Without Playing a Down, The Vikings Are Big Winners This Week

What a bye week for the Minnesota Vikings huh?  Without playing a snap this past week we won huge.  First off, we got much needed rest and relaxation.  Favre, Winfield, Berrian, and the rest of the team got a week to nurse their injuries. 

Then on Sunday the Arizona Cardinals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of all teams delivered us some big breaks.  I had faith that the Cards would beat the Bears, and they did.  Not only did they beat the Bears, they embarrassed them on their home turf.  Jay Cutler looked like his normal apathetic crybaby self and the rest of the Bears looked like the tired, broken down team I figured they would be.  In other words, the Bears are who I thought they were!

Next, the most unexpected of all of the bye week benefits was Tampa shocking the league in their orange dreamsicle throwbacks and beat the reeling Packers 38-28.  Man, that gives us a 3 game (really 4 game) lead over both the Packers and the Bears because we own tiebreakers thus far over both of them.  Keep in mind we still get the Bears twice this season.  We have essentially eliminated the Pack from contention from the divisional race and we didn't even have to try!

Is it just me, or is there something up with Jay Cutler and Aaron Rodgers?  How come they seem to always get big chunks of their stats in garbage time?  It's almost like they think "oh sweet, game's outta reach time to pad those stats baby!"  I mean seriously if my team is on the wrong side of a blowout there's no QB I'd rather have at that moment than Aaron Rodgers and Jay is right on his heels.  There is just something about both of those Quarterbacks that just doesn't scream winner.  Aaron Rodgers can put up some great numbers.  I mean coming into this week he was the highest rated passer in the league.  But as a starter he's 10-14, not a winner.  Jay Cutler, don't get me started on Jay Cutler.  He hasn't been on an above .500 team since high school.  That's like a decade of losing.  There is something wrong with that picture.  He's like Brett Favre without that killer instinct.  Without that feel for the moment.  Brett Favre may stink it up all day, but when the moment is right, and stage is the biggest and his back is against the wall he pulls through.  He has a feel for the moment and performs bigger the bigger the pressure gets.  Whereas Jay Cutler is the opposite.  When things are going good Cutler is great.  When things get bumpy Cutler pouts and disappears or throws another interception.  I mean Cutler has started 45 games so far, and is 21-24 . 

21-24!  And it's not like he's been playing for the Raiders his whole career.  There was a lot of talent on those Bronco teams.  But here's the thing, good Quarterbacks put up good stats.  Great Quarterbacks make their teams better.  Cutler was supposed to be the second coming of John Elway in Denver, yeah right.  Elway was on some pretty bad teams in Denver but he still won all the time.  He brought his team to 3 Super Bowls on his back before he finally got a good team around him and won a pair before retiring.  Seriously of those 45 starts I would guess Cutler's tossed a pick in at least 25 of those.

But I digress, back to the Vikings.  Another added benefit of the bye week is it gives us two weeks to prepare for the Lions.  Why would we need two weeks to prepare for the Lions you ask?  Well it's simple, coming off some roller coaster emotional victories this game against the Motor City Kitties has letdown game written all over it.  Just ask the Packers about playing bad teams after an emotional game.  I think we come out on fire all rested up ready to make a second half run.  Unfortunately the Panthers didn't cooperate with the perfect bye week and choked against the Saints.  So we still need to be rooting against the Saints.  (Yes even if Drew Brees is carrying your fantasy team people.)

Next, I want to move onto a new segment I am hoping to implement once a week.  I am calling it "The Travis Frey's Bleacher Report Gunslinger's Award," or the "Gunslinger" for short.  It's awarded weekly to an athlete or person that I think captured the spirit of Brett Favre, the ultimate Gunslinger.  It will naturally be biased towards Quarterbacks but really a tennis player could win it.  It could be an athlete who is playing like a kid out there, or had the heart of a riverboat gambler, pulled off a miracle win, anything Gunslinger-y. 

The very first Travis Frey's Bleacher Report Gunslinger's Award goes to...*insert drum roll*

Tony Romo!  Way to go TR.  People have been doubting you all year, and basically your whole career.  And in true Gunslinger fashion you rose to the occasion going 21/34 for 307 yards and touchdown.  And that touchdown came on a huge late game 49 yard pass to Miles Austin.  You may not have had the best game ever but you made it count.  With the game on the line you slung it for the victory.  You stuck it to the haters and out played McNabb on his home turf, and you did it all on "Football Night in America."  Way to go Tony, a true Gunslinger.  Favre would be proud.

Skol Vikings.