Brett Favre Goes for 3 in a Row vs. the Packers

The stars aligned perfectly for the Vikings in their two match-ups with the Packers in 2009. The Packer line couldn’t contend with the Viking pass rush, the Packer defense could get no pressure on Brett Favre…and, oh yeah, Favre himself had that whole sticking it to Ted Thompson thing motivating him. The result: 2 wins over Green Bay on the way to a 12-4 finish and a division title. Things may not line up so perfectly for the Vikings this year however. The pass protection has not been good, so it’s unlikely Favre will have the kind of time he did in those two games last season. And Aaron Rodgers will face a Vikings pass rush that has not lived up to its fearsome reputation so far. As for Favre himself…this year, he seems more frustrated than motivated. Of course, we expect Brett will be up for tonight’s game more than most, because it’s still the Packers, and he still wants to shove Ted Thompson’s face in it. Whether that lingering revenge-lust will translate into a more focused and effective Favre performance remains to be seen.








Injuries are a big part of the story for both teams going into the game. Favre, as we know, has been dealing with elbow tendinitis, though that issue seemed to bother him less in the Dallas game than it did a couple of weeks ago against the Jets. The losses of Cedric Griffin and Husain Abdullah leave the Vikings once again scrambling to cobble together a secondary; this week they will get limited use of Chris Cook, who is still coming back from a meniscus tear, and will re-activate Tyrell Johnson who hasn’t played in several weeks (though Jamarca Sanford is expected to start). On the offensive line, they will get back center John Sullivan, who may split time with Jon Cooper. For the Packers, the injury issues are more profound and troubling. They are without Jermichael Finley, Ryan Grant, Nick Barnett, Brady Poppinga, Al Harris and Atari Bigby. The last two guys on that list were eligible to come off the PUP list this weekend but the Packers elected to keep them inactive. Their best pass rusher, Clay Matthews, is banged up but will play. Ryan Pickett and Mark Tauscher are also question marks. The Vikings, for all the health issues they’ve had the last few weeks, are in much better shape than the Packers for this game.







Tonight’s game will, among other things, be a match-up of two of the more disappointing offenses in the league. Both teams sported potent offenses last season, and were expected to come back this year with strong squads, but both Os have been derailed by a combination of injury and general inconsistency. The Vikings may be able to trace a lot of their offensive inadequacy back to Brett Favre’s lack of training camp; the Packers’ situation is a little more puzzling. Yes they’ve had injuries to key players, but they still have a Pro-Bowl quarterback and a formidable array of receivers. If you believe Aaron Rodgers, the weapons the Packers do still have are not being utilized correctly or enough. Rodgers himself has often been the problem, throwing interceptions in key spots, and generally not living up to the hype that has built around him ever since he took over for Favre. In Rodgers’ defense, his pass protection has not been good and he has had very little run support. However, if Rodgers is the MVP-caliber player some claim he can be, he needs to step up at some point and help the team overcome the injuries and spotty offensive line play. The same could perhaps be said for Brett Favre, who has at times compounded an already frustrating offensive situation, but at least Favre has a prior track record to lean on in reassuring fans that he knows what to do in big moments (Favre’s winning percentage in close games is slightly higher than Aaron Rodgers’ .083 mark).







Yes there are two entire teams playing tonight in Lambeau Field, but the story is the quarterbacks, the old grizzled warrior vs. the young turk who wants to prove himself by vanquishing the man who came before him. The last thing proud Favre wants is to let the upstart Rodgers get the better of him; the last thing Rodgers wants is to fall to 0-3 against Favre, especially amid the atmosphere of doubt that is beginning to accumulate around him and the team. If Rodgers does lose to Favre again, the legacy of #4 will only become a more haunting presence. But if Rodgers finally gets past the psychological hurdle represented by Favre, it could spur him and the Packers on to bigger things. For Favre, it’s all about picking himself up after a tough first five games and finally putting together a complete, solid, wire-to-wire Brett Favre performance – something closer to what he accomplished last year against the Packers. Playing Green Bay could be the perfect salve for what ails Favre, the thing that finally gets him back to where he needs to be psychologically and in executing the offense. If Favre struggles again though, Viking fans will have even more reason to worry that their leader has slipped too far physically and emotionally…and then they will have to wonder if there’s any hope at all of turning around what has thus far been a troubling season.

Sullivan Tries To Keep Positive Outlook

Favre Embraces Sullivan After Touchdown

In reality, Sullivan has missed three consecutive games. He injured his left calf on the first offensive play against Detroit in Week 3. He was inactive against the Jets coming out of the bye. He was active last week against Dallas but he did not play.



Sullivan also missed nearly all of training camp because of an injury to his right calf but was able to start the season opener even though his conditioning was not 100 percent.



Needless to say, Sullivan is disappointed by the start to his second season as the starting center.



"It's been frustrating at times but you've just got to roll with the punches," he said. "Having a negative attitude about it doesn't help anything. I've just been trying to get my treatment in and get better as soon as possible and go out there and help the team win."

Favre Embraces Sullivan After Touchdown

Vikings coach Brad Childress said last week that Sullivan's injury could bother him all season. Childress said Friday that it's possible Jon Cooper, who started last week, could play a series or two Sunday depending on how Sullivan feels with his conditioning.



Sullivan said he actually feels stronger now than he did against New Orleans in the opener.



"I think I'm in better shape now than I was coming back for the opener," he said. "It shouldn't be as bad as that. Obviously I'm not in as good of shape as I want to be in, but that's just the circumstances."

No fly zone: the Vikings have a pass defense?

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Antoine Winfield Disrupts A Pass Thrown By Aaron rodgers Last Year

During recent history, time floated by and members of the Vikings defense changed, but one stinging reality always remained: Minnesota was the toughest team in the League to run on, but they could easily be beat through the air.











How could you expect anything different entering the 2010 season? The front seven stayed the same and the secondary might’ve been even more of a question mark than years before. Antoine Winfield was a year older, Cedric Griffin was recovering from an ACL injury (and then proceeded to injure his other ACL) and the remaining players, Husain Abdullah, Tyrell Johnson, Madieu Williams, Jamarca Sanford, Asher Allen and Chris Cook were either inexperienced or failed to instill confidence in any fan.











But Minnesota has the sixth-best pass defense in the NFL and has allowed less than 200 yards per game for the first time since 1996. Since freaking 1996.











Granted, the season’s not over yet and the pass defense could take a complete nose-dive during the last 11 games. But the Vikings have played Drew Brees and the Saints and Tony Romo and the Cowboys and still have come out relatively unscathed.











How on earth, then, has Minnesota pulled this off?











For one, that invincible rush defense led by the Williams’ Wall has shown a few chinks in its armor through five games. The Vikings uncharacteristically allow 102 yards per game and are No. 11 in the NFL. It used to be weird to see Minnesota outside of the top-three spots in that category.











Running backs have had mixed success on the ground and it changes on a game-by-game basis. Pierre Thomas ran for 71 yards in the season opener and Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams had success in week two — combining for 131 yards. LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene also ripped the Vikings for 151 yards. Those are the three games Minnesota has lost this season. When teams get ahead, they haven’t had to throw the ball anymore and can instead rely on the run game.











It’s disturbing how many times some of those backs were able to break past that front seven and get chunks of yards with ease. There wasn’t the feeling that Minnesota had this unstoppable force up front. So teams didn’t have to pass — for once they had a choice.











Another reason for the pass defense’s rise is the fact that the Vikings haven’t been prone to many big plays through the air. They’ll bend all right, but Minnesota won’t break. Every Sunday you’ve probably pulled your hair out with some of the pass plays that cornerbacks allow, but there aren’t giving up any 50-yard bombs.











And when teams reach the red zone, the Vikings aren’t letting teams just walk right in. Minnesota has held opponents to just five touchdowns in 13 red zone trips this season. That’s the best part of the unit, that the Vikings haven’t given up a lot of points — just 17.6 points per game. But if you just account for the touchdowns that the defense has allowed — and not the touchdowns from the offense’s turnovers — Minnesota has allowed 14.8 points per game, which would only trail Pittsburgh’s average of 12 points allowed per game.











It doesn’t matter how many yards the opposing team racks up — it’s who has the most points at the end of the game, no ifs ands or buts about it.











In the past, other teams would just throw in the red zone because of the Vikings’ rush defense. Now it seems that neither is a weakness inside the 20.











Maybe the scheme that Leslie Frazier has in place is working exactly how he wants it. It seems to be working so far, and there hasn’t been a loss that anyone could blame on the defense. That’s encouraging. And despite a lack of talent, on paper, in the secondary the pass defense seems to be getting the job done.



















Vikings fans haven’t been able to say that in 15 years.

Brett Favre Returns To Green Bay

Bret Favre Statue Built In Green Bay

In anticipation of the Packers-Vikings game in Green Bay on October 24th, the mayor of Green Bay, Mayor McCheese, has asked Packers fans to welcome back Brett Favre but to keep the welcomes “tasteful.”



“So a statue of Brett wiping his behind with a slice of funky French fromage is out of the question?” asks petulant Packers fan Jack Pepper.



“What if we draw up a banner showing Brett sandwiched between two waffle slices?” asks pretty perky Packers fan Pamela Muenster.



“I’ve got it! We’ll have a dummy wearing No. 4 mashed under a big pile of cheeseheads!” offers pesty Packers fan Colby Asiago.



“What if we make fun of Brett’s commercial where he can’t decide which TV to buy by showing the TVs have sprouted legs and are walking off in disgust?” asks particularly prickly Packers fan Jack Monterey.



"What if we showed Brett trying to make phone calls, but instead of getting reception, all his phone calls are intercepted...or maybe showing him making phone calls without his pants?” proposes pompous Packers fan Paneer Provolone.



“How in the heck are you going to depict phone calls as being intercepted?” asks perplexed Packers fan Feta Monchego. "I can see depicting him holding the phone in the crotchital area—but being intercepted?"





Adam Bettcher/Getty Images “I’m not exactly sure,” Provolone posits,“but we could hire the artist, Mike Krawczyk. He can draw anything.”



“I’m not sure we can afford Krawczyk,” says prudent Packers fan Brie Camambert, “and even then, I hear he might be a Steelers fan.”



“OK, how’s this?” replies the priggish Provolone, “We show Favre sitting at a big table in a Waffle House, since he’s such a waffler, and someone at the far end of the table asks him to pass the syrup. Then, when Favre passes the syrup, instead of the guy at the far end of the table who originally asked for the syrup getting the bottle, another guy in a Packers shirt intercepts it.”



“That would be a very complicated mural,” ponders periodontally prominent Packers fan Parmesan Ricotta. “I’m not sure that even an artist like Krawczyk could complete such a project in this short period of time.”



“Okay, how’s this?” the preening yet pragmatic Provolone poses. “We erect a statue of Brett facing a group of Packers fans who all have knives in their backs...with Jenn Sterger carrying the biggest knife.”



“Guys!” yells Mayor McCheese while wearing a cheese coat and a cheesehead hat with string cheese hanging from his nose. “Keep it tasteful!”