Brett Favre’s Sideline Antics Unacceptable

As the Vikings were turning out a collective bad performance Sunday night, their faithful learned the next morning that their beloved quarterback was asked to come out of the game during the third quarter but refused.

REFUSED?

This may or may not be as bad as Allen Iverson refusal to play as a backup during the 2004 NBA season. But Favre’s behavior can be likened to a player that thinks his value to the team makes him irreplaceable.

One can understand the catch phrases of “stick with who brought you to the dance” and all that jazz.

Unfortunately, the Vikings offense nor defense knew their right foot from the left on a slippery and cold Carolina field. But as bad as the Vikings’ play calling, field conditions and the smell of Julius Peppers’ breath were, Favre still has an obligation to this organization to lead by example.

And certainly the example is not to upstage your coach on national TV.

As great as the future Hall of Fame QB is, he can learn a thing or two from one of the team’s other stars — Adrian Peterson. Peterson has quietly put his awesome talent on the back burner as requested by the team’s leadership. He is averaging far less touches than in prior seasons.

I’m sure AP is not thrilled about coming out in key situations or splitting time with Chester Taylor. But the kid does not complain, even when it’s apparent that the offensive blocking scheme has been hijacked by Favre’s influence.

Don’t get me wrong, Vikes fans have to love the division title and the 11-3 record, although the flat tires against Arizona and Carolina are baffling.

Whatever the Childress motive to sit Favre in this game, two things were evident — Favre was not at his best and Bryant McKinnie was getting beat by Julius Peppers like he was paying off a bad debt.

In retrospect, I’m sure that Favre would handle the situation differently. He must know that a legacy of always doing what is required by his team is the best for him as well.

At this stage of the season your teammates need to see a leader willing to do what is asked — even if that means sitting out one fourth quarter in an entire season.

This team will rebound. But an array of things must get better fast, starting with an offensive line that can run block again, an offensive scheme that gets the ball to Percy Harvin more, a secondary that can cover man-to-man (they are getting murdered in that cover 2 zone), a middle linebacker that understands that when the fullback release that is his man and an attitude adjustment, starting with the quarterback.

If those things take place, the Vikings will be crowned in Miami come February.

This team is simply too talented to turn out performances like those against Arizona and Carolina. The ownership and coaching have to nip the Favre incident in the bud fast. One day soon, the aging QB will return to Mississippi to care for his beautiful farm.

But before he leaves Minnesota, we also hope that he returns to the core lesson taught to him as a wide-eyed little boy — that football is a team sport.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Tavaris Jackson Is Still the Best Quarterback in Minnesota

I’ve been on vacation for a while here. But there is nothing that will bring a writer off vacation faster than the speculation by Vikings writer Judd Zulgad that if Favre is in, Tarvaris Jackson is out.

Jackson out? Are you kidding me? Tarvaris has been the model citizen and has taken everything that the Vikings’ boring offensive coordinators have thrown at him in his development. Yes, Sage Rosenfels was brought in to compete. But Rosenfel’s has—what?—seven career starts in a nine-year career with three different teams?

I’m not trying to demean the guy, but come on, Zulgad, he is far from having the inside track to unseating Jackson in the Vikings’ offense. And if Favre plays, it will possibly be for one final season, and Rosenfels is already knocking the door down on the 10-year mark.

Yes, Rosenfels will earn $4 million dollars a season, but his salary is no guarantee that he is to be the appointed one. Heck, what is Vince Young earning these days?  History tells us that an average quarterback begins to tail off around the eight year mark. So I doubt if the Vikings are willing to trade the younger Jackson at this point.

In fact, if and when Favre arrives, I predict that Rosenfels becomes the highest paid third string QB in the NFL. If the Vikings do not carry four QBs on their roster, the odd man out will be Booty, because they have never seen him as more than an insurance policy.

Childress has faith in Jackson and just loves the kid. Jackson stood up big time last season while battling his son’s illness and never once complained—that’s the eventual leader that Childress hopes to transfer to the playing field.

 

If Tarvaris is so good, then why bring in Favre?

To enable Jackson with a full season to sit and learn from a Hall of Fame QB can only help him. Jackson is young, physically gifted with mobility, and one of the strongest arms in the NFL. He has major upside that the Vikings would regret trading away.

Brett Favre runs the West Coast offense better than anyone—except for maybe Montana and Young of the 49ers’ glory days. The West Coast offense is a spread offense laced with QB options and who’s better at finding those options than Brett Favre? It is the type of offense in which a QB will have wide open receivers or, if need be, he can thrive on instincts.

After watching Favre’s leadership, instinct and will to win, any young QB will be much better. Just look at what he did for Aaron Rodgers. No one can argue that Rodgers’ quick development is not in part to his sitting and learning behind Brett Favre.

Questions for Atlanta Falcons Running Back Jerious Norwood

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

When looking at running back Jerious Norwood (5’11″, 202lbs) one quickly ascertains that he is gifted with blazing speed.

Drafted out of Mississippi State University in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft, Norwood has quietly entrenched himself as the second back in an explosive Atlanta Falcons offense.

If not for the impressive play of starter Michael Turner (376 carries for 1,699 yds), there could be a case made that Norwood could easily be the starter. Entering his fourth season, Norwood has 1735 career rushing yards and seven touchdowns.

If I were able to sit down with the Jackson, Miss. native, among many questions I’d ask  is how he is handling his role and what he thinks of the Falcon’s chances in 2009.

The Falcons have a tough schedule in 2009. Providing the team stays healthy, do you think you guys win the NFC South?

The current coaching staff often speaks highly of your abilities. How would you like to be utilized this year?

How long before you get the urge to become a No. 1 back in the NFL?

What separates Matt Ryan from Michael Vick?

After this season, you will be a free agent.  Are you willing to sign another long term deal to back up Michael Turner or will you test the market in hopes of being a feature back with another team?

You’ve had a few small injuries to date.  How are the ribs this year?

We all know how important it is for key players to survive training camp—how nervous did it make you guys when first-round draft pick Peria Jerry went down with a knee injury?

What does pro bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez bring to the Falcon’s offense?

Are you involved with any community activities or foundations?

You come from a great linage of Mississippi greats that includes Jerry Rice, Walter Payton, Wilbert Montgomery, Archie Manning, Hugh Green, and L.C. Greenwood. Who inspired you as a high schooler?

NFL is Culpable in StarCaps Case

Let’s take for example that I invite you to my home knowing that my stairs have a shoddy third step, but fail to let you know about it. When you step on that damaged board and have an accident, should I as the homeowner be more liable for your accident because I withheld information that could have prevented the accident?

Let’s take it a bit further. Even if I had posted a sign outside my home that read enter at your own risk, shouldn’t I still have culpability for your accident? The NFL drug policy states that players are to be responsible for what they place into their bodies.

The policy gets a little murky because the NFL provides a list of banned substances, but neglected to add StarCaps to this list for some mysterious reason. So players looking at the NFL list would not deduct that they should not use StarCaps.

I began my premise with the fact that the NFL knows that players regularly use diuretics and still withheld knowledge for two years that the drug, StarCaps has a banned substance that is not listed on the label. This in my mind is worse than the person who at least places an enter at your own risk sign.

The NFL simply did not put up any danger signs at all regarding a known banned substance. Instead, they just waited patiently for players to step on the shoddy step.

The league should have been further disturbed by the fact that this particular drug may unknowingly trap uniformed players and certainly bore a responsibility to make this information known to all NFL teams.

Most of us are taught to read label when we purchase a drug. According to player statements, they did just that; and upon not seeing a banned substance, they proceeded to use the diuretic assuming it was safe.

I reiterate that upon learning of this omission, the league should have screamed bloody murder to the manufacturers and the FDA for allowing this big oversight. Why didn’t they? Instead, it appears for two years they wanted to play a game of gotcha with any player who took the diuretic.

They could have easily spared the players this period of anguish by performing a simple act of disclosure.

After a recent federal court decision that sent the case back to state courts for a final ruling, the NFL issued the following statement. “The decision strongly supports the NFL program on performance-enhancing substances that protects the health and safety of NFL players and the integrity of our game.”

The statement ruffles my feathers. Especially “the integrity” part. The league knowingly withheld vital information about a banned substance. This certainly does not line up with integrity.

Let’s look at the word culpable. It means according to the dictionary, deserving of blame or censure as being wrong, evil, improper, or injurious.

So, if I had to make the judgment in this case, I find the omission of the banned ingredient on the label to be paramount in the defense of the players, and therefore rule that they were not wrong, improper or deserving of blame, but instead misled.

The NFL on the other hand looks opposite polar in this case. For two years you knew that this banned substance was in this product and made no effort to warn NFL teams or players whom health and safety you claim to be concerned about.

I find the NFL deserving of blame, acting wrong and improper, implementing injurious damage to the reputation of players and even evil in the sense that a league that claims to want what is best for its employees now wants to administer punishment for mistaken acts of which it had full power to prevent—two years ago.  

I conclude that the NFL needs to be true to its drug disclosure policy and make it work in the interest of the teams and players. And that every NFL player hires a personal chemist.

Which Minnesota Vikings’ Free Agents Will Make the Team?

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

After an encouraging 2009 draft, the Vikings have turned their focus to signing free agents. At first glance one may think it’s just another process to fill the field with practice players.

However, several of the 14 players recently signed by the Vikings have a great chance of being on the roster come September. Below are eight players that I believe has a good chance of making the roster as the Vikings are quietly building a super bowl contender.

Ian Johnson RB, Boise State, 5’11 212

Clocked 4.46 at the combine: His 4,183 yards and 58 career touchdowns equals one word – productive. Johnson is a shifty runner with good speed, hands and vision. He can also contribute as a kick returner.

Scouting reports credit a lackluster 2008 season as the main reason he went undrafted. He has all the physical skills to be the Vikings third running back. He only has to beat out former Iowa running back Albert Young.

Johnson is most famous for scoring the two-point conversion that upset heavy favorite Oklahoma in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl. He has had some injuries, but barring anything major, I think he’s the blue collar guy that Brad Childress covets.  

He’ll be a great safety valve in case Chester Taylor gets tired of playing second fiddle to the great Adrian Peterson and wants out.

 

Safeties Colt Anderson (5’9 195) of Montana and Utah State’s Devon Hall (6’2 212) are interesting prospects.

 

Safety Devon Hall is 6’2, 212, runs a 4.45 forty and has a 39 inch vertical. Oh, My! A two-year starter in the Utah State secondary, the only knock in the scouting report is that he has a tendency to bite on pass fakes.

Ok, I admit we’ll have to fix that; but with 4.4 speed, he can probably recover pretty well.  Bottom line—he is a hard-hitting sure tackler that plays well in the box. I like Hall’s chances to make this roster at safety behind projected starters Madieu Williams and Tyrell Johnson.  Other safeties include Eric Frampton, Husain Abdullah and seventh round draft pick Jamarca Sanford

After watching safety Colt Anderson on YouTube, I came away with one conclusion—this guy can flat out play. He run a 4.54 in the 40 and makes up for his lack of height by utilizing great ball awareness and an ability to lay the wood on receivers coming across the middle.

The Vikings can use an intimidating force in the secondary or another torpedo to break up wedges on kickoffs. Anderson wraps up in space and shoots the gaps to make plays. I love his intensity.

As for his chances of sticking, the competition in the secondary will be intense. Although his height will hurt him, he has some value as a strong safety and special team’s player. He’s a long shot, but nevertheless deserves a good look.

Several other signees that pique my interest include wide receiver Nick Moore, linebacker Robert Francois, guard Andy Kemp and center Jon Cooper.

Toledo’s Nick Moore (6’3 193), lit up Michigan last October with 20 receptions and 167 yards! He runs a 4.53 forty yard dash and has a 35″ vertical. This guy knows how to get open and has great hands. After Berrian, Harvin, Wade and Rice, Moore could slice in for quality playing time.

He will be a good player to keep close in case of injury to any of the top four wide outs. The Vikings picked up Glen Holt as a free agent earlier to join speedsters Aundrae Allison, Jaymar Johnson and Darius Reynaud as other receivers vying for a roster spot. However, Nick Moore may be more complete than any of them.

 

Oklahoma center Jon Cooper (6’3 290) is the 2008 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year. That has to count for something. Cooper’s scouting report calls him a smart technician who makes intelligent line calls; something the Vikings can use after losing Matt Birk.

The report by Consensus Draft Services goes on to read that Cooper is “very quick off the ball and into his blocks. Good cut blocker who can get to the second level and excels in combination blocks.

Very strong hands and sticks to his man. Good pass blocker who uses leverage to his advantage, and is aware of stunts and blitzes.” Sounds like the Vikings may have found a true gem at a need position. I’m guessing this guy makes the team.

 

Boston College linebacker Robert Francois (6’2 245) is an impressive physical specimen with 4.6 speed. He had 82 tackles, (9 for losses) and 2 sacks in 2008.  The knock on him is he does not play up to expectation. Imagine what he can do if he gets the right motivation.

According to the scouting report, “(Francois) looks the part off the bus. Nice OLB size. Straight line fast. Decent lateral quickness and agility. Plays like Godzilla in spurts. Test very well athletically.” If he truly plays like Godzilla, defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier will find room for him on the depth chart.

 

Andy Kemp 6’6 315 Guard, Wisconsin rated as one of the top undrafted players. Kemp could add value to the Vikings because the team is thin at guard and he can play both sides, if needed. Scouts love his strength in the run game, but also rated him a little slow on pulling plays.

NFL Sport Channel Latest

• Just How Far Would You Go?
• Sorry Rex, But It Isn’t Happening
• Super Bowl Predictions: Five Stat-Free Reasons Why the Eagles Will Reach The Super Bowl
• Seahawks Attempt to Turn Corner With Heavy Pursuit of Pete Carroll
• Bill Cowher Unlikely to Coach in 2010