NFL Newslinks 10/2

Posted on 02. Oct, 2009 by Jesse in NFL Newslinks

It’s been a bit of a rough week for me personally, but I’m getting reconnected right now at a bar in downtown Denver. I’m posting these Newslinks now, as they are the stories I’ll be dialing in on over the next 36 hours. Enjoy!

• Brett Favre continues to be limited in practice due to a sore foot. But there’s no way #4 is going to miss the Monday night showdown with the Packers, so we can really ignore this story altogether.
• It’s looking more and more like Jamal Lewis won’t play again this weekend. He has a sore hamstring, and has been listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Bengals. Jerome Harrison should start in Lewis’ place.
• Marion Barber’s quad is healing, and it appears Barber will play on Sunday against Denver. Barber has practiced both Friday and Saturday, and will share RB duties with Tashard Choice as long as Felix Jones remains sidelined.
• Wes Welker is improving, and may be able to play on Sunday despite his troubled knee. Welker’s team mate, Randy Moss, has been removed from the injury report and will play for sure.
• Dwayne Bowe  is listed as questionable for Week 4 with a hamstring, and will be a game-time decision Sunday against the Giants. He was limited in Friday’s practice.
• After his first good game of the season last week, Willie Parker may have to sit out this week. Parker is struggling with turf toe, and is expected to miss the game on Sunday night against the Chargers.
• LaDainian Tomlinson fully participated in practice for the third straight day Friday and is expected to play Sunday night. He injured his ankle in week one, and has had to miss two straight.
• Clinton Portis did not practice on Friday and is listed as questionable for Week 4. He’s struggling with calf and ankle injuries, and is a game-time decision.

NFL Newslinks: Monday 9/21

Posted on 21. Sep, 2009 by Jesse in NFL Newslinks

So far the new site has been developing quite smoothly. I think the new digs have come a long way, especially when you consider that the URL was only secured about eight weeks ago. I’d like to give a tremendous shout out to my good friends Shawn, Marcio, and of course the venerable Hiro (knower of all good things) for helping me push this thing along so quickly. With that, we’ve got a new person on the content staff (our first “official” member not named “Jesse”) and his contributions will be forthcoming. In fact, Damian was the one who dug up that pathetic picture of Tony Romo you see on the homepage. He’ll be doing some fun photoshop stuff, video stuff, and will helping a bit with writing the NFL Newslinks a time or two each week.

Enough talking, let’s get on to the football… and what an exciting day it was. Wild week 2 of the NFL season just went down, and here are the stories we’re following this week.

• Marion Barber played at a very high level throughout the Cowboys game against the Giants, but went down in the fourth quarter with a quad injury. MRI forthcoming. Felix waiting for the nod?
• Westbrook owners shouldn’t panic too much right now, as the team is saying the ankle re-injury is minor. He’s likely to miss practice all week though, and is hard to trust with Donovan doubtful.
• Frank Gore’s right ankle sprain is not expected to threaten his status for Week 3. Mike Singletary has to be pleased with his effort through two games, and Gore has been electric to watch as well.
• Matt Hasselbeck left Sunday’s game early with a rib injury. Late Sunday night he was released from the hospital, and Hasselbeck says he’s fine.
• Peter King of NBC reports that Donovan McNabb may not play in week two with his broken ribs. This is bad for every Eagles skill player not named “Vick.”
• Brett Favre, the 2-0 QB of the Vikings, injured his hand in Sunday’s win over the Lions. Favre said he was fine after the game, and coach Childress agreed with that assessment.

Podcast #2 is ready…

Posted on 21. Aug, 2009 by Jesse in Podcasts

I would be an absolute idiot not to devote an entire podcast to the biggest news of the entire offseason: Brett Favre signing in Minnesota. Straight from Thundercloud Studios, here is the latest production. Enjoy, and remember… tell your friends about GoHuddleUp.com! podcast2_mixdown

Don’t stop believin’

Posted on 18. Aug, 2009 by Jesse in Articles, Video

While many of my closest friends and fellow Vikings fans began mourning late last month when news broke that Brett Favre wouldn’t be coming to Minnesota, I let a wry smile purse my lips. On this very site I wrote a peice telling you all not to lose faith.  I kept believing that #4 would end up here all along. Today, when a plane arrived in St. Paul from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, a tear nearly dropped my eye. I admit, being right when so many others were wrong was satisfying, but not nearly as sweet as the 2009 season will be.

I follow sports because I love them, yes, but not just for the on-field action. As I’ve explained on these pages before, the stories that are woven together (especially in today’s NFL) are the stuff of dreams and legend. I knew Favre was a bigger story. After all, by simply watching the video below you’ll easily remember that retirement means nothing to this guy.

embedded by Embedded Video

The Vikings may not win it all this season with Brett at the helm. After all, the guy is nearly 40 and has a partially torn rotator cuff. Still, it’s going to be a helluva fun ride. I’m glad I get to cover it for you here, on my favorite site GoHuddleUp.com all season long.

Don’t believe it’s over, yet

Posted on 29. Jul, 2009 by Jesse in Articles

By now, of course, you’ve heard the news. The media outlets have covered every angle of the Brett Favre saga, in nauseating detail. We’ve now been told by Brad Childress himself, that good ‘ol #4 ain’t comin’ back. Apparently Favre doesn’t feel like his body could withstand the rigors of a 16 game season again. Excuse me if I’m wrong here, but this makes no sense. I’m not convinced.

Call it “the boy who cried wolf” syndrome, but how can we beLIEve anything that Favre says at this point. He waffles more than a politician, and simply has very little credibility left. When news broke earlier this offseason that he’d had the surgery to repair his injured biceps tendon, we here in Minnesota saw the writing on the wall. Favre was coming to town. People even started printing #4 jerseys in purple, and they didn’t say “Booty” on the back of them. Favre got all of our hopes up, including his potential teammates and Vikings ownership. A season with Favre could mean a helluva lot to this city, and even more to this franchise.

Maybe I’m guilty of being too much of an optimist. Or too much of a pessimist, depending on how you see this latest development. But I think there is a distinct possibility that Favre is just orchestrating this thing like the media master he is. Look, the guy doesn’t see any reason he should live in a dorm room in Mankato, even if it is just for two weeks. The team wants Brett to come in for training camp, but Favre holds all of the cards. Public sentiment is powerful here in the Twin Cities, and your average fan doesn’t believe Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels can lead this squad to anything meaningful in the way of postseason success. Blackouts loom large. Stadiums still need to be funded. If Favre changes his mind in a few weeks, and there’s no indication he won’t, the club would be crazy not to welcome him with open arms.

It’s OK to fly the purple flags halfway up the pole today people, but I urge you: Don’t believe it’s over just yet. After all, Favre still says he’ll keep throwing…

I bet Brett Favre hates Michael Jackson…

Posted on 15. Jul, 2009 by Jesse in Articles

Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that Brett Favre is a Hall-Of-Fame caliber quarterback. His three MVP trophies are the stuff of legend, and he hasn’t missed a start since the first term of the Clinton administration. Throw a Super Bowl trophy in the mix, and it’s understandable that the guy has fans. But there’s another side to Brett Favre, a more sinister side. Face it, the guy is a media whore.

When rumblings of Favre coming to the Twin Cities fired up earlier this offseason, opinions around Viking nation were clearly mixed. Some were intrigued by the possibilities, and others were sickened. But either way, the National media went crazy. Every day a new story was coming out about Favre. Ed Werder of ESPN could be seen regularly, binoculars in hand, dangling from a tree on Favre’s palatial Mississippi estate. Werder, and other types like him, would tell us every painstaking detail we didn’t need to know. “And guys, it appears Brett was a little constipated this afternoon… he was seen sipping some prune juice on his front porch. It should be noted, however, that he found relief later in the evening.” Thank you ESPN.

But then something happened. A bigger story came along. Dare I say, a BIGGER celebrity went and died. I bet Brett Favre hates Michael Jackson for stealing his limelight. Jacko just moonwalked off into the sunset with all of the media hype and glory. We’ve now been hearing more about Diprovan and insomnia than about a certain 40 year-old QB’s shoulder. I’m sure the limelight will return to Brett soon enough though. The Vikings training camp is set to open in the next few weeks, and a media circus promises to ensue. As the information age spin cycle heats up, I’m sure MJ’s saga will fade into the distance, just like memories of his old nose did.

Maybe Brett should report to Mankato wearing one glove, now THAT would be a story.