And to the both of you I predict that the Minnesota Vikings will win a Super Bowl when I’m rotting in hell.

You were wrong, Matt!

Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Burnsie

Burnsie

PS- Sorry about your bet, Hater. Being a “state guy,” I could float you a low interest loan for your gambling debts if you need one.

Good post and I totally agree.

I think Chiller can manage a team, find talent (T-Jack not with standing) and get a team ready to play. Execution both offensively and defensively seems to as you say, fall apart the longer the game goes on.

I hate to play the inexperience card, but I believe that is what is holding back the Vikings this year. 1.) Receivers: Their lack of ability to find “open spaces” comes from a lack of experience and it shows. This wouldn’t matter who your QB is. 2.) The QB. All of these guys attempt to manage a game, while none of them will win it. Say what you will about Favre, at least he takes chances to win a game, not hold back while hoping not to lose. 3.) Our coordinators are the suck. They don’t have enough experience at what they are doing especially for being at the “big time” level they’re at now. These guys aren’t future head coaches or long time assistants like Tice had.

P.S. The Vikings can be successful via two things that need to be accomplished: 1.) Convert offensively on 3rd downs at 65% proficiency. 2.) Defensively hold the opponent to only a 40% success rate on 3rd down conversions. *Note* 100% on anything that is 3rd and over 15 yards. Take that to the bank!

All in all, does it matter? Let Chiller get ran out of town and watch somebody else come in that can win. Draft Brian Brohm, sign Larry Fitzgerald. Game on! Go Vikes!

How about you go on the record right now: Will the Cowboys win the Super Bowl this year? Let the record show you have answered that with a “yes” each of the past two seasons.

Skol Vikings!

Hater and the Mexicans

P.S.–Send a few tubes of the cream to the Twins’ offense.

P.S. I miss Griffey Jr too!

Haternation

That’s all.

D.) All of the Above

A.) You can’t read
B.) You don’t realize what we’re trying to accomplish here
C.) You apparently want to continue your support for “the man” without anything ever changing.

I knew you would post, or well, I was waiting until you did.

I am excited to see what Mr. Schaub can do, although, I am not expecting much given Houston’s inability to protect for David Carr. They still haven’t addressed the offensive line issue. Time will tell…

In regards to Tony’s comments, I know we have spoken about this way too much at work. I truly meant to condemn only the NHL, not necessarily the entire game of hockey. The game as it is played in the Olympics and the NCAAs (goon and thug free) is very exciting to watch. I would also assert that while the level of violence in the NFL is probably higher, the “bad apple” examples I have come up with go far and beyond the worst NFL hit. I also think there is a difference between a QB getting a bad concussion (happening 100% in the flow of the game and not necessarily due to an illegal hit) and Hollweg getting slashed across the neck (not in the flow of the game, and 100% illegal). Perhaps getting a new commissioner will change things, although the NHL has been confronted by these issues for many years. And finally, I respectfully disagree with:

“To be able only to list five or six instances during a poor reign of leadership means that there is a greater than 90% majority of players playing the game they love in a controlled, respectable fashion.”

I would assert that the three examples I came up with are so bad that they ruin the entire NHL, especially to non-hockey guys like myself. Idiots like Simon, McSorley, and Lemieux ruin the NHL for people like me, who love sports but are not hockey zealots. Good day.

Remind me to change the title of the post to: “Matt is a smart ass.” Haha, j/k.

But seriously, I pray UCLA loses…

=)

Oh yeah UCLA BABBY!!! WEEEEE’RRRRREEEEE COMMMMMMMMMMing

I didn’t even read your post, the title itself shows you’re an idiot.

Hockey aside, there will always be in every instance of life those who “ruin” things for others. The examples you have cited simply represent the bad apples, the very epitome of the actions and persons wrong with this world (hockey included). These were actions of jerks that lacked the control to play a game which requires control at its very core. It is one thing to be a goon, quite another to follow through on the inhumane acts of the persons you’ve listed.

The NHL’s lack of decisiveness, swift action and lack of zero tolerance on these events is simply disheartening. What is quite ironic about your criticism of the NHL per their lack of action in combination with the time frame of each of the events you’ve listed is that they all fall under the reign of Gary Bettman. Bettman has been the Commissioner of the NHL since 1993. I’ve been a long time critic of Bettman and feel your post only further demonstrates his lack of leadership in a truly historically sound game. To think that these actions are left to stand with only game time missed leaves a very bad taste for any hockey fan.

I find it interesting that your posts references hockey as an ultra violent sport, yet you yourself state: “after all I watch the most violent sport in America every Saturday and Sunday afternoon during the fall season.” I think that one can certainly make the point that there isn’t any less violence in the NFL than there is in the NHL. The problem comes in that what you see happen in hockey has far more “shock value.” Football can have the same moments. I’m sure the same list of shocking moments that have occurred in football, that have ended people’s careers both on clean hits and those of a questionable nature, could be made. That is simply stating the shock moment comparisons. My main point however, is that in the NFL the effect is not instant, but long term. We don’t hear about Troy Aikman, Steve Young and various other quarterbacks impacted by numerous concussions. We rarely hear how running backs are never the same, though most recently you can look at those who have retired early to save their bodies from lasting impact (Tiki Barber, Robert Smith even as far back as Jim Brown). We are getting a better sense these days with examples of players like those retiring early, but also from the stories we now hear from players like Ted Johnson formerly of the New England Patriots.

If you’ve made it this far, then I hope to make my point shot and sweet to summarize. I would hate to pass judgment and throw a historic, heralded and rich on tradition sport like hockey under the bus for a few bad apples. This is especially in an era of NHL hockey being lead by an unsatisfactory leader. To be able only to list five or six instances during a poor reign of leadership means that there is a greater than 90% majority of players playing the game they love in a controlled, respectable fashion. Do not hate a game because of idiots, for you’ll simply be left not watching much of anything. Good day.