"In Favre we trust...sort of" & "The Mike Vick show enters a new phase"

In Favre we trust….sort of..

Voicing their opinions on the Brett Favre soap opera taking siege in Minnesota, Viking Defensive End Jared Allen and Hall of Fame Wide Receiver Jerry Rice made clear their thoughts surrounding the future Hall of Fame Quarterback’s “is he with us or is he not” decision to join the team.

The Viking 2008 sack leader called the news swirling around the former Packer quarterback “annoying” and wants to see a decision sooner rather than later. Jerry Rice took it a step further, stating that he is unconvinced that Brett could play at a high level for an entire season after #4 faded down the stretch last season. History seems to be on Jerry’s side:

Brett Favre’s last five games:

2005: 1167 yards 1 TD 10 Ints 56.7% completion, 54.4 QB rating
2006: 1251 yards 4 TDs 8 Ints 53.8% completion, 70.1 QB rating
2007: 799 yards 6 TD’s 7 Ints 59% completion, 73.2 QB rating
2008: 1011 yards 2 TD’s 8 Ints 56% completion, 57.5 QB rating

Ironically, the combination of Ferrotte (one and a half games) and Jackson (four and a half games) put up better numbers down the stretch last season.

Viking QB’s last five games:

2008: 1012 yards 9 TD’s 4 Ints 64.5% completion, 100.6 QB rating

Not only has the current core of Viking quarterbacks (Jackson being the only one remaining with the addition of Sage Rosenfels) given better production during the final stretch of the all-important December games, the 40 year-old quarterback is coming off an off-season where he needed surgery to repair a torn bicep on his throwing arm.

While we expect to see a heavy dose of Adrian Peterson to protect Brett during the last half of the season if he decides to join the Vikings, what we have seen is the addition of Allen and Rice’s names alongside Kerry Rhodes, Thomas Jones, and Fran Tarkenton who have raised questions about Favre’s decision to return.

One wonders why there isn’t more traction behind the legitimate questioning of these “named” sources than there is around the “unnamed” sources following behind other prominent glory hounds. Oh well. There’s always a Joe Buck around to fawn over the grizzled quarterback to offset their questioning.

Andre is still raising hell…..

That’s not smoke you’re smelling…it’s Andre Rison searing comments about him being the best receiver ever, ahead of Jerry Rice and other greats. In a “Stats don’t always count” frame of mind, the former five-time pro-bowl receiver who compiled over 10,000 receiving yard and 80 touchdowns in a 13-year career, recently told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he was ahead of the NFL’s all-time leading receiver and coming out with his own hall of fame list.

Never short on confidence, the former Falcon receiver said that he could still suit today and play in the NFL at the age of 42, if only he was cut a Brett Favre-like situation.

Andre….while you’ve been out of the game for several years, you still have tons of game.

Read the article here....