SB Nation User Blog: ericj69

Madieu Williams is Really, Really Generous

ericj69 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:02:55 -0000

Madieu Williams is Really, Really Generous

Great story from the Star Tribune about Vikings Free Safety Madieu Williams giving TWO MILLION DOLLARS to his alma mater, the University of Maryland. The money will go towards health care research. Williams didn't want any attention for his incredibly generous gift, but I'm afraid I have to give credit where it's due. Kudos to Mr. Williams for reminding us that many athletes do great things with their wealth.

And On the Ninth Week, They Rested.

ericj69 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:17:29 -0000

It appears only one NFC team stands in the Vikings' way at the halfway point of the season. Here are their cheerleaders.

View full size photo »

If you gave every NFL team the option of when they wanted their bye week, I'm guessing most teams would pick Week 9 because it is the precise median of the 17-week NFL season. Thankfully, the Vikings get that perfect weekend off to kick back and enjoy their perch atop the NFC North. Of course I don't know any of the players personally, but here's how I envision some of them spending their free time this week:

Jared Allen: Hunting at least four species of wild animal using a variety of weapons: bow, shotgun, rifle, his bare hands, and his mullet. The nice thing for Jared is that he doesn't have to change his wardrobe at all when he goes hunting. (Speaking of hunting, I'm heading up to Warroad for my annual deer hunting trip in a few hours, which is why my weekly picks are coming out a day early. Didja see da turdy pointer?)

Brad Childress: Working the drive-thru at McDonald's. (What, you didn't think Mickey D's was just going to give him that headset did you? He has to work it off!) Childress also plans to watch his favorite DVD, "Awesome Beards in History, narrated by Chuck Norris" about five or six more times.

Adrian Peterson: Destroying brick walls and large construction equipment by simply lowering his shoulder into them. You know, just to stay sharp.

Percy Harvin: Making room in his trophy case for the 2009 NFL Rookie of the Year Award. And thinking up more mysterious illnesses to get out of practice during the week.

Asher Allen: Hopefully throwing away his "How to Tackle, by Deion Sanders" book.

Antoine Winfield: Miraculously healing his sprained foot in time for next week's game. (Please?!)

Chris Kluwe: Finally beating "Through the Fire and Flames" on Expert in Guitar Hero III and upgrading his Dark Elf Mage to Level 50 on World of Warcraft.

Brett Favre: Finally choosing that TV at Sears.

Tarvaris Jackson: Watching game film from last year's Arizona game alone in his house and quietly sobbing. "I had FOUR TOUCHDOWNS! FOUR! I CAN DO IT TOO!"

Sage Rosenfels: Finish writing his novel titled "The Easiest Money I Ever Made: My Time with Brett and the 2009 Vikings."

Pat Williams: Eating. A lot. Duh.

Bryant McKinnie: I actually know this one. He went through the "ESPN Car Wash" yesterday, appearing on roughly 42 ESPN radio and TV segments. This is a much better alternative to his original plan of ~~fighting in parking lots~~ clubbing in Miami.

(More bye week thoughts and my Week 9 picks after the jump.)

Obviously, the Vikings are in great shape halfway through the 2009 season. They're 7-1, they already have 5 road games out of the way, they pick up after the bye with three home games, and if that wasn't enough, the first one is against the Lions!

But as The Wolf uttered one of my favorite lines of all time in Pulp Fiction, "Let's not start sucking each other's d---- just yet."

We all remember the team that our quarterback was on last year, right? The Jets started 8-3, then Favre got hurt and the wheels fell off. Yes, I know, this team is different, and undoubtedly better overall. I'm just sayin', OK? Of any fan base, we Vikings fans should know that a season can turn at any time without warning. We have a looong way to go before we start seriously talking about that February game in Miami, especially with that team in New Orleans putting up 40 points a game at will. But so far, so good, right?

Let's just hope that the Vikings take this most opportune time to rest, recharge, and be ready to make the second half of the season even better than the first.

Now for my Week 9 NFL picks (home team in CAPS):

FALCONS over Redskins: My Eliminator pick this week (still going at 8-0). I have always loved Clinton Portis' wild characters and costumes he thinks up during press conferences. This year, he's even wearing them on the field! Although I'm not sure "Washed-up NFL Malcontent Running Back" is quite as funny as "Dolla Bill."

BEARS over Cardinals: I wouldn't bet your money on this game. Have two teams ever looked so good and bad on a week-to-week basis? I'm taking the Bears here, but I wouldn't be surprised by a 40-point blowout either way in this one.

Ravens over BENGALS: Big-time revenge game here; Baltimore had their first meeting locked up until they went all penalty-happy. Fun drinking game if you're watching this one: drink every time the announcers mention "leader", "motivator", or "intensity" when referring to Ray Lewis. You should be bombed halfway through the second quarter.

COLTS over Texans: It only took Houston seven and a half years to get two games over .500! Congratulations! I'm a little worried about Indy's rushing attack, but the Colts are in the "not picking against them until they lose" category with New Orleans.

JAGUARS over Chiefs: If I was Maurice Jones-Drew and my team fell behind early to Kansas City on Sunday, I would strip the ball from David Garrard and run it myself every time a pass play was called.

PATRIOTS over Dolphins: Like I'm going to pick against Bellichick at home when he's had two weeks to prepare for a gimmick offense.

Packers over BUCCANEERS: Give the Packers credit--they have looked AMAZING against awful teams this year. Good work Pack! You're 4-1 against teams not named the Vikings!

SAINTS over Panthers: It looks like John Fox is finally figuring out that his rush offense is approximately 48 times more efficient than his pass offense...but it's hard to run the ball a lot when the Saints are putting up Arena League scores.

SEAHAWKS over Lions: Hey, T.J. Houshmandzadeh: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! How's choosing Seattle over Minnesota working out for you?

GIANTS over Chargers: The Chargers are 0-3 against teams with winning records. Believe it or not, the Giants still have a winning record.

49ERS over Titans: Although the Niners seem to have mastered the art of "How to Look Good and Still Lose", I think they'll get a big enough lead in this game to not have to worry about their new skill.

EAGLES over Cowboys: I'm rooting for only one thing in this game: lots and lots of injuries. Worst two fan bases in football? Worst two fan bases in football.

Steelers over BRONCOS: Like Christina Hendricks and Lindsay Lohan, these two teams seem like they're heading in opposite directions.

Last week: 8-5

Season so far: 83-33

Interviews with Bart Starr, Jan Stenerud, and Paul Krause up now at DN

ericj69 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:15:10 -0000

Hi everyone at ACP! Eric here, a co-writer for the Daily Norseman. I usually only venture to these parts to troll (kidding!), but I figured that you guys might be interested in the articles I've posted at the DN over the past couple days.

Thanks to SB Nation being involved with the Van Heusen and JCPenney Hall of Fame promotion, I had the incredible opportunity to interview three NFL Hall of Famers before the game on Sunday. I'm guessing you may have heard of a couple of them. Below are links to my interviews with Bart Starr, Jan Stenerud, and Paul Krause:

Stenerud: http://www.dailynorseman.com/2009/11/3/1113668/van-heusen-hall-of-fame-interview

Krause: http://www.dailynorseman.com/2009/11/3/1113732/van-heusen-hall-of-fame-interview

Starr: http://www.dailynorseman.com/2009/11/3/1113815/van-heusen-hall-of-fame-interview

I also gave a quick review of my debut at Lambeau Field yesterday. I even put a slide show at the end chronicling my experience. Let me tell you, it was nothing short of amazing. I quickly realized that we're getting jobbed on the total NFL experience here in Minneapolis! I mention this in the article, but I was refreshingly surprised at nearly all of my interactions with Packer fans. I know both our fan bases have a few bad apples that can really give us a bad name, but it was great to see the majority of "real" Packer fans in person on Sunday. I can't wait to visit again!

Van Heusen Hall of Fame Interview Part 3: Bart Starr

ericj69 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:33:47 -0000

Go to www.fanschoice.com to vote for the 2010 Hall of Fame class today!

[Ed. note: As I ~~bragged about~~ informed you yesterday, I had the wonderful opportunity to interview three NFL Hall of Famers before Sunday's game at Lambeau Field. The interview group consisted of about 10-12 media members. Of course in my case, I use the term "media member" in the loosest sense possible--I'll be the first to admit that I was just a lucky blogger with a new digital voice recorder. We split up into smaller groups on stage before the public event and had a chance to rotate around to each Hall of Famer to ask some questions. Not all of the questions below were asked by me, but I did ask most of them listed for each interview. Here's the final interview with Packer legend Bart Starr:]

This event marks the first time the fans have a say in Hall of Fame voting. Is this a good thing in your opinion?

I think it's great that the fans get a chance to vote and show up on occasions like this. Obviously they're not the selection committee, but I don't know if there's a sport out there right now that brings in the fans like this. It's good to give the fans a way to make a contribution and have at least a bit of a say in it.

The big news of the day is obviously the Brett Favre thing--what do you think is going through his mind getting ready to run out there?

Well I don't know, and I'm not trying to avoid your question, but I'm purposely not going to get into that today. One, I think it's too late--this has been going on for well before this week around here! (Laughs) I'm just happy to be here today and I hope it's a good game and we can have a lot of fun.

So a quick follow up then, do you think that's what's going through Brett's head today--just ignore it?

I have no idea. He has to focus on the game and what he's been trained to do all week and what he's supposed to do for this Packer game, so that's his focal point.

How have you seen the Green Bay/Minnesota rivalry evolve since your playing days? Obviously the Favre situation has escalated things this year, but has the intensity always been there?

It's been a big rivalry. I think it's great because being in the same division and having something that is that strong is good for the league, it's good for that division obviously, it's just great for everybody. And in this latitude of the country, I just think it's wonderful. My wife and I of course have been living in Green Bay for 31 years, so this will always be our adopted home. When you can be a part of something like that well after you've retired, it's just a great experience.

How do you think Packers fans should welcome Brett back when he comes out of the tunnel? Should they boo him? Should they cheer?

(Laughs) I think that's up to the individual. As I said to the question before, it's not my place to say. It's for him, it's for the fans here to do their thing, and that's exactly what everybody should be doing.

How unique of an experience is this with someone that played here so long coming back playing for a rival?

Well it is definitely unique and I can't comment on it because I've never been there, but it's going to be an interesting day.

What was it like to be a member of the Green Bay Packers so long and be such a big part of this franchise as a player then a coach?

It was a great experience. In hindsight maybe I shouldn't have coached right away because I wasn't quite in the position I wanted to be. We had a some talented players on those teams and it was a great learning experience, and from that perspective I don't regret it. But more important to me was to always cherish the great years we had here with the wonderful people of Green Bay, and all the wonderful people around here that enabled us to win five championships in seven years.

How important is it to you to be a part of the Hall of Fame event and the game today?

It's really special. I really love all the Hall of Fame people. If you haven't looked closely at it in a number of years, you'll see some remarkable stages of improvement. I think when they can have something like this available to the fans it can only help. Now the fans here may not necessarily get to bring anyone in, but to hear their opinions, I think it's great for everybody. And I like coming to every game here, it's very special. By the time this season's over, my wife and I will have been to at least five of the ball games here in Green Bay and we're very proud of that.

Thanks Bart.

Have a great day gentlemen.

Van Heusen Hall of Fame Interview Part 2: Paul Krause

ericj69 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:26:15 -0000

Go to www.fanschoice.com to vote for the 2010 Hall of Fame class today!

What do you think about the fans getting involved in the Hall of Fame vote?

Well first of all, they've never been involved. And I think Van Heusen is doing something that's very good for our sport of football. You have to keep the fans involved in this stuff because they're the ones that are paying the salaries, they're the ones that are supporting everything. So I think it's very important that the fan has a say in who goes into the Hall of Fame. I also think it's about time that the players who are in the Hall of Fame have a say about who's going to go in. It's a program that has just started but I think it's very important for the NFL.

Do you think including the fans in the voting will improve the accuracy of voting to reflect who truly deserves to get in?

That's hard to tell; I really don't know. I'm not saying that anybody in the Hall of Fame right now doesn't deserve to be in there, and I don't know how many should go in every year. In my case, I was out of football for twelve years before I got in. Being the all-time interceptions leader for a career and the record is not even close to being broken, what in the world does it take for some of those sports writers to vote somebody in? You never know what they're thinking.

This is obviously a big game on a lot of levels. With all the emotions on both sides of the ball, how do you see things playing out today?

Well it's definitely a big game for both teams. On one side, you have Aaron Rodgers, who I think is doing a great job at quarterback. I think a big factor will be how well his offensive line can protect against the big pass rush of the Vikings. On the other side of the ball, you have Brett Favre, and I mean, the guy is living the dream right now! He's still playing, and he's getting a lot of criticism for coming back, but he's doing something that every other 40 year old would love to do. So I don't criticize him, I think it's great.

What do you think will be going through Brett's mind as he comes out of the tunnel today?

I think he's going to have fun with it. Every 40 year old ex-football player wishes he was in Favre's position. If he can do it, why not do it? He can still play. He's a great quarterback. I was traded from the Redskins to the Vikings, and when I played the Redskins for the first time, it was fun. I had a great time. I think he's just gonna let it hang out and go with it. I don't think there are going to be any ill feelings one way or the other.

Do you think the debate going on here in the Lambeau parking lot about whether or not Favre's return was a good thing is healthy?

Sure it is! That's what football's all about. That's what sports are all about. You get the fans talking...this is a good thing. This is a great thing for the game of football today. You've got a great day out here, you've got two great football teams. Both of them can win today, and both of them can get beat. The team that probably plays with the least mistakes is gonna win. They both played a great game on Monday night [in Week 4], but I don't know if both teams can do that today. It could be a blowout either way.

Do you think the Green Bay fans will boo Brett? Do you think they should if they do?

I don't think they should boo him. I mean my goodness, he made Green Bay what they are today, along with Bart Starr and everybody else. Why boo a guy? It's not going to affect the guy's way of playing. He's going to come out and do his very best for the Vikings just like he did for the Packers. So what if he's here now for the Vikings. He spent a lot of time here. He won a lot of hearts, broke a lot of hearts, both with the Vikings and Packers fans. So I don't think they should boo him.

You spent a lot of years dominating the defensive backfield in the NFL. Is there anyone currently in the NFL that plays in the defensive backfield that catches your eye as Hall of Fame worthy?

Well, I don't know...I think Darren Sharper is probably the closest player that's playing today to my record, and I think he's about 20 [interceptions] behind me. I don't know if he's going to play long enough to break the record or anything, but I know Darren and I've talked to him several times. He's a good football player. So we'll just wait and see. Some of the younger guys are having good years, but you have to have good years 10, 12, 13, 14 years in a row to get in the Hall of Fame. It takes a while to get in the Hall of Fame.

Thank you very much Mr. Krause.

No problem.

Van Heusen Hall of Fame Interview Part 1: Jan Stenerud

ericj69 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:32:59 -0000

Go to www.fanschoice.com to vote for the 2010 Hall of Fame class today!

How have you seen the effect of Brett Favre's return in Green Bay this week? Do you think it's good for football?

JS: I think it is. I live in Colorado so I don't see all the local press, but I did see the articles like in the USA Today. I thought it was pretty neat except for a couple things. I think people can go a little too far at times, but overall I think it's great for the game. But you know once the ball is kicked off all of that stuff is forgotten. Brett Favre is surrounded by his teammates and he can handle it.

Now you went through this too, going from the Packers to the Vikings right? What was the experience like the first time you ran out of the visitors' tunnel?

JS: Well yes but on a lot lower level. (Laughs) I spent three and a half seasons in Green Bay and then went to Minnesota. Of course we came back and there were some mixed feelings, but nothing on this level. It was strange not to be in a Packer uniform obviously. Actually the first time I came back the game was in Milwaukee, which was very different than playing here. But still, you are a hired gun when you play pro football and you do the best for the employee you have at the time. It wasn't that big of a deal then, but hardly anything is as big as [Favre's return] when it comes to a player going from one team to another.

Can you talk a little bit as to why you're here today?

JS: Certainly. For the first time, the fans have a chance to vote for the 2010 Hall of Fame class. It's to get the fans more involved and more interested about the Hall of Fame vote, and it'll go on from now on obviously. I know there are several Packers on the list such as Sterling Sharpe and Jerry Kramer, so it's kind of fun to get the fans involved, and Van Heusen and JCPenney have made this possible.

How important do you think the fan's opinion is for the Hall of Fame? Do you think it will influence how the usual Hall of Fame voters cast their ballot?

JS: I don't know how important it's going to be, but if you're a selector and you see the fans make a really great case for a player, you can make the selectors take a real close look at them. If you look at all the players on the list, I think there are 130 or so, they're all really great players. So I guess what you're looking for is making the selectors really dig in as much as possible to make the best choices. I think it's good to get the fans involved.

You're one of only three kickers in the Hall of Fame, and you're the only one that solely kicked throughout your career. George Blanda and Lou Groza played other positions in their career. Do you see any current NFL kickers that have a shot at the Hall of Fame?

JS: Well I was the only one that only kicked because I couldn't do anything else! (Laughs) There will always be a lot less kickers in the Hall of Fame than other positions, I do know that. Twenty years from know do I know how many kickers there will be? I couldn't tell you. But there will be a few, I'm sure of that. Morten Andersen and Gary Anderson were great kickers. I think Gary is eligible this year--I don't know what's going to happen, but he has some great stats. Vinatieri has made two game-winning kicks on the biggest stage of all of pro football. He's off to a great start and he'd be a strong candidate. Ray Guy is probably the best punter of all time. He was drafted in the first round. Oakland, with their championship teams, thought the punter was that important to draft him in the first round. And he lived up to all the expectations, and you know that field position is very important in football. You would think he would get consideration but he's never really made it to the final round of voting. Maybe this year.

Thanks for your time Jan.

JS: My pleasure.

Eric's Field Trip to Lambeau

ericj69 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:23:42 -0000

Head to www.fanschoice.com to vote for the 2010 Hall of Fame class!

What an amazing day! I must have a horseshoe lodged in a strategic place, because I am one lucky guy. In three whirlwind days, I went from planning to watch the game at home to not only watching the game live Lambeau but interviewing three NFL Hall of Famers before the game! I'll post my interviews later this week (lots of questions and answers to transcribe from my voice recorder), but I thought I'd share my photos and highlights for now.

I could write a novel about everything I saw, heard, and felt yesterday, but I'm way too exhausted to actually do so. Instead, I'll give you the Cliff's Notes version of my trip:

If you've never been to Lambeau for a game, you need to go as soon as possible. It's roughly 800 times the experience that the Metrodome is for NFL games. And I LOVE going to the Dome for games. Even though my pictures are pretty awesome, they don't do the experience justice at all.
We arrived in Green Bay around 9:30 AM (getting up at 3:30 Sunday morning was awful, but totally worth it) and parked in the K Mart lot across the street from the stadium. After picking up a digital voice recorder at K Mart (I figured I might as well pretend I'm a member of the press if I was going to do interviews), we started socializing with our fellow tailgaters.
My friend Koryeah was nice enough to hook me up with an extra ticket she had to the game. I felt bad that the ticket was available only because her boyfriend came down with the flu...but not THAT bad. :) She's a diehard Packer fan along with being one of the loudest people I know. Let's just say I'm very, very, very glad the Vikings won yesterday.
If you want to confuse people before a Vikings game, walk around a parking lot with a Packers fan. I lost count of how many times a Packers fan asked Koryeah some variation of "What the hell are you doing hanging out with that guy?" and vice versa with me and Vikings fans. High comedy.
The JCPenney/Van Heusen Hall of Fame event didn't start until 1:00, but I wandered over to the stage around noon to make sure everything was lined up. And of course, full disclosure, I was a wee bit nervous for my interviews since I had never done anything like this. I talked to Steve, the PR guy for the event, and he reassured me we'd get some time for interviews before the more structured, hosted public event.
The event was emceed by some guy that has been on some of those VH1 "Best Week Ever"-style shows. Can't remember his name, but you might recognize him in the pictures. I just found it odd that he was hosting the event. (UPDATE 11/3: I did some research and his name is Nick Stevens. Here's his bio. Don't feel bad if you don't recognize him.)
A little after 12:30, Paul Krause, Jan Stenerud, and Bart Starr emerged onto the stage. As part of the "press", I got to stick my voice recorder inches from their face and even ask each of them a few questions. It was an absolutely surreal experience. Who would have thought that I would ever be interviewing NFL royalty alongside "legit" TV cameras and news anchors?
After the interview session flew by, we were whisked off the stage and the public event began. I recorded the first part of the Q&A session, but they were all the same questions that we had already covered. I also couldn't get too close since a big group of people had formed near the stage while I was conducting the interviews. After about 25 minutes, it looked like the event was dying down, so I jetted off to meet up with a bunch of people at the bars a few blocks from the stadium for some pregaming. After a few rounds in a couple insanely packed bars, we trekked back to the stadium for the game.
We took our seats just in time for the player introductions/boos. There doesn't seem to be a bad view from any seats in Lambeau, but holy crap they pack you in there like sardines. It's all bleacher seating, and there aren't any cupholders. Good thing I just kept beers in my hand until I was finished with them.
Lambeau may be the Mecca of NFL stadiums, but the lines are probably worse than the Metrodome. Luckily, I heard all of this second-hand because I didn't leave my seat once during the game. (That's right, three stadium beers with zero bathroom breaks. I'm a camel.)
You guys saw the game so I won't rehash any play-by-play, but it goes without saying that the game was awesome. Besides that dicey second half run by the Packers, it was fun being a vocal Vikings supporter amongst a sea of green and gold. (Although I'd say around 20-30% of the crowd donned purple.)
The opinion about Favre among Packer fans seemed generally split between generations. Most of the older fans I talked to still appreciated everything Favre did for the Packers, while most of the younger fans considered him a traitor. (Including my friend as you'll see in the photos.)
Maybe I just lucked out, but I was surprised that the vast majority of the Packer fans I encountered weren't all that terrible. Besides the obligatory good-natured trash talking, I didn't see any complete douchebaggery. Maybe this would have been different had the Packers won, but Green Bay was a near-shockingly tolerable environment for me.

Below is a slideshow I made from all the pictures and videos I took. You can click the link below the slideshow to head out to my Webshots site and look at them individually. Like I said, I still have to transcribe all the interview Q&A from the Hall of Famers, but I hope to have then done within the next day or two. So in the mean time, enjoy the visual evidence of how much fun I had yesterday watching the Vikings go 7-1!!

Lambeau Trip 11/1/09

Best Day Ever? Best Day Ever.

ericj69 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:01:34 -0000

Hey everyone! I just returned home from a very, very, VERY great and long day at Lambeau. Yes, I was able to interview Hall of Famers Bart Starr, Jan Stenerud, and Paul Krause before the game in a small group format. Yes, I went to the game--Section 113, Row 41. Yes, the Vikings won to give them a commanding lead in the NFC North. Yes, I took an absolute assload of pictures. Yes, it was easily one of the most memorable days for me as a Vikings fan. And yes, I'll post much more about it later this week.

But for now, I've been up since 3:15 this morning, and I have to work tomorrow, so I'm getting my ass to bed. SKOL VIKINGS!!!

It's not technically a national broadcast, but...

ericj69 — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:39:17 -0000

Take a look at who's going to see the VIkings/Packers game this week. The Red is us, the blue is the Carolina/Arizona matchup.

So only 45 of the lower 48 states are going to get this one...shoot.

via www.the506.com

No Aaron, That's Not a Zombie Chasing You; it's Jared Allen

ericj69 — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:37:58 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

"BBRRRAAAAAAAIIIIIINNNS!!"

Browse more photos »

It's Halloween Weekend, which is far and away my favorite drinking holiday of the year.

It's also "Favregeddon II: The Lambeau Massacre" Weekend.

"Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day" comes out today. (Although apparently it's not a nationwide release...but still, it's the sequel to one of my favorite movies of all time!)

I may have a chance to head to Green Bay on Sunday to interview Bart Starr, Paul Krause, and Jan Stenerud thanks to the ongoing JCPenney/Van Heusen Hall of Fame promotion tour. (Still pending, but it sounds promising! If you haven't read MilCardFan's interview with Krause yet, do it. Great read.)

If you guessed that I'm more excited than a puppy with two tails right now, you'd be correct. If you thought that I wasn't going to tie in a cheesy Halloween gimmick throughout this article, then I'd like to be the first to welcome you to our site.

First of all, there is one irrefutable reason why Halloween kicks so much ass. No, it isn't candy--it's because this is the one day of the year that gives every girl full license to dress as slutty as they want without any social repercussions. Think about it--98% of women's costumes are "Sexy <fill in the blank>." Sexy Cat, Sexy Police Officer, Sexy Devil, Sexy Cowgirl, Sexy French Maid (is there a Non-Sexy French Maid?)--they're all variations of the same basic premise. (For instance, my girlfriend is going to be Sexy Rapunzel at our Halloween party tonight, and I couldn't be happier. Over/under on off-color hair-pulling jokes from me tonight: 11.5.) Throw in the fact that everyone's inhibitions are inexplicably lowered by about 80% when wearing a disguise of any sort and you got yourself one hell of an entertaining holiday.

(Note to everyone with younger kids: sorry for reminding you how much fun Halloween used to be a few years back. I'm sure you'll have fun trying to put your kids to bed tomorrow night after they have ingested enough sugar to put a wildebeest into a coma.)

As for Sunday's game, I won't bore you with minutiae about each team. It's the Vikings and Packers. We're sorta familiar with each other already. Instead, I'll dole out the classic Halloween costumes that best suit various personnel on each team. (See, I told you there would be a cheesy Halloween gimmick!)

Zombies: They're always coming after you. It seems like you're surrounded by them at every turn. They won't stop until they're on top of you, ripping you limb from limb and eating your brains. Sounds like Jared Allen and rest of the Vikings defensive line to me!

Decapitated Zombies: Zombies are scary. Dead zombies are just gross. They don't move around at all; they're decrepid, smell awful, and don't pose a threat of any kind. That pretty much sums up the Packers offensive line, no?

Mummy: This costume goes to Aaron Rodgers. Even though everyone assumes a mummy should be dead and is bandaged up from head to toe, he's still scary and hard to kill. Rodgers has taken an absolute beating all year thanks to the Decapitated Zombies, yet he's still the second rated passer in the league. Even as a Vikings fan, I have to appreciate that. He gives the Packers a chance to win all by himself at times.

Werewolf: This one has to go to Brett Favre. Just like a werewolf, he can be a lethal, unstoppable force. But the drawback is that you're never sure when he's going to change in certain conditions. Even worse, werewolves can't control when they'll change. I know Favre has been more or less outstanding in 2009, but I wonder if returning to Lambeau will be his Full Moon. I don't think there's a stat line from him that would surprise me. 24/28, 338 yds, 4 TD, 0 INT? Sure. 16/43, 113 yds, 0 TD, 4 INT? I could see it. I'm just hoping we get the cool Michael J. Fox "Teenwolf" werewolf, not the creepy Jack NIcholson "Wolf" werewolf.

(More costumes and my Week 8 NFL picks after the jump.)

I told you Halloween is awesome.

Vampire: While vampires are immortal and can strike out of the dark at any time, they can just as easily be killed by showing them a little daylight. This costume goes to the entire 2009 Vikings team. At times, it has looked like nothing can kill us. Thanks to the likes of Percy Harvin, Sidney Rice, and AP, we can go for the other team's throat without warning. Unfortunately, our tendency to give up the big play this year has left us very vulnerable--every time we show the other team some daylight, a sure win turns to dust. The Ray Rice plays, the Pittsburgh defensive TD's, the San Fran blocked field goal, the Jermichael Finley Show in Week 4...all of the big plays have made victories uncomfortably close, and it cost us a win last week. If we want to leave Lambeau with a stranglehold on the NFC North, we can't let big plays be our stake through the heart.

Purple Jesus: What's that you say? Adrian Peterson isn't a traditional costume at all? You think I have to assign something like "Ghost" or "Goblin" to the best player in the NFL? Go ahead, I dare you to try and categorize AP with a Halloween gimmick. See what happens. Isn't that right, William Gay?

The Vikings proved they were the better team a month ago. Nothing has happened in the past month to change that fact. Unless Werewolf Favre shows up at the wrong time, I don't see this game going any different than the one at the Dome.

Prediction: Vikings 31, Packers 20

As for the rest of my Week 8 NFL Picks (home team in CAPS):

RAVENS over Broncos: The only logic I have with this pick is that the Broncos can't possibly be 7-0 good and the Ravens can't possibly be 3-4 bad...can they?

BEARS over Browns: My Eliminator pick of the week. (I'm 7-0 and still alive for those keeping track at home.) At this point I think Cleveland fans should start visiting people with terminal illnesses to get a new perspective on life. I'm not saying the Browns fans would be cheered up though. I think someone dying might realize it could be much worse. Their suffering will probably end soon, while there's no end in sight for the Browns.

COWBOYS over Seahawks: Who knows which Seahawks team will show up, but one thing is for sure: Miles Austin is scary. And he's a pretty good wide receiver.

GAHHHHH!! (Image from Kissing Suzy Kolber)

LIONS over Rams: Oh my God, the Detroit Lions are favored in a game! If you even think about watching this game, go take a shower to get the filth off of you.

Texans over BILLS: Houston is the only road favorite this week. Isn't that SPOOKY?? (And you thought the Halloween theme was over!! MUUUUAHAHAHAHAHA)

COLTS over 49ers: Alex Smith rises from the dead to take over as the starter for the Niners. (Boom! More Halloween analogies! I'm unstoppable!) He'll have plenty of chances to prove that his arm is superior to Shaun Hill's, because they're going to be down by a lot the whole game.

JETS over Dolphins: For both teams, the less their quarterback is involved in the offense, the better their team performs. After last week's games, it looks like the Jets have figured out how to minimize Mark Sanchez more than the Dolphins can hide Chad Henne.

CHARGERS over Raiders: You know how most teams try to "keep the ball out of so and so's hands?" I think Norv Turner's strategy this week should be "keep the ball IN JaMarcus Russell's hands." Nothing but good things can happen for the Chargers.

Jaguars over TITANS: I'm going to make Vince Young prove he doesn't suck before I pick his winless team, even if it is against a mediocre Jags squad.

CARDINALS over Panthers: I still don't completely trust the Cards, but they look poised to repeat in the NFC West after their big win in New York. Meanwhile, John Fox is like the corner guy for a boxer that's too proud to throw in the towel. His guy is just getting murdered out there, yet he still won't pull the plug. Or maybe he just knows that Jake Delhomme's backups are equally as awful.

Giants over EAGLES: The G-Men haven't looked great the past two weeks, but Brian Westbrook is still...get this...QUESTIONABLE for the game thanks to a concussion last week! I wonder who is second place all-time being listed as Questionable for a game, behind Westrbook's career mark of 3,431? Shouldn't his nickname be "Q" by now? He has caused more agony for fantasy owners than all other players combined. My roommate last year nearly went bipolar after worrying about Westbrook's playing status so much.

SAINTS over Falcons: The New Orleans offense is making my Madden team jealous. Drew Brees turned the ball over four times last week and they still lit up the Dolphins for 46 points. I'm not picking against the Saints until someone outscores them.

Last week: 9-4

Season so far: 75-28