Brett Favre Finishes His Career with a Big Easy Loss

Minnesota Vikings @ New Orleans Saints

Minnesota is a week removed from such an impressive victory, their opponents accused them of running up the score. The Saints destroyed their opponents so quickly they called off the dogs in the third quarter and ran out the clock.



What To Watch From The Vikings

The Vikings come at opposing defenses with a balanced offensive attack that features a powerful running game. Adrian Peterson is a Pro Bowler and their best weapon. Veteran Chester Taylor is an excellent running back who once gained 1,000 yards in a season. The offensive line is built for the power game, which usually leads to postseason success. With the Saints' defensive line not at full strength, expect the Vikings to run often.

Bret Favre holds a lot of NFL records right now, and he may have just had the most efficient season of his illustrious career. The Canton-bound Favre made the Pro Bowl because he became a huge weapon in just his first season in Minnesota. Throwing to a tall wide receiver Sidney Rice, along with speedy receivers Bernard Berrian and Percy Harvin, Favre has helped make them better players.

He must curtail his penchant for turnovers if the Vikings want to get the first Super Bowl win in franchise history.

Harvin poses a double threat if he is healthy. He has been battling migraine headaches the past several weeks, and even missed a game because of it. He is to be accounted for on offense, but he is a dangerous return specialist. The 2009 Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowler is needed if the Vikings want a better chance at winning.

Minnesota takes pride in their play along the line of scrimmage. They didn't exactly pushed the Cowboys all over the field last week, especially along the defensive line. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kevin Williams and Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen lead the way.

Dallas almost matched the Vikings in rushing yards last week, but abandoned the run in favor of the pass after falling behind. They need to control the Saints in this area in order to keep the high powered New Orleans offense off the field as much as possible.

What To Watch From The Saints

Though the Saints have a reliable Pro Bowl quarterback in Drew Brees, they need the running game to continue to be effective. Pierre Thomas was effective last week, and Reggie Bush was excellent. New Orleans can't rely on Bush averaging almost 17 yards per carry like last week, but Thomas is needed to average over four yards per carry again.

New Orleans in hurting along their defensive line, which was an area Arizona failed to explore often enough last week. Of the Cardinals' 14 rushing attempts last week, one went for a 70 yard touchdown. The Saints might see 14 rushing attempts well before halftime against Minnesota

The kicking game is very questionable for the Saints. Garrett Hartley has been mostly untested, though he did hit a 43-yard field goal during the Saints' rout last week. The one thing in his favor is that he will be kicking in a domed stadium. The lack of natures forces helps the youngster, but the clutch kick needed for victory will certainly present an uncertainty when he takes the field.

The one thing to watch is how the Vikings' secondary matches up against tight end Jeremy Shockey. Shockey has a sore knee right now, but he did grab three balls and a touchdown last week. If he is effective, it will get the attention of safeties Madieu Williams and Tyrell Johnson.

That will leave veteran Viking cornerbacks Cedric Griffin and the hobbled Antoine Winfield exposed to the deep corp of wide receivers New Orleans will run out in multiple sets all game.


Quarterback: Slight Edge Saints

Running Back: Edge Vikings

Receivers: Even

Offensive Line: Even

Defensive Line: Edge Vikings

Linebacker: Slight Edge Saints

Secondary: Even

Special Teams: Slight Edge Vikings

Coaching: Even



The run game is not the only weapon these teams have at their disposal. Both teams are exceptional in the passing game, and use a large group of players to accomplish their goals to victory. This game will be determined who has the most versatile defenses.

Shockey and Harvin present match up problems for both sides. The play of the linebackers could be ultimately what the result of the game come down to.

Saints 37, Vikings 31



NFL Lucubrations

This years playoffs come at a time in NFL history where the excitement has wavered through league changes.

The Pro Bowl is a week away, and it will be the first Pro Bowl that the very best in the NFL will not all play. There will be several Pro Bowl players, no matter what teams reach the Super Bowl, will skip the game so they don't have to risk their health a week before the championship.

Though critics like to lament how the players who participate in the Pro Bowl gives little effort because the game means nothing more than a paycheck. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who has never been accused of thinking outside the box, dropped the ball on this. What he could have done is giving the winning conference home field advantage in the Super Bowl.

Now, I know the NFL would never consider this. They do not want a Super Bowl played in nine feet of snow with winds at 110 miles per hour if Buffalo reached the title game. But that is where Goodell is missing the point.

It would give players incentive to work and play hard in the Pro Bowl. Then the game can be moved back a week after the Super Bowl, and the leagues very best can play. The NFL, a tax free entity, likes to use catch phrases like "giving back" and "community."

Well, these are key phrases, since it is the fans who made the league what it is. A Super Bowl in Buffalo would do wonders for that city's economy. That is the truest way to give back to the community instead of continuing to bite the hands that feed.

But Goodell will continue the work of former commissioner Paul Tagliabue by eroding the game and exiling the fans with a "shut up and like it" message. Defense is becoming as extinct as the dodo bird, and exerts about as much flight right now. The only future is the league adopting the moronic college football overtime rule. That's more of Goodell's speed.

But the first need is a resolution of the impending players strike.