and Mike Wallace have made their cases as well. Another good battle to see who takes it home.

Denver Broncos

Its been six years since a team started with six wins and missed the playoffs, but Denver sure looked very much like their brown throwback unis in the KC game this week. Im not sure how you can justify benching Marshall, even with the attitude problems, and losing to the Chiefs only makes that worse. Oddly enough, the last team to do what the Broncos did were the Vikings, and trust me, Im sure the Broncos fans are just as fucking pissed as I was in 2003.

Week 19

We could easily be headed for a Packers/Vikings III in two weeks, and I can only imagine what the media blitz is going to be like. Even though the Vikings decidedly beat the Packers twice this year, its far from the truth to think they are the same teams they were so many weeks ago. If the Packers beat the Cardinals like they should, I would expect a hard fought game come two weeks in the dome. Although I think the Vikings still have the firepower to win, it wont be as easy as it was in the beginning of the season.

Saints lose again

Although Drew Brees sat this game out, The Saints are no longer invincible, and could have trouble waltzing into town on the back of Tony Romo. Remember, the Cowboys beat the Saints down from their undefeated pedestal, and it could be hard to avenge that loss looking like the Saints have in recent contests. They will be playing at home, but look for some fireworks regardless if its Philly or Dallas coming to Louisiana.

Rams Secure Number 1 Pick

Whether its Ndamukong Suh or Jimmy Claussen, the Rams are drafting at the top in March. Because of a new regime in St Louis, I look for the Rams to stupidly chase a franchise QB rather than going for a beast in Suh or a Tackle to shore up their line. I just dont think you can justify a top pick regardless of the way you go due to the way that players can bust at a moments notice these days, but I do think you have to at least think of what your team could be missing if you choose someone like Bradford or Claussen at number one.

Rematches

I dont ever remember there being this many rematches on wild card weekend. Packers/Cardinals, Jets/Bengals, and Eagles/Cowboys are all week 17 rematches, and I cannot fathom what the odds are on that. It created a horrible atmosphere for some of the teams, as the routs were on in every one of the games. Whether its the coaches not trying to tip their hands, or just laying it down all together, the three games next week will be that much different than it was this time around. Not only because of the importance of the games, but because the teams will actually play their guys.

In closing, I am fucking sad that football season is over, as this is always my favorite time of year. Granted it is less than 50 days until pitchers and catchers report for spring training, but honestly, I couldnt care less right now. I am hoping for a fun playoffs starting next week, and after that I will enter my usual depression until the draft in March. At least its been a good season with no regrets for me, and I wish you all good luck in following your teams.

Rookie Battle Royale: Week 10

Another week for the NFL, another good week by a few of the rookies who werent doing so well before. With both undefeated teams staying undefeated, the rookies werent as much of a focus as usual, but they definitely didn’t sleep the week away either.

Josh Freeman

Coming off the game of his life in his first start last week against the Packers, there were high expectations this week for him against a struggling Dolphins team. Freeman did not play half as well as he did in his debut, and the Dolphins took it on the last play of the game. He threw for 196 yards, a TD and an interception, but had four fumbles with one lost. Not great.

Mark Sanchez

Sanchez played like a rookie again this week, with a very mediocre game against a team they should have beat. This now shows that he is human after all, with more games this year on the rookie side than the spectacular side. He threw 2 interceptions and a touchdown, as well as 212 yards, so it wasn’t all that wonderful of a game for him. This should make it interesting come the end of the year ROY voting.

Matt Stafford

Of the three rookie QBs, Stafford had arguably the best game against the best team. On 51 throws, he didn’t have a pick, which is pretty good considering that last time he played the Vikings he threw 3. He was sacked 4 times, but really it was more of a receiver issue than anything. The guys he was throwing to also dropped 8 passes, so that will hurt in the long run. Stafford ended up with 224 yards and a TD. Not bad.

Beanie Wells

Finally, after nine weeks, Beanie had a really good game, best of the week for the rookie running backs. He had 85 yards and 2 TDs, which was only the second 2 TD game of the year for rookie RBs. His YPC avg, a concern in previous weeks was up considerably (5.3 this week), and he didn’t look lost out there in a nice Cardinals win. Beanie still has a long way to go, but things are starting to improve.

Jeremy Maclin

Maclin is quietly putting together a great rookie campaign. He led all rookie WRs with 76 yards, as well as a touchdown, which makes his second consecutive with a score. Maclin is playing on a team where he will need to be the top guy eventually, so he really needs to come through, and this game was another notch in the bed post for him.

Bernard Scott

If I told you at the beginning of the Cincy/Steelers game that Bernard Scott would be the MVP, you would have laughed me out of the building. Yet, with a HUGE kickoff return TD, he was the reason the Bengals won. So, Steelers fans, you have given up KR TDs to two rookies this year, who is next, haha?

Knowshon Moreno

Moreno had a good game this week, but the Broncos lost to a team that they should have killed. He had 104 total yards and 97 on the ground, so it was definitely a solid effort. I also didn’t see any huge fumbles, which Im sure was a sigh of relief for his fans, but the loss was more than a shock irregardless.

Johnny Knox

Knox went from the top of the game to being right where he was expected to be. On Thursday, he had his third game in a row where he did nothing, and this time the Bears needed a big play. Knox hasn’t caught more than two passes in any of the games of late, and he is going to need to step up if the bears are going to recover.

Percy Harvin

Harvin had 3 for 53, but most of those yards came on an amazing catch where he pinballed around and ran for forty yards. Harvin's impact was minimal, but the Vikings didn’t really need it with Favre, Peterson and Rice playing like fucking beasts. Not the best game of the year, but that catch was pretty awesome considering the hit he took and still stayed up.

The Rookie Graveyard

Darrius Heyward-Bey - 1 for 20? C'mon Al Davis, you suck at drafting.

Michael Crabtree - Nothing still, needs at least a TD to be worth the hold out.

Brandon Pettigrew - Had a couple drops and no production again this week.

What We Learned From Monday Night

The Jets/Dolphins game was one of the better monday night games I have seen in a very long while. It was exciting, had a few trick plays, and featured some guys that many of us are counting on for our collections and/or fantasy teams. We also got to learn a few things about those guys, especially some of the people that are going to be some big players in the future.

Mark Sanchez

For the last few weeks, Sanchez is really playing like many expected him to play. He is inconsistent with flashes of brilliance. Last week he threw three picks and looked awful, this week he threw no interceptions, but looked okay. He did have a few plays taken away from him, mainly the late drop from Braylon Edwards in the endzone and a TD that was run in by Jones after a nice play by Sanchez previously that was called incomplete and a defensive penalty. Really, this game will do nothing for his values at the top of the class either way, so I wouldnt worry.

Chad Henne

I bought a few Henne cards last year because I didnt think that Pennington would hold as the Miami QB. Im glad I did, as he has adjusted well over the last few weeks to being a legit QB. Henne has gotten better with each game, going from zero TDs his first game, one his second game, to two TDs yesterday with 241 yards of passing. He must be beyond happy to have Ronnie Brown on his team, as he is not going to be anything special without him.

Ronnie Brown

After the Patriots game where the Wildcat came storming onto the scene, the entire league went nuts trying to stop it. They pretty much had suceeded in adjusting until last night when Ronnie Brown again showed why it is so dangerous. He made the Jets defense look silly for some of the plays, especially the last play where he scored the TD to win it. I would say that of all the people that played last night, Brown did the most to make the people around him better. When the Dolphins came out in the Wildcat, I could just see Rex Ryan start to freak.

Ricky Williams

I guess this idiot has put the days of rocking the ganja behind him. I started him due to a lack of options in one of my leagues, and I am fucking glad I did. Williams is having a phenomenal year, and has proven that he is ready to be a part of football again. Granted, he has greatly benefited from having Ronnie Brown ahead of him, but it is still impressive regardless.

Fake Punts

Holy fuck, fakes barely even work in Madden, let alone in the NFL, and somehow the Jets extended two drives with them. Both were runs, but I couldnt believe they even risked the second one considering the big conversion they had on the first. I definitely fault the Miami defensive coordinator for the ridiculous play they had on special teams, but it was surprising none-the-less.

Braylon Edwards

Edwards played great despite the fact that he had spent only a week with the team. If you remember what happened to Roy Williams when he came to Dallas last year, this game he had is day and night. Sanchez will have a great weapon as Edwards becomes more accustomed to the playbook, but he will have to play above his ability to shake the labels that have been stamped on his career lately.

(My bad the first time with this, thanks LSU)

If you missed the game, be sure to go check out the highlights on NFL.com so that you can see how crazy it actually was. I dont think I have posted many times on a game that made no difference to one of my teams, but I felt compelled to after this one. Go take a look.

OH, I forgot: Dolphins Orange Alternates> Broncos AFL anniversary alternates > Seattle's Neon Green Alternates.

NFL Rookie Battle Royale: Week 3

All of you know how awesome of a week this has been, especially with the Bungals beating the Steelers, Manning destroying the Cardinals on Sunday night, and the crazy ending to the Vikings game. The rookies decided to show up too, with a few of them having some great games.

Matt Stafford

How could I not lead with the Lions winning? Im still in shock that they were able to put it together for a full 60 minutes. Stafford played pretty well too, as he showed he is starting to gain that confidence he needs to grow in such a horrible offense. Stafford threw a TD that started everything off for the Lions, thus bringing his total to two in three games, but he didn’t throw an interception, so that is like icing on the cake for a rookie QB. I still say its not a good idea to hold his cards, but at least it’s a LITTLE more promising now that the streak is over.

Mark Sanchez

Sanchez played another great game and came away with another win. It was another great defense, the best arguably, but he was calm and collected even during a bad second half. He had a great TD pass to Cotchery in double coverage and ran one in from 14 out. He ended with with 3 total TDs and is making a few people wonder why they may have passed on him at picks 2-4 in the draft. Sanchez cards are at the peak of their value right now, so if you have them, it may be good to sell and rebuy later, if there is a later. Looks like he will be the Matt Ryan value of his class this year.

Percy Harvin

Harvin was great in the Vikings win, scoring his third TD in as many games. He played great during the second half especially, running back a kick 101 yards and catching some key passed on the final drive that led to the score. He ended up with his best game in terms of yardage, but the return was the spike the Vikings needed to stay in the game after being shut down time after time by the Niners' Defense. Like Sanchez, Harvin's cards are at the peak of their value, so it’s a great time to sell if you arent a fan.

LeSean McCoy

Im thinking that Brian Westbrook doesn’t feel so bad he missed that game anymore as McCoy sure picked up the slack with ease. The Eagles routed the Chiefs and McCoy got his first TD of the year. He also racked up 80+ yards and a YPC avg over four yards in the effort. McCoy should be pretty good in the long run, though he will always be overshadowed by Westbrook. Keep his cards for right now, as his value has a lot of potential to go up from here.

Knowshon Moreno

Welcome to the NFL Mr. Moreno. Nice to see you. Glad you put up 90 yards and a TD, bout time a running back in Denver does well, right? Knowshon looked pretty good in his first game with a focus over Buckhalter, and I would expect by week 8 he will have 70-80% of the carries. He is a great back, and should continue to put up numbers week after week. As with all the first round running backs, his value is high due to the Peterson effect, but as it starts to come down, it should be a good idea to pick some of his stuff up.

Donald Brown

That 72 yard scamper was pretty impressive wasn’t it? Well, it helped him put up the first 100 total yard game for a non-QB rookie this year, and jumped his value pretty high as a result. Brown doesn’t have the luxury of a huge college following like Wells, but he showed why he needs a pro following. Wells managed -2 yards on 2 carries, while Brown did great. This guy is a keeper.

Johnny Knox

Another game, another TD for Knox, despite the fact that it was his only catch of the game. He sure has been a pleasant surprise for the Bears, as the rest of their receiving corps is almost as inexperienced as he is. Because of the fact that he has done as well as he has, sell as fast as you can. Its not going to go much higher than it is unless he goes for 150 and three TDs somewhere later in the season. That’s a risk I would be willing to take.
The Rookie Graveyard

Here is where I want to talk about some rookies that Im sure are making a few of you guys pretty angry with their lack of contributions to their teams.

Jeremy Maclin - Where the hell have you been? Having 6 receptions for 46 yards on the season is a crap start for a guy I thought would be the star receiver of his class. Wow.

Darrius Heyward-Bey - Im sure having a QB like Jamarcus Russell is a contributing factor, but 1 reception for 18 yards on the whole year is poop. We all know he shouldn’t have been drafted so high, but hot damn, get moving!

Beanie Wells - I think a lot of people are pretty happy that Beanie isnt doing great so far. They say he was a beneficiary of playing at OSU, and it may be starting to show.

Hakeem Nicks - 2 receptions for 19? Doing worse than Hey Bey, but his team doesn’t need him as much. EDIT: Looks like he was injured week 1, my page on NFL.com didnt show that, my fault on this one...

Next week is looking pretty good, especially with Harvin going up against the Packers on Monday night. Now that the rookies are pretty secure in their roles, it could be interesting to see how values respond. Glen Coffee will have his first game against a defense that he can take advantage of, and may have a great game in Gore's absence, Sanchez looks like he may be in for his first test as he faces the Saints, and with the Bears going up against Detroit, who knows.

Also, be sure to check out my rookie of the week write up on the Upper Deck Blog as soon as the player is announced. You can also enter your cards to track the performances of a few of the guys I talk about here and possibly win some prizes if you have the ROW in your portfolio. Pretty cool.

Even if the rookies didn’t come to play, this season has still been a great ride so far. I hope it will continue to be as exciting as it has been, as there have already been some great stories. Next week is when things start to get interesting, so don’t miss it under any circumstances. Trust me, it only gets better from here.

Vikings Recap: Wild Card Weekend

The season is over, and really, thats fine. I dont need to spend another week waiting for the Vikings' ultimate destruction. They played most of this game quite well, and other than two plays, it was all Vikings. They played above their paygrade for most of the season, a division championship was great, Adrian Peterson's rushing title was great, and that 99 yard pass play was awesome. Thank you Vikings for a fun ride.

Tarvaris Jackson

Tjack made a few mistakes during the game, but sadly secured a job for next year. Crap. I couldnt help but notice that as the game wore on, his passes got worse and worse, making it an obvious assumption that he was losing his composure pretty quickly. The pass that Samuel got for the TD was so poorly thrown, and the decision to throw was so poorly made, that I was ready to give up on him right there. Here's to drafting a QB, giving Jackson one more year, and then calling in the reserves.

Adrian Peterson

All Day was completely ineffective because of a number of reasons. Even though he had 2 TDs, he couldnt get anything going when it mattered. He looked run down, hurting, and showed that the Vikings better not expect that many carries next year if they want a healthy AD down the stretch.

Brad Childress

Looked like he had things under control for 3 whole quarters. The D was hurting before the game with both Williams and Ray Edwards on the shelf, and he managed to keep Philly in check for the whole time. The offense was surprisingly moving the ball and converting on 3rd down, so he must have been happy with himself. Then the wheels fell off. He was so out coached in the 4th quarter that the game flew right out of his hand. He really better get things going next year or he can kiss his ass goodbye.

Jared Allen

Allen has been a force all year, and this game was no exception. I think that we can expect big things from him next year when he becomes a little more accustomed to the dome. For Allen to make the kind of money he does, its fair to expect a little more than he gave us this year, although 15 sacks is nothing short of impressive when it comes to the Vikings.

Bernard Berrian

Berrian put absolutely nothing into this game, and was really quite disappointing. I hope that next year he preforms a little more up to his level, as his inconsistency this year was not where I would have liked. Of course, the QB situation is somewhat to blame, but you can say that a good receiver can do well regardless.

Overall, I liked where the Vikings ended up, as I expected a below 500 year. I guess when you look back at the number of ways they showed they could win, they deserved to win the division, and just got unlucky with who showed up for this game.

Value Bumps: Year In Review

This year, the NFL was a mush pot of craziness, mainly because everything went in the opposite direction of what was expected. There were so many surprises over the course of the season, that I went into each week expecting something to happen. Now, heading into the playoffs, its become pretty obvious that 2008 will be a year that many will remember for both good and very very bad reasons.

Before the preseason, everyone was talking about God, or as people in Green Bay call him, "Brettius Favrosis the Magnificent." First he had retired, then he came back, then he wanted out of the cheese factory in Green Bay (BLASPHEMY!!). Eventually he ended up with New York, and Aaron Rodgers was set up for the franchise. Both the Pack and the Jets missed the playoffs, so im guessing Tony Kornheiser died a little inside, but it didn’t stop people from flipping a shit over Favre in the news and in the hobby. Favre cards of him on the Jets went nuts, and Rodgers got a pretty big bump out of the gate due to his early play.

Of course, with the BMOC now in NYC, poor Chad Pennington had nowhere to go, so he took a chance on the 1-15 Miami thinking that it would be a good place to showcase his lack of recent talent. In true 2008 fashion, and in the biggest turn around in NFL history, they end up 11-5 thanks to their new found winning combo of Pennington, Brown and the Wildcat. Who do they beat in week 17 to secure the division? Why the New York Jets! That could be the best 'Fuck You' ever. Chad's cards had never really been worth all that much, and that really didn’t change, but that didn’t mean that people like Ronnie Brown and John Beck didn’t get anything out of it. Brown's value went way up, while Beck's went way down, no surprises there. Maybe those 2005 boxes of Exquisite will finally be worth the break now.

Staying within the division, Tom Brady, ladies man, gets his leg torn off, and Matt Cassel, a guy who seemed to be everything that every Pats-hater loves, was left with the team in his hands. We all expected a miserable season, though as things went on, it seemed like Cassel was just as good as could be expected within Bellichick's system. Even though half the team was out for the season with Brady, the Pats finish 11-5, though they miss the playoffs. It couldn’t be more perfect. Just goes to show you that personel isnt the only thing that makes a team good. As a result, and even though they didnt make the playoffs, Cassel's cards hit the high notes, and you can expect that when he pulls a Matt Schaub and goes elsewhere, the value might stay in the same region.

From the Pats, to the team that beat them, it was truly a great year for the Giants. Number one seed, home field advantage through the playoffs, everything was going great as the end was in sight. Then Plaxico went out for a night with the boys carrying a little too much protection. The Giants lose their top receiver, but don’t really lose much of a step in beating the Panthers the following week. With everything already sewn up, its not too big of a deal to retool things a little.

Interestingly enough, they lose to the Vikings in week 17, which gives Purple Jesus his first playoff birth and an exclamation point to his mammoth season. I thought that this would be a mid to okay season for AD, but in true Peterson fashion, that joke was on me. The Vikings win the division thanks to Peterson and Gus "Bang Your Head" Frerotte's return to glory, leaving the Pack at 6-10 and Peterson with a rushing title. Amazing. Peterson's cards hover about where they ended after 2007, which is a feat in itself, as most people thought that it would be crazy to buy in (including me). Yet, after 2008, we may have to change our tune on value and hype thanks to the Peterson deisel.

Rookies in 2008 were not anything to forget either, as this years class was nothing short of remarkable. Matty Ice Ryan takes his team to the playoffs after a miserable 2007 season, and does it in a freakishly amazing show of skill. Flacco and the Ravens equal his success and take their team to the playoffs too, capping the first time I can remember where TWO RC QBs take their teams to the playoffs without looking like they are amateurs. Both of their card values went through the roof, rightfully so, and now with a playoffs ahead, the sky is the limit (see Roethlisberger for more info).

QBs were not the only RCs to make big news either, as Chris Johnson, Matt Forte, and Jonathan Stewart made people remember why RBs are always a good bet. The thing was that it wasn’t those three that were tops in value to begin the season, and the guys who were are now at half the price in some cases (see McFadden and Mendenhall).

Lastly, we move to the Lions, as they looked like they were playing a team of RCs every week. They end up as the worst team in NFL history at 0-16, and really, it was expected. The only bright spot was Calvin Johnson, who may have been the first Lions draft pick in years to actually be good. Too bad he will end up in Canton for all the wrong reasons.

My NFL MVP: Drew Brees or Kurt Warner
Defensive MVP: James Harrison
My NFL ROY: Matt Ryan
Comeback POY: Chad Pennington
Biggest Surprise: Falcons and Ravens win with RCs
Best QB: Drew Brees
Best RB: Adrian Peterson
Best WR: Andre Johnson
Best RC QB: Matt Ryan
Best RC RB: Chris Johnson and Matt Forte (tie)
Best RC WR: Eddie Royal

As a person who followed the NFL more closely this year than ever, it was great to document the hobby fluctuations here on the blog for the first time. I think that we still have a great playoffs coming up to hopefully fill those mind sanctuaries for the 6 months ahead with no football, and I will guarantee that I will make sure to let you guys know how I feel. Also, with the Draft in the months after the Super Bowl, I hope that 2009 will look as good as 2008 did.

Thanks to all of you footballers out there, I think its baseball dominated blog world, and its nice to see there are a lot of you on here who still collect cards from the gridiron.

Vikings Recap: Week 17

"By the little tiny hairs on our chinny chin chins..."

Thats basically what the whole season was like, and now the Vikings are division champs. I am loving it, and I am loving it even more that Neckbeard and the Bears didnt even have the stones to win in Houston. Its been a wild ride, and if you told me that we would be division champs at this time six in September, I would have told you that you had to go get your head checked. Even though we wont be winning next week, its still nice to be at the table.

Tarvaris Jackson

Wow, he still has a mammoth amount of stuff to make up in order to be a good NFL QB, but he has gotten the job done. After that interception on the goal line, I was chastizing Childress more than him for calling a pass play with the best RB tandem in the league, but I guess it worked out in the end. There sure were quite a few plays he was responsible for that left me with my head scratching, but that was forgotten with the Bernard Berrian TD.

Adrian Peterson

What a season he has had. Just an amazing display of tenacity, even though fumbles again were a problem. Tiki had some problems originally with that, though with experience that should be fixed. The 67 yard blitzkrieg was awesome to watch, and I am happy that he finished as the NFL rushing leader. Hopefully he comes to play next week too, we are going to need it.

Defense

I think this game only showed how bad our defense can be without Patty McFatty. He plugs holes better than his Williams counterpart, and I am sooooooo glad that he could be back next week. That Hixon TD was also one of the worst Winfield plays I have ever seen, so we will definitely need to tighten up if we are even going to have a chance next week.

Ryan Longwell

Longwell, my hero, has been perfect from 50+ this year, and that is so freaking important in this league that you wouldnt even fathom where the Vikings would be without that kind of dependability. I havent mentioned him much in these recaps, but damn, he still has it.

Brad Childress

Childress sucks so bad he was almost taken to school by David Carr and a bunch of scrubs. That takes talent. He has his job for one more year, and that scares the hell out of me. I really hope he isnt stupid enough to let another draft go by without taking a NFL level QB, because he definitely is that dumb to me. If I was sitting in the stadium of Childress' head, I would see nothing but Tjack love, which will suck for many, many reasons.

Overall, I think this seasons win total stops at 10, with Philly coming to town next week, however maybe, just maybe we can pull another one out of our ass. Here's to one more week of torture, watching another 100 fumble game, and screaming loudly into a pillow when Westbrook goes for 200 and 3 TDs.

Vikings Recap: Week 16

Typical Vikings, I cant believe we blew that game. It was really just a comedy of errors, and it may cost us the season if the Giants decide to play any of their starters next week. Im still hoping Chicago loses tonight, but we all know that wont happen.

Special Teams

If the special teams coach isnt fired by the beginning of next year, you better bet your ass that I will walk down to the dome and poop on his car. Wow, what a pitiful performance again by special teams.

Fumbles

Did they grease the ball or something? I have never seen so many fumbles in a single game since Daunte Culpepper left. 7 fumbles? I want to see a training video of the coaches giving footballs to the players to carry around and then seeing if the defense can knock them away in class and recover them, like in that one movie. That is definitely needed here.

Tarvaris Jackson

Needs to know how to get rid of the ball. He holds onto it like its his baby boy and he has separation anxiety. This has been a big problem for Vikings QBs, mainly because neither of them are really very good. I mean, look at some of the QBs and backup QBs around the league. Some of them just look like they know what is happening around them, others (like Jackson sometimes) look like they are high on peyote and are having a bad trip in the pocket.

Adrian Peterson

Shitty, shitty game, I guess he is entitled to one, JUST NOT THIS LATE IN THE FUCKING SEASON. Dammit, do it in week 8 vs the Bucs or something, now is where you step up. DAMMIT.

Brad Childress

Could be the worst play caller in history. I sat there with a clip board and counted the number of times I was right on the play calls. I totalled 15 plays in a row at one point. Get a new coach, this is a big issue. Billy B's pats win with shitty players because they are well coached. The Vikings suck because they are coached by a retarded looking bird that resembles a vulture.

Receivers

All our receivers suck with few exceptions. We have more holes to fill this offseason than a golf course with a gopher problem.

Here is to the giants not playing hard next week, because I hate them and because we are going to need help to get into the postseason. I hope to god things work out because I am bored during playoff times with no Vikings. However, maybe if they don’t make it, Childress will be fired. Crap, that is a tough pickle to decide how to cheer. One and done in the playoffs or no playoffs and no childress. Hmmm.

Vikings Recap: Week 14

I know I wasnt the only Vikings fan today who was more than a little worried, and still more than a little happy that they may lose to the Lions. It would have been awful to lose to the worst team in NFL history, but it would have been amazing because Childress would have surely lost his job. Either way, they won, and Childress' job is safe for another week.

Adrian Peterson



Another great game for Peterson, but no TDs to speak of because the offense was completely incompetant with Frerotte at the helm. He litterally bowled over anyone who tried to get in his way and did great with limited prospects of doing well. Its very tough to put up a good game with no first downs put on by the rest of the team, so I will give him credit for doing awesome with nothing.

Gus Frerotte

I was SOOOOOOO happy to see him hurt at the end of the second quarter. He is so awful I cant even put it into words, especially when you throw two passes DIRECTLY at LIONS defenders. Thats like losing a footrace to a child with cerebal palsy. Im sure its just him being old and playing a long season, but he just cant throw and isnt accurate anymore (not that he ever really was). Gus needs to be benched for the rest of his career.

Cedric Griffin

Could be the worst CB in the NFC north. The guy just makes mistake after mistake after mistake. Then, when he makes a tackle on an 8 yard pass play to his guy on first down, he celebrates like he just stopped the guy for a loss on 4th and 1. What an arrogant fucking piece of shit, that pisses me off to no fucking end. The 70 yarder to Johnson did not catch me by surprise, mainly because I shouted that Griffin was out of place from the beginning.

Jared Allen

Is hillarious, and awesome. Super mullet and 2 sacks, love it.

Brad Childress

Needs to be fired, NOW. Even the Lions medical staff has more creative play calling than this idiot. He is truly the only thing holding this team back other than the lack of a QB. He is so bad, that I think he could have coached the 16-0 Patriots to an 8-8 season.

Vikings Recap: Week 11

Another week, another game we could have won. Crappy play all around, and even more poor coaching decisions leave us with a 500 record and a tough schedule on the horizon. I gotta make this quick because of work, so here is what I have.

Brad Childress

You would expect Childress to get out coached by Gruden, but not as badly as he did in the second half. It was a blood bath, and I kept saying to myself, "As an NFL coach, even the crappiest people don’t make this decision." As I have said before that 4th down situations should not be allowed in childress' playbook, that someone else should call the play and decide whether or not to go for it. To set up two fourth and short plays with a pass when you have the best RB in the league and a VERY capable backup is so fucking inexcusable that I don’t care if they had converted them both. To basically hand the Bucs a field position that would result in a game clinching field goal on the second to last drive was so fucking dumb, and you didn’t even have peterson on the field! I am so pissed I cant even make sense. Dennis Green was an asshole, but he was a better coach. Tice was too soft on the players, but he was a better coach. Childress is an arrogant ass who is getting his ass handed to him every week, and has managed to SQUEAK out 5 wins. That sucks with the defense we have, Defense wins championships.

Gus Frerotte

If I see him skip another ball to a receiver on a crucial play, I will walk to the dome and cut off his arm with a hacksaw dunked in hot sauce. Its sad that we passed on a guy like Brohm or even Henne on a trade up in the draft because this is fucking gross when it comes to the talent of our QBs. The announcers said something like "you cant doubt frerotte because his experience is key" or some hyperbolic bullshit like that during the two fourth quarter last minute drives. He proceeded to A) get sacked B) get sacked again C) throw a dump off pass under pressure and D)Skip a ball to a reciever that may or may not have been an overthrow.

Bobby Wade

Sucks, stop throwing to him. He has no idea what a fucking curl route is.

Offensive Line

Played like a glorified bunch of high schoolers in the second half. Two sacks in a row on a crucial drive in the 4th quarter and they should be running laps until they puke their assholes out of their mouths.

Sidney Rice

Where the fuck is he? I swear to god he better get on that field.

Bernard Berrian

Start calling every pass play to him or someone that can actually catch.

Adrian Peterson

When a guy puts up 71 in the first quarter, YOU KEEP GIVING HIM THE FUCKING BALL.

God fucking damnit I am so angry about this loss. So poorly played.

Vikings Recap: Week 10

All I have to preface about the Vikings win yesterday was that it shouldn’t have happened the way it did. For a game played as dominantly as the Vikings played it, it should have been a 21 point game, but thanks to a few key people we had to win it on a missed field goal. I think the Packers offense was only responsible for 10 points, and 3 of those were because Childress is a douche that should never be allowed to call a play on 4th down. Either way, I think we should declare a state wide holiday, because I love to see the Packers lose, and it deserves a day of rest when they lose to the Vikings. I love it even more when the stadium is half full of drunken idiots wearing their lord's jersey #4.

Defense

Goddamn these guys are great to watch, and it sucks that the two Williamses will eventually be suspended. It was a ton of fun looking forward to each play just to see the new way that Jared Allen was going to plow over Aaron Rodgers. Two safeties in one quarter? Fuck, that was amazing. I don’t care if we would have lost, that was amazing. Congrats to the unit, this was your best game, no doubt.

All Day

The second coming of Purple Jesus happened 11/9/08, and it was GLORIOUS. It was funny, the minute I saw Peterson fired up on the sidelines before the last drive, I told my buddy that he was going to bust some skulls on his way to the endzone. After carrying a struggling, stalled, and tired offense on his back for a whole entire drive, I laughed a hearty laugh. The guy is a leader, he knows how to find the tiny holes and blow through them, and after 4 straight 100 yard games against some tough teams, consider me among the saved. He proved without a doubt that its his league now, don’t fuck with him.

Special Teams

Fire the whole squad, every last fucking one of them. I have never watched a team play such awful special teams for a long, long time. Blackmon's TD should never have gotten past the first wave, except for the fact that they are all lazy ass arm tacklers. You are fucking pros, act like it. I swear to god I want to play special teams myself - alone - because I could play better than they have this year.

Gus Frerotte

What an awful game. He looked worse than jackson on a lot of those plays, not even the fade to Rice on the first drive looked like he was capable, it was no where close. Luckily he got it in later, otherwise I would have killed him personally. The TD "pass" to Taylor was awesome, but not because of him, so Im not going to count that one as a win for him. His play was inexcusable, and I am ready to say throw in Booty-call because he could be better than both combined.

Ryan Longwell

You have a foot cannon, thank you for being awesome in the first half. The one you missed was beyond awful.

Bernard Berrian

Being shut out is inexcusable. Make plays, that is your job.

Brad Childress

You have to go away, now. Its fourth and 1, you know their offense hasn’t done shit, Kluwe is playing well, and you still go for it. You are a douche.

Overall, it feels like I am writing about a loss, but this was actually a ginormous win. Vikings are now tied for first, they have won two straight, and if they beat Tampa next week, we are in a really good position for the playoffs, actually. I think its time to re-evaluate the QB position, maybe give Jackson another chance. Either way, you know you can just hand the ball off, because Taylor and All Day are the best tandem in the league.

Value Bumps: Week 8

I didnt watch much football other than the first games of the day, so ill get this going.

Ray Rice

Its too bad that McLain gets the TDs, because when you rush for 150+ you deserve a shot. He had a great game and could be helping Joe Flacco in a playoff run if he is lucky. If that happens look for a huge bump for both. Right now, lets see what happens next week.

BUMP: UP

Joe Flacco

He hasnt had a STELLAR season, but he has had a good enough one to be within striking distance of Blitzburgh. I give him credit, as that Mark Clayton TD looked awfully pretty. Like I said with Rice, if he makes the playoffs, his cards may be worth something, otherwise you may have to wait a year or two.

BUMP: UP

Chris Johnson

Another good week for him, and I see something very smooth in the way he runs after seeing what he did to the Packers. Granted he has a great O line, but he still has the raw talent to be pretty damn good as a lightning to White's Thunder.

BUMP: UP

Brandon Jacobs

This guy is quickly becoming really fucking beast mode-ly, right Marshawn? I think its tough to be anyone in NY because their cards just dont carry unless you are the QB. Tiki only had value towards the end of his career, and I still dont see Jacobs making that much of a hobby splash for some reason. Jets fans may be different, but the NY focus is always baseball. Plus it helps if you play somewhere other than Jersey.

BUMP: UP

Kyle Orton

You sign a huge ass deal and then you go down. That is the rule of the road in the NFL and your ankle was the beneficiary of this rule. I really dont think it would have made too much of a difference, though I would have liked to see the Lions kick your ass like they were seeming to do.
BUMP: DOWN

Matt Ryan

Again I am surprised by how awesome of a season the Falcons are having, considering the disaster they were last year. I guess it helps when you go about things the right way, *cough* Al Davis *cough*. While someone like Jamarcus Russell is failing miserably in Oakland, Ryan is flourishing. RC QBs are not supposed to win games for their teams, they are supposed to fuck up beyond all recognizable belief! Wow.

BUMP: UP

Derek Anderson

If you lose to Cincy this year, you automatically suck. Derek Anderson has been a house of sucktitude this year, maybe this should have been a bump up for Brady Quinn. Anderson was a fluke, if you still have his cards, do a fly pattern to eBay while they are still worth ANYTHING.

BUMP: DOWN

Larry Johnson

Im putting you on here for the rest of the year because you are a huge fucking idiot. Go hang with Pacman and tell him how his ass tastes.

BUMP EMERITUS: DOWN

Possible Bumps For Next Week

Chris Johnson: If he puts up huge numbers against Chicago - crown him.
Matt Forte: If he puts up huge numbers against Tennesee, I may lay off him.
Derek Anderson: You have one more chance before your cards are burned in effigy.
Jonathan Stewart: Oakland is a hot mess of cat shit right now, hopefully he can take advantage.

Vikings Recap: Week 8

Thank god we finally got a win without any shitty play from either side of the ball, and no shenanigans that cost us a game. The Texans werent the easiest team to beat, but I think there were some definite reasons it went as well as it did.

Defense

Sadly, this may be one of the last games that the Defense will look this good. The Williams wall will be torn down after the rulings come back on the diuretics, and personally, I cant understand why the fuck you would put your team in jeopardy like that. I seriously consider the NFL the National Fucking Idiots League because I cant see how people with that much money do so many wrong things. Either way the D played great and held the Texans to zero first half points. Nice job from them.

Gus Frerotte

The interception was more Berrian's fault, but even with it, he still had a pretty good game. Gus has certainly proven that brains and experience trump raw talent and braun any day of the week in the NFL. If we could only get all the cogs working together on the same page we could easily be a 6-2 team right now. Sadly, Childress is a lame duck when calling plays, so that will never happen.

Adrian Peterson

3rd straight 100 yard game, 1 TD, a last drive that consisted of a 40 yarder, and 2 20 yarders, that is impressive. I expect this every week, so its good to see he didnt suck. I think he has seriously reached Barry Sanders level on his juke-age, I couldnt believe some of the shit he pulled. Wow.

Bernard Berrian

Thanks to this guy, Peterson is rushing for 130 instead of 80. The catches and moves he makes are amazing, and I see now why he always killed us. I was shocked to see that bomb on the first play of the game, and I was even more shocked to see him catch that bitch in traffic. Seriously, that shit looked impossible. 104 and a TD was a good game, and he helped us win more than anyone else on the field.

Special Teams

Thank you for not fucking up this week. Thats all I need to say.

Visanthe Shiancoe

I am hating you less now, but you are not off the shit list yet.

Overall, I liked watching this game, and I think that after seeing the Bears almost lose to the Lions like we did, we might have a shot at winning this division. Plus with Sexy Rexy now at the helm, you can bet your ass this is going to be a lot more fun. However, if the Williams rulings fall before the end of November, we are fucked. Thats the bottom line there.

Value Bumps: Week 7

This was the Running Back week of champions. Either you did your job to everyone's wildest expectations, or you died trying. I had a fun time this week, but I think we finally get a picture of the elite and the chumps for the year.

Chris Johnson

If ROY was decided today, he is it - hands fucking down. He had a huge-mungous week, and helped his boys continue the undefeated surprise. Granted, it was against the Chiefs, but the overall body of work has been impressive on a VERY surprisingly good Titans team.

BUMP: UP

LenDale White

White has found a niche with the Titans as well, as he is their version of Marion Barber from 2007. If Johnson is the Lightning, he is the fucking Rhinoceros, Thunder is weak. He had a huge game too, and even broke off an 80 yarder. Wow, TD leader indeed.

BUMP: UP

Derek Anderson

After a great fucking season last year, he has had a shitstain season this year. I wasnt expecting much, but it seems like the computers were as they drafted him for me as the QB for all my fantasy teams. BITCHES. Either way, dump his crap and start buying Quinn at rock bottom prices.

BUMP: DOWN

Reggie Bush

He is injured again? Man, this golden draft class is getting a golden shower. After last week's big bump, he is heading in the wrong direction again. Its really too bad, as I know A LOT of people are still sitting, albeit stupidly, on his stuff. Can we please give up on him value wise now, im exhausted with him.

BUMP: DOWN

Ben Roethlisberger

What a great season he is having. He may actually live up to some of the value he has built up just for being the Steeler's QB. I say that with a 5-1 team and no more New England, he could go far with the Chargers being crap.

BUMP: UP

Darren McFadden

He gets a bye week to heal up, he gets a nice test of ability, and comes up way short. Of course, they won, but his value continues to drop. I said he wouldnt accomplish much at the beginning of the year, and it looks closer and closer to being true. If you bought in high, you are going to really feel it if he fucks himself even more. Yet, people are missing the point - its never a good idea to enter at the top level and hope for the best.

BUMP: DOWN

Clinton Portis

This guy is FINALLY turning it on for the skins. Huge week for him, and he is the frontrunner of all the RBs for the year. Too bad he is doing it in the toughest division in football. He will start getting his bump this week, and if he continues, it could be big.

BUMP: UP

Possible Bumps for Next Week:

Jonathan Stewart: If he can put up a big game versus AZ, expect big things.
Clinton Portis: Detroit? Cmon.
The Entire NY Jets Team: You better win, or things are going to get ugly
Chris Johnson: Playing Indy on Monday night? Nice place for a show!
Matty Ice: If Ryan wins against Philly, his values will spike considerably

Vikings Recap: Week 7

Bottom line is that if you score more than 30 points you should win that game. However, if you turn the ball over 25 times, you should lose the game. Basically, the second part was true and the Vikings lost in another strange game. Hopefully they can use the upcoming bye week to straighten things out.

Offense

Im glad the offense played well enough to score 41 points. That is seriously the highest total in the last 3 years, and most of it came ON the offensive side of the ball. For the first time in a while, I wasnt scared during 3rd and 7's and it seemed like they had it down. There was a problem though, the other side of the ball and special teams fucked them in the ass.

Special Teams

Another game thrown away by special teams. Sadly it wasnt even punt/kick returns by Hester or missed tackles. It was bonehead fucking douchebag plays that cost us a big win IN Chicago. Charles Gordon should not be returning punts, I say that every time he goes out there. Charles Gordon shouldnt even be playing, let alone returning punts. Secondly, Chris Kluwe and the Long Snapper should be running laps today.

Adrian Peterson

As Marshawn Lynch would say, "Beast Mode G I swah tat homes runz flah ditty flah on tem biz's." Either way, he had his best game of the year against a defense that hadnt allowed a 100 yard rusher all year. Thats right, fuck them biz's. The 54 yarder was crazy awesome, and I hope for our sake that there are many more to come.

Gus Frerotte

He looked *AWFUL* yesterday. 4 interceptions, sacks, and just a bunch of crap in a purple jersey. We actually had a chance on the last drive, but he decided to throw it deep instead of taking the 1:00 plus and marching down the field. We know that it can happen, so DO IT.

Defense

I dont know where the defense went. Granted, for some fucking stupid ass reason, Childress continued to give them a short field to start with during the first half because of the squib kicking, but that was no excuse. It was like they didnt think they had to play because the offense was scoring on every drive. The Marty Booker TD was so childish looking that I wanted to yell at Sharper, "MAYBE IT WAS GOOD WE DRAFTED A SAFETY, BECAUSE YOU SUCK TODAY!"

Visanthe Shiancoe

I guess he finally got the point that not catching balls will cost you your job. Considering this is a basic concept for every receiver, he should be subjected to water boarding.

Childress

Fire him now. You wont lose anything.

Overall, it was a fun game to watch, and we came close to winning. But considering that there is no way to make it anywhere when you throw it away, its time to replan the offense and shore up the holes in the defense. Special Teams needs to be hatcheted and started from scratch. Chris Walsh, WILL YOU PLEASE COME BACK???

Vikings Recap: Week 6

I seriously thought the season was over with about 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter. If you lose to the Lions, at home, without Jon Kitna, you dont deserve to continue playing. Its that simple. Luckily the Vikings were able to pull off another sloppy win, and I am content but not happy.

Offensive Line

What the fuck is up with these disabled sloth asses? They give up 4 sacks in the first half to a Lions defense with one named player? I seriously couldnt name anyone else on the defense except for Ernie Sims. Add that and you have some tight running room for Peterson, which led to a 3-2 halftime score. Not all their fault, but its close.

Adrian Peterson

An okay week this week with 25 for 111. Still no long runs for him and two huge fumbles that cut very deep into the jugular, and it is barely a week worth talking about. Im not sure what else you can say except to hold onto the fucking football.

Kevin Williams

After this game, he is now the leader in the clubhouse for the role of the monster in Cloverfield 2. It was expected that the D would have a huge game, but 4 sacks is mammoth. Wow.

Defense

Great game by the defense. Great fucking game with no answer of help from the other side of the ball to seal things for them. If you hold a team to 10 points you should win on more than just a last second FG. I love watching these guys play, and they are the only reason the Vikings are still even close to being in it.

Bernard Berrian

You are off my shit list. That 86 yarder was amazing, and I think its finally time to dispell the bust free agent talk with two great games in a row. He has created a lot for this offense, and I dont think its the same team without his explosiveness.

Gus Frerotte

He played pretty good, but not nearly as well as he should have. If you dont throw for 300 and 2 TDs against the Lions, its not as good as you should have done. Plus that interception and fumble were quite costly. He got very lucky, and if I were him, I would be thanking the football gods tonight.

Personally, I cant fucking believe that the Vikings are tied for first. Atlanta should have lost and the Vikings should have too. Next week you truck into Chicago with one of the most important games of the year. Their defense continues to be as good as the Vikings', so you better bring next week.

Vikings Recap: Week 5

Wow, if that wasnt a squeaker, I dont know what is. Although it was a win, and I was jumping up and down when they threw that flag, it could have been the sloppiest Vikings win since Tice left the team. I would say that we didnt win, that the Saints lost, but that would be way too cliche. Lets just say it was the Antoine Winfield's world, and the Saints were livin' in it. Anyways, there are some things I did want to touch on.

Refs

As long as I have been a Vikings fan, I have seen very few games (if any) where the refs hand the game to us. I thank one "Sir Randius Mossius" for that, but thats another column for another day. The missed facemask penalty, other penalties that went our way, calls that should have gone one way, went our way instead. In my opinion, the refs decided the first half of this game, at least. As for the second, well not as much.

Gus Frerotte

The guy was cooler than the Fonz out there and even after that huge hit, he still kept it together. I know he will be another Brad Johnson that the Vikings try to hang their hat on, as usual, but this is his last hurrah for his career, so I say run him until he cant run no more. I loved the passes downfield - FINALLY! - and I also loved him avoiding the ever present rush created by our lazy ass o-line. I hope he can make it a few more games.

Adrian Peterson

Its nice to see he can have an AWFUL game and we can still win. It took stuff that hadnt ever happened to do it, but we pulled it off. I want to say his bad game was due to him, but really I saw a plethora of Saints jerseys EVERY SINGLE TIME HE TOUCHED THE BALL. That was not his fault as he was avoiding tackles at the handoff. Its time to whip the line into shape because they had a piss poor game.

OLine

When you have two straight false start penalties on a critical third down, you should be running laps. I dont care how loud it was. That is inexcusable shit. McKinnie should have been in partial stride tonight after being gone, but he looked lost. Hopefully he picks it up next week or I will fry him.

Red Zone Offense

Fuck this shit. Fuck it in its fucking ass. Dont try to sell me shit and call it sugar. That play from Taylor was a fucking joke and there was not a single reason it should ever come to that. I fucking hate you Childress.

Bernard Berrian

Thanks for finally showing up you ass. You made some great plays this week and if you do it again next week, I will take you off my shit list. We pretty much owe the second half to you, and that fall down catch for a TD was amazing. The comeback catch you made to save Frerotte's ass, that was great too. The penalty? Icing on the cake. Tonight, you were worth your millions.

Next week we have a sure win in the Lions, which means we will lose decisively. The fact that we are looking on the verge of a 3-3 team in first place with the way we have played, is fucking crazy. We have played like an 0-5 team in the second halves of most of these games, and the first halves, were not much better. I swear to god I will hurt someone if the Vikings lose, but that is inevitable, so the search begins now for that one unlucky soul.

Vikings Recap: Week 3

Thank the fucking lord that the Vikings won. Thats all I gotta say about that. Beating a 2-0 team was icing on the cake, especially with public enemy number one Steve Smith on the other side of the field. He was held in check and the Vikings pulled out a nice win with a Backup QB.

Gus "BANG YOUR HEAD" Frerotte

He did what we all wish Jackson would do, mainly keep your cool in the pocket, hit your passes for short yardage, and throw one long completion per game. He made one bad throw that cost him an INT, but he made Shiancoe look good, and that is fucking hard. He was good for a few long ass drives, which Jackson had yet to do, and kept the team going behind a rock hard D. Great job.

Defense

The Vikings defense is becoming Cloverfield-like. They are THE premiere run-stopping defense, and the DLine is getting some great pressure. They sacked Delhomme at all right times, and I was no longer biting my lip on third down and 2 like I did the previous weeks. These guys were the MVPs of the day, and Winfield's TD was beyond fucking awesome. I expect them to have a field day next week, I hope Kerry Collins will be wearing kevlar. For his sake.

All Day

An okay game on an injured leg. I could see the problems when he got two yards when he used to get seven. I hope he is better next week.

WRs

Goddammit you guys, step it up. Seriously, if I have to watch another pattern where your separation equals less than a foot, I will come to Minnesota and destroy your DUB edition Escalade. With Frerotte, its no longer acceptable to say the ball was uncatchable. He didnt throw it to Eden Prairie like Jackson used to do.

Special Teams

I am almost positive that the Gophers could run a kick back 40 yards on these idiots. This better improve. Where is the "Suicide Machine" Chris Walsh when you need him?

Visanthe Shiancoe

You saved your job this week, congrats. Dont think you are off the chopping block though. You got lucky.

Bryant McKinnie

One more game. One more game. One more game. Dont fuck up again.

Coaching

Childress, I swear to fucking god, if you dont find some way to grow some creativity in that little fucking brain you have, we will be 7-9 until you are fired. Kiffin is getting the boot because he has nothing and is doing nothing. You have something and you are giving us nothing. I hope you go.

Titans next week - I am hoping for another win, obviously, but I want a big game from someone to do it. Peterson, I am looking at you.