Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts / Photo: Newscom

Speaking of decades, Peyton now only needs three touchdown passes to become the first player in NFL history to throw 300 TDs in a decade. Additionally, with today’s win, Peyton tied Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton for 4th place on the NFL’s career wins list for QBs with 125. Before all is said and done, I expect Peyton Manning to break just about every NFL passing record there is.

Source: NFL.com

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Peyton Manning’s 40,000 Yard Decade

Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings / Photo courtesy Minnesota Vikings

In two separate interviews today (ESPN and Sirius NFL Radio), Fran was in a foul mood:

“I really have no interest in what Brett Favre does. He kind of lost me a few years ago by retiring and un-retiring and here and there ….. It’s a circus. It’s an absolute circus, and it takes away from all the other things that are going on with the Vikings, with the NFL. We’re getting ready for a football season and this is a circus, and I just have no interest in it ….. Isn’t it all about team? And here comes Brett Favre riding in on his white horse, doesn’t go to training camp, doesn’t come to offseason workouts and he’s gonna come on his white horse and bond with all these players?”

Fran said he has no interest in what Brett Favre does. But I think more people have no interest in what Fran has to say about what Brett does. As much as I respect Fran and what a great Hall of Fame quarterback he was (he was my original favorite NFL player), he just seems like a grouchy old man with a chip on his shoulder. Sure, I agree that Brett does what’s best for Brett. But few people will deny that the Vikings upgraded the most important position on their team by acquiring Brett. And the last time I checked, the bottom line in the NFL was about winning games, not bonding with teammates in training camp. That being said, Brett will need time to practice and develop a chemistry with those teammates. And I’m not sure how long that will take.

Source: TwinCities.com

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Fran Tarkenton Doesn’t Like Brett Favre

Fran Tarkenton, Minnesota Vikings / Image: Zuma Press

Fran made his feelings about fellow quarterbacking legend Brett Favre public today, blasting Brett for being selfish in possibly attempting to “unretire” for a second time:

“I think it’s despicable. What he put the Packers through last year was not good. Here’s an organization that was loyal to him for 17, 18 years, provided stability of organization, provided players. It just wasn’t about Brett Favre. In this day and time, we have glorified the Brett Favre’s of the world so much, they think it’s about them. He goes to New York and bombs. He’s 39 years old. How would you like Ray Nitschke in his last year (playing for) the Vikings, or I retire, and go play for the Packers? I kind of hope it happens, so he can fail ….. He told the Packers [after 2008 that], ‘I’m retiring.’ They’ve got to move on. They’ve got to go through their offseason plan, their workouts, they go with the other quarterback (Aaron Rodgers), who is a good player, and then (Favre) comes back and says, ‘I think I want to play.’ ….. You build your team in the offseason. Everybody knows that. It’s about team. It’s not about Brett Favre. So he goes and runs up to the Jets, doesn’t even dress in the locker room with the players. Has a separate facility. Playing quarterback is about the relationships you have with your coaches, with your players, with your trainers, with your managers. How can you do that if you show up on gameday and you haven’t put the time in. And now he’s trying to do it again in Minnesota. And if Minnesota bites, God bless them.”

Whoa. I have to admit, Fran has a point. It is all about Brett. But as a Brett Favre fan—as a fan of his style of football over my lifetime—I can’t get enough of the possibility of seeing him return to the game one more time. Especially as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. Sure, it would be unholy to see Brett suiting up for The Purple. But it will give me a lot of material to write about. And he’s a far better option at the most important position on the team than either Sage Rosenfels or Tarvaris Jackson. Maybe it is all about Brett. But in the process, it could end up being all about a Vikings Super Bowl run.

Source: StarTribune.com

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Fran Tarkenton Blasts Brett Favre

Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL

This month, my CE gave me the assignment of documenting my favorite childhood sports memory. Ok, a nice departure from the usual NFL news and interviews, but not an easy task, I thought, for I have many remembrances on- and off-the-field.

Sports has been a big part of my life as far back as I can remember. I played baseball, basketball and golf competitively and was pretty good at all three. My mom still has all my old newspaper clippings and trophies. But I’ll keep it football for the sake of EMQB and because it’s always been my favorite sport.

I would have to say watching head coach Bud Grant and the rest of the 1970s-era Minnesota Vikings was my favorite sports memory growing up. Quarterback Fran Tarkenton was my favorite player. There was Chuck Foreman, Sammy White, Ahmad Rashad, Alan Page and the famed Purple People Eaters — I could go on and on. I recorded their games and kept track of stats. Trading cards, magazine articles and books — I was all over it. And as a young fan, I wore more purple than Barney ever would. Whenever I’m at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the one item that still makes me stop and stare the longest is Coach Grant’s famous sideline jacket, the one he wore so many times outside in the bitter cold at old Metropolitan Stadium. Even though the Vikings never won a Super Bowl (they went to four), that was football as I remember it. And those were the best days of football.

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

My Favorite Childhood Sports Memory