All the newborns recently crawled out from under their rocks to chastise Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress for wanting to upgrade his team's performance by benching the media deity Brett Favre in last weeks 26-7 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Favre, of course, butted heads with Childress and refused to come off the field. Business as usual for a guy who has always put himself before his team. A selfishness that has reared its ugly head on the Vikings sideline a few times, not once, this season.

Childress has reportedly wanted to lift Favre from a few games this season, because the quarterback chooses to play the game he desires and not within the framework of the entire team. A move that caused Mike Holmgren to go gray faster and get out of Green Bay away from the frustration that comes dealing with Brett Favre.

The same Favre who threw Javon Walker under the bus for wanting a pay raise, even though he was a few years fresh off a $100 million contract he signed.

The same Favre who cried that the Packers tired of his love for turnovers a few months after he threw away the Packers chances to win the NFC Championship with another of his trademark ill-advised passes, and wanted to start Aaron Rodgers instead. He retired in a hissy fit.

When he tried to return to Green Bay, they didn't want him so he went on a media blitz with his reporter buddies to disparage the Packers. Though it temporarily worked, it is clear now that Packers general manager Ted Thompson made the absolute 100 percent correct call by committing to Rodgers.

The same Favre who realized the New York Jets couldn't carry him to a Super Bowl, so he quit on them. It is just a few weeks away when we will see him throw away a game in the playoffs in Minnesota, then blame someone else and probably quit again.

The Vikings cannot be shocked that he is creating turmoil in their locker room. That is his Modus operandi. They knew they were hiring a self centered egomaniac who has generally been a clubhouse cancer throughout of his career.

His fans point to his consecutive starts streak, as well as his touchdowns and passing yards thrown. Never do they point to the fact he averages almost two turnovers a game for his career, and has won one Super Bowl that was from Desmond Howard and the defense carrying the Packers to victory.

The way he is talked about in abated breath by his followers, one would think he has won more Super Bowls than Terry Bradshaw or Joe Montana combined.

Through all his easily found faults, there is a respect that he has earned. Though he has played in a era where the league is geared to carrying the quarterback by adjusting the rules to ensure their success, he has achieved a level of play few others have come close to in his time. The records in his back pocket do not lie, and his one Super Bowl ring is more than several other legends of the game.

The one thing he does best is be a media whore. His name is mentioned every 15 minutes on ESPN, as if it were by contractual obligation. Every time he retires, the network runs a huge banner announcing it on a continuous loop as if the end of the world was commencing.

He has smartly used his media connections to bend at his will. When Childress tried to take a stand to get Favre to play within the framework of the team, he had his buddies vilify the coach fresh off a contract extension and bring into question his job security for having dared question their exalted leader.

So sit back and enjoy his perpetual circus. It is same old defecation, different day when it comes to Brett Favre.

Now on with this weeks picks.

Last weak I took a beating and went 5-10 . I am now 135-69.


Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints

Now that the Saints finally lost a game, they can relax and concentrate on getting to the Super Bowl only.

Saints 38 Buccaneers 17




Houston Texans @ Miami Dolphins

This is going to be a pretty good game. The Dolphins running game versus the Texans passing attack.

Dolphins 26 Texans 24





Seattle Seahawks @ Green Bay Packers

The Pack is going to crush the Hawks.

Packers 37 Seahawks 20





Carolina Panthers @ New York Giants

I think if the Jints play like they did last Monday, Carolina is in for it.

Giants 27 Panthers 17





Oakland Raiders @ Cleveland Browns

I just never pick the Raiders right. They are bizarre.

Browns 26 Raiders 16






Jacksonville Jaguars @ New England Patriots

Both teams need this, but the Pats got the experience.

Patriots 31 Jaguars 23






Kansas City Chiefs @ Cincinnati Bengals

I think the Bengals better clinch the AFC North now.

Bengals 40 Chiefs 27





Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Game Of The Week

The Ravens need to win to stay in control of their playoff destiny, but the Steelers have owned them recently and are still alive to defend their crown. Can you say all out battle? I can.

Ravens 27 Steelers 24





Buffalo Bills @ Atlanta Falcons

Neither team is playing after next week, so they should have little heart showing.

Falcons 27 Bills 19





Saint Louis Rams @ Arizona Cardinals

The only fun fact here is that the Cardinals used to play in St. Louis and the Rams used to play in nearby Los Angeles. That's it.

Cardinals 41 Rams 16






Detroit Lions @ San Francisco 49ers

You gotta give Niners head coach Mike Singletary credit that his team went down swinging, even though they aren't getting consistent quarterback play.

49ers 28 Lions 17





Denver Broncos @ Philadelphia Eagles

Broncos safety Brian Dawkins has had this game circled on his calender all year. Philly, however, is on a mission for the late Jim Johnson.

Eagles 31 Broncos 23






New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts

I keep thinking the Colts will lose, but they don't.

Colts 23 Jets 17






Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Redskins

The Redskins showed no heart last Monday. Dallas will win.

Cowboys 30 Redskins 17






Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears

Expect the Vikings to handle the underachieving Bears so that they gain gain some momentum heading into the playoffs.

Vikings 34 Bears 21

NFL Lucubrations

Death is the only guarantee in life, and the game of football is not exempt from this reality.

There have been quite a few people associated with the game who passed away during a season. The impact of their deaths has varied throughout the history of the game, but most remember the teams that rallied in memory of their fallen comrade.

When the Washington Redskins lost safety Sean Taylor in 2007, because he was murdered, the team was struggling along at a 5-6 record. They dedicated the rest of the season in his memory and finished the year 9-7, which was good enough to make the playoffs. The Redskins clinched the berth by beating their arch rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, by 21 points. The same number which happened to be Taylor's jersey number.

Chuck Hughes is the only player who actually passed away on the gridiron during a game. The Detroit Lions were 4-1 and hosting the Chicago Bears in the 1972 season.

Hughes, a Lions wide receiver, had caught a 32 yard ball earlier in the game, but the Bears held a five point lead late into the fourth quarter. He died running a pass route, and the Bears ended up winning the game. Detroit never recovered from his death, and won just three more games the rest of the year.

The Minnesota Vikings reached the NFC Championship game in 2000, helped by offensive right tackle Korey Stringer's first Pro Bowl year. He passed away on the practice field before the next season began, and the Vikings won just five games that year.

This current season marks the first time the team has won 11 games since Stringer's final season, and just their third playoffs appearance. They had made the playoffs five straight years up until 2000.

When Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jerome Brown died before the 1992 season started, the Philadelphia Eagles had their best overall statistical season since their 1980 Super Bowl season. Though they lost in the second round of the playoffs, most Eagles fans remember it being the last time quarterback Randall Cunningham led them to a winning season before his career experienced a temporary rebirth with the 1998 Vikings.

The Eagles are currently going through the emotions of trying to deal with another death in their family this season. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson passed away just before the season began. He was considered one of the best coaching minds in the game, and had sent players to 26 Pro Bowls in his ten years with the team.

The Eagles are currently in first place in the NFC East with two games left to play. The team obviously misses Johnson, ranking 15th in points allowed, but is on a mission to finish this season strong in his honor.

There is no raw statistics to prove where a team has success or failure after death becomes a part of their locker room. Some teams crumble, while others have pulled together on a common bond of trying to make the season special so their friends are not forgotten.

Cincinnati went to San Diego this past Sunday with the burden of a heavy heart from the sudden and recent death of wide receiver Chris Henry. Needing the win to secure the AFC North crown, players could be seen visibly in tears during a pregame tribute for Henry. The Bengals wound up losing due to a last second field goal by the Chargers, their second straight defeat.

The Bengals have been a team that has relied on creating turnovers while holding onto the football themselves. Their +24 giveaway/ takeaway ratio is currently the best in the NFL. Running a well balanced team that is equally adept in the run and pass on both sides of the ball, the team is well built for a run deep into the playoffs. Their lack of postseason experience may be the one hindrance they will face.

But Chris Henry may provide them a focal point to assemble a unified front in their goal to get the Bengals the first Super Bowl trophy in the franchises history.

Teams need momentum going into the playoffs, so it will be interesting to see how Cincinnati handles the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets in the final two games of the year. The sadness on Henry's passing will still be there, but it is up to the entire Bengals roster to leave him a memorial that will last in the Queen City for years to come.

NFL Power Rankings


1. Indianapolis Colts

2. New Orleans Saints

3. San Diego Chargers

4. Minnesota Vikings

5. Philadelphia Eagles

6. Green Bay Packers

7. New England Patriots

8. Cincinnati Bengals

9. Dallas Cowboys

10. Denver Broncos

11. New York Giants

12. Baltimore Ravens

13. Arizona Cardinals

14. Pittsburgh Steelers

15. New York Jets

16. Miami Dolphins

17. Tennessee Titans

18. Jacksonville Jaguars

19. Atlanta Falcons

20. San Francisco 49ers

21. Houston Texans

22. Buffalo Bills

23. Carolina Panthers

24. Chicago Bears

25. Seattle Seahawks

26. Oakland Raiders

27. Cleveland Browns

28. Detroit Lions

29. Kansas City Chiefs

30. Cleveland Browns

31. Washington Redskins

32. Saint Louis Rams