Exactly...misses 1/2 of training camp too. I see nothing positive for the Vikings. Brett proved last year his talent has slipped dramatically from what he use to be. His legacy is tarnished by hanging on. I'm very surprised any of his friends or family would even support it.

The Vikings are primed to run through the NFC North.

Brett is my hero, i know just how feels with his aging body. I am a 61 year old who manages in the fast food business and I was so moved by Brett's keen insight that I walked in this morning and announced my retirement. Of course in true Farve fashion I went back in at two and announced that I had unretired! Who knows maybe by the weekend I will decide to retire once again!

LOL Dave. While you're at it, make sure you tell the owner that you're definitely not coming back to work, but as soon as those mandatory refresher training courses are over, show up and get a promotion to middle management.

There's just something really smarmey about the whole thing.

Watched the Colts last night and the Cowboys tonight. Some good individual efforts by a handful of guys trying to make the teams.
Colts were efficient if not impressive (I say this having missed all of the first-quarter fireworks).
Dallas, well, hard to say. Offensive dominance in the first half but only 14 points to show for it, and the last 7 came only after the defense (aided by 3 penalties) surrendered a last-minute TD. I like the play selection better, and it's good to have 3 healthy running backs. Offensive line still commits too many false-start penalties (1 of them being part of that 3some mentioned above). Hard to say whether the defense played well or Tennessee just stinks, particularly with the run.
A lot of off-season speculation was that without T.O., Romo's passing would suffer. I disagree, and his first-half performance backs it up. Behind Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton, you've got 2 in Miles Austin and Sam Hurd who aren't stars, but can contribute. Then in the 2nd half, a potential 5th wideout emerged with the 2nd unit. The passing game will be fine. Instead of 1 guy catching 80 passes and scoring 12 touchdowns, they'll have 3 or 4 guys with 30 to 60 receptions and the TDs spread around. Most of the experts are pointing to the Giants and Eagles as the cream of the NFC East, and maybe that's true. But knowing Dallas like I do, and taking away the temptation to try to appease one me-first receiver no matter the game situation, I think we'll see better balance. And with better balance, there'll be fewer 3-and-outs, so the defense won't be on the field as much. Still some areas for improvement, the penalties being the main one, but I wouldn't write these guys off as 3rd place finishers just yet.

The Cowboys are going to find life much different without T.O. to blame for their offensive shortcomings. Their receiving corp should not scare anyone.

Offensive shortcomings are mostly because of lack of balance. Throwing on 1st and 2nd down the majority of possessions when you have Marion Barber in the backfield just isn't smart. And even there, the passing game might have been more fruitful if Romo spread the ball around instead of trying to keep T.O. happy. His presence alone will not turn Buffalo into a contender any more than his absence kept the Eagles out of the playoffs. The man is talented and can put up some impressive stats, the Cowboys - as are the Eagles - are better off without him.
Teams need not be scared of Crayton, Hurd, Austin or Ogletree (assuming the latter makes the team).
I'm just saying it would be a mistake for anyone to assume that without T.O. these guys won't be able to move the ball, get first downs and score points.
Of course, 2 other factors must be considered: penalties (way too many false starts by the linemen, Flozell Adams being the primary culprit), and when Romo does get under pressure - and he will - he's got to do a much better job of tucking the ball. He's mobile, so that really shouldn't be an issue; pull it down and run, even if only for no gain. Too many times last season - several in the game against Arizona when he injured his hand - he kept looking for somebody to throw to and ended up fumbling.

*sigh* Another week.

Ah it's time to play some footfall for real. Titans and Steelers nice way to start things off. Man I hate pre-season, I know they need to answer some questions about the FNG's on the team but do we really need four games to do that? But now it is down to the real thing and not a moment too soon!