Thursday, February 5, 2009

Hail to the champs, and views on Favre

A belated congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers on their sixth Super Bowl win. I'd say that watching the Super Bowl was enhanced by my being with a Steelers fan (and watching his jaw drop when Larry Fitzgerald scored his late TD) and that I'd suggest that, when your team isn't in the big game, watching it with someone who does have a stake in the outcome is the next best thing.

Then I remembered that 1 out of 3 Americans is a Steeler fan, so I don't imagine anyone had a problem finding one for the game.

* The Vikings got rid of their awful special teams coach and it looks like they'll keep Leslie Frazier? Sweet!

With Frazier staying put, that leaves just one former Vikings coordinator -- Mike Tomlin with the Steelers -- as an active head coach. At the close of last year's regular season, there were four: Tomlin, Scott Linehan (Rams), Brian Billick (Ravens), and Tony Dungy (Colts). Frazier could still get a head coaching job somewhere down the line, but I somehow think Darrell Bevell is a bit more of a long shot.

* Basketball note of the month: That's real nice, Kobe and Lebron, but dominating the Knicks hasn't been newsworthy in years.

* And oh yeah, there are more Brett Favre-to-the-Vikings rumors floating around than ever before.

Point the first: How exactly would Favre improve the team's quarterback play? He threw 22 TDs and 22 interceptions, with a passer rating of 81.0. Vikings passers threw 22 TDs and 17 interceptions, with a passer rating of 81.5.

Point the second: I'd wager that Tarvaris Jackson and whoever we bring in to back him up will cost a good deal less than His Brettness, money that can be better spent on free agents or draft picks.

Point the third: The only -- and I mean only -- reason Brett Favre wants to play for the Vikings is because they get to play the Packers twice a year and he wants to "get back" at his former team. (OK, technically, he wants to play for them because they get the Packers twice and they're a pretty good team -- I don't think he's interested in going to the Lions.) If Brett wants to go to Minnesota, he wants to do it for Brett, not for the Vikings. Which is pretty much the way he's handled himself his entire career.

When the rumors made the rounds last year, I thought, "well, maybe." This year? "Hell, no." The Vikings don't need an over-the-hill, has-been-legend egomaniac. This story is just fueled by the media (Peter King in particular) who see a juicy storyline if Favre got to play for his greatest rival and take it to his former team twice a year. Hopefully, the Vikings front office realizes that.

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