Poor Vikings On Move Again Due To Snow

The NFL announced that Sunday night's game between the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia will be postponed until Tuesday night due to a snow storm.  The blizzard is expected to drop up to 20" of snow with wind gusts up to 50 mph.  It is only the 7th postponed NFL game since 2004 and second this year.

The game, which was to be broadcast tonight on NBC, will be rescheduled to Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET on the same network.

While not exactly one of the epic journeys of the seafaring Norsemen of old, the past three weeks have not been easy for the Vikings football team--or their travel agents. 

A December 12 home game against the New York Giants was postponed and then moved to Detroit's Ford Field after snow collapsed the roof at their Minneapolis stadium and made the Metrodome unusable.  The Giants, who were diverted to Kansas City because of the snow, defeated the Vikings 21-3.

Last week, the Vikings had to play the Chicago Bears outdoors at the University of Minnesota's TCF Stadium due to the unsafe condition of the Metrodome. The wind chill at that game reached 0 degrees and, despite concerns by the players about the frozen field, the game was played.  The Vikings were routed by the Bears, 40-14.  Vikings quarterback, Brett Favre,  was slammed to the rock-hard turf and knocked out of the game with a concussion.

Now the Vikings are victims of another winter blitz and probably wish their tumultuous season would end.  Just put the team on a boat, light it on fire and push it out to sea.

The Eagles, on the other hand, are in a playoff race and, however slim, the possibility of two Philadelphia losses and two wins by the Giants could cost them the NFC East division title.

Every game and every edge or disadvantage makes a difference at this time of the season. Philadelphia hosts division rival the Dallas Cowboys in what is now a shortened week to prepare.

Minnesota goes back to Detroit to face the Lions.  Maybe Thor should pack a snow shovel instead of a hammer.

Rex Ryan Turning Jets Into Second Class Citizens Again

The New York Giants and New York Jets both had experiences to remember last week.  The occurrences, incidents and odysseys seem to be borrowed from some Bizarro World comic book edition.  In the end, the Jets would probably prefer to forget everything from losing to their fall from grace.

The Jets (9-4) started the week recovering from a 45-3 beat down by their division rivals, the New England Patriots and ended it by getting beat at home, 10-6, by their other division nemesis the Miami Dolphins--a team who threw for a total of 55 yards.

In between those seven days the Jets owner, Woody Johnson, simmered his anger at his New Meadowlands Stadium roommate--and Giants CEO John Mara, for accommodating the Dolphins at  his team's practice field right before the big game.  Their budding bromance may now be sinking into the Meadowlands swamp along with the Jets season.

The Jets head coach and "Hard Knocks" star, Rex Ryan, started the week by inventing a new game strategy called accepting the opening kick-off if they win the coin-toss.  Pure genius.  And then--after being thoroughly undressed in public by the Pats--he buried a football at the Jets practice field last Monday to rid the team any spirits of Patriots past.  Hey, Bill Belichick did it last year.  The Jets score 3 points and their clueless head coach is making jokes and giving a pigskin the deep six.  Great Idea.  The Jets have now scored a grand total of 9 points over eight quarters.

 Ryan's vaunted defense is also falling apart.  The best Jets tackle against Miami was a trip by a Jet trainer standing on the sidelines.  The trainer, Sal Alosi, said his knee-jerk (emphasis on jerk) reaction to using his left patella to senselessly trip Dolphins special teams player Nolan Carroll was "inexcusable and irresponsible."  It was also recordable and suspend able.  Only about 10,000 phone cameras caught it along with the CBS network.  Alosi will miss the rest of the season and was fined $25,000 by the Jets. Ryan stood on the sidelines and gawked at the fallen Carroll.

Meanwhile, the Giants (9-4) went on some sort road trip through the air and landed on the ground literally running after a troublesome itinerary.  The team gained 219 yards on the ground against the Minnesota Vikings and won, 21-3 at Ford Field in Detroit.  That's right, the Giants weren't in Kansas (City) anymore...or the scheduled venue in Minneapolis.

The Giants ordeal began when they flew to Kansas City after their charter flight to was re-routed from Minneapolis due to a snow storm.  They spent a night in K.C. not knowing when they would get to the Twin Cities or what time they would play and, after the Metrodome's roof collapsed under the weight of the snow, it was off to a neutral site in Detroit.  Oddly, it was the first Monday night football game played in Detroit in twenty years and the Lions weren't even in it!

That game saw the Giants become a footnote to NFL history too, when Vikings QB, Brett Favre, ended his consecutive game playing streak by not suiting up for the game because of numbness in his throwing arm.

The Giants overcame adversity and have kept pace with the Philadelphia Eagles for first place in the NFC East.  They would be a wild card team if the season ended today. 

The Jets meanwhile, have stumbled and bumbled in two straight losses.  Their cartoon character of a coach is showing himself to be as much a clown on the sidelines, as well as, in front of his press room.

A few weeks ago the Jets were touted as Super Bowl contenders, now they are facing the possibility of missing the playoffs after being 9-2. 

While the Giants are rising to the top, the Jets are sliding faster than Obama's approval ratings.  It's hard to believe the Jets can win road games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears.  Even with what looked like a gimme a month ago, their final game at home against the Buffalo Bills looks like it could be a tussle.  A 9-7 record isn't unfathomable.  It's the same record which cost Eric Mangini his head coaching job two years ago and let the caveman Ryan make his louder-than-loud entrance.

 Ryan, who likes to don wigs and dress up for the cameras, acts like every press conference is an audition for Saturday Night Live.  He might have a shot because his offense is one big comedy skit.   He's Chris Farley with his stomach tied into a knot.

Not all the blame should be put on Ryan's back.  The Jets downfall coincides with the declining skills of their quarterback Mark Sanchez.  The Jets QB started the season with eight TD tosses and no interceptions.  Since then?  Sanchez has eight TDs and 12 interceptions.  He is the number 28 ranked passer in the league.  The Jets answer to Eli Manning is going in the wrong direction.

Sanchez has reverted back to the skittish rookie of last year.  Under throwing and sacks are becoming big part of his game.   Ryan blames it on fundamentals and was so serious about it, took the young QB to lunch last week to discuss it.

"Mark is my quarterback," said the head coach, "He'll always be our starting quarterback...We're going as far as he takes us." On Sunday, Ryan told the press he thought about pulling the ineffective Sanchez in the third quarter of last week's Miami game.

 Ryan came to New York with a cock-sure attitude and defensive genius on his resume.  His brashness and Peter Griffith resemblance were a nice contrast to his predecessor, the frowning Belichick-wannabe Mangini.



Ryan's team finally had a stadium they could call their own and they showed signs of promise during the playoffs.  Things were looking up.  Now Ryan has turned into the rude in-law you would endure, if only for his Yankee box seats every couple of years,  but don't want to see stuffing his face at a family dinner.

He came in with a reputation as a player's coach.  A guy you could share a beer with.  Now he just looks unprofessional.  The fact that everything keep getting away from him started this summer with the Inez Sainz training camp incident and continued with his laughable punishment of Braylon Edwards after his DUI arrest and now the sideline tripping antics.  Ryan has yet to say whether he will fire Alosi for his stupid action.

Ryan's indecision reflects on the field.  Come-from-behind wins against mediocre teams does not a champion make and silly penalties almost cost the Jets a few games. That tough-as-Bill Parcells exterior is part of his shtick.  He's the anti-Parcells.

Ryan showed his fake self in all his glory on HBO's "Hard Knocks" this summer.  He is just a thinner version of that supposedly hard reality star.  The F-bombs and caveman behavior were boorish when the Jets were winning, now it is just sad.  It's more about execution than excuses and Ryan is really softer than his belly.

New York Giants Should Thank Detroit Lions Three-Fold

Who could have predicted that the lowly Detroit Lions and their fans would play a crucial part in the New York Giants quest to make the playoffs?  The Giants will play the Minnesota Vikings Monday night at Ford Field in the Motor City, after spending Saturday night in Kansas City, because a snow storm collapsed the roof at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.  To the Giants benefit, a road game will now be played at a relatively neutral site.

The Giants spent Saturday night hanging out and wondering, and not knowing, when the game would be played.  Where was never in the equation.   Now it is the Vikings who are scrambling to the airport.  

In what looked like a lost and frustrating weekend for the New York Giants,  Mother Nature's fury has turned their misfortunes into a slight advantage.  Even the oddsmakers have noticed.  The Giants opened as 1-point favorites against the Minnesota Vikings, then the number shifted to 2 1/2 points when bettors went all in on the Giants then,  after the game was moved to Detroit, the Vegas odds jumped to 4 points.

Big Blue's odyssey began Saturday when their charter plane was diverted from Minneapolis and the team was forced to cool their heels overnight in a Kansas City hotel not knowing if they were even going to make it to Minnesota the next morning.  The Metrodome's roof collapsed at 5 a.m. Sunday morning and the NFL relocated the game to Detroit.

Going to Detroit gives the Giants a three-fold boost to the playoffs, which they didn't have two days ago, and the team can quietly thank the Lions.

The Giants (8-4) are still trying to keep pace with the Philadelphia Eagles (9-4) in a tough NFC East Division title battle while hanging with the New Orleans Saints (10-3), Green Bay Packers (8-5) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-5) for a wild card spot.  Any strategic advantage for the Giants after this weekend's conundrum is a bonus down the stretch. 

After the Metrodome's roof ripped open and dumped a couple of tons of snow onto the field, Giants owner, John Mara, suggested moving the game to his home field, the New Meadowlands Stadium, but the idea was immediately shot down by the NFL.  Hey, the New Orleans Saints played a "home" game there after Hurricane Katrina closed down the Superdome in 2005.

First blessing, the new locale takes away the home field advantage for the Vikings.  Playing the game in what the NFL is calling a "neutral" site is misleading.  Ford Field will be filled with as many anti-Viking fans, rooting against their inter-divisional rivals, as Giant fans.  It gives the Giants a slight "home" field edge.  However slight, it sure beats the high-decibel roar the home town fans would rein on the visitors in the Minneapolis Thunderdome.   Giants quarterback, Eli Manning, was poised and handled the noise factor in a rout against the Seattle Seahawks  inside Qwest Field--arguably the league's loudest venue--a few weeks ago but, when the decibel level rises so does his interception rate.  The less hostile surroundings should help keep Eli from getting rattled.

Second, the Giants must tip their helmets to a  Detroit Lions team which held on to defeat the Packers yesterday at Ford Field.  The shocking upset gives the Giants a half game lead on the Pack and, in the course of the game, Detroit managed to lay out Green Bay's star quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, with a concussion.

This lends itself to the third--injuries are part of the game--benefit of the Detroit Lions factor in the Giants good fortune.  Rodger's  head injury is his second of the season and there is concern he may not be cleared to play when the Giants visit Green Bay in two weeks.  This leaves open the possibility of the ineffective backup, Matt Flynn, facing the Giants defense in a typical December-chilled Lambeau Field in what will probably be a game with playoff spot implications for both teams.  The Giants D is already looking ahead.

The Giants arrived in Detroit yesterday at 3 p.m.   Oddly, there could be as many fans for tonight's 7:20 EST game for two visiting teams as there are for the barely watchable, but improving Lions. Free general admission tickets will be available at the Ford Field box office beginning this morning.   The game will be broadcast by Fox in the New York and Minnesota markets. 

It all remains to be seen how the Giants respond to this adventure.  Next week they play their division rival the Eagles in the Meadowlands, but the shortened and disruptive week could take it's toll.  In a week that started with the Giants generously offer their practice field to a visiting Miami Dolphins team, it has ended with the Detroit Lions returning the favor.  One good deed returned in triplicate.  Merry Christmas from Detroit.

Giants Plane Diverted From Snow-Bound Minnesota

The New York Giants have plenty of reasons for avoiding the Minnesota Vikings, a team who have beaten the Giants four straight times, but not showing up to the game is a novel way to not lose.  On Saturday, the Giants charter plane--en route to Minneapolis--was diverted to Kansas City after a snow storm closed the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Giants spokesperson, Pat Hanlon, said the team will spend the night in Kansas City and try to fly into Minneapolis Sunday morning.  The NFL said the game will be played at it's scheduled noon (local) start time. 

The hassle of being re-routed and getting up early for a new flight could be a competitive advantage to the Vikings (5-7) who routed the the Giants (8-4) last year.  The Giants are tied with the Philadelphia Eagles and fighting for a playoff spot. The last thing they need is a distraction of this sort.

While the NFL hasn't dismissed the possibility of postponing the game, getting into Minneapolis might cause it to happen.  The Twin Cities forecast calls for a snow warning until 6 a.m. Sunday with 10-12" of snow possible combining with wind chills of minus-20 to minus-35 degrees.  The Giants are hoping the runways are cleared by morning.

The New York media has been stuck in New York airports as well.  All airports around Minneapolis have been closed until 3 p.m. Saturday so many flights have been cancelled or postponed.  The Vikings cancelled a Miller Lite pre-game party outside the Metrodome.

One person who might find a silver lining inside of this blizzard is Vikings quarterback Brett Favre.  The Wrangler Guy, coming off a bum ankle and shoulder injury, will be facing a sleep-deprived Giant defense.  A postponement of the game would give him a little more time to heal. 

I was wondering who or what would end Favre's consecutive game streak--the NFL, his shoulder or Jenn Sterger--but it looks like Mother Nature is giving him a helping hand.

Eli Manning Has Something To Prove In Minnesota

Nobody has to remind the New York Giants about last January's season-ending bashing at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings--especially quarterback Eli Manning.  While the Vikings were lighting up the Giants defense like the Rockefeller Christmas tree, Manning continued his five-year streak of futility against the the Northmen.

Last year's rout was the fourth straight loss to Minnesota and put an exclamation point on the Giants dismal 2009 season.  Manning has never beaten Minny in four tries and, except for  a game in 2008 when he was pulled at halftime because the Giants already had the top seed in the NFC in their future, he has been brutalized by the purple defense.

One time in 2007, Manning was chastised by the press and Giants front office after throwing three interceptions which were returned for touchdowns in a lackadaisical effort against the Vikes.   The Giants GM Jerry Reese called his quarterback "skittish."  The press said he quit.

Last year's mauling was just the Vikings way of using an elephant gun to put the staggering G-Men out of their misery.  This year the Giants (8-4) are tied for first place with the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East and claim they have have something to play for this time around.

The Giants have upcoming games against Philly and the Green Bay Packers--both in the playoff hunt--and a loss against the Vikings could push them out of the wildcard race.  A 10-6 record could leave any teams out of the playoffs because of strong teams like The Packers (8-4) and the New Orleans Saints (9-3) building up steam.

Despite walloping the Washington Redskins last week, the Giants have been inconsistent and hurt.  Eli has still thrown too many interceptions and the offense has trouble getting six inside the red zone. The team had been decimated by injuries to the offensive line and receiving corps and has more guys on the DL than "Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark."

While that Broadway musical deals with flying actors crashing into the mezzanine and opening night jitters, the Giants were besieged by blitzing safeties and Sunday fumbles.  Lately though, the Giants have been successfully using understudies and hitting their marks.

Reese has been making all the right moves.  He brought back Derek Hagan--who was cut by the Giants in training camp--and has filled in admirably as a receiver.  Tight end Bear Pascoe was on the taxi-squad and now fills in at fullback.  They are two of many fill-ins who have played crucial roles in the Giants modest win streak.

Reese's wheeling and dealings are reminiscent of his magic touch in 2007 when he brought in role-players like Madison Hedgecock, Dominik Hixon and Kevin Boss in the Giants' stretch-run to Super Bowl XLII.  They have been important cogs--when healthy-- on this year's team as well.

For a team that has a record of 11-15 in the crucial month of December, since Head Coach Tom Coughlin took over, the team is confident.  Coughlin knows he doesn't have to fire his players up against the Vikings and the players are responding.

Defensive tackle Barry Cofield said the team is motivated especially the way the defense has been playing the past two weeks.  "That's what you live for," said Cofield.  "You want to have pressure and have something to play for and have things at the end of the season to play for."

For now,  the Giants have been fortunate to win with new replacement players but maybe some old faces will be back on the field this Sunday.  Wide receiver Steve Smith--who missed four games with a torn pectoral muscle--said he could start and offensive lineman David Diehl (hamstring injury) might be back too.

Manning's woes against the Vikings stand out in bright red ink on the stat pages.  While he has shown flashes of brilliance against most teams, he has been a dud against Minnesota.  Manning's 0-4 record, nine interceptions, and a passer rating of 47.7 against the Vikings blink like the North Star on a clear night in Hibbing.   

This is the game in which Manning must come up big.  His emotional void is sometimes mistaken for a weakness--a lack of competitiveness.  All said, Manning has handled six years in New York and wears a Super Bowl ring.

Sunday, he is playing for pride, respect and the playoffs.  A loss this weekend and it could be back to playing out the season...again.

NFL Using High-Tech Forensics In Favre Probe

By Tony Mangia

The NFL has reportedly hired forensic experts in an attempt to determine if the dirty cellphone photos of a man's private parts sent to a New York Jets sideline reporter are the of the football great Brett Favre.  Call it CSI: NFL.

Investigators will use the the latest technology to examine a SIM card, phone records, and a cell phone to find electronic fingerprints on the pictures.  The lewd photos were allegedly sent by the former-New York Jets quarterback in 2008 to the comely Jennifer Sterger.  The exchange happened during the Jets training camp and she was a sideline hostess for the team.

Sterger turned over the incriminating  material to the NFL in a 3-hour  meeting with NFL officials on November 12.  The owner of the phone has not been disclosed.

The cutting-edge technology, used by criminal forensic experts, could uncover evidence leading to an electronic trail to the owner of the photos.  One of the photos sent to Sterger reportedly contains an image of a penis, according to ESPN.

In October , the beleaguered Favre confirmed that he left lusty voicemails with Sterger, in an attempt to hook up with the pretty reporter.  He told then NFL's vice-president of security, Milt Ahlerich, that he sent the voice mails but denied sending the X-rated photographs.  The high-tech forensic equipment could trace all messages between Favre and Sterger.

The nasty messages were first reported by the website Deadspin.com after purchasing them from an undisclosed third party.  The website claims the penis-pics and dirty messages came from the same phone number.  Witnesses have claimed that Sterger showed them the photos and joked about it.

One of the romantic voicemails was a note from Favre inviting the 26 year-old Sterger to meet him in his hotel room.  "Just got done with practice, got meetings here for a couple of hours, then I'm going back to the hotel to chill," he says...Send me a text.  I'd love to see you tonight."

At first, Sterger was reluctant to cooperate with the NFL but was later fired (for unrelated reasons--bad ratings) from her duties as a host of a sports-interaction show on Versus and then reached out to them.  The former Playboy model hasn't publicly commented about the incidents.

Meanwhile Favre, a married grandfather, struggles with the alleged fidelity issues at home and injuries and losses on the field. He is facing suspension if the NFL determines he lied about sending the pornographic images to Sterger.  After the Sterger incident became public, two female massage therapists with the Jets came forward with sexual text message allegations against Favre.

Favre, whose Minnesota Vikings were soundly beaten by the Green Bay Packers, 31-3, yesterday, is considered one of the NFL's all-time greats.  The 11-time Pro-baller won a Super Bowl and has a all-time consecutive game streak on the line.

  At yesterday's press conference after the humiliating loss, the weary 41 year-old QB said he will "Go home and reevaluate tomorrow."

FAVRE ADMITS TEXTS BUT DENIES LEWD PHOTOS ARE HIS

By Tony Mangia

VIKING QB COULD FACE SUSPENSION

Brett Favre, the married quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings, has admitted to sending inappropriate text messages to former-Jets sideline reporter, Jennifer Sterger in a twisted bid to rendezvous with the sexy TV personality.  According to Fox's Jay Glazer yesterday, Favre confessed to the voicemails but claimed he never texted pictures of his penis to her.  The NFL has not commented on the situation but if Favre is guilty of violating the league's player-conduct policies, he could be suspended and fined.

Last week, Sterger retained a lawyer, former federal prosecutor Joseph Conway last and, although she has not commented publicly, there is evidence she is "strongly considering" speaking with the NFL about the sleazy 2008 voicemails and texts. There have been indications she could meet with league officials as early as this week.

 Favre denies sending the photos of his privates but a website, Deadspin.com, claims that both the text messages and images originated from the same phone number.

Sterger worked for the Jets and it was in training camp two years ago where the ex-Jets QB became interested the the attractive sideline reporter.

 If Favre is found guilty after the NFL's investigation, look for Commissioner Roger Goodell's punitive decisions to be swift but difficult.  Questions Goodell will have to consider.  Did Favre violate the personal conduct-policy?  Should he be suspended?  For how long? If Goodell suspends Favre, it would put an end to the player's NFL record for consecutive starts.

In one voicemail,  he suggests Sterger meet him at his hotel room.  "Just got done with practice, got meetings here for a couple of more hours..." the grandfather allegedly said, "Send me a text, I'd love top see you tonight." Not exactly XXX, but that's Goodell's call. 

Sterger's manager, Phil Reese said that FBI agents are working to find out who gave her phone number to Favre.  "There is a person of interest... and he is very aware that we know who he is," claims Reese.

"Unfortunately, the person in the picture didn't also hold up their driver's license," said Reese, "So I'm not going to speculate on an identity.  But I'm working with people to diligently get all the facts."

 Sterger is very much a person of interest for league officials.  She is not obligated to cooperate with the NFL.  League spokesperson, Greg Aiello, stressed, " We will continue to pursue opportunities to speak with individuals that potentially have information."

While Sterger has been clamming up--at least for moment--the New York Jets have been cooperating  with the NFL in it's investigation.  The Jets want to distance themselves as far away from  controversy and Favre as soon as possible.  They've had one-too-many sexy reporter incidents after last summer's locker room scandal with Mexican "journalist" Ines Sainz already on their player-conduct rap sheet.

Sterger's lawyers have denied there have been any discussions with Favre about a financial settlement.  She now works as a television host for Versus network.

It's been a rough week for the 41 year old quarterback.  On Tuesday, Favre was grilled by NFL Vice-president of Security, Milt Ahlerich, then yesterday threw three second-half interceptions in a national TV loss to his former-team and division rivals, the Green Bay Packers, and finally gets thrown under the bus by his head coach on Sunday night.

Vikings head coach, Brad Childress, ripped into his QB for throwing a foolish interception and wiping out any chance of a comeback against the Packers in a game that could be the final blow in a disappointing season.  "You can't throw it to them," the coach said,"You've got to play within the confines of our system."

Favre's pathetic attempt to woo Sterger proves the old gunslinger plays "outside the system" off the playing field as well.