I like what Brooking did. You can bet he said what just about every other player on the Dallas roster wanted to say, but didn't have the stones to say it. Somebody has to say something and take the heat and he was the guy to do so. Had Bill Belichick and Tom Brady did this, the media would be much more hostile towards the Vikes. I liked what Reggie White said too when the Cowboys went for that late field goal as well. I thought that was clearly running it up, as was this.
I don't think this was about sending a message to the Saints or running up the score on the Cowboys. I think it was about making sure Brett Favre did something as a Viking that he never did as a Packer. They had a chance to take a shot and they took it.
"Formo" wrote:
Like I said earlier, I don't mind Brooking saying what he did.. He is a competitive guy. I would be mad too.
What? Seriously?! PLEASE, don't flatter your Packers.. The Vikings coaching staff could care less of what Favre has done as a Packer vs. as a Viking.. And I'd be surprised to find out that Favre cared about it.. He's already had the best statistical season as a Viking.. That was waaay more of a message being sent to the Saints/mainstream media and returning the favor to the Cowboys for the '75 NFC Championship game than it EVER was to make sure Favre did more as a Viking vs. as a Packer.
"porky88" wrote:
Like it or not, it's about the Packers, Vikings, and Brett Favre. I believe history will prove that to be the case much like it did this past off-season when Favre didn't keep his feelings about the Pack a secret behind close doors. This time though, he's on a team that also doesn't like the Pack.
It's about the politics and ego that goes on behind the scenes between two organizations that have zero respect for one another and are very hostile to one another. This dates back to the the accusation that the Vikings "tampered" with Favre when he was retired in 07.
Owners in the NFL care as much about image as they do winning. People may be shocked to hear that and they'll deny it if they like their owner, but Zigi would love nothing more than to make Favre a Viking icon. To him, football is as much as a business as it is anything else. That's a lot of money right there. It's also working right now. You said it yourself. Favre is having his best "stat" season as a Viking. That's exactly what Minnesota will emphasize when/if they go onto win the Super Bowl this year or next.
The players, coaches, and owners involved in this game have no connection to the 75 Vikings/Cowboys game. The owners are not the same and neither are 99% of the people involved in either organization. They don't care about that. There is no connection. There is one to Green Bay though.
The fact is, Favre had a chance to pad his stats, which he's done all year, and took it. This is nothing different than what the Packers have done with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. It's called having your cake and eating it too. That's what the Vikes and Favre are doing right now.
EDIT
I want to make one thing clear though. Priority one for Minnesota is to win the football game. Once the game is in hand, as this one clearly was, that's when you see the stuff I described above get factored in.