Posted October 29, 2010    

•Brett Favre

•Adam Weber

•Tubby Smith

•Martin Havlat

•Dave Stead

Vikings QB Picture: Favre, T-Jack & the Rook 

The Brett Favre soap opera becomes even more dramatic in the days ahead with speculation about whether he will play on Sunday and how his relationship is with coach Brad Childress.  Oh, and then there’s that matter involving Jenn Sterger. 

Favre gives up his NFL record of 291 consecutive starts if he can’t play in New England on Sunday because of his left ankle and heel injuries.  Even at age 41, no one is betting Farve can’t take the field against the Patriots.  He’s a tough old codger with a history of playing through injury and pain.   

But his performance so far this season often hasn’t been sharp and some wonder whether Childress wants to change quarterbacks.  The coach reportedly thought about a change in last Sunday’s Green Bay game, a night when Favre threw three interceptions and the Vikings lost 28-24 to leave their record at 2-4. 

Adam Schefter, NFL reporter for ESPN, said on KSTP Radio Wednesday morning he thinks the Vikings are looking for an “excuse” not to play Favre who has 10 interceptions and only seven touchdown passes.  “The ankle injury is a convenient answer right now for everybody,” Schefter said.  “Because if he doesn’t play it’s going to be because of that, but I am not convinced that there aren’t other factors involved in that decision.” 

Schefter said quarterbacks and coaches “have issues over time” and there have been rumors going back to last season that Favre and Childress may have differences about running the offense.  Asked this week about the two of them being on the same page, Childress said: “Absolutely.” 

Even if things are “ducky” there remains the issues of whether Favre’s health will allow him to play, and if he can perform effectively enough to give the Vikings their best chance to win.  His passer rating is an unimpressive 68.0 (last season it was 107.2).  He’s forced passes that should not have been thrown. 

Yet in fairness to Favre, his offensive line’s pass protection is often sub-standard.  He also began the season without his favorite receiver, Sidney Rice. Wide receiver Randy Moss, who joined the team after three games, has needed time to learn about his quarterback and the system.  Big play wide receiver Bernard Berrian has been almost nonexistent.  

And then, too, Favre boosters will remind us that had Percy Harvin managed to have two feet in bounds on Favre’s 35-yard pass late in the Green Bay game it would have counted for a touchdown and a Vikings’ 31-28 win.   

But now the Vikings are almost desperate for a win against the Patriots, facing the possibility of falling three games under .500 with the halfway mark of the season approaching.  Does Childress decide between now and game time that Tarvaris Jackson can help him more than Favre on Sunday? 

Jackson hasn’t started a game since he was the team’s regular quarterback in 2008.  Will he be the new and improved T-Jack?  Or the one we knew who made poor decisions throwing the ball? 

And what if Favre can’t play and Jackson is injured in the game?  That means 23-year-old rookie Joe Webb, a project drafted on the sixth round, is the next man up. 

If all this isn’t enough theater for you, then remember the NFL still has not announced the results of its investigation surrounding allegations that Favre sent Sterger inappropriate texts and photos when both were employed by the Jets. 

 

 
Brett Favre
 

Weber May Set Big Ten Record for Starts 

Gophers senior quarterback Adam Weber is on track to start all 50 games in his college career.  Minnesota’s sports information department is researching whether Weber would then have made more college starts than any player in Big Ten Conference history.   

Weber makes career start No. 47 tomorrow night against Ohio State at TCF Bank Stadium.  Then the Gophers have three remaining games.  He is the most experienced college quarterback in the country, according to the sports information department.  

Weber has been Minnesota’s starting quarterback for every game since his redshirt freshman season in 2007.  He told Sports Headliners he was so nervous at times during his first season that things became “almost a blur.”  Weber said: “I’d try to pretend like I was relaxed out there.” 

What a difference 46 starts makes.  Now Weber said he’s relaxed on the field and can live in the moment.  “There are so many moments where I am able to enjoy the game and have fun,” he said. 

His enjoyment factor would go way up, of course, if the 1-7 Gophers could beat the 7-1 Buckeyes.  Weber said the Gophers will play with no pressure because of their record. “We’re gonna go out there with guns blazing and try to make some big plays,” he said about the offense.  

Weber already has his undergraduate degree in business-marketing.  This fall he’s taking graduate school classes in sports management. 

He remains loyal to Tim Brewster and plans to get together with the former Gophers coach after the season is over.

 

Worth Noting 

Gophers interim coach Jeff Horton was asked if upsetting No. 10 ranked Ohio State tomorrow would get him the job on a permanent basis: “No, not unless a lot of people turn it down in front of me, and when I say a lot, that’s a long list.” 

Former Hamline head coach Dick Tressel is still coaching the running backs for brother Jim Tressel, the Ohio State coach who is third in all-time wins with the Buckeyes.   

Ohio State, 3-1 in the Big Ten, doesn’t play Michigan State, 4-0 in the conference and 8-0 overall. The Buckeyes are hoping for a Michigan State loss at Iowa tomorrow because after that the Spartans' remaining games are against Minnesota (1-7), Purdue (4-3) and Penn State (4-3).    

The Gophers basketball team opens with a home exhibition game against Northeastern State on Tuesday night.  Then Minnesota plays a second exhibition game (Winona State) on Monday, November 8 at Williams Arena.  A University of Minnesota source told Sports Headliners the Gophers will pay less than $10,000 each to the opponents.  

Gophers coach Tubby Smith said yesterday at the Big Ten media gathering in Chicago the league is “by far the best in the country.”  He also said his team has a chance to be “very competitive.”

The Timberwolves coaches and players should be demanding better execution and effort tonight on defense when the team plays regular season game No. 2 against Milwaukee at Target Center.  The Wolves’ interior defense and overall ability to make defensive stops was poor in their opener on Wednesday night against a mediocre Sacramento team without its best player, Tyreke Evans.  

New England has the NFL’s highest scoring offense at 29.5 points per game.  The Vikings have the second ranked defense giving up 95 points in six games.  

Patriots reserve offensive tackle Mark LeVoir is a Minnesota native who attended Eden Prairie High School. 

The Wild recalled forward Casey Wellman from Houston yesterday, giving Minnesota three rookies on the roster.  The others are defensemen Clayton Stoner and Justin Falk.

Wild veteran forward Martin Havlat, 29, acquired in 2009 to ease the goal scoring loss of Marian Gaborik, is without a goal after nine games. 

While goal scoring will likely be a challenge for the Wild, the goaltending could be a strength with Niklas Backstrom, a veteran who takes a dedicated approach to his profession.  Backstrom ranks seventh among NHL goalies in goals against average, 2.09. 

An NHL source said Pierre Marc-Bouchard, recovering from a concussion, is expected back in the lineup soon.  He’s been skating a lot in practice with the team. 

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in this week’s The Fischler Report that Winnipeg “might make sense as a possible destination” for the Coyotes if the team relocates from Phoenix.  In 1996 the Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix.  

Minnesota State High School League executive director Dave Stead will be the speaker at the C.O.R.E.S. luncheon on Thursday, November 11 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington.  C.O.R.E.S. organization members can make reservations by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net.  (C.O.R.E.S. is an abbreviation for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans).    

The MIAC cross country championships are tomorrow afternoon at Como Park Golf Course in St. Paul.  The Hamline men’s team is the defending champ and the Pipers hope to win their third MIAC title in six years.  St. Thomas’ Ben Sathre and Concordia’s Tom Sederquist are among the favorites in the individual competition.  Carleton is the defending women’s champion and the Knights’ roster includes All-American Simone Childs-Walker and Taylor Ffitch.

 

Jeff Horton

Martin Havlat

 

Simone Childs-Walker