Hall of Fame committee to name Team of Decade

by | Jan 26, 2010 | NFL Random Thoughts

The Pro Football Hall of Fame put out an announcement this afternoon that its selection committee would announce the Team of the Decade for the oughts during the Pro Bowl this weekend.

As part of the announcement the Hall linked to its teams from the past eight decades. You can access those lists via the accompanied link.

At the behest of Tony P., if memory serves, we unveiled the Zoneblitz.com Team of the Decade during Super Bowl weekend last year. We were at a bit of a disadvantage given that the 2009 season thrust a few additional candidates, such as Josh Cribbs, toward the top of the list. But as I look back I still think we did alright.

You can access our list here. We’ll see how our list compares with that of the Hall’s Selection Committee over the next few days when the official announcement arrives.

Have fun.

Inevitable Favre retirement talk already starting

by | Jan 25, 2010 | NFL Random Thoughts

I was hoping it would take at least a few weeks for the Brett Favre retirement saga to start up in full force again but unfortunately less than 24 hours after the Vikings ended up on the short end of the NFC title game multiple media outlets are filling their airwaves with speculation.

Paul Allen on KFAN-AM in Minneapolis said on air this morning that he expects Favre to chew on his final throw for a few months and use that as a determining factor for deciding to come back. So he’s expecting number four to start again in purple. And people within the organization apparently told him the decision will be a few months off and that he needs to let his body heal and the emotions to die down.

Allen, who is also the play-by-play man for Vikings broadcasts, however, is also admitting that he may be letting emotions enter into his belief that Favre will return.

According to ProFootballTalk.com, on the other hand, ESPN’s Ed Werder is reporting that Favre told him he’s “highly unlikely” to play again. And his colleague Adam Schefter says Favre’s teammates don’t expect to see him back either.

So here we go. For the last five months we’ve seen the upside of Favre. Not it’s time for the inevitable down side. How do the Vikings plan for the offseason? How much diva-like back-and-forth do we have to watch this year?

The Super Bowl is two weeks off, but for all but the Saints and the Colts – and especially at this point for the Vikings – it has already begun.

Does Super Bowl season put Brees in Hall of Fame talks?

by | Jan 25, 2010 | Hall of Fame

I just returned home from an NFC Championship game party where I watched my Minnesota Vikings blow yet another opportunity to go to the Super Bowl. While the purple did a pretty decent job of bottling up Drew Brees tonight, he’s coming off back-to-back fantastic regular seasons. And he was The Man last week against Arizona.

During the game one of my friends raised the question of whether or not Brees has put himself into Hall of Fame discussion. While he was mostly just solid in San Diego for four seasons, he’s been fantastic in New Orleans the last four.

He eclipsed 5,000 yards  passing last season and has 34 touchdowns in back-to-back campaigns. He’s been to four Pro Bowls and he’s been a first team All-Pro. And after tonight he’s earned a trip to the Super Bowl.

Brees’ can’t match Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre or Tom Brady yet in terms of rings. But I was surprised to see that he’s right on Brady’s tail in terms of passing yards and just a couple thousand behind Warner in the same category. And he is right in the mix with them in touchdowns as well. He’s got a long way to go to catch Manning or Favre, both in those categories and in Pro Bowls and All Pro teams. But he would seem to be inching toward the discussion.

What do you all think? Is he on his way to Canton, Ohio? Or, if not, what does he have to do to get there? And will your opinion change if he leads the Saints to a win in two weeks in Miami?

Championship game loss worse for Vikes than Jets

by | Jan 25, 2010 | NFL Random Thoughts

Just got home from a friend’s house where I watched the Minnesota Vikings once again snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the NFC Championship game. While it’s not quite as hard to live with as the 1998 debacle against Atlanta this one will stick in the craw of fans and players for weeks and months to come.

If you look back to the picks posted on this site last night the last line said something about how these two teams are evenly matched and how the game will likely come down to breaks and turnovers. The Vikings had a great season. And they did almost everything they had to do to beat the Saints tonight. Everything, that is, except hang onto the football.

They controlled the time of possession. They defended the pass admirably, holding Drew Brees to fewer than 200 yards passing. They had many more first downs. But they committed five turnovers, two of which came inside the Saints’ 20 yard line. Get three points out of either of those drives and this is a different contest.

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