MVN: Most Valuable Network

Season Preview 2009 Minnesota Vikings

By Richie Denis | July 1, 2009 | Vikings War Cry

Anthony Chergosky from DailyNorseman.com gives us a look at the 2009 Minnesota Vikings. When you think of the 2009 Minnesota Vikings, two words probably enter your mind: Brett Favre. But when taking a look at the team, its chances of repeating as NFC North champs, and its opportunity to go further in the playoffs than it did last season, Favre is just the tip of the iceberg. All over the field and on both sides of the ball, the Vikings are a team built for success this season. This team's bread and butter is still its ability to run the...

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Fang's Bites: ESPY's moronic entertainment for brain-dead.

By SCS Production Team | June 25, 2009 | Stone Cold Sports

Read more  |  Discuss  |  Tags: 0-16, 49ers, 76ers, a's, agent, al, amateur, American, Anaheim, andy, angeles, angels, announcers, Antonio, Arizona, association, Astros, athletics, Atlanta, audio, auto, avalanche, awards, back, bad, Baltimore, baseball, basketball, bay, bears, Bengals, Berliner, bettman, bills, bites, blackhawks, blazers, blog, blue, blues, bobcats, boston, braves, brewers, broadcasting, broncos, browns, bruins, buccaneers, bucks, buffalo, bullet, bulls, Calgary, calls, Canadian, canadiens, canucks, cap.agent, capitals, car, cardinals, cards, Carolina, cavaliers, cbc, Celtics, center, central, championship, chargers, charlotte, Chicago, chiefs, Cincinnati, city, Cleveland, clippers, coach, cold, college, Colorado, colts, Columbus, commissioner, company, conference, contract, corner, cornerback, court, cowboys, coyotes, cubs, cup, dallas, david, davis, day, deals, defensive, Denver, Detroit, devils, diamondbacks, diego, dodgers, dolphins, down, draft, ducks, eagles, east, eastern, ed, Edmonton, end, England, espm, espn, espy.espys, extension, falcons, fang, fantasy, flames, florida, flyers, football, forward, foul, Francisco, free, fsv, fullback, gary, giants, golden, golf, good, goodell, grading, green, group, guard, hard, hardcourt, hawks, head, heat, hockey, Houston, hurricanes, Indiana, Indianapolis, Indians, indy, is, islanders, it, jackets, Jacksonville, jaguars, Jason, jays, jazz, jersey, jets, jose, Kansas, ken, kicker, kings, knicks, la, la.los.angeles, lakers, leafs, league, leagues, left, lightning, like, linebacker, lions, los, louis, lpga, magic, major, manager, maple, mariners, marlins, matt, mavericks, media, Memphis, mens, mets, Miami, mighty, millen, Milwaukee, Minnesota, minnesots, mlb, montreal, most, motorsports, mvn, nascar, Nashville, national, nationals, nba, ncaa, negotiations, nets, network, new, nfl, nhl, nig, northwest, nuggets, ny, Oakland, oilers, Oklahoma, orioles, Orlando, Orleans, Ottawa, pacers, pacific, packers, padres, panthers, patriots, penguins, peters, pga, Philadelphia, Phillies, phoenix, pirates, pistons, Pittsburgh, placekicker, playoffs, point, Portland, post, predators, professional, punter, quarterback, racing, raiders, rams, rangers, raptors, rating, ravens, rays, receiver, red, redbirds, reds, redskins, ref, referee, reid, restricted, right, rock, rockets, rockies, roger, rookie, roster, roundball, royals, running, sabers, sacramento, safety, saint, saints, salary, san, seahawks, season, seattle, senators, sharks, shooting, side, small, soccer, southeast, southwest, sox, special, speeding, sports, st., st.louis, Stanley, stars, state, steelers, stern, stone, strong, suns, swap, tackle, tampa, teams, technical, telling, Tennessee, Texans, texas, thrashers, thunder, tigers, tight, timberwolves, titans, Toronto, trades, trail, tv, twins, unrestricted, up, utah, valuable, Vancouver, ventures, versus, Video, Vikings, warriors, Washington, weak, west, western, westner, whistle, white, wide, wild, wings, winless, wizards, womens, wood, Yankees, york

Broncos Should Re-Build

By Shawn Zobel | June 18, 2009 | Zobel's Corner

In just his third year in the league, Jay Cutler threw for 4,526 yards and 25 touchdowns. While he also threw for 18 interceptions, Cutler's aggressive mentality at the quarterback position is what makes him such a good player. Nearly the definition of a franchise quarterback, Cutler's gritty, competitive attitude has brought him up the the elite status as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. So when the Denver Broncos decided to give in to Cutler's trade demand this offseason, and ship him away to the Chicago Bears for two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and Kyle Orton, it really made you wonder what they were thinking and what their new plan was for the future.While Cutler owned a 17-20 record as a starter, you have to remember that he's only entering his fourth year in the league. Stars don't grow overnight. It takes time to develop into...

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Minnesota Vikings: Don't Get Brett Favre, Tarvaris Jackson Is The Answer

By Josh Dhani | June 16, 2009 | Colts Couch Crew

Brett Favre is surely going to be the on the Minnesota Vikings roster, now that he is gotten surgery on his throwing shoulder and a Vikings assistant will be coming to Favre to do some workouts with him to help his shoulder. So, you get it: Favre will obviously be on the Vikings roster, no doubt. I don't know what's next for Favre after he leaves Minnesota, because he will after one year and go on to these teams. So here's my question to all of you fans for the NFL team in the purple uniform: why would you want a losing-his-luster quarterback like Brett Favre for one year, when you can get an improving quarterback like Tarvaris Jackson for many years to come? Why Brad Childress, why? Have you seen what Favre has done with the Jets. When the Jets were at an 8-3 record last year, they...

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2009 USC Preview: Linebackers - Replacing Legends

By Brian Wagner | June 16, 2009 | The Purple Trojan

Football is almost here! Now we are less than two months removed from the beginning of Fall Camp for college football. In the mean time, I am missing USC Football. So, for the next few weeks, I am going to begin my USC Football preview for 2009. Position by position. Check back daily to see updates for previews of the other positions.------------In 2008, the USC Football team was loaded at the linebacker position. Brian Cushing, Rey Maualuga, Clay Matthews, Jr., and Kaluka Maiava were all drafted in the first four rounds of this year's NFL Draft. Two were drafted in the first round. Another was the 2008 college football defensive player of the year. The three linebackers that will replace these guys have a whopping...

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The 18 Best Indianapolis Colts Games of All Time (Updated)

By Deshawn Zombie | June 12, 2009 | 18 to 88

These games were selected based upon the quality of the actual game, and not solely on its significance to the team. Defeating the Bears in Super Bowl XLI was the most significant win in franchise history, but it really wasn't that great of a game to watch.  If there is a game you don't see here, it might be listed under our Most Important Wins list.  Check there first before you write us. We understand that this list is weighted heavily in favor of the Manning era, but let's face it, that is how it should be.  1. New England Patriots 2007 Playoffs Colts 38 Patriots 34 A tremendous game that will go down for all time as one of the great NFL games, let alone Colts games. This is simply the greatest game in Indy Colts history. From Manning putting up 32 in the second half to Brady's INT...

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Now Playing Exclusively on "Stone Cold Sports"

By SCS Production Team | June 6, 2009 | Stone Cold Sports

Read more  |  Discuss  |  Tags: 0-16, 49ers, 76ers, a's, agent, al, amateur, American, Anaheim, andy, angeles, angels, announcers, Antonio, Arizona, association, Astros, athletics, Atlanta, audio, auto, avalanche, back, bad, Baltimore, baseball, basketball, bay, bears, Bengals, Berliner, bettman, bills, blackhawks, blazers, blog, blue, blues, bobcats, boston, braves, brewers, broadcasting, broncos, browns, bruins, buccaneers, bucks, buffalo, bullet, bulls, Calgary, calls, Canadian, canadiens, canucks, cap.agent, capitals, car, cardinals, cards, Carolina, cavaliers, cbc, Celtics, center, central, championship, chargers, charlotte, Chicago, chiefs, Cincinnati, city, Cleveland, clippers, coach, cold, college, Colorado, colts, Columbus, commissioner, company, conference, contract, corner, cornerback, court, cowboys, coyotes, cubs, cup, dallas, david, davis, day, deals, defensive, Denver, Detroit, devils, diamondbacks, diego, dodgers, dolphins, down, draft, ducks, eagles, east, eastern, ed, Edmonton, end, England, espn, extension, falcons, fantasy, flames, florida, flyers, football, forward, foul, Francisco, free, fsv, fullback, gary, giants, golden, golf, good, goodell, grading, green, group, guard, hard, hardcourt, hawks, head, heat, hockey, Houston, hurricanes, Indiana, Indianapolis, Indians, indy, is, islanders, it, jackets, Jacksonville, jaguars, Jason, jays, jazz, jersey, jets, jose, Kansas, kicker, kings, knicks, la, la.los.angeles, lakers, leafs, league, leagues, left, lightning, like, linebacker, lions, los, louis, lpga, magic, major, manager, maple, mariners, marlins, matt, mavericks, media, Memphis, mens, mets, Miami, mighty, millen, Milwaukee, Minnesota, minnesots, mlb, montreal, most, motorsports, mvn, nascar, Nashville, national, nationals, nba, ncaa, negotiations, nets, network, new, nfl, nhl, nig, northwest, nuggets, ny, Oakland, oilers, Oklahoma, orioles, Orlando, Orleans, Ottawa, pacers, pacific, packers, padres, panthers, patriots, penguins, peters, pga, Philadelphia, Phillies, phoenix, pirates, pistons, Pittsburgh, placekicker, playoffs, point, Portland, post, predators, professional, punter, quarterback, racing, raiders, rams, rangers, raptors, rating, ravens, rays, receiver, red, redbirds, reds, redskins, ref, referee, reid, restricted, right, rock, rockets, rockies, roger, rookie, roster, roundball, royals, running, sabers, sacramento, safety, saint, saints, salary, san, seahawks, season, seattle, senators, sharks, shooting, side, small, soccer, southeast, southwest, sox, special, speeding, sports, st., st.louis, Stanley, stars, state, steelers, stern, stone, strong, suns, swap, tackle, tampa, teams, technical, telling, Tennessee, Texans, texas, thrashers, thunder, tigers, tight, timberwolves, titans, Toronto, trades, trail, tv, twins, unrestricted, up, utah, valuable, Vancouver, ventures, versus, Video, Vikings, warriors, Washington, weak, west, western, westner, whistle, white, wide, wild, wings, winless, wizards, womens, wood, Yankees, york

Dave Zirin: NFL Using New Orleans for Super Bowl Profit

By SCS Production Team | June 4, 2009 | Stone Cold Sports

Read more  |  Discuss  |  Tags: 0-16, 49ers, agent, al, andy, Arizona, Atlanta, audio, back, Baltimore, bay, bears, Bengals, Berliner, bills, broncos, browns, buccaneers, buffalo, bullet, cap.agent, cardinals, Carolina, center, chargers, Chicago, chiefs, Cincinnati, city, Cleveland, coach, cold, colts, commissioner, conference, contract, corner, cornerback, cowboys, dallas, dave, davis, day, deals, defensive, Denver, Detroit, diego, dolphins, down, eagles, eastern, ed, end, England, extension, falcons, football, Francisco, free, fullback, game, giants, goodell, grading, green, group, guard, head, Houston, hurricane, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, jaguars, Jason, jets, Kansas, Katrina, kicker, last, league, left, linebacker, lions, Louisiana, matt, media, Miami, millen, Minnesota, most, mvn, national, negotiations, network, new, nfl, Oakland, Orleans, packers, panthers, patriots, peters, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, placekicker, playoffs, profit, punter, quarterback, raiders, rams, rating, ravens, receiver, redskins, reid, restricted, right, roger, rookie, running, safety, saints, salary, san, seahawks, seattle, side, special, speeding, sports, st.louis, steelers, stone, strong, superdome, swap, tackle, tampa, teams, Tennessee, Texans, tight, titans, trades, unrestricted, up, valuable, video, Vikings, Washington, weak, western, wide, winless, york, zirin

NFL Crystal Ball: Texans, finally, will head to Postseason

By Greg Trippiedi | May 29, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Save the trendiness of the pick: I wouldn't be predicting this if I didn't feel this team was good enough to flat out win the division.Yes, the 2009 Houston Texans are that good.  I'm not willing to predict that they will win the AFC South next year, only that I expect them to be right in the mix at the end of it.  I am predicting that the Texans will make the playoffs next year.Undoubtedly, the team enters the season with more upside--a higher ceiling, so to speak--than any other team in the division.  Of course, that was true of the Texans the last two seasons, and they never quite reached their ultimate potential.  By 2008, they had become the dreaded trendy media darlings, not unlike the Dolphins in 06, the Cards in 05, or the Cowboys in 07.  And they responded with an incredibly disappointing 0-4 start, although, in...Read more

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NFL Great Debates: What to Do with Michael Vick?

By Staff Report | May 26, 2009 | MVN Outsider

NFL Outsider's Greg Trippiedi and Anthony Brown debate the issue: Which team is the best spot for Michael Vick if he overcomes the enormous hurdles necessary to get on the field this year?Greg Trippiedi says Vick shouldn't be a starting quarterback:It's pretty clear that Michael Vick is not going to have a job waiting for him when he gets back. He's 29 years old -- too old and too young in different ways. Vick's open field running abilities were already in decline when we last saw him, and that was in 2006. But that doesn't mean he won't stick somewhere. He's still got a good five or six seasons ahead of him as an effective athlete. The question though remains: Where will Michael Vick fit in, and who will take a chance on him? I don't think Vick is a good fit on a team with a clear need...Read more

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NFL Top 10: Breakout Candidates in 2009

By Greg Trippiedi | May 4, 2009 | MVN Outsider

If you are an avid fantasy football player who plays in competitive leagues, you know there are only three ways to gain a competitive edge over your opponents.  You can:1) Have access to inside information that the rest of your league does not have,2) Search to acquire players that are undervalued by the rest of the league, or3) Draft players with high upside who are likely to "break out" during the next season.The final strategy would be considered the most dangerous.  Our MVN Outsider fantasy experts will vouch for this: if you load up your roster with high-upside unproven talent, you risk having a bottom of the barrel fantasy team if your players underachieve your expectations for them.NFL Owners and General Managers have similar interests in identifying breakout candidates.  Obviously, trading is not as prevalent in the NFL as it is in, say, Major League Baseball, but the NFL is...Read more

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Five Questions: Talking Draft Winners, Heyward-Bey, Stafford and More

By Anthony Hall | April 29, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Who emerged from last weekend as a "winner" of the NFL Draft?  Which first round quarterback (Stafford, Sanchez, Freeman) will have the best career in the NFL?  And what on earth were the Oakland Raiders thinking?  The NFL Draft left behind a plethora of unanswered questions, so to talk more about the weekend in football, we sat down with NFL blogger Reid Kerr of NFL Examiner, who was tracking the draft every step of the way with his Official Unofficial 2009 NFL Draft Timeline.  Here's what Reid had to say about the draft in the latest installment of NFL Outsider's "Five Questions" series: 1. Give us a team and a player that you think have emerged from the weekend as "draft winners."Both of my main winners came through predraft trades. I think the Falcons adding Tony Gonzalez for a second round pick was a great move. The Eagles had a...Read more

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Derrick Williams, Jarron Gilbert, Jared Cook Lead Round 3 Recap

By Greg Trippiedi | April 26, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Process points become negligible after the first day, so lets look at round three and the players that each team got in the middle of the draft.65. New York Jets -- Shonn Green, RB, IowaThe Jets traded up for this pick, so the Green pick was really disappointing.  I didn't think he was anywhere near the best available, and with this being the first pick of the day, I expected a great pick here.66. St. Louis Rams -- Bradley Fletcher, CB, Iowa67. Kansas City Chiefs -- Alex Magee, DE, PurdueThe Chiefs pick their second 3-4 DE of the draft.  So what does this mean for Glenn Dorsey?  Will he split time with Magee and Tyson Jackson, or is he already on his way out?68. Chicago Bears -- Jarron Gilbert, DE, San Jose StateChicago moves forward looking for best player available, while making sure to add a defensive lineman every year. ...Read more

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Alphonzo Smith Trade, Rey Maualuga, Pat White Highlight NFL Draft's Second Round

By Greg Trippiedi | April 26, 2009 | MVN Outsider

The second round of the 2009 NFL draft was fronted by some high profile trades.  Both the Panthers and the Broncos traded first round picks in 2010 for players they had first round grades on, but drafted in the second round.  Pat White ended up getting drafted by the consummate "Wildcat" offense, which seems like a good fit, if not a reach.  Inside linebackers Rey Maualuga and James Laurinaitis slipped through the first round, but got drafted by teams in the second with defensive issues.  They'll step in right away and help those situations.However, it was some lesser known prospects who will be the story of the second round in a few years.33. Detroit Lions -- Louis Delmas, S, Western MichiganDelmas is a local product who was clearly head and shoulders above all the other safeties in this draft.  After going with the QB with a steep developmental curve in...Read more

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Maybin Heads to North America's Team, Broncos go for a Runner

By Greg Trippiedi | April 25, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Pick 11, Buffalo Bills -- Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn StateThe Bills land a guy who looks on tape to be a natural pass rusher.  I think the Bills are a pretty good situation for Maybin, if only because I feel he would have been a disaster in the 3-4.  He appears to be able to rush the passer with his hand in the ground, and he'll be a weapon in the Bills 4-3 defense.  However, I just don't like Maybin at the money, so I'm going to dock the Bills a few process points.  They'll keep two because I'm interested to see how this high-risk high-reward guy will pan out.Buffalo Bills: 2 pointsPick 12, Denver Broncos -- Knowshon Moreno, DE, GeorgiaThis is the first real shocker of the NFL Draft.  With all the picks they have, the Broncos can afford to use picks on both sides of the football.  But...Read more

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NFL Outsider Mock Drafts: Trippiedi's Final Call

By Greg Trippiedi | April 24, 2009 | MVN Outsider

As promised, this will be my best attempt at figuring out how the NFL draft will go on Saturday.  I'll try to project all logical trades in this space, but certainly won't be able to chart all the action that will happen.  Put simply, I'll be satisfied if I nail team intentions correctly in the draft.It seems like the media is catching up to teams in terms of figuring out smokescreens.  That should help me a lot in this process.  We'll check back on Sunday to see how accurately this two round mock really was (don't get your hopes up).Round 11.  Detroit Lions -- Matthew Stafford, QB, GeorgiaJim Schwartz thinks he can win with Matthew Stafford.  And if Jim Schwartz thinks he can win with Matthew Stafford, then I agree with him.  I'm still not convinced that he's worth the money though.  Stafford is a deadly accurate passer who might...Read more

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