Favre from trouble...

This is the statement the league released about Favres run in with Jenn Sterger...

 

Favre was fined 50,000 for not cooperating with league officials.

 

From the NFL

 

The NFL office conducted an investigation to determine whether Brett Favre’s interaction with New York Jets game-day employee Jenn Sterger in 2008 violated the NFL Personal Conduct Policy.

 

In reviewing the matter, the sole focus was on whether there was a violation of league policies regarding conduct in the workplace.  NFL policies do not extend to private conduct or make judgments about the appropriateness of personal relationships, except where that conduct or those relationships raise issues under the law or league policies.

 

The investigation included an analysis of publicly available reports; a series of interviews with knowledgeable individuals, including Sterger and Favre; a review of communications between the two furnished to our office; and independent forensic analysis of electronically stored material. The investigation was limited in several respects because the conduct occurred in 2008 but was not brought to our attention until this fall.  As a result, certain records and individuals were unavailable to the NFL.

 

The investigation also reviewed a second media report about allegations involving other women who worked at the Jets’ facility in 2008.  Misconduct by Favre regarding that claim was unable to be substantiated because individuals with potentially relevant information declined to be interviewed or otherwise cooperate with the investigation. In addition, our investigation took longer than might ordinarily have been the case due to difficulties in arranging to speak with certain key individuals, the time required to retrieve and review stored electronic records, and Commissioner Roger Goodell’s decision to meet personally with both Favre and Sterger before making a decision. 

 

On the basis of the evidence currently available to him, Commissioner Goodell could not conclude that Favre violated league policies relating to workplace conduct. The forensic analysis could not establish that Favre sent the objectionable photographs to Sterger. The review found no evidence to contradict the statements of both Favre and Sterger that they never met in person, nor was there anything to suggest that Sterger engaged in any inappropriate conduct.

 

However, Commissioner Goodell also determined that Favre was not candid in several respects during the investigation, resulting in a longer review and additional negative public attention for Favre, Sterger, and the NFL. The commissioner notified Favre that he has been fined $50,000 for his failure to cooperate with the investigation in a forthcoming manner. Commissioner Goodell stated to Favre that if he had found a violation of the league’s workplace conduct policies, he would have imposed a substantially higher level of discipline.

 

In a memo to clubs today, Commissioner Goodell reminded them of the serious nature of this matter and stated that NFL policies make no excuses for improper or potentially unlawful conduct in the workplace. “Every member of every club’s staff should be able to work in an environment free of harassment or hostility, and one in which every employee is valued, respected, and given a full opportunity to contribute to the goals of the club and the NFL,” Commissioner Goodell said. “Our new training program on workplace conduct will help all of us to promote the right kind of environment for all employees and I intend to dedicate the fine I have imposed on Favre to help fund that training program.”

 

Synopsis...

 

Waste of time and effort by all and I am glad its over with.

 

 

Spinning the Webb of Victory

Minnesota 24 Philadelphia 14

A shocker in Philadelphia is an understatement after watching the Minnesota Vikings get rolled by a combined 61-17 in their last two games. And by the way, I don't give the New York Giants much credit because they just aren't a good football, period. With that said the 24-14 victory for the Vikes couldn't have been more unlikely but it also couldn't have been more deserved. More on that in a moment. Lets look at how this may have hurt them first.

Glass Half Empty

Depending on which way you want to look at last nights victory, (And trust me, I think it was beautiful) in an odd twist of fate this win could have been  the worst thing for the Vikings as it bumps them down in their draft positioning. Had they lost their last two games, they could have done as well as third thru fifth which would have given them a shot at a big time QB like Cam Newton or Ryan Mallett from Arkansas or a much needed shut down corner like Prince Amukamara. Amukamara, from Nebraska maybe the best DB in the draft, hes big, runs a 4.49 and was named first team All-American.  The Vikings likely now will be picking outside the top 10 in the draft and that hurts them as they are in dire need of immediate secondary an quarterback help. 

The other bad news from last nights win, is that by beating Philadelphia, the Vikings not only helped Chicago clinch a bye in round 1, they pretty much pushed the Packers into the playoffs by creating a meaningless game scenario for the Bears. I know only diehards care about that but it does suck to help out those two teams! But that's the bad news, as Kenny Chesney sang, lets get to the "Good Stuff"!

DEEE- Fense

In one of the most improbable wins in the last few years considering the circumstances and the way the Vikings have looked their last two games, the Vikings found out some very important things about their team. 

First off, What a extraordinary job done by Leslie Frazier and defensive coordinator, Fred Pagac (who coached Antoine Winfield at Ohio State) not only did they have their players motivated and ready to play in one of the weirdest seasons, and situations in NFL History, but they devised a blueprint for other teams to shutdown Mike Vick and Philadelphia.  Since the Arizona game, Jared Allen has been a man on fire. 8.5 sacks in that time, one of the top pass rushers in the NFL but more importantly last night he held containment on the run even when he was getting up field in the rush which helped force Lashaun McCoy back inside to the meat of the Vikings defense. They also dialed up the pressure, using Zero or Casino blitzes and bringing the corners off the edge, that included the Antoine Winfield strip sack that was returned for the TD.That TD by Winfield was a key turning point in the game, because it stopped a Philly drive at midfield and instead of being down by two scores at the half they went in with the game tied and a belief they could win.

If you rember Winfield had one very similiar in a Monday Night Game at the Superdome in a 31-28 win vs. New Orleans.

Their secondary played well outside of the THREE, count them three dropped interceptions. The Frank Walker one had to have been the ugliest of the bunch. Then again, the Lito Sheppard one had to be the most embarrassing since he spent 7 seasons in front of those fans.

 3 Good Reasons to Hire Frazier

Regardless of what happens next week against the Detroit Lions the Vikings have to seriously consider the way that Leslie Frazier has handled this team and calmed the stormy seas after the debacle that was this season.

He not only had the Vikings ready in odd circumstances, they played their best game against an MVP candidate, a east coast media anointed Super Bowl contender, and arguably the most explosive offense in the NFL. They also snapped a nine game road losing streak at Washington, while going 3-2 in his five games, while miraculously only playing one of those games inside their home stadium the Metrodome. I think the other thing that is a tell tale sign that speaks volumes of what Frazier has done with this team, is that every player in that locker room has lobbied for him as the Vikings Head Coach when they have had the chance. It also helps when Tony Dungy does as well on national TV.

In my opinion, Leslie Frazier is the guy for this team.

1. Because most importantly the players like, respect, and want to play for him. I found it funny that Winfield said last night "We respect Coach Frazier because coach understands us because he played the game". I felt like that was a little shot at how far the respect went with Brad Childress.

2. Tell me if your Zygi Wilf, who are you going to get to coach your team if it isn't Frazier. He's cheap too. Plus Cowher, Gruden, Parcells blah blah  you name the names, aren't coming to Minnesota and Wilf isn't paying them. The only guy I could see is Tom Coughlin if he gets fired but I doubt he will.

3. Frazier deserves the job. Hes had 7 head coaching interviews and never had his chance. Now we have seen what he can do with a banged up team, without a starting QB, that quit on their last coach and at worst they will finish 3-3 under him with only one of those games played in his home stadium.

Verdict in on Webb

The jury isn't out of deliberation. But I will say that last nights win for the Vikings led by Joe Webb was very impressive from a leadership perspective which until Tuesday night, I didn't know he possessed.

- He was efficient, but most importantly he was at the most crucial time. 8 of 11 in the second half for 124 yards, a beautiful rope off his back foot for 46 yards to Percy Harvin and, a Vick like 9-yard TD run that broke the ankles of three Eagles defenders, like he was Tim Hardaway with the killer crossover. 

- The play of the game though was, on 3rd and 11 with about 8 minutes left in the game, he fires a rocket on target to Percy Harvin for 19 and a first down which led to the Peterson TD. Game over.

- The Vikings also came into the game with the worst turnover ratio for Qb's in the NFL and on the leagues biggest regular season stage, he took care of the ball. Unlike Vick who fumbled twice and threw one pick, while having the three others dropped.

Looking ahead

- I think next week Favre still starts if he's healthy, regardless of how Webb does next week it doesn't change anything, you know you have a guy in Webb that has star potential. After 20 years though, and a Hall of Fame career, Favre should get the start and ride off in the sunset. Webb then will have a full off season to start getting ready for next years Qb contraversy.

Plus he can do this...

Ramblings and Memories for Monday...

- Hasn't anyone figured out yet that Norv Turner is a terrible NFL head coach?! The guy keeps coaching in the NFL and its mind bottling (Ya know when your thoughts get all bottled up). He is 98-105-1 lifetime as a head coach in 13 seasons, hes been the head of 3 teams (Was, OAK, SD) and has only qualified for the playoffs 4 times. Once he went as an 8-8 playoff team. Probably the same record as what the much maligned NFC West Champ will have this year as a playoff team. His teams have never started well, even with loaded San Diego Chargers squads and hes only finished over .500 five times, and in one of those years (2000 Wash) he was fired with a 7-6 record.

Norv needs to go - They were way better off with Marty Schottenheimer, who they replaced with Turner in 2007. Schottenheimer was 35-13 his last three seasons in San Diego before being fired following a 14-2 year and a AFC Divisional playoff loss to New England when the Chargers fumbled an INT that would have sealed the victory just by taking a knee.

The Vikings maybe headed down this same path.

- Don't write off the Timberwolves as a bunch of nobodies, yet. It could be a mistake in a couple years. I will answer my own questions as if I am Brett Favre. Are they bad this year? Yes. Would they like to stop blowing double digit leads? Absolutely. But last night they came up with a big win on the road snapping a 7 game losing streak, that was part of a much larger 13 game road losing streak by rallying from 14 down in the final eight minutes to beat Cleveland 98-97 behind a red hot Bee Eazy. With Michael Beasley, Wes Johnson, K-Love, Johnny Flynn and the  possibility of getting Ricky Rubio next year they have one of the better and youngest nucleaus' in the league. Overall they are the NBA's youngest team and have some solid role players as well, like Wayne Ellington Luke Ridnour and even the maligned Darko! Kudos to David Kahn for putting together something to start looking forward to at Target Center.

-Lastly Wild on the road today against Columbus. Jose Theodore will start, and Cam Barker should be back in the lineup. Nick Schultz who passed his concussion test will get an opportunity to get back into the line up possibly tonight. Also Brad Staubitz should play.

These are games the Wild desperately need to have. Columbus sits one point ahead of Minnesota in the Western Conference with one more game played. This is where the mediocre make the playoffs, by winning these types of games.

Wild win 3-1.

The Worst Season in the 50 years of the Vikings is the 50th

- Vikings game tomorrow night and in my opinion Brett Favre will not start and should not start. As much as I appreciated the willingnes to go out there and get his head beat in against the Bears, I'd love for him to just get some rest and call it a career. This coming from the biggest Favre apologist, and biggest Vikings homer, Favre needs to shut it down. In my mind he's the toughest and one of the greatest.  Hes done everything and deserves a heroes send off but for his health he needs to do what Steve Mariucci said he should do on NFL Gameday morning this week...

"Brett you keep saying you have nothing to prove, Well I say you do. Prove to us you can let the game go. Its over. And you still have that to prove to us and to yourself. Prove that you can let the game go and sit out the rest of the season. Its over, Brett. Its over, let it go."

In order for Favre to play tomorrow night against Philly he would have to pass a league mandated concussion test and so far he hasn't. It doesn't look like he will either, the Vikings DON'T have one scheduled with him for today.  In my opinion Joe Webb will start.

With the Vikings going through one of their worst seasons in team history I wanted to remind you of my Top 5 heart wrenching Vikings moments...

#5 Josh McCown and the NFL's worst franchise does in Mike Tice

#4 Its Darrin Nelson's Fault

#3 The Pushoff



# 2 The Tragic Hero - His greatest strength was is ultimate demise

#1 The Perfect Season, Er wait...

Hope you enjoyed reliving the memories as much as I!

Have a wonderful Monday

Blizzard, Really? So many questions...

Whats up with the big storm in Philly???? Were they serious? 12 inches and they cancelled the game? Whatta joke. Does anyone else smell something fishy here?

Is the league looking for a bigger rating trying to get the man, the myth, the legend symptom free?? Is this something thats even possible?

What is Robby Incmikowski doing in Philadelphia and why wouldnt he be going to the Vikings-Eagles game?

These are questions we need answers for!

Could the Vikings have any more odd stuff happen to them? Honestly, what else could possibley happen?

The only thing I can think of to take this season to the next level  is that the Vikes ask Leslie Frazier to stay as the defensive coordinater but not offer him the head caoching position. Then John Gruden accepts the Vikings vacant head coaching position, and Brett Favre decides to return to Minnesota for ONE more season...

I cant think of anything that I would want more, well maybe a meaningless TUESDAY NIGHT GAME the first in the NFL since 1946!

Just a fun fact...

Everybody knows by now that the Giants blew a 31-10 4th quarter lead to Eagles last week, as Philly rallied to win 38-31 in final quarter. Well in 1985 the Vikes in a rare season when they played the Eagles twice, once at the Vet and once in the dome, it was the Vikings who rallied down 23-7 in final 8 minutes to beat the Eagles at Veterans Stadium. Wade Wilson came off the bench relieving an ineffective Tommy Kramer and  threw two td passes to Anthony Carter, while Willie Teal returned a fumble for a td to beat Philly 28-23. The Vikes finished 7-9, it was Bud Grants final season. 

More on the Vikes in the morning!

Merry Christmas

Detroit 4 WIld 1

- Tonight the Wild were gunned down by the Red Wings falling to 16-14-4. They were 13th in the West going into tonight. Big key is starting to win some home games, they are 8-8-2 overall at home this year that ranked them 21 out of 30 teams prior to the game tonight. Their home record HAS to improve if they have any illusions of making the playoffs.

- Interesting play tonight during the game. Andrew Brunette makes great play to take two defenders with him and goes to the net looks back door to Marco Scandella who had jumped into the play on the backside. Brunette threads a sick pass thru the slot and nobody was there....It should have been a tap in goal for Scandella but he peeled off when he was in too deep and Brunettes beautiful pass went for not.

Its the little things that are hurting the Wild and Scandellas lack of confidence in the offensive zone cost them a goal tonight.

- First two Detroit goals scored tonight below the goal line. Listening to Former North Star and NHL Network analyst Larry Murphy in between periods, He said, "those goals look lucky but Detroit is so smart with the puck you always have to be aware when they are around the net and even know those were unconventional goals they were calculated." 

I would agree to a certain extent with Murphy except for the part of Nik Backstrom playing dodge puck on the second one. The first one also took a couple of funny bounces on the way in but I will give Henrik Zetterberg credit for banking it in off his backside.

- Wild only had only 8 shots thru the first two periods.

- Jose Theodore will start in goal tomorrow vs Columbus, per Todd Richards after the game.

- Also Richards expects defenseman Cam Barker to be re-inserted into the lineup after being a healthy scratch teh last three games.

- Richards also said, "That he's sure Nickolas Backstrom would agree that he should have stopped that second goal Detroit scored." It gave Detroit a 2-0 lead at the end of 1.

- In the US World Jr teams 3-2 win vs Finland, Wild second rounder and Denver University Freshman star Jason Zucker scored in the win. Zucker leads freshman goal scorers with 14.

I will continue to blog for and from all Wild home games when I am not working Denver University games for FSN Rocky Mountain. Please check on game nights for news and notes for coverage of our Minnesota Wild.

Just some ramblings....

- WTF is up with the NCAA suspending guys for trading autographs for tattoos??? Half those guys wont make a dollar playing pro sports and a third will be broke if they do! Are you effing me? University's make millions off these kids and the people who are suspending them have jobs because of them. How bout holding that slimy snake Pete Carrolls feet to the fire who bailed when things got too hot at USC?? What a bunch of BS. Carroll gets off like he's OJ Simpson, like Ron Meyer did at SMU and his players get punished, the NCAA has to reevaluate their system.

- T'wolves, fun, exciting, talented and have some serious ability to turn the franchise around....But if Keyshawn saw them blow their seventh double digit lead last night, and saw how they finished by Martell Webster pumping up a 25 foot three with an eternity left on the clock, he'd a said C'MON MAN!

- The Wilds second rounder, and freshman at Denver University Jason Zucker has been named to the U.S. World Junior team that competes in Buffalo, NY December 26- January 5th. Zucker is a great kid, who has explosive speed, great touch around the net, and a bomb of a shot. Currently he leads the NCAA in freshman goal scoring with 14.

-  What happens when the Vikings go to Philadelphia this weekend and get boot stomped? As much as I like Leslie Frazier and his demeanor, his defense is awful and the team has performed the last two weeks like it used to under Dennis Green when they would be down 21 at halftime on the road and wouldn't have a chance. That was the one thing I liked about the Vikings when Brad Childress coached. It was that they were ALWAYS (Exception Green Bay game at dome) in games, especially on the road. Even when they went through that tough stretch of nine games without a road win they had a chance in most of them. I am all for consideration of Leslie Frazier but man, if the last couple games is a sign of how his players play for him, no thanks, Ill take the Chilly one!

A Little Barker With No Bite

Tonight the Avalanche host the Wild at the Pepsi Center in Colorado. Game Time is at 8pm on FS North.

To me whats interesting about the game is the absence once again of Minnesota Wild defenseman Cam Barker. Barker was the third overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry draft behind Alexander Ovechkin and Evegni Malkin, will be a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game.

With the Wild looking to make a charge at the playoffs this season they could really use the talents of an offensive minded defensemen who tallied 40 points in 68 games, and another nine in 17 playoff contests in his second full season with the Hawks. That's the guy the Wild thought they were getting when they traded puck moving defenseman Kim Johnsson and their top defensive prospect Nick Leddy, the former 16th overall pick in 2009 (Though the Wild were criticized for taking him that high) to Chicago. What they got was a guy who's played 45 games with the Wild, has a total of one goal, for11 total points, and tonight as they try to come up with the proverbial four point win against division foe Colorado, Cam Barker is a healthy scratch. Not to mention the Avalanche come in as the top scoring team in the NHL averaging nearly 4 goals per game.  Last time you remember the Wild played shinny and were blasted 7-4 after taking a lead into the second period. 

So tonight after mortgaging a promising young defenseman, in Leddy (who has as many goals as Barker and hes only played 6 NHL games in an earlier season call up) and a 10 year vet, Johnsson (Ended up injured after only eight games with Chicago), a year later the Wild are still looking for a young defensemen to help solidify their corps. Unfortunately the group who will play tonight against the high octane Avalanche offense, include three rookies named Stoner, Spurgeon and Scandella.  Meanwhile the scratch is a healthy 6-4, 24 year old former third overall pick that cant crack the line up of a team that sits 13th in the Western Conference.  By all accounts there wasn't a lot of reason to believe that Barker would work his way to becoming a better prospect, and that maybe why the Hawks jettisoned him after pinning their turn of the century rebirth on three talented kids known as the ABC line. (Tyler Arnason, Mark Bell, Kyle Calder). We'll we've all seen the True Hollywood stories of the rise and fall of many talented rock bands, well this group from Chicago lived it up like talented rock stars and true to form their story is being told with a Where are they now twist. For Barker, Chicago may have already been to the well with this type of player or players and were happy to let the Wild produce this story of hitting rock bottom.

 *Please forgive errors