In case you missed, former Pats LB and current ESPN Analyst Tedy Bruschi voices his opinion loud and clear about the Vikings: He's lost respect for them.

Bruschi says the way they handled the you-know-who situation was poor (I will not say his name on my blog anymore until he is OFFICIALLY retired). He thinks that players shouldn't have to be begged and wooed by other players to be "in" or "out" of the game. He also says he thinks the Green Bay Packers are now the class of that division, now, whether Favre plays or not.

Former Giants LB Antonio Pierce also chimes in his thoughts, saying that sending players instead of front office guys was risky, in bring you-know-know back onto the team.

While everyone is feeling so happy that he's back, I actually feel bad for Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels. Clearly the team doesn't feel that either are a viable option to lead this team to another conference championship. I wonder if either of them thought about pulling a Glen Coffee on the Vikes? That'll show 'em!

Remember when you were a kid, and you got on the Merry-Go-Round? You KNEW that it would make you sick eventually, but everyone else looked like they were having soooo much fun that you simply couldn't resist it. So you would hop on, ride on it for a few spins, and finally get off... you were "over it". That pretty much sums up how I feel about the Favre Watch.

Apparently, Master P is about everything New Orleans- including his Saints! So when rapper Lil' Wayne said that he was rooting for the Vikings prior to the NFC Championship game (Weezy says he's a diehard Favre fan), it didn't sit right to Mr. Miller that his fellow NO native wasn't cheering for the home team. Master P said the following:

"The comment Lil Wayne made about New Orleans Saints losing to the Minnesota Vikings, made no sense to me as a New Orleans native," explained P. "This is our hope as a city after surviving Hurricane Katrina. This team should bring us together as people. I understand that he has the right to have his own opinion and comment or even root for another team if he wants to. It's just disappointing to hear this coming from a brother who was born and raised in New Orleans, made money off his music representing the city of New Orleans, talking about it in his lyrics.

"I'm from Uptown New Orleans and I don't care who the Saints play against, how good the opposing team is, nor what the odds are against them. I would never go against my team, the New Orleans Saints, or root for an opposing team playing against them. We've been waiting to get to the Super Bowl for 40 years and if we do, we will celebrate in Second Line. I guess we won't be hearing any Superbowl songs from Lil Wayne unless the Vikings win. This is sad for the fans in the city of New Orleans because they really thought Lil Wayne was down.

"Most entertainers and athletes don't realize that once you're in the spotlight, you need to think about some of the things that you say because it will follow you throughout your career, good or bad."

While everyone is entitled to root for whomever they want, I kinda feel Master P on this. While sports are simply used for entertainment purposes, the fact that it has my city's name in front of it is every indication that I'm rooting for them, no matter what. Think about people in Boise, ID or in Bizmarck, ND who don't have a team to call their own but would love to. Imagine if Philip Rivers and the Ravens were in the AFC Championship. I love my boo, but I love my squad more. At the same time, if Weezy is a diehard Favre fan, he should have thought twice before putting money on him. I'm just saying............

And we now know it's the Indianapolis Colts against the New Orleans Saints. The two teams who were undefeated for majority of the regular season, made it to the big game. While many people picked at least one (or both) of these teams, it was still a crap shoot on who was actually going to make it. Yesterday's championship games were full of excitement and didn't disappoint, as expected. Let's recap what happened for these 2 teams to be the conference champions.

- The Colts came out as AFC Champions, like most of us expected. Rex Ryan had his usual, crazy schematic blitzes and at times Manning looked scared and confused. The Jets defense was really getting to him. In addition to that, New York's offense had a point to prove as well. Sanchize and Co was up 17-13 by halftime. But this is Peyton Manning we are talking about.... and right now he's playing on a level I've never even seen before. The Colts came back at the half and adjusted, scoring 17 unanswered points and winning the game, 30-17. Shout out to Ryan and the New York Jets for giving Indy a huge scare in the first half. But in the end, Indy came out victorious.

-*petty moment alert* I hate to do this, but I must..... my blogging brother, Ed The Sports Fan, wrote a blog that the 2009 Jets were a second coming of the 2000 Ravens (good blog post, check it out here). Well, you can't be the 2000 Ravens if you give up nearly 400 yards of total offense and don't make it to and win the Super Bowl. As I said in last week's post, The 2009 Jets = 2008 Ravens. Yesterday's loss just confirmed my assessment.

-It must be really bad when you have your own trending topic on twitter. Last night as the AFC Championship game was closing, #rexryanstomach was atop the hottest trending topics.

It's really bad when your sweater vests and shirts look like they are a size extra smedium. Rex looks like a male version of Octomom on the sidelines. It's not a good look, Sexy Rexy.

-Former Jets QB Joe Namath was in attendance to yesterday's game. Am I wrong for wishing Suzy Kolber had interviewed him again so he could make more passes at her???


-The NFL must be the only gig Jordin Sparks can get these days. When is enough, enough?? I'm just saying......

-Of course, the petty side of me LOVED Peyton Manning's classy swipe (if there is a such thing) at Rex Ryan and the Jets. During his postgame interview, Manning said , "I thought we just kept our mouths shut and went to work this week". I love petty moments!

-New Orleans has the second best pregame ritual ever. Of course, my Ravens pregame are #1 in my book, but I always wanna throw on some pads when I see Drew Brees fire his teammates up!


-The Minnesota/New Orleans game was one of the best playoff games BY FAR this postseason. It was live, full of drama and suspense... but it was also sloppy as hell. Turnover after turnover was the deciding factor in this game. If I would have told you that the Vikings had twice as many 1st downs (31 to 15), nearly 3 times the amount of rushing yards (165 to 68) and double the total yards (475 to 257) and still lost, you would think I was lying, right?! I would too. But Minnesota had 5 turnovers, out of the 6 total in last night's game.

Where they do that at?? The stats say they were the better team, but this is the NFL. Stats never tell the whole story.

-Out of all the turnovers, the one that sticks out the most is Favre's interception in field goal range with 7 seconds left on the clock. That pushed the game into OT and with New Orleans winning the coin toss, it was over. The Saints kicked the winning FG to advance to the Super Bowl. Brett Favre is a great QB, probably one of the greatest, but he will always be known for making boneheaded mistakes in the clutch as well.

Yesterday's INT eerily resembled the 2007 NFC Championship, when Favre threw an INT that eventually led to the Giants OT win against Green Bay. I hope Favre finally retires. His last 3 seasons haven't ended on a positive note. It's time to hang up the cleats, Brett!

-If I'm Brad Childress, I'd make Adrian Peterson carry a football for the rest of the year, until training camp. His fumblitis is hurting the Vikings.

-Listening to Joe Buck slurp Favre's bath water during the entire broadcast was annoying as hell. But it wasn't just Buck. Fox's pregame show should have been dubbed the Favre Pregame Show. There was no love for Drew Brees or the Saints. It was a big ol' Brett Favre love fest. I get it, Favre is an NFL legend. But he's on the couch now, along with 29 other teams. The media and their biased nature is down right sickening at times.

-Congrats to the Saints for advancing to their first Super Bowl ever. It's amazing how much joy a sports team brought to an entire community. The fans of New Orleans relied the Saints for joy ever since Hurricane Katrina, as a way to celebrate life. And now, they finally have an opportunity to bring home their first ever Lombardi Trophy.

-The girl in me is kinda glad New Orleans won. There is tons of man candy on that team. Reggie, Sharper, and Meachem makes it MLK Fan approved!


-Does American Idol have a contract with the NFL? Two former Idols did the National Anthem before the championship games. This is the NFL, they couldn't find more popular artists to sing? If Prince can make a Minnesota fight song, he damn sure can sing the National Anthem.

-Speaking of the Vikings Fight song, I blame Minnesota's mishaps squarely on Prince. That song is awful. If you haven't heard the anthem, check it out. Prince was dead wrong for this.

The 2009 NFL season slowly approaching its debut. There are a ton of things to get excited about. Will Tom Brady go back to his old form after a huge injury? Will Miami repeat last year's miracle season?? Will Detroit win ONE game this season??

With all the things we have to look forward to, one of the most important things is the run game. Defenses are bulking up their D-lines to make sure a running back won't get more than 2 yards per carry. But there are a few RB combos that can test defenses and can ultimately succeed. I've listed my 2009 RB tandems to be on the look out for.


Minnesota Vikings- Adrian Peterson/Chester Taylor


We all know that Adrian Peterson is a great talent at the RB position. That being said, knowing the life span of a RB in pro football, I wonder how many years he can be so great without breaking down too soon.

Which brings in Chester Taylor. Before there was AD (short for All Day), there was Taylor. And he was a pretty good back as the Vikings starter,before Peterson was drafted (Taylor rushed for 1,216 yards in 2006). This can be a good year for both players. While I'm sure Peterson would love to take the rushing title for a 2nd consecutive year, the best thing AD can do to stay fresh is let Taylor take a few carries while he catches a breather.

Taylor could very well be a starter on another team. Combined, they could be a huge headache for defenses.



New York Jets- Thomas Jones/ Leon Washington


This tandem is one of my favorites. Jones' rushing yards was ranked 5th overall, with a 4.5 avg in 2008. Quite impressive. Washington didn't run for a lot of yards, but had a 5.9 avg per run.

The problem is, right now both are looking for new contracts. How long both will be able to co exist together is a big question mark. But if they are able to work out their issues with the organization, this is definitely a great tandem to have.

Add draft pick Shonn Greene (Iowa), into the mix, and this could be a pain for coordinators to game plan against.



Miami Dolphins- Ronnie Brown/Ricky Williams


The Jets have a great running game but their division rivals down I-95 says they also have a great duo. While Brown's and Williams' numbers from 2008 aren't mind blowing (Brown rushed for 916 yards, Williams for 659 yards). We all know why this is a dangerous group.

The wildcat made it's comeback with these two. When the Dolphins debuted the Ronnie and Ricky show to the New England Patriots, they failed to contain the two in the formation, made popular to many by the Arkansas Razorbacks. Overall they were successful in their formations. I can only imagine what the Pats were thinking when they couldn't do anything to stop them.


I expect more surprises from this group. But I also expect them to run the ball as efficiently as they run the wildcat. Ricky Williams finally looks comfortable and Ronnie Brown has the potential to rush over 1,000+ this season.



Baltimore Ravens- Willis McGahee/Ray Rice


This is a tandem that no one really noticed last year, but I think will be a one to reckon with in 2009. McGahee's 2008 numbers weren't much to write home about (671 yds), but he had an injury plagued year last season. Ray Rice was a rookie RB out of Rutgers and usually came in for 3rd down conversions.

Last season FB LeRon McClain was the Ravens' leading rusher, with 902 yards. But with FB Lorenzo Neal signing with the Oakland Raiders this off season, McClan is expected to go back to his natural position.

This could be McGahee's final year in Baltimore. He's participated in OTAs, something he didn't do last year, and has been seen more around the Ravens facility this off season. He knows what's at stake. I fully expect him to get back into 2007 form. And with a year under Rice's belt, his sophomore season should be very successful.



Carolina Panthers- DeAngelo Williams/Jonathon Stewart


The Panthers had one of the most successful running games in 2008, and I expect to see the same in 2009. Williams was the #3 rusher in 2008, with 1,515 yds. Stewart didn't do so bad himself, rushing over 800 yds and 10 TDs.

With the struggles of QB Jake Delhomme during the 2008 playoffs, I expect to see more off the Williams-Stewart duo. This will allow Delhomme to use play action more and get the ball to one of their best offensive weapons- Steve Smith




Tennessee Titans- Chris Johnson/LenDale White


Team Smash and Dash is back for the 2009 season and with a chip on their shoulder. Chris Johnson felt slighted for not getting '08 Rookie Of The Year honors. Now he has his sights set on MVP status. The rook was 8th on 2008's top rushers list and looks to be even higher in '09.

White's bruiser style of running reminds me of Jerome Bettis in Pittsburgh. He's a TD machine. Put him inside the 20 and you're pretty much going to get 6 points. White had 15 TDs, which tied for 3rd best in 2008. They are a great compliment to one another. One is the speedy, elusive back that can make players miss tackles. The other is the bulldozer, that runs defenders over and forces his way to the end zone.

With QB Kerry Collins being one year older than last year (he will be 37 by the end of the '09 season), he'll allow his RB's to help him with his throwing game.

I'm sure you heard or read by now the comments that former Vikings QB Fran Tarkenton said regarding Brett Favre. Tarkenton was on 790 the Zone in Atlanta and made some harsh comments about Favre. Tarkenton looks like a sweet old man. I never knew he had it in him, really. I decided to break down what he said and give my opinion... bit by bit

"I think it’s despicable."

Ummm.... did anyone else read that in a Daffy Duck voice???

"What he put the Packers through last year was not good. Here’s an organization that was loyal to him for 17, 18 years, provided stability of organization, provided players. It just wasn’t about Brett Favre"

Can't argue with this comment here. I feel the same way, I think Favre thinks folks owe him something when they don't. I'll let this one ride

"In this day and time, we have glorified the Brett Favre’s of the world so much, they think it’s about them."

Again, can't argue here

"He goes to New York and bombs".

Bomb he did not. Break down at the end of the season, he did

"He’s 39 years old."

Okay, and?! I know that NFL years, he's about 230 1/2 years of age. But kickers last til they are close to 50. This was irrelevant.

"How would you like Ray Nitschke in his last year (playing for) the Vikings, or I retire, and go play for the Packers."

You and Nitschke are old dudes... no one really cares cause we know you won't.

"I kind of hope it happens, so he can fail."

Uuuuhhhhhhhhhh..............................



What kind of bitchassness type of comment is this?? Who says that??? You wannabe Rush Limbaugh. How can you love the Vikings, but want Favre to make a mockery of your beloved team??? real smart, genius!

"I think he has been a great flamboyant quarterback, but he has made more stupid plays than any great quarterback that I’ve ever seen."

Maybe, but he still has more records than you...

"Look at his final game in a Packers uniform. He blew that game against the Giants"

Touche'... can't argue there

"He’s playing against Eli Manning, I love Eli Manning, but he’s still not a great quarterback. He’s not Peyton yet, or Tom Brady. He’s just a guy."

He's just a guy??? Dude, are you serious..... Why are you side swiping Eli Manning now... how much Haterade did you have for breakfast???

How many Super Bowl MVPs have you won??? Oh, that's right. You don't have a Super Bowl WIN! Let's not go there............

"And they’re (Packers) are playing at home, and they’re in a tight situation, they went to overtime and he (Favre) throws the interception that allows them (the Giants) to come back and win the game. He has done that and driven his coaches crazy all of his career."

Tarkenton was a great QB in this league for 18 years. He also has the right to say whatever is on his mind. But he needs a serious does of STFU soup. Not only does he insult Favre, but he takes shots at Eli Manning, a topic totally unrelated to the initial target. I'm wondering if someone forgot to take their Aricept before the interview.

Please go back and tell 40 year old football tales to your grandchildren. You've embarrassed yourself enough for the year. Remind me to add you to my next "When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong" blog. You'll be my honorary dedication.

Tarkenton, take my advice.... this is all you need to do....


Trust me.... it's for the best!