Preview : GB favored, but Vikings capable of upset : McGinn

[swede]

As much as I despise the Vikings, the Packers cannot underestimate them when playing in the Metrodome.

No. But we can!

[mmmdk]

This game is the "superbowl" for the Vikings - Packers have selfdestructed in the Metro numerous times. I'm worried about this game (also injuries to players).

Packers should win it but the turnover battle will be paramount.

[Joemailman]

If the Packers can defend against Peterson as well as they did against Tomlinson, Vikings may not score a TD. When the Packers have the ball, it's all about protecting Favre. Vikings have 11 sacks to go with their great run defense, so it won't be easy. Clifton and Tauscher really did the job last week though.

[mmmdk]

Just a note; Packers with Favre at the helm are 5-11 at the metrodome. The only pounding came in the 1997 win 27-11, the rest are pretty darn close wins.

1997 Week 14 Dec 1 W 27-11 at Minnesota Vikings - Packers dominate.
2000 Week 16 Dec 17 W 33-28 at Minnesota Vikings - Packers control.
2003 Week 9 Nov 2 W 30-27 at Minnesota Vikings - close game.
2004 Week 16 Dec 24 W 34-31 at Minnesota Vikings - ultra close game.
2006 Week 10 Nov 12 W 23-17 at Minnesota Vikings - close game.

It's gonna be rough!!!

Just win baby

[Harlan Huckleby]

My God, you nervous nellies. Look at their recievers! Look at their coach! Look at their QB!

This sounds corny, but only the Packers can beat the Packers this game. More specifically, only Favre can beat the Packers. If Favre is hot, the Packers will score 3 touchdowns. That Minnesota offense can't keep up.

HH, have you been to a game at the "teflon tent"??? Place is a house of horrors... on every level. Not just b/c the Packers have stunk there, but b/c it's simply a terrible stadium - the substandard venue, in and of itself is enough to make it difficult on visiting teams.

The Vikings may have their deficiencies, but that stadium is a terrible place to play, and anything can happen there.

IN YO FACE, WISTY

Favre terrible in the Twin Cities? Not anymore
By JASON WILDE

GREEN BAY — There would be a terrific irony to Brett Favre breaking the NFL's all-time touchdown pass record against the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome if not for one small thing:

The guy has owned the joint the last four years.

"I'm trying to downplay that," the Green Bay Packers quarterback said Wednesday. "Would you work with me here?"

No can do.

While Favre's less-glowing assessment — "Better than I have been in previous years" — isn't wrong, there's no denying the numbers.

In the Packers' last four games in the dome — during which the Packers have gone 3-1 — Favre has completed 100 of 149 passes (67.1 percent) for 1,221 yards, with 10 touchdowns, two interceptions and two sacks for an overall rating of 108.9.

He has three straight 300-yard passing games there and his lone loss was in 2005, a 34-31 setback on a last-second field goal.
Those numbers stand in stark contrast to Favre's first 11 visits, in which the Packers went 2-9 — including losing seven of Favre's first eight games there, marked by the unforgettable Terrell Buckley/Eric Guliford and T.J. Rubley games — and Favre tossed 12 touchdowns compared to 16 interceptions and was sacked 23 times for a 71.9 rating. So while Favre is cognizant of his recent successes at what was once his personal house of horrors, he hasn't forgotten those early, ugly performances.

"It's been a pretty ... tough place for us to play. ... It has bad memories for me," said Favre, who tied Dan Marino's career touchdown pass record of 420 by throwing three in last week's victory over San Diego. "I consider it one of the greatest challenges I face every year. The year we won the Super Bowl (1996), we lost there. Even in good seasons, it has been a bad memory for us, so every time I go there, I can't say I'm overly excited about it. That's probably been the toughest place by far in my career to play."

So while everyone is talking about Favre turning back the clock with his early season play — a premise the quarterback disagrees with, by the way — he'd rather not turn it back this Sunday, when the Vikings are hoping they can provide a 1990s flashback and help him reach another milestone.

"You always hate to be on the end of a record that's established. I think it would be more of a source for pride if we could help him tie the record for most career interceptions with George Blanda," Vikings coach Brad Childress said, referring to Favre's 275 career interceptions, two shy of Blanda's NFL record. "That would probably be one that (the players) would be more excited about."

Mr. Excitement

Favre, meanwhile, would prefer to keep the excitement to a minimum.

In fact, as long as the Packers win Sunday, he'd be fine if the two most exciting things to happen to him this week would be cutting his finger at home on Monday night and taking a call from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday morning.

Coach Mike McCarthy said the cut, which Favre suffered on his right (throwing) hand, was a "small cut" but was enough to cause the coach to give some of Favre's reps to backup Aaron Rodgers during team drills in practice Wednesday.

"He's going to be fine," McCarthy said. "He's played with a lot worse."

Favre considered Goodell's call to be a nice gesture, but that didn't seem like a big deal to him, either.

"He just was congratulating me on tying the record. A very nice phone call, but nothing more than that," said Favre, who said the call was prearranged by Goodell's office and Packers PR director Jeff Blumb. "The only thing I want to do is win this game. If we have to run five (touchdowns) in, which I don't see happening, that would be awesome. If I have to throw five, that would be awesome. If we win and I don't throw any, that would be great. I just want to win the game."

Circa 1996?

With Favre playing the way he is, the Packers have a much greater chance of that.

While the run game remains stalled, Favre has bounced back from his opening-weekend struggles against Philadelphia (23-of-42, 206 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, 58.2 rating) with back-to-back boffo games, which coupled with the Packers' undefeated start has caught the national media's attention.

"Everyone wants to say, 'Oh, Brett Favre is playing so much differently now. He is playing like he is 27,' " said Favre, who enters Sunday's game having completed 64 percent of his passes (80 of 125) for 861 yards, with six TDs and two INTs for a 93.5 rating. "I don't know exactly what that means except they are saying it from a statistical comparison to 10 years ago.

"They go, 'Oh man, that reminds me of the old Brett.' The old Brett was here three weeks ago against Philly. I haven't made that dramatic of a change in three weeks.

"I mean, everyone's on this Brett Favre bandwagon now, (saying), 'He's playing the game differently.' I don't see it that way."

McCarthy doesn't disagree — "He had stretches last year where he played as well as he has in the last few games, so this is not something new," McCarthy said — but the obvious difference in Favre, according to ex-Packers and current Vikings safety Darren Sharper, is the way he has reduced his mistakes.

"He looks like the MVP that he was," said Sharper, who played with Favre from 1997 through 2004. "He's making all the right reads. Has confidence in his receivers. Putting the ball on the spot. "I think (the big thing is) he's making better decisions. You don't see him making some of those throws he was making previously. He looks like that guy who is picking teams apart."

Yet Favre said he won't be any different Sunday than he's been on his other recent visits to the Twin Cities.

"My approach to this year has been no different than any other year. I realize that if I make a lot of mistakes, that puts our team in jeopardy. We don't win many games when I do that," Favre said. "And I think coming into this year, I felt probably more pressure than any other season, offensively speaking.

"I'm approaching this game as I have any other game. I'm well aware of what's happened over there in the past. I know we're struggling running the ball, and more is expected of the passing game. But I don't think I'm going into the game with every drop-back going, 'Don't turn it over. Don't turn it over. Don't throw it down the field.' I'm just playing the game."

[KYPack]

Guess I've got too much "Baggie Dome" paranoia.

That place scares me, even tho we've done better there lately.

That & those dancing bears, the Williams Boys, give me fits!

[oregonpackfan]

As much as I despise the Vikings, the Packers cannot underestimate them when playing in the Metrodome.

No. But we can!

Where did you get that picture, Swede! I just may now have a new fantasy woman!

[b bulldog]

This game scares me most of the next three games we play. I hate that stupid dome!

[swede]

As much as I despise the Vikings, the Packers cannot underestimate them when playing in the Metrodome.

No. But we can!

Where did you get that picture, Swede! I just may now have a new fantasy woman!

Sorry, Mom is already seeing someone from Minnesota.

[swede]

There was a period of time, perhaps during the Dickey at QB era, the same kind of freak injury bug that is now biting our corps of running backs once bit the Packers' offensive line. And yet game in and game out the constantly shuffling personnel protected the quarterback.

With names like the "Steel Curtain" and "Purple People Eaters" fresh in everyone's memory some local writer tabbed our ever-changing offensive line the "Patchwork Quilt". I thought it was funny.

And I agree with some who are saying that we'll be okay. It's not like this team hasn't already handled changing personnel in the Department of Running Backs.