Before their win over the Cowboys in the Divisional Round two weeks ago, I proposed the question of whether or not signing Brett Favre was worth it for the Vikings. Now that Minnesota has been knocked out of the playoffs and the annual Brett Favre retirement dance has begun, I’m proposing a similar question.
If Favre does decide to hang ‘em up this offseason, was signing him for one year worth it for the Vikings?
Had they lost to Dallas, I would have empathically said “no” to the above question. The Vikings won the division and reached the playoffs with Gus Frerotte and Tarvaris Jackson in 2008. So for all intents and purposes, had they lost to the Cowboys the Vikings would not have improved under Favre and therefore, his signing would have been a waste. After all, Minnesota didn’t jump over all the hurdles to sign Favre last offseason just so they could win another division title and be bounced in their first playoff game. And had he retired after a loss to Dallas, the signing would have looked even worse.
However, my stance has changed after the Vikes advanced to the NFC Championship Game because that meant they did improve with Favre under center. They weren’t knocking on the door of a Super Bowl last year with Jackson at quarterback and although we’ll never know, I highly doubt they would have reached the NFC title game with Jackson or Sage Rosenfels this season.
So yeah, the signing of Favre was worth it in my eyes. Did they sign him in hopes that he would advance them to the Super Bowl? Of course they did, but 30 teams fail to reach the Super Bowl every year and 28 of them didn’t get as far as the Vikings did this season. They knew they were a quarterback away from making a legitimate run and they did what they had to do in order to sign one of the best in the game.
Excuse the borrowed analogy, but there’s no other way to describe what the Vikings did on Sunday night then to say that they shot themselves in the foot. (And repeatedly, might I add.)
The media is going to concentrate on Brett Favre’s interception in New Orleans territory with 19 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Vikings turned the ball over five times in their 31-28 loss to the Saints in the NFC Championship Game. Favre’s interception was a horrid mistake that only most rookies make, but the fact of the matter is that the blame cannot be pinned on just one person. And truth be told, even if Favre threw that pass 12 rows deep into the stands, there’s no guarantee that Ryan Longwell would have made a 50-plus yard attempt on the next play.
The Vikings screwed the pooch tonight – plain and simple. That’s not to take anything away from the Saints because Drew Brees and company deserve the right to play in Miami in two weeks, but Minnesota blew several golden opportunities to put more points on the board. A team can’t turn the ball over five times (it could have been seven had they not recovered two Adrian Peterson fumbles) and expect to win. They just can’t.
But what doomed the Vikings more than anything tonight was when they were flagged for having too many men in the huddle on that third and 10 play from the Saints’ 33-yard line. Had they not gotten that penalty, there’s a good chance that Brad Childress would have called something safer (even if it were a pass play) and therefore Favre probably wouldn’t have gotten picked off while trying to make a play. For all their mistakes on the night, that 5-yard penalty may have been the reason they’re not heading to Miami in two weeks.
All week, the game plan for the Jets was simple: Run the football, play good defense, and keep the game out of Mark Sanchez’s hands. In fact, that has been New York’s mantra all season.
But on Sunday, it was the defense that failed the Jets in their 30-17 loss to the Colts in the 2010 AFC Championship Game. They gave up a whopping 461 total yards, including 101 rushing yards to a team that can’t run the football. Peyton Manning threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns on 26-of-39 passing, while Pierre Garcon (11 receptions, 151 yards, 1 TD) and rookie Austin Collie (7 receptions, 123 yards, 1 TD) shredded New York’s secondary for big plays in the second half.
Outside of throwing an interception late in the fourth quarter in garbage time, Sanchez was pretty damn good. And not pretty damn good for a rookie – pretty damn good for any quarterback. He completed 17-of-30 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yard bomb to Braylon Edwards early in the second quarter to give the Jets a 7-3 lead.
Sanchez was impressive. Several times throughout the game he used his feet to buy more time, threw the ball with confidence and took shots vertically instead of settling for the underneath pass. He played like a seasoned vet and although he couldn’t lead the Jets to a victory, he was also at disadvantage after rookie running back Shonn Greene left the game early in the third quarter with a rib injury.
Everyone knew that Sanchez wasn’t going to be able to beat the Colts with his arm. But the bottom line is that he wasn’t the problem – Manning shredded the Jets’ defense, which couldn’t limit the big play and didn’t make one clutch stop in the second half.
The one person everyone was worried about actually played pretty well. And had the Jets not gone with an ultraconservative to open the second half, then maybe Sanchez would have been able to lead them to Miami. Either way, at least this is a performance that Sanchez can build on heading into a promising second year.
It’s official: Peyton Manning owns Rex Ryan like Joe Namath owns awkward sideline interviews.
Manning shredded Ryan and the Jets’ No. 1 rated defense for 377 yards and three touchdowns on 26-of-39 passing in the Colts’ 30-17 win in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday. With the victory, Indy is headed back to Miami for Super Bowl XLIV.
In the first quarter, the Jets were able to fluster Manning with their pressure, racking up two sacks and limiting the Colts to just two field goals. But right before half, Indy used its no huddle to loosen up New York’s secondary and strike for a couple big plays. Manning capped the drive off with a 16-yard touchdown pass to rookie Austin Collie to cut the Jets’ lead to 17-13 at halftime.
The drive was an omen for the second half, as Manning completely took the game over with the Jets struggling to generate points. While New York concentrated on Reggie Wayne (3 catches, 55 yards), Manning attacked the seams with Collie (7 catches, 123 yards, 1 TD) and Piere Garcon (11 catches, 151 yards, 1 TD).
Manning was absolutely incredible. He put the ball in places where the defense had no chance to knock it down and had pinpoint accuracy all game. He knew exactly where he wanted to go with the ball on every play and took advantage of holes in the Jets’ secondary. It was as finest performance as I have seen out of Manning in the playoffs.
Manning is now 7-1 against Ryan-led defenses, with the only loss coming in Week 15 of the regular season after Jim Caldwell pulled his starters early in the second half. If the Jets continue to progress under Ryan, then this could be a storyline for years to come.
Rookie of the Year winner Percy Harvin was back at practice for the Vikings on Saturday after missing the past two days with migraine headaches.
One source told Werder the symptoms Harvin was suffering from with his migraine headaches were less severe but the problem still lingers.
Harvin traveled with his teammates to New Orleans for the NFC Championship Game later Saturday, the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune reported.
He was listed as questionable on the official injury report but his availability to play remained undetermined.
Hopefully for the Vikings’ sake, Harvin will be able to play. He gives the team another deep threat to go along with Sidney Rice and is also explosive when Brad Childress gets him carries in the backfield.
Hopefully the migraine (which can often last days) won’t linger much longer and he’ll be 100%.
Vikings’ rookie receiver Percy Harvin missed practice for the second straight day due to migraine headaches and now there’s some question about whether or not he’ll be able to play in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.
Migraines are no joke, which is why Harvin hasn’t even been able to go through a light practice. They almost feel like someone is repeatedly driving a stake through one of your eyes, while any noise or light adds to the pain. In extreme cases, some people even have to be on suicide watch because the pain is so intense. (I’m not an expert on the subject, but I suffer from migraines myself and have gained some knowledge on them throughout the years from multiple doctors.)
This isn’t a situation in which Harvin would be able to tough out the pain. Migraines can affect your vision, focus and concentration, and therefore if Harvin wakes up with pain on Sunday then there’s zero chance that he will play.
This of course, is bad news for the Vikings. Harvin has game-changing speed and would be a viable asset on a fast track like the Superdome. Here’s hoping for Minnesota’s sake that he’s able to go and is pain free.
Prince, Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings – those three things just fit together. That’s why it just made sense for Prince to write a new Minnesota Vikings theme song.
From Myfoxtwincities.com:
Prince said he hadn’t seen the Vikings play in a very long time, until he went to the game against the Dallas Cowboys last week.
“I saw the future,” said Prince.
He said he went home that night, wrote the song, “Purple and Gold,” and said the song came easy and fast.
The Vikings love it and plan to put it on their website.
If the Saints aren’t terrified after listening to that song, then they must have a higher power on their side. Because no sane man could listen to that song and not tremble in fear.
Know what the best thing about the Jets is? No, it’s not the fact that they’ve taken on the role of Cinderella (a brash, cocky Cinderella for that matter) for this year’s playoffs, although that has certainly made them fun to watch. It’s always easy to root for an underdog, especially when that underdog is led by a walking sound bite in Rex Ryan.
Actually, the best thing about the Jets is that they know exactly who they are and they don’t hide from it. They’re a team that relies on running the ball and playing good defense, much like the Ravens did in 2000, the Buccaneers did in 2002, the Steelers did in 2005, the Bears did in 2006 and the Giants did in 2007. The formula works.
That said, is this the weekend that rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez will have to take on more responsibility in order to take the Jets to the Super Bowl? Because at some point, an opponent will be able to take away New York’s running game and force Sanchez to beat them through the air. And that opponent may be the Colts, who happen to be the Jets’ counterpart in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game.
Peyton Manning has had a fair amount of success against Rex Ryan-led defenses over the past couple years and if the Colts can build a lead, they may force the Jets to abandon the run in order to win. Granted, this might not happen until the second half or even in the fourth quarter, but the key is that it may happen.
NFL scouts say that it usually takes a defensive end three years to make an impact for their team. In the case of Ray Edwards, it took four years but the Vikings don’t mind.
After racking up 13 sacks in his first three seasons in the NFL, Edwards now has 11.5 sacks through 17 games this year. He gained national attention last Sunday by sacking Tony Romo three times in Minnesota’s 34-3 win over Dallas, while also compiling five tackles and two tackles for loss.
His performance ignited a Minnesota fan base that has seen the former 2006 fourth round pick mature into legitimate pass-rushing threat opposite Jared Allen on the Vikings’ defensive line. His development this season has been especially noteworthy, because at one point this summer it appeared that nickel specialist Brian Robison would push Edwards for more playing time.
Four of the last five times the Vikings have had to pack their bags and play on the road, they’ve lost. That doesn’t bode well for them considering that their most important game of the season will also be played on the road.
Everyone wants to talk about Brett Favre’s magical Super Bowl run, but he and the rest of his team haven’t gotten things done on the road this season. They’re 4-4 away from the Metrodome, but three of those four wins came against the Lions, Browns and Rams in the first five weeks of the season. Those aren’t exactly powerhouse teams they played. Their other road win game against Green Bay in Week 8 when Favre threw for 244 yards and four touchdowns to help Minnesota rack up 38 points.
Speaking of Favre, you have to go back all the way to 1997 to reference the last time he won a road playoff game. He led the Packers to a 23-10 win over the 49ers that year, but he’s gone 0-3 on the road with nine interceptions in the postseason since then.
Granted, football is a team game and Favre wasn’t the only reason his teams have failed on the road in the postseason. Plus, previous outcomes have nothing to do with future results so if the Vikings do lose on Sunday, it won’t be because Favre hasn’t won on the road in the postseason since ’97.
That said, it’s worth noting that Minnesota’s Super Bowl hopes are resting on the fact that they must beat a solid New Orleans team in a hostile environment on Sunday. Toss in the fact that Favre has struggled on the road in the postseason and that the Vikings are 0-3 in their last three games away from the Metrodome and you realize what kind of situation Minnesota is walking into this weekend.
