Priceless - "I Make Bold Decisions"

I am glad the team is loose.

"Canadian Tuxedo" indeed.

Jeff

Vikes Kick The Cowboys Pants

The Minnesota Vikings will surprise you every time. When you think they will win, they lose. When you think they are beaten, they often rise to the occasion.

I certainly would not have predicted a 34-3 victory and defensive dominance over the NFL's hottest team, the Dallas Cowboys. And, as you can tell from my previous post, I didn't. I haven't done too well in predicting playoff games so far (1-7) but this is one that I am glad that I got wrong. While I am on an "anti-roll," I believe I know how I will predict the upcoming tilt against the hated Saints next Sunday.

"Hated Saints," by the way, does not roll off the tongue like "Hated Cowboys." The fact that the game is at the Superdome in New Orleans, in front of their fans, and is against arguably the best offense in football does not bode well for the Vikings. The national brainwizards will certainly be on the side of the Saints.

Which might be exactly the setup the Vikings need.

The Hated Dallas Cowboys

I was at the Wild game last night with CR and we saw this guy wearing a Tony Romo jersey. Now, that is not against the law. It is, however, a cry for attention and even possibly a cry for help. The "Romo jersey guy" got more jeers from the crowd than any member of the Vancouver Canucks with the possible exception of Alexandre Bolduc. But I digress.

I am going to go out on a limb and say the gentleman with the Tony Romo jersey was not born in Texas, and has probably never been there. He is simply a Bandwagon Jumper. There are truly only a few teams that a person should be forbidden to cheer for unless they were born in the vicinity of the state in which they play in. The Dallas Cowboys head this list. They are evil incarnate. Jerry Jones. Jimmy Johnson. Michael Irvin. The mythical "America's Team." Pac-Man Jones. Barry Switzer. Jessica Simpson. The $1.2 billion-dollar spaceship stadium.


And if you are a Viking fan, there is a history with the Dallas Cowboys. The Drew Pearson Push-Off. The Herschel Walker trade. The Tony Dorsett 99-yard touchdown run. And no team has eliminated the Vikings from the playoffs more times than the Cowboys.

The rivalry, of course, will be renewed this Sunday in the Dome, er - Mall of America Field. Needless to say, there is major paranoia in the minds of Vikings fans as the game approaches. This may come as a shock but I, for one, am actually happy that the national brainwizards are all predicting the Cowboys to win. I am happy that the Vikings are looked at as underdogs even though they are at home. There is a nationwide love fest taking place with the Cowboys, especially since they have dismantled the Eagles twice in two weeks.

I will go as far as to say that this is a positive development. The Vikings play better when they are criticized and when they are told by the national pundits that they are going to lose. They do not do so well, however, when they are nationally praised and predicted to massacre an opponent (see January 17th, 1999, Vikings-Falcons NFC Championship Game...for starters). The Vikings basically need to be told that they suck and have no chance. So in that spirit (along with the spirit of George Costanza) here are my predictions for this weekend :

NFC:

COWBOYS over Vikings. The Vikings suck. They have no chance (see above).

CARDINALS over Saints. Arizona 85, New Orleans 78.


AFC:

COLTS over Ravens. Not that it matters.

CHARGERS over Jets. Not that it matters, but a Colts - Chargers AFC Championship would be a pretty good game.

I hope I am 3 for 4 when all is said and done. Last week I was 0-4, you know.

Jeff

A Solid 0-4

So much for my week #1 playoff predictions. I was 0-4!!

Anyone want any financial advice? Stock market tips?? Anyone want me to place some bets in Vegas??

Just let me know......

Week #1 Playoff Prognostications

The NFL playoffs start later this afternoon. Here are my week 1 predictions because, as you know from past experience, I am always right. Except for those times I was way off.....

NFC:

1. EAGLES Over Cowboys. I am going against the grain with this, and picking the road underdog. The old adage that "you can't beat a team three times in one year" comes into play here. I have a feeling Tony Romo may struggle now that he is in the playoffs.

2. PACKERS Over Cardinals. This is the only game of the weekend in which a pep rally will be held for the road team. I've watched the Cardinals a few times this year. Against the Vikings, they looked like the 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers, and they were very "Lion-like" in all of the other contests (sorry dools). I don't this game will be close. Packers by 21.


AFC:

1. BENGALS Over Jets. Not that it matters.

2. PATRIOTS Over Ravens. Not that it matters.

By the way, an Eagles victory coupled with a Packers victory sets up the Nightmare Scenario for next weekend.

We'll see what happens.

#2 Seed.

I've been rather hard on the Vikings lately because the Vikings have been rather hard on me. I must give credit where credit is due, however, as they certainly took care of business today by crushing a disinterested Giants team 44-7. I give the Vikings credit for destroying a team that was begging to be destroyed, rather than edging them on a last-second field goal or something weak like that.

This win, coupled with a Cowboys victory over Philadelphia, secured the #2 seed for the Vikings in the NFC playoffs. Before going any further, I must say that cheering for the Dallas Cowboys this afternoon was a tough, other-worldly, out-of-body experience for me. Cheering for the Cowboys is not something that I am used to, but fits perfectly in this "parallel-universe of an NFL season." That being said, securing the #2 seed is significant on many fronts:

A. The #2 seed means the Vikings have a bye week to rest and get healthy. This is particularly beneficial for Pat Williams and Antoine Winfield.

B. The #2 seed guarantees the Vikings a home game, where they were 8-0 this year.

C. The #2 seed guarantees the Vikings only possible road game would be at New Orleans - another dome.

Now, I am not saying that I am ready to have another swig of the Purple Kool-Aid. We all know how Minnesota teams fare in the playoffs, particularly the Vikings. If fact, the better the playoff set-up, the worse the Vikings seem to choke.

In addition, the Nightmare Scenario remains in play. In order for the Vikings to play the Packers in week 2 of the playoffs, the Packers must win in Arizona and Philadelphia must win in Dallas next weekend. This scenario is certainly not out of the question, and most likely cosmically probable. The Packers present a match-up problem for Arizona. The Pack destroyed the Cardinals 33-7 today and the game wasn't even that close. The Cardinals seem to get all weak-kneed when they play the Packers. Probably because they think they are playing a road game with all of the Packer fans in the stands. In addition, Dallas must attempt to beat Philadelphia for a third time this season. It's always tough to beat a team three times in one season, something the Vikings would have to do to the Packers if they meet again. At least the game would be at the Metrodome and not Lambeau.

For today, I give the Vikings credit. If you would have told Viking fans before the season that the Vikings would be 12-4, NFC North Champions, and have a #2 seed, most would have been happy with that. Lastly, Brett Favre's regular season was unbelievable. He was 338/500, 29 TD's, 7 Ints., and a 104.3 passer rating. Those are MVP numbers, especially for a 40 year-old. All in all, a great regular season.

Now, however, the "real" season begins.

Another Reason I Like The NHL More Than The NBA

From a report on Startribune.com:

"Washington Wizards teammates Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton reportedly drew guns on each other during a locker-room argument over a gambling debt. Law enforcement is investigating the presence of weapons in the locker room, and the league is not taking action now."

Somehow, this is not surprising. Based on the thuggery in today's NBA. it was only a matter of time. Arenas, a former All-Star, didn't seem to take the whole issue very seriously on his Twitter account. Here is what he had to say:

"i wake up this morning and seen i was the new JOHN WAYNE. ... Media is too funny."

Yeah, talk about funny - this is a real side-buster! Arenas, by the way, apparently did not major in English at the University of Arizona. Shakespeare he ain't. After the news was broke, Arenas took the issue a bit more seriously later in the day with this Tweet:

"I understand this is serious..but if u ever met me you know i dont do serious things im a goof ball this story today dont sound goofy to me."

He certainly is a goof ball. There is nothing quite as hilarious as two guys pulling guns on each other, after all! It's crap like this that has given the NBA serious image and credibility issues with the public. Not that other sports are immune. There is no question that each sport has had it's share of black eyes over the years. It seems, however, that the NBA has a disproportionate amount of "goof balls" considering the number of players in the league compared to other sports. We'll see how this one shakes out. Let the hilarity continue!

Jeff