18
Dec
2011
It’s Bizarro Sunday in the NFL (PIC)
It's a good thing we're not the betting type (Image via Reddit.com/r/nfl)
And so it was that bizarro NFL Week 15 ended the quest for both the perfect and winless seasons in 2011.
Packers lose, Colts win. Up is down, in is out, bad is good … except for the Saints crushing the Vikings, not much from the early round of games made sense today.
Let’s see if Tebow can restore some sense of normalcy by pulling out a miraculous win against the Patriots.
UPDATE: Nope. Not only couldn’t Denver summon the late-game magic today in their 41-23 loss, but “Tebow Time” actually came during the first quarter instead of the fourth, with the Broncos scoring on their first three possessions and New England forced to mount the comeback.
Bizarro Sunday remains fully intact.
12
Oct
2011
Hit Of The Week: Cameraman gets leveled on sideline of Vikings-Cardinals game (VIDEO)
See that blur on the right? Ouch. (Image via Sportsgrid.com)
With our regular feature, Hit Of The Week, ReadAndReact will find the most brutal tackle, block or run from each weekend of NFL games, and present it for your viewing pleasure.
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We’re back with our HOTW, and this week’s victim wasn’t even suited up on Sunday.
Watch as Vikings WR Devin Aromashudo absolutely destroys an unsuspecting cameraman on the sideline during Sunday’s Vikings-Cardinals contest:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
8
Oct
2011
Chris Kluwe Mocking Commissioner Goodell via Dry Erase Board Again (PIC)
Vikings punter Chris Kluwe has made himself semi-famous in the past year by posting various diagrams and notes mocking commissioner Roger Goodell to his Twitter account, all written on dry erase boards. Some of his best work has come in the form of fake memos from “Rog” on last year’s crackdown on illegal hits and this year’s attempt to curb flopping in the game.
Today, at least according Kluwe’s latest whiteboard bomb, the league issued a memo to players banning the use of iPads 90 minutes prior to gametime, for any reason. As you may have heard, a lot of teams are using iPads as playbooks and game film tools in today’s Jobs-ian society (RIP Steve), and the tablets have become ubiquitous in NFL locker rooms.
So, with his Vikings at 0-4 and nothing better to do, Kluwe decided to have a little fun with Goodell again, posting this new fake memo to Twitter, ostensibly from his iPad:
“The front office was kind enough to send us another memo! Whiteboard time!”
(Image via Lockerz.com)
If Kluwe is to believed (we haven’t seen any other news of this memo elsewhere), apparently Goodell is getting twitchy about these iPads being hacked into in order to access an opponent’s gameplan prior to kickoff … or something like that. And whether or not you believe that’s a realistic concern, this is the latest instance of der commissioner trying to control his players’ every move. Kluwe also made a follow-up post, wondering how the league would enforce the new rule, and if they’d install a “mandatory Net Nanny for all NFL employees’ electronic devices”.
This probably isn’t Kluwe’s best stuff (although the Depends crack made us chuckle), but you certainly have to question the timing of the memo from Goodell, especially given this week’s passing of Jobs, and the ensuing cultural firestorm it has created. Unless this is all just a timely satirical social commentary by Kluwe, and there was no real memo to begin with. In which case, Chris is way more clever than we gave him credit for, and we tip our hat to him.
15
Mar
2011
Source: Vikes host Locker for private workout
No Hurt Locker: Vikings seem serious about Jake. (Source: Andrew Fredrickson)
National Football Post’s Aaron Wilson cites an NFL source in reporting that the Minnesota Vikings plan to call in Washington quarterback Jake Locker for a private workout Tuesday.
Vikings coach Leslie Frazier has been vocal about finding a quarterback in this draft, but at the No. 12 spot, they could be out of the running for Auburn’s Cam Newton or Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert.
Locker, however, remains an intriguing possibility for the Vikings–much better than the aged Brett Favre, back on his farm tilling soil. The 6’3″, 231-pound Locker is a mobile passer, running the 40 in 4.50 seconds at last month’s NFL scouting Combine, to go along with his 35-inch vertical and a 9-7 broad jump.
Locker will also work out for the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks later this month, according to NFP.
It time for a new start in Minnesota, and it has to excited Vikings fans that Frazier is turning out to be a good organizer and an honest leader who has buy-in. Clouds loom in the distance in Minnesota, with their problematic stadium situation problematic–and Los Angeles positioning itself for a team.
The Los Angeles Vikings? I have a problem with that. This is one of the NFL’s storied teams.
You have to wonder if they’re gunning for Newton–it could be in the works. Some don’t even have Newton in their top 10, but falling right into the Vikings’ lap.
As mentioned in my mock, I just don’t see Ron Rivera passing up this opportunity to bring in a franchise-altering passer with the No. 1 pick in the draft. I expect Netwon to end up as the top pick in this draft–unless the Vikings offer all the gold inside the Metrodome and the head of Favre.
14
Mar
2011
TheDarkHorse’s 2011 Mock Draft – Picks 11-20
2015 just called to tell us that J.J. Watt is the steal of this draft. (Source: Madison.com)
For picks 1-5, go here.
For picks 6-10, go here.
11. Houston Texans — J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin: We get so many of these projections wrong. The “sure lock” winds up a flaming bust, and players we’re ignoring today — guys who won’t even be drafted — will light up the league. I believe we’ll look back on this 2011 NFL Draft five years from now and call J.J. Watt a top 5 pick. I loved his presence, intensity and motor at the combine. Wade Phillips‘ 3-4 defense is the perfect landing spot for Watt, and a good environment for this hard-working, self-made player. He worked himself onto Wisconsin’s roster, paying his own way at the start of his tenure — delivering Pizza Hut to save up dough. He’s no prima donna. He’s a coachable workhorse who did the requisite work at Wisconsin to make the switch from tight end to defensive lineman. Watt is the steal of this draft at No. 11. Sometime these midround picks are where you find the real gems — where less pressure is placed on the incoming player, as well. Houston and Watt are an excellent match.
12. Minnesota Vikings — Julio Jones, WR, Alabama: The Vikings have been vocal about finding a quarterback in this draft. I see a potential trade up — or down — to get their guy. There was a time when it appeared Minnesota at No. 12 could snag Auburn’s Cam Newton, but the hype machine’s in full swing and I project him to go no less than No. 1 to the Carolina Panthers. He’s the type of passer that’s going to require time to develop, coming from a spread, and Leslie Frazier would love the challenge. There are other possibilities at quarterback for the Vikings — and all of them are better than Brett Favre right now, who’s back on his farm tilling soil. It’s time for a new start in Minnesota. In this mock, with no trades — and Jake Locker a reach — I project the Vikings to jump on Jones, who had an excellent combine and would be a good-value selection here. Sidney Rice could bolt via free agency, so Jones addresses a potential need as well. We all saw what happened to Percy Harvin when Rice was out of the offense — they need a No. 1 guy in there to give the passing game a shot.
Picks 13-20 after the jump.
Read the rest of this entry »
20
Jan
2011
Holy crap! At age 48, Herschel Walker looks like this (PIC)
In case you’ve been asking yourself, “hey, what’s Herschel Walker up to these days?”, wonder no more.
The former Georgia, USFL & NFL great has been training for his second professional MMA fight, which is set to take place on January 29th against Scott Carson. And if there was any question as to whether or not Walker was taking his training seriously, this picture of the 48-year-old Walker at the gym yesterday should silence the doubters:
No, that's not Herschel on the right (Photo via SBnation.com)
Jebus. I don’t envy this Carson guy for having to go into the cage against that. The former Heisman trophy winner has long been infamous for his insane workout regimens, which have obviously translated over to his new career. I mean, just look at the guy, and then remind yourself that he’s FORTY-EIGHT YEARS OLD!
20
Jan
2011
VIDEO: Brett Favre asks “What Should I Do?”
So the big news (at least at ESPN) this week is that Brett Favre officially filed his retirement papers … again. We didn’t just fall off the turnip truck, so although we may have been fooled 2-3 times in the past, we’re simply not buying it this time. Let’s wait until about Week 12 of next season (assuming there is a season), and see if Favre hasn’t yet been tempted to return for one final run at the Super Bowl. Then we’ll talk.
In the mean time, making fun of Favre will be our modus operandi around these parts. Let’s face it, you’ll be getting more than your share of genuine Favre hysterics/worship elsewhere over the next 6 months. And fortunately for us, someone went out and made this parody of the famous LeBron James “What Should I Do?” Nike commercial, featuring a pretty good Favre doppelganger. It covers all the basics, from dong shots to the retirement fake-outs, along with this mantra from the ole gunslinger: ”completions are way more awesome when you force ‘em through triple coverage! Remember that!”.
14
Dec
2010
Brett Favre is already turning into Al Bundy (PIC)
(Original photoshop/hack job by ArtieFufkin)
You may have noticed that we’ve remained quiet on the whole Brett Favre streak-ending saga up until now. That wasn’t unintentional. We figure you can find your fill of Favre news pretty much everywhere else on TV and the interwebs. In fact, you probably can’t really escape it right now.
But last night during the Vikings-Giants game, with the NFL’s ironman watching from the sidelines in street clothes for the first time since the first Bush administration, we couldn’t help but notice something. With all due respect for what he’s accomplished over the course of his career, last night Brett just looked old. With his hand purpled and his face & body showing the wear and tear of 297 starts, for the first time ever, the guy actually looks his age. It’s painfully clear – surprisingly, even to Favre himself – that it’s time to hang ‘em up.
And when the Fox cameras turned on the ol’ gunslinger during the waning minutes of the 4th quarter, it really helped put things into perspective. I mean, just look at this sad bastard:
(FoxSports image via TheBigLead)
With his hand firmly planted down his pants, the correlation to Al Bundy from Married With Children was too obvious. So we went ahead and obliged with the photoshopped banner pic … we’ll let someone else make the other obvious Jenn Sterger/cell phone pic cracks.
12
Dec
2010
Metrodome Roof collapses (VIDEO); Vikings-Giants moved to Detroit
(AP Photo via Shutdown Corner)
UPDATE: The game has officially been moved to Ford Field in Detroit, with a scheduled start time of Monday at 7:20pm ET. Memo to the NFL: this same snowstorm is moving east and hitting Detroit today … you might want to get Plan C together, just in case.
I’ll tell you what, the Giants are going to be grumpy by the time they get to wherever this game is finally played. First they get stuck in Kansas City and now they have to try and get to Detroit in a blizzard. This is starting to get very Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
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The roof of the Metrodome collapased early Sunday morning under the weight of nearly two feet of snow which fell on Minneapolis over the weekend. The storm had already forced the NFL to push the Vikings-Giants game to Monday, and now that the Metrodome is out of commission, the league is on the hunt for a new venue.
NFL Spokesman Greg Aiello posted this to his Twitter account on Sunday morning:
“We were notified this morning by the Metrodome authorities that the dome will not be available for the Giants-Vikings game on Monday or Tuesday. We are currently exploring alternatives to play the game Monday night at the University of Minnesota stadium or another domed NFL stadium. We will continue provide information as it becomes available.”
So wait … this thing could be played outdoors? In Minneapolis? With 2 feet of snow on the ground?!? I don’t know about you, but that … sounds … AWESOME!!!
Apparently they are also considering moving the game to domes in Detroit, St. Louis, Indianapolis or even New Orleans. And there’s a pretty good chanced this thing won’t happen until Tuesday. But stay tuned … we’ll be tuning into this game whenever and wherever it takes place.
WATCH VIDEO OF THE METRODOME COLLAPSE FROM THE INSIDE AFTER THE JUMP
5
Dec
2010
VIDEO: Brett Favre knocked out of game by Bills
Will this be the hit that ends Favre's streak? (AP Photo via ABCNews.com)
UPDATE: Favre has been diagnosed with a sprained shoulder, but X-rays were negative, and HC Leslie Frasier said that Favre will still be the Vikings starter next week …”if he’s healthy”. It will probably be a while before they determine his official status, but by now I guess we know they’ll prop Favre up out there like Weekend at Bernie’s to keep the streak intact. So I guess we went and got all excited for nothing.
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After starting his 297th consecutive NFL game, Vikings QB Brett Favre was knocked out less than 3 minutes into today’s contest against the Bills, and is not expected to return. Favre suffered a shoulder injury early in the first quarter after getting drilled by LB Arthur Moats. The play was a designed rollout on 3rd & 5, intended to get Favre out of the pocket. But when the ol’ gunslinger pulled up to try and extend the play, Moats came in at full speed to deliver a brutal blindside hit. It was a clean, textbook hit by Moats that sent the ball floating into the awaiting arms of CB Drayton Florence for the interception.
And after looking at the way Favre crumples to the turf, it’s hard to imagine the 41-year-old grandpa will be able to keep his consecutive start streak intact next week:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
