Greatness Determined Here

This Super Bowl week gives me a great opportunity to see Super Bowl History come to life. It is the ultimate football museum on radio row. Whether it be the players from those famous games or artifacts from those moments we all scream for, it is quite obvious that these historic games determine the future perception of these men.

Watching Joe Montana walk the room is absolutely a stop down event no matter how many times you have seen him. Everyone treats him differently than pretty much anyone else that walks through. He is at the top level of this museum.

Amazing, really. As it pertains to the Colts and Saints, they are determining their future. All these athletes have done to get to this point - and it is a lifetime of dedication and hard work - may not matter. Instead, it shall be based on the results and events of Sunday, February 7, 2010.

Think about a guy like Drew Brees career. Success in High School, fame at Purdue, achievements in San Diego, and then the revival of a franchise in New Orleans. But, if he tanks on Sunday, he could be walking around the media center at Super Bowl 57 in a similar way that Dan Fouts and Boomer Esiason do, but not the way Montana and Troy Aikman do.

Because Montana and Aikman represent the victors. They were the Champions of this ultimate game. They had the opportunity and seized the moment. Esiason? He tried, but then Montana took his football immortality away. Fouts? Never even had the chance to play here. Jim Kelly? He had a Super Bowl moment - or 4 - but how was his legacy changed by Scott Norwood? And how did Norwood help cement Bill Parcells as a guy who shouldn't be 2nd guessed?

Funny thing, if you think about it. Eli Manning is in a group that Dan Marino will never be in. And what makes that discussion so odd to me is that Archie Manning must understand this better than anyone. Does he really think that both of his sons are not just a little better than he was - but WAY better than he was? Does Archie really believe that they figured out QB so much more effectively than he did? Archie has tons of class, so I doubt he would ever speak 100% honestly about his feelings, but somewhere deep inside he has to wonder about his legacy - not his family's. And his legacy was based largely on the fact that he never had a chance to be immortal in our football terms. He was on a team that never had a chance.

Did that make him less of a QB? Or Kelly? Or Marino? Or Peyton Manning before 2006? Now we speak of Archie's son as if he belongs on a pedestal right next to Joe Montana if he finds success in Super Bowl 44. And I don't think this is a wrong viewpoint as he has been revealed as an absolute football genius - but, when did we finally realize it? I will tell you. It was realized only when he had a ring to back up what our eyes were telling us.

And that is what I am conflicted about. We all know very well that statistics are the best way to measure a man's individual performance in a team-game climate. We use it to judge one player against another on a routine basis in all of our team sports that we love. And yet, when we need to measure a man's entire life's accomplishments, we use rings and championships which are fully dependent on those who joined that man in his quest for immortality.

Football is the oddest of all of these sports, because unlike basketball where we determine whose team it is based on who the best player is (Celtics - Bird-SF, Bulls - Jordan-SG, Lakers - Shaquille-C). In basketball, regardless of position, the best player gets the credit. But in football we seem to always attach historical significance to a team based on who their QB is. Sometimes there is no difference - their best player is their QB - but other times, it is clear that the QB is simply part of an ensemble cast. And yet, when they win, even if Eli Manning contributes 20% or 25% of his team's load, he is the one who gets to join other QBs who have won the game - even if they contributed 50% of their team's workload.

Consider the case of Kurt Warner. Something I wrote about earlier in the week seemed weird even to me when comparing Kurt Warner to Troy Aikman. How dare somebody do that? Aikman, in many of our minds, is incomparable. He has 3 rings in 4 years. That puts him in a class that has almost no equal. In fact, in the Super Bowl era, only Tom Brady can say the same. Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw cannot even say that. But, what separates Kurt Warner and Troy Aikman in terms of career World Titles? This amazing kick and This amazing catch . If those two historic moments don't occur the way they did, Kurt Warner is in the 3 Lombardi club - And Tom Brady is not.

And the crazy thing about it all? When the kick that Adam Vinatieri made in Super Bowl 36 went through the uprights, neither Tom Brady nor Kurt Warner were standing on the field of play! Both of their careers would always be impacted by that 1 single play. They would be introduced differently at luncheons. They would be more interesting to corporations who were looking for a pitchman. In some ways, almost everything would change - and yet, they did not participate in the play that would either make or break them.

This isn't golf or tennis - where you take all of your own putts. This is a sport that is based on every last member of your roster doing their job. And yet, we reward the victorious QB and sneer at the defeated QB forever. Is it really Drew Bledsoe's fault that his special teams couldn't tackle Desmond Howard? Well, there is a decent chance Bledsoe will not be remembered more than Jim Zorn in 20 years because he lost 1 game in which a kick returner was the Most Valuable Player. Should Eli Manning really be placed above Donovan McNabb in the historical pyramid of greatness? David Tyree makes it so.

I love this sport above all others. I love every portion of football, and I really don't like dealing with another looming off-season where I must settle for other sports that are fine, but not my beloved NFL.

But, I have a hard time understanding this game properly. Why do we ignore circumstances and luck? Why do we not factor in Archie Manning's lot in life when we consider his work? Why is Dan Fouts not considered as good a QB as Doug Williams? How does that make any sense? What separates Ben Roethlisberger from Phil Rivers? Why do we ignore stats when looking at Bart Starr or Aikman? Because. All that matters is victory.

We still don't know how to properly assign credit for those victories, but we do know that a 67% completion percentage only goes so far if you never perform at your best in one of the 43 Super Bowls in our memory banks.

And that is why we cannot wait for Sunday. Some body's legacy will change forever.

The Herschel Walker Incident

Yesterday was what will be known as "the Herschel Walker incident". We all make decisions in life, and I will have to live with this one.

The incident is in the final minute.

Stars-Wild Preview

Tonight at the American Airlines Center the Dallas Stars host the Minnesota Wild. Going into tonight the Wild and Stars are seperated by one point, 59, and 58 respectively. While Dallas is tied with Anaheim for the 10th spot, Detroit and Calgary are tied for the eighth and final playoff spot with 62 points.





Dallas (24-20-11, 59 pts)

• Warren Peters was called up from the Texas Stars (AHL) as Brian Sutherby injured his shoulder in the 4-2 loss to Phoenix on Sunday night.


• The Stars activated Jere Lehtinen off the IR on Sunday. He was suppose to come off the previous game against Colorado but they had a filing issue with the league and the proper paperwork wasn't turned in before the deadline therefore leaving Lehtinen ineligible for Friday nights game. He ended Sunday playing 14:34 and registering three shots on goal.


• For the third time this season the Stars tried to win three in a row for the first time all year, and for the third time they were denied. The previous two times by Vancouver, this time by Phoenix.


• After getting outshot by Phoenix 15-5 in the first period Sunday, the Stars ramped it up and outshot the Coyotes 35-16 in the final two periods including 23-9 in the third.


• Alex Auld struggled on a couple goals in the game Sunday including a big one surrendered to Shane Doan with no traffic in front from the bluline. My guess is that soft goal will be enough for Marc Crawford to solidify Marty Turco as tonights starter between the pipes.


• With the grind of the recent schedule for the Stars over the last week or so, Marc Crawford gave the team a day off of practice yesterday. Minnesota hasn't played since Friday, but they did have a late skate yesterday afternoon.

Wild are coming off a 5-2 loss at San Jose on Saturday night. Minnesota (27-24-4, 58 pts)

• Josh Harding started in net as starter Niklas Backstrom has been bothered by a sore back. He did not dress for Saturday nights contest at HP Pavillion. Wade Dubielewicz, the former Denver Pioneer sat in as the back up.


• In the Wilds 5-2 loss they allowed a team franchise high four power play goals to San Jose.


• The Wild come into tonights game losers of seven of their last eight on the road.


• Miko Koivu has 2-2-4 in his last four games, and Eric Belanger has nine points in his last 12 games

Tonight Marty Turco will start in goal against Josh Harding.

• Wade Dubielewicz was called back up after being sent down to Houston following the San Jose game. He arrived this morning for the pregame skate.
• Brian Sutherby is ruled out for tonight and Warren Peters will take his spot in the line up.

Tonight Marty Turco will have another opportunity to step up be the go to netminder. Do I think this will happen? Not so much but tonight I think he'll be great.

The Wild are similiar to the Stars, not only in points and record but they also are very good at home and very poor on the road. Stars win 3-2.

Super Bowl 44 - Day 1

Here we are live in Miami (for some reason, this year it is actually Fort Lauderdale) for Super Bowl XLIV.

My interests during Super Bowl week are everywhere. But, there is no question that one of the main things on my sports brain is the annual Hall of Fame tug of war .

Here is who we have this year:

HALL OF FAME FINALISTS

Player Pos. Team(s) Years
Tim Brown WR LA/Oak., TB 1988-04
Cris Carter WR Phil., Min., Mia 1987-02
Don Coryell Coach StL Cards, SD 1973-86
Roger Craig RB SF, LA Rai., Min. 1983-93
Dermonti Dawson C Pitt. 1988-00
Richard Dent DE Chi, SF, Ind., Phi 1983-97
Russ Grimm G Wash. 1981-91
Charles Haley DE-LB SF, Dallas 1986-99*
Rickey Jackson LB New Orl., SF 1981-95
Cortez Kennedy DT Seattle 1990-00
Dick LeBeau CB Detroit 1959-72
Floyd Little RB Denver 1967-75
John Randle DT Minn., Sea. 1990-03
Andre Reed WR Buff., Wash. 1985-00
Jerry Rice WR SF, Oak., Sea. 1985-04
Shannon Sharpe TE Den., Bal. 1990-03
Emmitt Smith RB Dallas, Ari. 1990-04

I am pretty sure that Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith are in. So, we have 2-4 more spots to roll with.

Lebeau and Little are Veteran committee selections so I think they generally have an excellent chance. So that leaves Tim Brown, Cris Carter, Andre Reed, Shannon Sharpe, Charles Haley, Richard Dent, and Don Coryell as the front runners to battle for the final 2 or 3 spots.

===========================================



Meanwhile, plenty of questions about Kurt Warner and his Hall of Fame bid. I have him in, but let's bring you up to speed on the situation.

First, we should establish what QB's are in the Hall of Fame:

Troy Aikman 1989-2000
George Blanda (Also PK) 1949-1958, 1960-1975
Terry Bradshaw 1970-1983
Len Dawson 1957-1975
John Elway 1983-1998
Dan Fouts 1973-1987
Otto Graham 1946-1955
Bob Griese 1967-1980
Sonny Jurgensen 1957-1974
Jim Kelly 1986-1996
Bobby Layne 1948-1962
Dan Marino 1983-1999
Joe Montana 1979-1994
Warren Moon 1984-2000
Joe Namath 1965-1977
Bart Starr 1956-1971
Roger Staubach 1969-1979
Fran Tarkenton 1961-1978
Y.A. Tittle 1948-1964
Johnny Unitas 1956-1973
Norm Van Brocklin 1949-1960
Bob Waterfield 1945-1952
Steve Young 1985-1999

Then, Jamie, a P1, gets the credit for pointing out the similarities in certain stats, and not in others for Kurt Warner vs our own Troy Aikman:

Player	GS	CMP	ATT	PCT	YDS	TDS	INT	Rating
Aikman	165	2898	4715	61.5%	32942	165	141	81.6
Warner	101	2666	4070	65.5%	32344	208	128	93.7

HTML Tables

But, before you tell me about the playoffs, check out their playoff comparison:

Playoffs	Record	TDs	INTs	Rating
Warner	9-4	31	14	102.8
Aikman	11-5	23	17	88.3

HTML Tables

And Super Bowls? They were both in 3. Aikman went 3-0. Warner 1-2, but with the three most prolific passing yardage days in the history of the game.

414 Kurt Warner, St. Louis vs. Tennessee, XXXIV
377 Kurt Warner, Arizona vs. Pittsburgh, XLIII
365 Kurt Warner, St. Louis vs. New England, XXXVI

Here is an email from my buddy, Shawn:

Bob,

What 2 time league MVP is not in the Hall of Fame?

He took the Cardinals and Rams to the Super Bowl. That's not the Steelers or Cowboys.

5 year Hall of Fame career? Gale Sayers

You can't take away his greatness, regardless of the length. He was left for dead twice (Giants and Cardinals) and he took the silly Cardinals to the Super Bowl.

McNabb is going into the Hall of Fame and I would put Warner in before McNabb.

Shawn

Arizona Republic on his credentials

ESPN Blog looks at the same topic :

An updated look at his Canton credentials:

1. Longevity.

The great quarterbacks had staying power. Warner has played in 124 regular-season games, about 60 fewer than the average for the 14 quarterbacks enshrined over the last 25 years. This is one of the few categories where Warner doesn't measure up.

On the other hand, Roger Staubach played only seven more games. Like Warner, he was an elite big-game quarterback. No one questions Staubach's Hall of Fame credentials. And Warner, playing in a pass-happy era he helped christen, certainly has better stats.

2. Production.

Here is where Warner's relatively short game log works to his advantage. He has put up Hall of Fame-caliber numbers in less time than players already enshrined. His offenses in St. Louis scored 526, 540 and 503 points in consecutive seasons, setting a standard that holds up well across any era.

Of those 14 quarterbacks enshrined since 1985, none could match Warner in completion percentage, yards per attempt or yards per game. Steve Young is the only one with a higher passer rating than Warner. Dan Marino is the only one with more 300-yard games (Warner has 52, twice as many as Jim Kelly, who played in 36 additional games).

3. Postseason success.

Only Bart Starr (104.8) has a higher postseason passer rating than Warner (104.6) among NFL quarterbacks all time. Warner closed the gap to within a couple tenths of a rating point with his five-touchdown, zero-interception performance against the Packers in the wild-card round.

Warner has averaged 312.3 yards per postseason game, most in league history. And unlike the other four players in the top five on that list, Warner has won a Super Bowl. He has played in three of them, posting the three highest yardage totals in the game's history.

Joe Montana, Tom Brady, Terry Bradshaw, John Elway, Brett Favre, Troy Aikman and Staubach are the only quarterbacks with more postseason victories than Warner.

Warner, with a 9-3 record in postseason, needs two more victories to match Aikman and Staubach on the all-time list. Beating the Saints in the divisional round Saturday would move Warner out of a tie with Starr (9-1), Donovan McNabb (9-7) and Kelly (9-8) for sole possession of eighth place on the list.

Warner has passed for at least 365 yards in half his 12 playoff starts. No other quarterback has hit that mark more than three times in postseason (Peyton Manning). Warner owns three of the 23 postseason performances in which a quarterback threw at least four touchdown passes (Montana, Manning and Daryle Lamonica each did it twice).

4. Unique legacy.

Warner's rise from supermarket shelf stocker to Super Bowl hero gives his legacy another dimension. Leading two previously dormant franchises to the Super Bowl also separates Warner from the typical Hall of Fame candidate.

Not many Hall of Famers would lose jobs to Marc Bulger and a young Eli Manning before working feverishly to beat out Leinart. A thumb injury doomed Warner in St. Louis. The Giants and Cardinals weren't going to leave a first-round choices on the bench (Warner's passer rating with New York, by the way, was higher than any Manning posted until this season).

It's been a strange career for Warner, no question.

Interesting case, but he has to be in.

Tennis Majors Update

Here is the year-by-year, major-by-major rundown since Federer began winning majors in 2003. Here is how he got to 16:

Year	Australian	French	Wimbledon	US Open
2003	Agassi	Ferrero	Federer	Roddick
2004	Federer	Gaudio	Federer	Federer
2005	Safin	Nadal	Federer	Federer
2006	Federer	Nadal	Federer	Federer
2007	Federer	Nadal	Federer	Federer
2008	Djokovic	Nadal	Nadal	Federer
2009	Nadal	Federer	Federer	Del Potro
2010	Federer	-	-	-

Table Tutorial

Happy Birthday

It was yesterday 50 years ago that the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys were born. January 28, 1960 at the NFL meetings the league decided to award Minnesota and Dallas with NFL expansion franchises.

The two teams opened their very first game against each other in beautiful (some would say) Sioux Falls, South Dakota in front of just over 4000 fans on August 5, 1961. Of course the Cowboys won 38-13. The two teams would represent the NFC in nine of ten Super Bowls between IV-XIII. The Cowboys won twice (VI, XII). Vikings not so much.

The Cowboys started during the 1960 season by beating the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Cotton Bowl September 24, 1960. Minnesota's first regular season game was in the 1961 season against the Chicago Bears with a 37-13 victory for the Vikings.

STARS vs AVALANCHE

• Mark Fistric will play tonight avoiding a suspension that could have resulted from swinging his helmet at Eric Nystrom during an altercation. He was fined the league max $2500.



• In my opinion, he probably wasn't suspended by the NHL because he has no prior offenses, he already served nearly an entire game by being ejected and the major resulted in two Flames goals. It was the right call by the NHL, but had it been Steve Ott, they may not have been so generous.



• Jere Lehtinen will play tonight after missing time after his collision with Brenden Morrow.



• Alex Auld will start in goal tonight against the Av's he's 5-0 in his last five starts with a 2.31 GAA and a .914 save pct. at the American Airlines Center and is 3-1 in his last four overall.



• The Avalanche lost 1-0 to Minnesota last night at the Pepsi Center. Minnesota is 6-0-2 in thier last eight at Colorado and 13-2-2 in thier last 17 overall against the Av's.



• The Wild slow the game down, take care of the puck and wait to take advantage of their opponents mistakes. One reason the Wild may have a good match up against the Avs is because the Avs give up alot of shots, 32 per game, which is near the most in the NHL. If the Stars slow the game down, and frustrate a young but very quick Av's squad by keeping them to the outside they could have some success tonight against one of the best in the Western Conference.

I do like the Stars tonight against a very good Colorado Avalanche squad as long as their effort is consistant with the way it has been three of the last four games. Especially since Auld has been really solid at home as of late.

Links For You

Here are a few old posts I wanted to run by you:

1) - With the Rangers finishing 2nd this year in the Baseball America Farm System rankings, I wanted to show you the study done from last January when the Rangers finished 1st and the question was whether there was a correlation between system rankings and future major league wins. Click on the link for my findings.

2) - And then here is the idea that I am pretty sure we did here first almost a decade ago (seriously), our objective NFL Franchise Rankings, v 8.0 that we released last year after the Super Bowl was completed. Of course, I will be working on this year's version for next week, but you can add up the numbers on your own if your job is really, really beating you down.

Beyond that, the blogging career is admittedly taking a lighter work load these days for a while. Call it post-Cowboys grind recharge. I am sure the hamsters in my head will be back to their normal work load soon.

Also, we have offered Tori Holt a platform for his random sports thoughts - whether he posts once a month or once a day is up to him. So, please make him feel welcome.

Happy Friday.

MY INTRO

STURMS’ THE MAN-
You might be wondering who or what the heck is this dude with the blog doing hanging out with our Bob Sturm? Well I wanted to introduce myself, my name is Tori Holt. I start by saying thanks to Bob for allowing me to post on his site. He’s the man. Not me. I am new. And I am not trying to be Bob. He’s giving me an opportunity to share my passions, which are like yours (the reader) and Bob’s (the man). I cannot thank Bob enough for being a great mentor; much like Ralph Strangis is to me with the Dallas Stars.

I am a sports guy at heart; love it, that’s all I do. I am new to the area, and have started this season covering the Dallas Stars which happens to be a new adventure for me. As you will find out, I am from Minnesota, love their sports but have a passion for the local teams as well, predominately the Stars and Texas Rangers! Rangers are sick.

The last six years I have done play-by-play, color, studio and hosting mostly on TV and some radio on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain and Altitude Sports and Entertainment for the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Pioneers, and Colorado Eagles (CHL).

Dallas is a wonderful city that I have started to really enjoy, and I am fortunate to be in such a great situation with so many great people to learn from at the Ticket and the Stars, and to be in a city with such great sports fans that have so much knowledge of sports. I thank you for taking a look at my blog and I hope as time passes it’s something you look forward to. If it sucks, don’t read it, and let Sturm know what a loser he decided to befriend. Sturm won’t mind, he’s used to idiots being a Packers fan! Kidding Sturm, thanks again to the reader, and Sturm, you’re the man!

MY TAKE ON FAVRE

I’ve been getting a little emotional over this whole Vikings season, loss, and Favre deal. And although I am not the second grader anymore that used to sit under my Grandpas
Coffee table every Sunday along with him living and dying each moment forming that bond that will last me my lifetime. This season for one day each week I got to be that kid again and think about how he would have loved to be here to see something so spectacular.

I think we have all found that sports has given us a reason to relate with our family members, or have memories with our friends that possibly we would never have. This Vikings season, because of the passion and joy brought to the team by one man, Brett Favre helped ease the pain of a bad economy, or a late mortgage, or a fledgling business. If for not for all time but for the three hours that he gave everything he had. For those three hours like him on the field, it made us feel like that it was only that game that mattered. And for those three hours this season, that was all that did.

Although it didn’t end like a movie, such is life. But in life how many times to you get to go back and be that second grader hanging out with your Grandpa again?

I appreciate the fact that I witnessed one of the greatest athletes of our time. Nobody gave more. Thanks Brett. I hope you comeback but if you don’t, I am glad I got this year. Win or lose, like him or hate him, I am glad that what he did in his life mattered to so many.

For so many, I think we all wish we lived like that.

Til Next Time,

Ralph Strangis on the Vikings

Ralphie is many things, not the least of which is a die-hard Vikings fan. I cannot tell you how many times we have debated Brett Favre. And now, that he has become a part of Vikings lore, he wrote about the NFC Championship Game that will live forever.

Enjoy:

Favre and Vikings Classically Heroic
Ralph Strangis – January 25, 2010

So often it is the outcome that consumes us, that validates our performances and supports our claims and beliefs. We use the scoreboard to tell us if we’re winners and trophies of every kind to proclaim to the world that we are who we say we are.

The problem is – that outcomes are the end product of complex equations. No single factor or person can control an outcome, despite our egocentric notions and grandiose beliefs to the contrary. In a football game the outcome is determined by combining all elements; your team’s players, their team’s players, subjective officiating, booth reviews, opportunities and mistakes, plays made and missed at all junctures, the toss of a coin, and the haphazard bounce of an oblong ball on a synthetic surface. It follows that looking at the scoreboard as the only means to evaluate success or failure is at least simplistic and often off the mark entirely.

In Sunday’s NFC Championship game the outcome, the final score said: New Orleans 31, Minnesota 28. Some will say then that simply the Saints won and the Vikings lost. They will posit that the Vikings are cursed, that Brett Favre choked, that the legacy of Minnesota late-season failures is secure and that New Orleans has finally shed its losing ways and are “AINTS” no more. Yes it is a hard-fought and important victory for New Orleans, and they are more than a deserving team to represent the conference in the big game.

As a lifelong Vikings fan I saw something else too. I saw a classic and epic tale of a group of players that would not shut down or quit. I watched as mistakes that would completely destroy a weaker group embolden them and solidify their intent. I watched as injured players pushed on through unrelenting pain. And I saw a 40 year-old quarterback defiant in the face of one bone-rattling hit after another willing himself and his team to keep battling no matter how many times he or they hit the canvas. Playing it safe, pushing the game down the tracks and hoping for something good to just happen for them is not a part of this group’s DNA.

Twelve months earlier the Vikings limped through a playoff game against the Eagles with all the purpose of a rudderless craft. They had players, but they were hardly a team. That group slipped into the pile with all those other Vikings teams which had teased their fans a bit, only to leave them hollow and waiting for next year.

The franchise is replete with heartbreaking losses and characterized by teams who either would not or could not show up when they were counted on most. Not this group. Not on that Sunday. This team is unlike any Vikings team before it, and it was because of one guy.

Vikings coach Brad Childress knew exactly what he was doing when he pursued Brett Favre and got him to leave his cozy quasi-retirement. And he also knew when to get out of the way after a late-season battle over whose team this would be. Favre’s message at the time - that Childress signed off on and the team took complete ownership of was – this is Brett Favre’s team – and Brett Favre’s team will not quit playing. Not ever. No matter what. In the second half of the Monday night game in Chicago the dye was cast. The Vikings smacked around a disinterested Giants team in the regular season finale and then hammered the Cowboys in the Divisional playoff game that put Dallas on an airplane home crying foul; that the Vikings had the audacity to keep playing – no matter what.

Saints Coach Sean Payton had been paying attention. His game plan was to go after the head of the snake, and that’s what his team did. But Favre and his team would not surrender or succumb, they would not, as many previous editions of the Vikings had, go quietly into the night. Despite Favre and his team’s own transgressions, despite sustaining a torrent of unwelcomed body belts, and despite a solid counter-punching opponent, this Vikings team did anything but go quietly into the night.

It may seem a stretch, but to watch the game I couldn’t help but think that Favre and his teammates more than once said “this game may do me permanent harm, but I’ll be damned if I’m not going to keep getting up.” No – this is not your father’s Vikings team.

The most important lesson then is this; how will you acquit yourself at life’s most critical moments? How will you respond when things get “too hard”? Will you continue to battle with every last ounce you have – or will you just – slip quietly away…?

Brett Favre may be the classic literary tragic hero; his greatest strengths will also be his undoing. But he doesn’t know anything else. He is at all times trying to win a game, not trying not to lose it.

To a starving fan base he brought hope and promise and delivered more heroic moments in weeks than they’d seen in years. To a mid-pack team he brought a swagger and confidence and will to fight than they had never known, and those things will stay with this group going forward. And to an audience of millions he showed what true character and real heroism really is, if they were paying attention. That the scoreboard did not validate his actions is hardly the point.

You may find it odd that I think it selfish of me that I want him to retire. I’m a Vikings fan, yet I want to remember Sunday as his finest hour and can’t imagine anything ahead that will match this season or his performance against New Orleans. At 40 years old - he took their best shots and kept coming back at them. This was his opus, his master work. Favre put everything together for one day – all of it – every representation of his body of work. His young warriors alongside him followed his lead. And he and his team just flat out refused to stop playing.

I think about the interception; the decision and the throw. Is there any doubt that they would have been in that spot in the first place without him? And at the end of the day, it’s just one play in a game that had many that conspired to form the outcome.

But honestly - that’s the Brett Favre I saw in Green Bay, that’s the Brett Favre I saw all season, and that’s the Brett Favre I want. And Sunday gave us every indication that as long as his body is able to do what his spirit commands, he’ll stay with it. Someday, and perhaps sooner rather than later, the body will fade, even though the fire still burns, and he’ll know it, and that will be that.

I know, if you’re a Vikings fan you really wanted the Super Bowl champion sweatshirt. But on Sunday, Favre and the Vikings gave you a much more valuable souvenir.


Ralph Strangis is a Minnesota native, lifelong Vikings fan, and is the play-by-play broadcaster for the Dallas Stars hockey team, currently in his 20th season with the club.

Playoff Stat Update

Turnover Battles for the Playoffs

Winner	+/-	Loser
DAL	+3	PHI
NYJ	+2	CIN
BAL	+2	NE
ARI	+2	GB
IND	+3	BAL
MIN	+3	DAL
NO	+2	ARI
NYJ	+1	SD
NO	+4	MIN
IND	E	NYJ
Totals for Playoffs	9-0-1, 100%

Table Tutorial

The winning team won the turnover battle in every game of this postseason (except the Colts tying the Jets). This is not a likely result, but it's probably more understandable than you might think. Consider it: For a team to win a game despite losing the turnover battle, they usually have to amass a considerable advantage in total yards. In the playoffs, the teams are much closer in talent, making it much harder to gain that advantage. They are so closely matched that it is not surprising that the game would come down to a few key plays and it is further not surprising that those plays would mostly be turnovers.