Give The Gunslinger Praise Not Hate

Enough Of The Hating On Brett Favre

Go ahead. Hate me. One day you'll realize just how good I was.

Everyone make sure all sharp objects are locked away in a drawer somewhere. Insure that all necessary medications are up to date. Sit in a nice quiet room, breathe deeply for a few moments, and join me.
What is wrong with you people who can’t go a day without trashing Brett Favre?
The disdain and outright jealousy shown a man who already has his slot reserved for a Hall of Fame acceptance speech is not only insulting to an exceptional athlete, but reveals the truly ugly side of our sporting society.
Like it or not, Favre is a legendary player we have the good fortune to watch in action. While having a bit of humor at his expense for all the retirement frivolity, this seeming obsession with mocking him has gone way overboard and spilled into red-face bitter jealousy.
Brett Favre led the Green Bay Packers to the Super Bowl for the first time since footballs were constructed of something other than real pigskin. He was the central factor in the Packers being a dominant NFC team from 1995 to 2002, and it might have been extended were it not for Favre and mates being saddled with a pair of completely ineffective headset wearers in Ray Rhodes and Mike Sherman.
From 2003 to 2006, he did what every football fan called for. Sucked it up, didn’t whine, and kept playing despite a run of misfortune few of those gorging brats in the stands could handle if it was a video game.
His father dies of a stroke, and Favre goes out on a Monday Night and tears the guts out of the Raiders in Oakland. He still doesn’t remember throwing a touchdown pass against the Giants in 2004 after suffering what is casually called a concussion, yet is in effect a bruising of the brain tissue by jagged peaks of bone inside the skull. His brother-in-law dies in an ATV accident on Favre’s property. His wife is diagnosed with breast cancer, thankfully to later whip this insidious disease. His family home is decimated by Hurricane Katrina. He stays three more seasons in Green Bay and STILL gets the Packers to the NFC Championship Game despite team management torching the roster with key free agent defections and injuries trashing important offensive weapons.
And the guy still played the game. Gutted out the internal pain. Injuries that would have turned some other big name players into bed-wetting game day excuses.
Exactly what we demand of our stars.
After all this, once loyal fans and the dirt-digging media throws as many spades of dirt on Favre as they can muster when he hints, talks, wonders, muses, and finally retires. Plenty of other athletes break down before the cameras and we call it an “emotional moment”. Favre does it and radio talk show hosts and producers, most of whom break a monster sweat only carting their Buick sized buttocks out of chairs to snare another free drink or meal on remote broadcast, bring out baby noises, mocking dubbed audio, and sounds of bodily functions to card a cheap laugh or two at his expense. Making sport of a guy who resurrected a dismal franchise. One that before he got there only got their drunken ticket price jollies watching five Head Coaches leave a stench on Lambeau Field from 1968 to 1991.
And the gullible fans fell for it.
Note to Packers GM Ted Thompson. How’s that decision to put Favre in his place by playing foosball with his career to inflate your ego and slap Aaron Rogers at the helm? Two seasons, nine TD passes, 23 fumbles, a 17-15 record and a defense that couldn’t stop opponents with the football athleticism of Rod Blagojevich.
If Brett Favre did pull the retirement card just to make Thompson look like a rube, Packers faithful should be bowing down to him for exposing yet another black hole in the team front office.
Packers faithful, Brett Favre owes you nothing. Zero. He played his heart out for you when he was there and left only because his remaining career was questioned by a GM who hung his reputation on a below average quarterback. A General Mangler who was partly saved only because the defense buckled up in 2008 before being torched in the Arizona playoff sun.
His one season in New York and yet another retirement can be forgiven. The Jets knew Favre was playing with a torn biceps tendon in his right shoulder, yet still allowed him to go down the stretch in 2008 when they should have pulled him. While the team was dumping 4 of their last 5 games, Favre took all the heat, and not all of it deserved. Let’s not kid ourselves. Favre was getting older and the body couldn’t recover like it once could. But the Jets didn’t help with softball-tossing Kellen Clemens as the backup and Eric Mangini starring as the worst Head Coach for Gang Green since Rich Kotite.
Favre didn’t retire from the Jets. He escaped.
Which brings us to the broken down, rapidly aging, gray-haired slinger who was run out of Green Bay by a dysfunctional ownership and slipped out of NY before Mangini’s game plan and personnel decisions made him eligible for prosthetics.
Packers fans rail at Favre for joining the dastardly Vikings, proving once and for all he just wanted to leave Wisconsin in order to exact a twisted revenge against the franchise he left behind.
Favre did find a team with the right makeup and pay check to give him another solid shot at hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, something he would never see in the Thompson mess. But I have no doubt he also will always look back at 2009 and consider October 5th and November 1st as highlights he’ll be watching when he’s pounding bayou caught crawfish, beer in hand and kicking back on the Mississippi porch.
So here we are for another season. Brett Favre (supposedly) has to be talked into playing one more time by a small group of teammates who traveled south and bagged themselves the prize catch they knew was their only chance to contend for a title.
The guy with the word “Most” on his NFL record resume 22 times. The only NFL QB to defeat all 32 teams in his career. Who this season will hit 70,000 passing yards in a career. And the one other teams still fear.
And the worst these jealous sycophants can do is make fun of him for wanting to win. Again. Just like he’s done his entire career.
The haters should be ashamed of themselves. At the very least have stamped on their collective foreheads "Knows Nothing About How to Appreciate Greatness".
I hope Favre gets that chance to hoist another Trophy just one more time to rub it in the faces of those who can’t stand to see one of the future greats succeed.
Pop another cold one, Grandpa. And keep on slinging. Show the haters how a redneck becomes a legend.

Brett Favre's Bum Ankle Needed Tune-up After Seattle Game

Brett Favre had maintenance on his surgically repaired left ankle after Saturday's preseason game with Seattle.



The Vikings quarterback told Sports Illustrated's Peter King that he received an injection of lubricant in his ankle.



"Like a grease fitting,'' Favre said.



Favre gave King details about his latest surgery. The procedure, in late May, was performed by Dr. James Andrews in Florida. Favre said two incisions were made on the top of his left ankle and that "loose bodies" were sucked out.



Favre's wife, Deanna, watched as doctors took out what the quarterback described as "a cup full of stuff -- bone and all these other loose bodies."



"It's catching up with me, all this stuff,'' Favre said.



King asked Favre if he thinks he will last the entire season.



"I have no idea, really," Favre said. "My ankle just seems to get easier to sprain. I know everyone thinks the New Orleans game killed me, but it was bad before then. Now we'll see if I can make it. My mind's telling me one thing, but my body's telling me something else.''



Sullivan absent again

Center John Sullivan missed practice again Monday because of a lingering calf injury. He returned to practice last week but did not play Saturday.



"We're just trying not to load it up too much," coach Brad Childress said. "We're still trying to get some of the soreness out."



Sullivan has missed almost all of training camp and all three preseason games. Childress declined to estimate how much practice time Sullivan would need to be able to play Sept. 9 against New Orleans in the opener.



"That's hard to hazard a guess," Childress said. "As many as you can get, let's put it that way. And then you make a decision whether we're better off to go with somebody else or put him in there."



Right guard Anthony Herrera started at center Saturday, but the team also is considering backup Jon Cooper.



Griffin decision looming

Cornerback Cedric Griffin continues to push hard in his rehab from ACL surgery on his left knee, but remains on the physically unable to perform list. The team must decide by this weekend whether he will start the season on the reserve/PUP list when the roster is trimmed to 53.

Griffin would be ineligible to play for the first six weeks if he starts the season on the PUP. Otherwise, he will count against the 53, although it's possible he could miss several games.

"This has nothing to do with me," Griffin said. "It's all about the coaches, Coach Childress, [head athletic trainer] Eric Sugarman, our training staff. Whatever they feel is best for me, I'll do what they say. They are my bosses right now."

Injury update • The Vikings don't have to trim their roster from 80 to 75 players until 3 p.m. Tuesday but linebacker J Leman, who missed much of training camp and all three games because of turf toe, was waived/injured. Leman would revert to the injured reserve if and when he clears waivers but he probably will end up getting an injury settlement.

• Childress declined to discuss injuries, but five players did not practice Monday -- Sullivan, cornerback Chris Cook, running back Toby Gerhart, defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy and wide receiver Logan Payne (bruised ribs). Cook and Gerhart both suffered right knee injuries on Saturday. Gerhart said his knee got bent backward in a pile. Cook called his knee injury "just a little ding."

Favre Surrounded By New Receivers Again

Greg Camarillo

Brett Favre Embraces Percy Harvin

Jevon Walker

Brett Favre

Brett Favre And Sidney Rice

 


EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP)—One of the biggest reasons Brett Favre(notes) decided to return to the Minnesota Vikings this year was his familiarity with an offense that he enjoyed being around so much in 2009.
Suddenly, in some ways, Favre feels as if he’s starting all over again.
His two favorite targets—Sidney Rice(notes) and Percy Harvin(notes)—have struggled with ailments throughout the preseason. Rice had hip surgery on Monday and likely will miss the first half of the regular season while Harvin has hardly practiced because of recurring migraines.

“Not a lot different than last year as far as chemistry is concerned,” Favre said Wednesday. “It would have been nice to come in and go to bat with the guys that we finished with last year, but that is part of football. Every coach will say the same thing. Regardless of who is put in there we have to play the same way.”
With Favre leading the way, the Vikings changed from a run-oriented offense in the first three years under coach Brad Childress into a pass-first unit that finished second in the league in scoring.
Vikings receivers caught 207 of the 377 passes completed last season, nearly all of which were thrown by Favre. When Favre stepped into the huddle in San Francisco on Sunday night, Rice and Harvin were not even in the stadium, meaning 143 of last season’s receptions weren’t around.
Bernard Berrian(notes) (55 catches) and Greg Lewis(notes) (eight) are the only healthy receivers on this year’s roster who caught a pass from Favre in 2009.
Harvin did practice on Wednesday for the first time since a scary collapse last week brought on by migraines. He was taken from the field in an ambulance, spent the night in the hospital and did not make the trip to San Francisco. His availability for Saturday night’s game against Seattle is in question.
The reigning rookie of the year forged a bond quickly with Favre last year, emerging as his security blanket on third down. Harvin missed one game in the regular season because of migraines and several practices in the playoffs as the Vikings marched to the NFC title game.
“Percy’s situation is kind of iffy,” Favre said. “We expect big things from him, bigger than last year. He has to take care of himself first.”
While Harvin dealt with the headaches last year, Rice’s need for surgery came as a surprise to nearly everyone. He was injured in the NFC title game loss to New Orleans, but said that doctors told him his hip would heal without surgery.
Rice posted an update on his blog on Wednesday, saying that he tweaked the injury during minicamp in June but still hoped to avoid surgery. But doctors told him on Monday that a new MRI showed “a problem that could shorten my career.”
“Once the Doc got in there and checked everything out, he said having the surgery was the best move I could have made, so I don’t regret it now,” Rice wrote. “He said it could have been much worse if I would have tried to play on it during the season. He said it could have been my last year of playing football, so I know I made the right decision.”
Favre said he kept in contact with Rice, who led the team with 83 catches and 1,312 yards, while he spent the summer deciding whether he should come back for a 20th NFL season.
“I really felt like at some point here in training camp he would be able to go,” Favre said. “Obviously that’s not the case. Probably like most people, I was pretty optimistic that he would be OK.”
So Brett, if you knew Rice would be out so long, would you have come back?
“I don’t know that for certain because that obviously wasn’t the case,” Favre said. “It’s hard enough at 40 to play. You take a guy out that had roughly 90-something catches and was obviously pretty productive … but there’s more guys on this team, too.”
Rice said he hopes to be back before the first half of the season ends. There have been theories that he did not get the surgery because he was in the final year of his contract and was hoping to sign an extension, and Rice addressed that issue in his blog.
“It’s not my concern what people say about my contract, whatever happens, happens,” Rice wrote. “If the Vikings decide to give me an extension, that’s great. If not, life goes on. I’ll continue to work hard and do everything I can to be successful in what I’ve been doing my whole life, and that’s playing football.”
The Vikings scrambled this week to add depth to a receiving group short on experience, signing veteran free agent Javon Walker(notes) on Tuesday and trading with the Dolphins for slot receiver Greg Camarillo(notes) on Wednesday.
Walker caught passes from Favre for four years in Green Bay, but he has just 41 receptions in the past three years combined in Denver and Oakland.
Camarillo has 105 receptions for 1,165 yards and two touchdowns over the past two years in Miami.
“Without Sidney, it sure makes it tougher, Favre said. “But going into the season last year, no one expected the season that Sidney was going to have. So, maybe there’s another guy that can step up and do that.”

Minnesota Vikings Starters Stil Uncertain But SuperBowl Chances Solid

John Sullivan

The Vikings haven’t made a final decision on whether or not to play their starters in Thursday’s preseason finale, but John Sullivan won’t be among them. Plus, Sidney Rice is officially out for at least six weeks, the first roster cuts are in and traffic could be snarled Thursday. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said Tuesday that a final decision on the starters for Thursday’s preseason finale hasn’t been made yet. Most likely, the star players won’t be making an appearance, but a decision to sit the entire starting cast or a portion of it hasn’t been made yet. “Originally I think coach said that he wasn’t going to (play the starters) and then in the team meeting right before the game he said he reserved the right to put them in if he needed to, so I’m not sure he’s made a decision on that,” Bevell said. “He hasn’t told us yet. But the guys did perform pretty decent early in that game and he’ll end up making that decision, probably pretty quick.” Injuries have forced the Vikings make a number of adjustments to their starting lineup, most notably and consistently at center. John Sullivan hasn’t played yet this preseason and Bevell said he wouldn’t be playing again in the preseason finale Thursday night against the Denver Broncos. “I don’t think it’s at that point yet. We’ve got to get him back out here after this preseason game,” Bevell said. “We knew that we weren’t going to have him through this game. Pretty much just being able to see if it can handle pushing off, the physical strain. He’ll be fine conditioning-wise because they’re still working with that.” The Vikings have started 2009 rookie free agent Jon Cooper as well as Anthony Herrera, normally the starting right guard, at center in their first three preseason games. As for the regular-season opener, all three – Sullivan, Herrera and Cooper – are possibilities, Bevell said. Bevell said the team expected to have their five starting offensive linemen from last year all healthy when they started training camp, but “at some point we’ll get Sully back.” RICE MOVED TO RESERVE/PUP The Vikings placed wide receiver Sidney Rice on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, meaning he will officially be out for at least the first six games of the season. Rice had surgery on his hip last week and Vikings coach Brad Childress said it would be “at least” eight weeks before he could return. The Vikings can have him return to practice after the first six games of the season and make a determination about his future after that. Rice tweeted on Tuesday that he was working out in a pool with Timberwolves guard Jonny Flynn. CUTS COME HOME The Vikings got down to the NFL-mandated 75-player roster limit on Tuesday by making the move on Rice and releasing WR Marko Mitchell and OL Bill Noethlich. The team put LB J Leman on the injured-reserve list after he cleared the waived-injured process. He joins WR Jaymar Johnson on that season-ending designation. The Vikings will have to make a decision on CB Cedric Griffin, who is on the active physically-unable-to-perform list by Saturday. Griffin, who hasn’t practiced with the team since tearing his ACL in the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 24, could also be headed for the PUP list if trainers and doctors aren’t convinced he’s ready for action in the coming weeks. The Vikings will have to be down to the NFL-mandated roster limit of 53 players by 5 p.m. Central Saturday, meaning at least 22 players will be waived, along with a decision being made on Griffin. VIKINGS-TWINS SHOWDOWN The city of Minneapolis is warning Vikings and Twins fans of the potential for congested traffic on Thursday night. With the Twins now playing in the new Target Field, Thursday night will mark the first concurrent Twins and Vikings games and the city is projecting that as many as 100,000 people will attend the two games. The Vikings play the Denver Broncos at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 5 p.m., and the Twins host the Detroit Tigers at 7:10 p.m., with gates opening at 5:30 p.m. Additionally, the Orpheum Theatre is presenting the production “Wicked,” with doors opening there at 6:30 p.m. The City of Minneapolis is encouraging those who drive to the games to park as close as they can to that stadium and encouraging other forms of transportation. The Hiawatha Light Rail is expected to be full, but bus service will supplement that before and after the game, picking up passengers at the 28th Ave. Station and Fort Snelling Station and going to both the Metrodome and Target Field. The Northstar commuter rail is sending an eight-car train from the Big Lake Station with stops in Elk River, Anoka, Coon Rapids and Fridley, with arrival at Target Field Station at about 6:10 p.m. Fans headed to the Vikings game will make a free transfer to the Hiawatha light-rail line for the short trip to the Metrodome. After the games, separate sets of buses will depart both venues and deliver passengers back to their starting points. NOTES In addition to the roster moves, Sullivan, TE Garrett Mills, DT Jimmy Kennedy and S Jamarca Sanford weren’t at practice on Tuesday. CB Marcus Sherels and WR Logan Payne were at practice but not participating because of injuries. RB Toby Gerhart returned to practice after missing Monday. Pat Williams
The Vikings have had the best rush defense over the past three years, finishing second last year and first the previous two years. Avoiding four-game suspensions to Pat and Kevin Williams would help keep that important element intact. The recent court decision to delay the suspensions of Pat Williams and Kevin Williams may have a big influence in Brett Favre’s still-pending decision as to whether to come back for another year or to spend an autumn on the farm in Mississippi for the first time in his adult life. The conventional wisdom is that if Favre comes back, the Vikings will make a Super Bowl run. But, without the Williams Wall, those odds would take a hit. The Williamses have both been Pro Bowlers for a reason. With all the complicated offensive schemes designed to open up and exploit defenses, the basic premise of the game remains the same – run the ball effectively on offense and stop the run on defense. If you do that consistently, you stand a better chance to win consistently. With the Williams Wall in place, over the last three years, nobody has done it like the Vikings. In 2007, the Vikings finished 8-8, missing the playoffs thanks to a collapse at home against Washington that would have clinched a wild card berth. Their mediocrity wasn’t due to the run defense. It was rated No. 1 in yards allowed and No. 2 in average per rushing attempt. The problem was that the Vikings couldn’t consistently generate a pass rush and quarterbacks with any acumen (and even some without a lot of street cred) were able to pick them apart – the Vikings had the 32nd-rated pass defense in ’07, which was saying something considering there were six teams that lost 12 or more games and one (Miami) that lost 15 times. In 2008, Jared Allen came to the team and Ray Edwards was given the other full-time starting job and they helped vastly improve the pass rush and the overall defense. The Vikings went from 32nd in the league in pass defense to 18th. It wasn’t a meteoric jump, but it was good enough to help the team improve from 8-8 to 10-6. The run defense was still dominant. They again finished first in rush yards allowed and second in average per rush, leading the Vikings to a division title for the first time in eight years and giving hope that bigger things could be on the horizon. The arrival of Favre kicked expectations up a notch – make that 20 notches. The offense improved exponentially upon his arrival. In the two years previously referenced, the Vikings had started Tarvaris Jackson, Gus Frerotte, Brooks Bollinger and Kelly Holcomb. Favre brought immediate excitement – and more scoring – to the Vikings offense. It put pressure on the defense to keep up and the that side of the ball responded. The numbers slipped slightly – second in the league in rush yards allowed and sixth in average per carry – but the formula remained the same. If you stop them, the wins will come. Had the NFL been able to impose its four-game suspension on the Williamses – the odds of them getting it reduced by a game or two given the rancor of the court cases is unlikely – it might have been enough to keep Favre on the farm side of the fence. But with them back in the fold for the foreseeable future, things again look bright heading into the season, which could be a contributing factor in Favre making the decision so many fans, coaches and teammates are keeping their fingers crossed that he will make. MONDAY NOTES Pro Football Weekly said in its “NFC Whispers” column that Visanthe Shiancoe’s agent Drew Rosenhaus has been talking with the Vikings about a contract extension. Shank is under contract for two more years and, according to PFW, “we hear” Shiancoe would like to be paid among the top five tight ends in the league – a pretty exclusive neighborhood in the range of $5-7 million a year. Shiancoe switched agents a few months ago to hire Rosenhaus, who has several Vikings clients in his management stable. The NFL’s official website has weighed in on the NFC North race and columnist Vic Carucci is predicting hard times for the Vikings and the Saints. He picks both of them (along with Arizona) not to repeat as division champs. He has the Packers beating out the Vikings and Atlanta topping the Saints, leaving the teams from January’s NFC Championship Game battling for the two wild card positions. Adrian Peterson hosted a two-day youth football camp in Norman, Okla. that had more than 450 kids taking part in the camp. NFL rookies are spending the next three days at the NFL’s annual rookie symposium at the La Costa resort in Carslbad, Calif. The symposium got underway Sunday night with a one-hour speech from Commissioner Roger Goodell. The commissioner told the players that there is responsibility with being an NFL player and personal conduct is important to them – now and throughout their careers. Goodell also addressed the increased measures to address injuries. He tied the two issues together, saying his job was “to protect the integrity of the NFL and to make sure the game is as safe as possible.” Only three drafted rookies aren’t at the symposium, but one of them (New York Giants safety Chad Jones), couldn’t attend after suffering what may be a career-ending injury in a car accident in New Orleans. Goodell spoke with Jones Sunday at the hospital where he is beginning the recovery process. NFL Network will unveil its countdown of the 10 best regular-season games of 2009. They are letting fans pick the order of the top five, two of which are Vikings games. Two of the five nominees fans can vote for are the 27-24 Vikings win over San Francisco and their 36-30 overtime loss at Chicago in Week 16. The other nominees are the Colts 35-34 win over New England in Week 10, the “Game Nobody Ever Saw” – a 38-37 win by Detroit over Cleveland in Week 11 – and the Steelers 37-36 win over Green Bay in Week 15. Considering that four of the top five games all involved the NFC North and all four teams are involved in the voting, perhaps the division will get a little more credit than it has the last couple of years for having some quality teams in it. Former Cowboys chant-icon Darryl “Moose” Johnston did a radio interview in Dallas in which he was asked, “It’s late June and assuming Favre is coming back, because he will come back, the two best teams in the NFC right now?” Johnston was short and sweet, saying just “Dallas and Minnesota.” When asked why New Orleans wasn’t in the mix, Johnston said, “Minnesota is you don’t turn the ball over six times, you win that game.”

Brand New Receiving Core For Vikings?

  The Sidney-Rice-less Vikings obviously have no problem adding receivers after snagging Javon Walker and Greg Camarillo last week. Camarillo showed his football acumen Saturday against Seattle with four catches and 47 yards despite just two days of practice for the former Miami Dolphin.
Walker made a sensational 25-yard touchdown catch on a lob between two Seahawks defenders, but he also missed on a few balls thrown his way.
Should the Vikings add one more player off waivers or through a trade? Depends on how happy they are with Walker.
Two popular options being bantered about...
Antonio Bryant -- Bengals paying him $7.85 million just to release him, so he can't be too ready to play. SI's Peter King points out that Bryant has Chondral Defect of the knee, a long-term problem that could scare teams from picking him up off waivers.
Laveranues Coles -- The 32-year-old Coles is reportedly eyeing retirement, but if he's got something left in the tank, maybe the Vikings can convince him.
Not sure either of those players add much value at this stage in their careers, but you've got to think the Vikings will explore all options.

    Now back to Percy Harvin Minnesota Vikings fans / Percy Harvin's migraine headaches have been a riddle that no one has been able to solve.
After another battery of tests last week, and a promising 2010 preseason debut, Harvin hopes he is getting closer to figuring out a debilitating medical condition that has plagued him for most of his life.
The Minnesota Vikings receiver had two catches for 30 yards and took two big shots to the head Saturday night in a preseason victory over Seattle, the first time he's played this year after being stricken by migraines for most of training camp.
``I felt great,'' Harvin said after the game. ``Just glad to get back out there with my teammates and work some of the rust off. I've got a lot of work to do, conditioning-wise, but it felt good to get out there.''
Harvin has barely practiced this month while dealing with the death of his grandmother and a string of headaches that have been maddeningly random and devastatingly severe. No one knows exactly when they're going to occur or what triggers them. Even more frustrating, doctors and trainers have been unable to come up with a treatment to neutralize them.
The Vikings have gone to great lengths to try to identify the causes and understand the problem.
``It's kind of a tenuous thing,'' coach Brad Childress told The Associated Press last month. ``What can exacerbate migraines? Stress? Check. Fatigue? Check. Head or neck trauma? Hmmm.''
Despite playing a sport that doesn't exactly help his condition, Harvin said he has no plans on making a career change.
``It's been rough, but it's life,'' Harvin said. ``I don't want the easy way out sometimes. It's life, I'm dealing with it. I finally got back and it's good to be back out here with my teammates.''
He missed one game last year because of the headaches and missed several practices in the playoffs. But teammates and coaches got their first real glimpse of how serious they can be on Aug. 19, when Harvin vomited and collapsed on the practice field.
He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital and spent the night. More tests ensued and Harvin surprisingly suited up for the game Saturday night despite not practicing all week.
``I did a test (Friday) night and they found some things that we think was the main cause of it,'' Harvin said. ``We're feeling really confident. I know we said that a couple times, but I think this time we found what the main cause was. I'm not saying I'll never get a headache again, but hopefully we can slow it down a little bit.''
The Vikings know they have to be cautious in their optimism, but they were treating that development as good news for the reigning offensive rookie of the year.
With Sidney Rice out for possibly the entire first half of the season with a hip injury, Harvin's importance to the offense has grown exponentially. He is Brett Favre's favorite target and a valued weapon for offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, who can line him up at receiver or running back.
``It was a good start,'' Favre said of Harvin's first game. ``Percy's a football player. I'm not surprised at anything he does.''
Harvin absorbed two big hits in the game, one from Lofa Tatupu that knocked his helmet off in the first half and another from safety Earl Thomas on a slant over the middle.
``He didn't seem any worse for the wear,'' Childress said. ``He took a couple of pretty good licks.''
Harvin knows that's going to come with the territory and prepared himself for it.
``Everybody looks for that first contact to get hit, to feel part of the game,'' he said. ``I was looking forward to getting hit.'' 

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Minnesota Vikings Outlook For The 2010-2011 Season

Vikings Favorites To Win NFC North

Greg Camarillo [Mr. Reliable]

Favre With A Whole New Receiving Crew

Jevon Walker Now With Vikings

Despite having the third toughest schedule this year in the league, The Sporting News picked the Vikings to win the NFC North by a small margin and hailed several of the team’s players as the best at their position in division.

Predictions for the 2010 season are starting to roll in and The Sporting News is the latest to trot out their predictions.

Despite putting Packers QB Aaron Rodgers on the cover, the magazine predicts the Vikings to win the NFC North for a third straight year. The Vikings are picked to finish 11-5, the same record as Green Bay, but the publication gives the Vikings the tie-breaker edge and the division crown.

While the magazine itself picks the Jets and Cowboys in the Super Bowl, in a poll of its four in-house experts, two of them have the Cowboys beating the Packers in the NFC Championship Game and the other two have the Vikings beating Dallas. Of the two that pick the Vikings to go to the Super Bowl, one has the Vikings beating the Jets and the other has the Vikings losing to Baltimore.

However, of the 32 team correspondents that voted, 20 of them picked Green Bay to win the division, while 12 picked the Vikings – none picked the Bears or Lions. Those same correspondents overwhelmingly think Rodgers is the division Offensive MVP, earning 25 votes. Of the other seven votes, five went to Adrian Peterson and two to Brett Favre. On the defensive side, Jared Allen earned 20 votes for Defensive MVP.

The success of the Vikings, however, doesn’t translate to respect for Brad Childress. He received only seven votes for the division’s best coach – Mike McCarthy got 23 votes and Lovie Smith somehow got two. In a related ranking of the NFL’s 32 coaches, Childress ranked 14th.

The All-Division Team, picked by former Lions coach Bobby Ross, was dominated by Vikings, including Favre (over Rodgers), Peterson, Steve Hutchinson, Bryant McKinnie and Percy Harvin on offense, Jared Allen, Kevin Williams, Chad Greenway and Antoine Winfield on defense and Harvin as the division’s kickoff returner.

While the Vikings have some issues that need to be solved before they can begin the process of building momentum as they did last year, they have a lot more believers among those who follow the NFL.

FRIDAY NOTES

• Harvin, who was hoping to play Saturday, sat out Thursday’s practice and, if there was an injury report for the preseason, would likely be viewed as questionable or doubtful for tomorrow’s game.

• The Vikings practiced at Mall of America Field Thursday to get a feel for the new turf that has been laid on the Metrodome floor.

•  Rookie Chris Cook is expected to get the start at right cornerback Saturday, the game in which the starters see the most action of the preseason. There is a growing sentiment that, if Cook performs well in his test Saturday, he could supplant Lito Sheppard or Asher Allen in the starting lineup when the regular season begins.

•  Favre and the rest of the starters are expected to play the entire first half and, most likely, a series or two in the second half as well.

•  Some teams are already taking the third preseason game quite seriously. The Patriots played Tom Brady into the fourth quarter in their loss to the Rams.

•  If the third week of preseason games comes close to mirroring the first two played Thursday, it could be a wild weekend. The Patriots and Rams combined to score 71 points, which was dwarfed by the 83 combined points scored by the Packers and Colts.

Vikings Aquire Two New Receivers

New Addition Greg Camarillo

Jevon Walker

    

Benny Sapp Departed From Vikings

    The Vikings acquired receiver Greg Camarillo from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for cornerback Benny Sapp on Wednesday, one day after signing veteran free agent Javon Walker  The deal is contingent upon both players passing a physical.

Minnesota has little choice: Pro Bowler Sidney Rice will miss at least the first half of the season after having hip surgery Monday, and Percy Harvin hasn't practiced much because of recurring migraines, leaving Brett Favre without his top two targets with just two weeks left in the exhibition season.
Camarillo rebounded from a torn ACL in 2008 to catch 105 passes for 1,165 yards and two touchdowns over the last two years. He is more of a slot receiver than a deep threat, which would make him a more realistic fit to replace Harvin than the 6-foot-4 Rice, whose leaping ability and athleticism contributed to a breakout season last year.
The sure-handed Camarillo did not drop a pass last season.
``We have to get on board together rather quickly, obviously,'' Favre said after practice on Wednesday, referring to a handful of new receivers he has to get to know before the Sept. 9 season opener. ``It will be tougher. I'm not going to sit here and lie to you. It will be tougher than we had hoped. So we've got our work cut out for us.''
Harvin returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since he collapsed during practice last week. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital, remained there overnight and did not travel with the team to San Francisco for the preseason game on Sunday night.
Harvin had some additional tests performed this week, but it is still impossible to predict when the headaches will surface and tests are still being done. He missed one game during the regular season last year, but still racked up more than 2,000 total yards and won the AP offensive rookie of the year award.
In Miami, Camarillo became expendable with the offseason acquisition of Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall. The Dolphins also have Brian Hartline and Davone Bess at receiver.
``It happened to work out good for both teams,'' Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said. ``I don't think from our standpoint you give away a Greg Camarillo if you don't feel like you're getting value in return. And vice versa.''
Camarillo was a starter the past two years. Last season he made 50 catches for 552 yards and no touchdowns. He'll be best remembered in Miami for his 64-yard touchdown catch in overtime against Baltimore for the Dolphins' lone victory in 2007.
Sapp will provide depth for Miami at cornerback behind second-year starters Vontae Davis and Sean Smith. Veteran cornerback Will Allen is coming back from knee surgery and recently underwent a follow-up arthroscopic procedure, and he's expected to be sidelined until at least the end of the exhibition season.
Sapp played in all 16 games for Minnesota last season and started seven when Antoine Winfield went down with a foot injury. He filled in admirably, but fell behind youngsters Asher Allen and Chris Cook early in training camp in the race for the nickel job.
``You get a guy that has some position flexibility,'' Sparano said of Sapp. ``He's played corner and started some games at corner in this league, handled a large number of plays last season, played in some playoff games and also plays inside in the nickel. I think he has a little bit of position flex in that way and plays special teams.''


    But with new receivers Jevon Walker and Greg Camarillo  the Vikings hope to keep their Superbowl hopes golden and the offense geared to play. It'll take some serious getting used to but the Vikings could have a few new starting corner backs and receivers this year. Hey, we all have to accept change and hope for the best.

Brett Favre Ready, But Receiving Core Impaired

Brett Favre had good reason to play for the Vikings in 2009.

    He was never going to admit it, but the chance to show the Green Bay Packers they had made a mistake by jettisoning him after the 2007 season was a huge factor. Nobody ever believed Favre wanted to play a season in New York, and the fact that his year with the Jets went from magical (an 8-3 start) to maddening (he suffered a biceps injury and the Jets won one of their final five games) gave him even more incentive to continue.
This enormous level of motivation helped the 40-year-old Favre put together one of the best seasons of his career. He threw 33 touchdowns, only seven interceptions and led the Vikings to a 12-4 record and the NFC Championship Game.
That brings us to this simple question: What is Favre's motivation this time?
As Favre addressed the media on Aug. 18, 2009, there was a certain fire in his eyes and a defiance in his voice that, from this corner at least, seemed to be largely based on the realization that this would be his opportunity for pay back on Packers General Manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy.
Favre got it by beating the Vikings' NFC North rival twice, 30-23 in a Monday night game at the Metrodome and 38-26 at Lambeau Field.
Favre made his point.
Perhaps that's why as he addressed the media on Aug. 18, 2010, the fire and defiance of a year earlier seemed to be missing. Favre's theme was that this time he had decided to return because of the players in the Vikings locker room.
Jared Allen, Steve Hutchinson and Ryan Longwell had shown up unannounced -- at least to Favre -- on his doorstep in Mississippi and explained to the quarterback exactly how much he was wanted (and needed) for another season. Eventually, Favre couldn't say no.


  As for the rest of Vikings Training camp, there is no real good signs. Sidney Rice, Favre's go - to target and pro bowl receiver has a bad hip, Percy Harvin will undoubtedly be inconsistent as far as starting games this season, and Bernard Berrian is coming off his worst season in a while. Will the Vikings receiving core come together before season start?

How did it come to this?
That seemed an appropriate question Tuesday after Vikings Pro Bowl wide receiver Sidney Rice acknowledged he had hip surgery that could keep him out for at least eight weeks and perhaps the season.
The arthroscopic procedure at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colo., was done to repair an injury Rice suffered seven months ago in the NFC Championship Game at New Orleans. That meant an entire offseason in which Rice could have had the problem corrected was now gone and, thus, so was one of Brett Favre's favorite targets.
Rice said he visited the clinic in the offseason but when he went back in recent days, his hip "showed significant changes." "[The doctor] said it was something I could try and work through," Rice said of his initial visit. "That was the plan I tried. I was trying to rehab it. The area just got worse."
Rice remained in Vail, where he had the surgery on Monday and shortly thereafter was allowed to ride an exercise bike for 20 minutes.
"I would think probably at least eight weeks before we're talking about [him] doing anything," coach Brad Childress said.
Rice, who caught a career-best 83 passes for 1,312 yards with eight touchdowns last season in his first year playing with Favre, has been on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list since training camp opened. By staying there when the regular season begins, he would be ineligible to play for the first six weeks and would not count against the 53-man roster. He could be kept on the PUP list through the ninth week of the season, but he would then have to be activated or placed on season-ending injured reserve.
Childress wasn't about to bite when asked if Rice had made a business decision -- not wanting to risk injury in part because he's due a salary of $550,000 this season in the last year of his rookie contract.



Looking on to the positive, Brett Favre is back, Cedric Griffin looks healthy finally,  E.J. Henderson got seven tackles and one sack vs the San Fransisco 49ers on Sunday and one sack;coming back to form, and Antoine Winfield hopefully has gotten over his endeavors as well. So Vikings fans, let your heart open and get a Brett Favre or Minnesota  Vikings player jersey below:

Sack Brings Brett Favre's 2010 Debut With The Vikings To An Early End

Brett Favre Smiles After Being Sacked

Patrick Willis Sacks Brett Favre On His 3rd Play

  

Trench Battle At CandleStick Park

       One proclamation and three preseason practices were all Vikings quarterback Brett Favre needed to leverage a start Sunday night in his 2010 debut against the 49ers.

Peterson Redeems Himself After

One brief offensive series and leaky pass protection were all it took to convince coach Brad Childress to put Favre back in the box and let the more prepared Tarvaris Jackson line up behind the first-team offensive line.

Favre was on the field for only four plays during the Vikings' 15-10 loss at Candlestick Park before he was seen donning a baseball cap and basking in the northern California sunshine on the sideline.

Afterward, with little to evaluate about his appearance, Favre did damage control, scoffing at a report last week that he does not trust Childress because they clashed several times last season about how the offense should be managed.

"I would say at times we disagreed on certain things but our relationship is fine. It really is," Favre told reporters after the game. "We were fine the next day. We worked it out. I thought our results last year spoke for themselves."

On Wednesday, the day after Favre reported to Minnesota, Yahoo! Sports quoted an anonymous teammate saying Favre had little respect for Childress and questioned Childress' clumsy attempts to control news about the three-man reconnaissance mission to bring him back.

Favre called a team meeting Thursday, when Childress was visiting Percy Harvin at the hospital after the receiver collapsed during practice, to dismiss the Yahoo! story and caution his teammates about unfounded leaks.

"I felt like it was important that we cleared the air and made sure that we were together in that room when we left, and we were," Favre said. "(Childress) was made out to be the scapegoat but it was a totally ridiculous article. The guys that spoke in that meeting said, 'Hey, if someone has a problem with another player or another coach in here, speak up like a man.'

"No one obviously spoke up. That's not to say there would be someone who would say that. But I don't believe it. I really don't. That was addressed, and I think that's behind us now."

Much like his first preseason start last year against Kansas City, when Favre was leveled by Chiefs linebacker Corey Mays on his third snap, Favre's ordinary series Sunday will be remembered for him getting flattened by another blitzing linebacker.

The 49ers' Patrick Willis easily shed Adrian Peterson's block in the backfield and teamed with fellow linebacker Takeo Spikes to swarm Favre and drive him to the turf for a 10-yard loss. "



What can the Vikings foreshadow  this season from Favre's short performance against the 49er's, not much. Favre looked a little hesitant on his throws and didn't have the spark in his eye that we know. All we can conclude is that he's eager to play again and hopefully ready to go after that Superbowl this season. Brett remarked, "when I'm I decided to return the only way I know how to go is all in and if I wasn't ready to return and play at that level than I wouldn't have returned." Brett Favre says he's all in mentally but how about physically. Quarterbacks need to have resiliency and this year Favre's ankle and aging body could prevent him from playing to his potential. We all know Favre's "all in " mentally, but his ankle might keep him out of games.


     Favre's biggest play came to RB Adrian Peterson for a sidleine dump pass for 13 yards. Two plays later 49ers linebacker and pro bowler Patrick Willis sacked him for a 10 yard loss forcing Favre out of the game and the Vikings to punt. But be realistic Vikings fans. Don't talk smack about Brett Favre just because his first offensive series was unsuccessful. He played four plays not even enough to warm him up. Preceding the game vs the 49ers, which the Vikings lost 10-15, Favre only practiced three times. So, it's like going from throwing to high school kids with nobody trying to sack you, to stud pro bowlers like Takeo Spikes and Patrick Willis sacking you. We all know that Brett Favre is going to unload his strikes come game day against the Saints and will kick ass again this season. When Brett gets going there is no stopping him so all that's got to happen is for Brett to start seeing the plays and getting used to moving in the pocket and throwing tight passes again. Anyways, here;s a recap of the Pre-season loss vs the San Fransisco 49ers:


It took Brett Favre all summer to decide he'd play football again. Patrick Willis helped end Favre's night after one series.




Willis brought the rush to Favre on the Vikings' third play of the game for a 10-yard sack with teammate Takeo Spikes closing as well.



Willis considered it payback for a down field block Favre threw on him in a Week 3 loss last season.



"He's a wise old vet," Willis said after Sunday's 15-10 victory over the Vikings at Candlestick. "I guess he was like, 'This is a little too much for me right now just coming back.' I guess a lot of people thought he shouldn't have played.



"I was happy to be out there myself."



Willis played two series with the starting defense, and made sure it was ready to go with the season opener still three weeks away.



Dropping a 40-year-old quarterback just off the Mississippi farm is one thing. It was quite another how Willis ankle-tackled Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson in the open field.



And, going back to that Favre sack ... it happened as Willis shoved Peterson into the quarterback.



"That was my fault," Peterson said. "Willis, being the great 'backer that he is, got underneath me and pushed me right into him."