Monday Night Football Week One Live-Blog: Vikings-Packers 2nd Half
Monday, September 08, 2008
I got a little behind there at the end of the half let's do a little rapid fire commenting and show you that Peterson truck stick on Al Harris....
Kornheiser sounds like Bill Swerski tonight. I'm surprised he hasn't asked retorically what the score would be if Brett Farve played the Vikings by himself. (Via Anon)
Anybody else think of "To Catch a Predator" the way Jaws said that LOVES young quarterbacks. (Via Anon)
What's with the band on the sideline? although it does go perfect with the high school caliber football we're seeing. (Via Anon)
Someone should tell ESPN that there are other Metallica songs than Fuel. (Via The Brain)
Hi, I'm Tony Korniheiser, with Mike Tirico. Welcome to "Monday Night Favreball" (Via PM)
8:43- So let me get this straight? ESPN replaced "Jacked Up" with something called "Sunday Thunder" that featured two highlights and one was of the Bears defense making boring tackles? FAIL. Second half is getting underway shortly....
AA, you've failed to realize that simply making a tackle has become a spectacular feat for my Bears. (Via PM)
Touche'.
"I'm going to put a Favre moratorium on the Second Half. You only get five mentions!"- Mike Tirico
Liar. Vikings ball to start the half. There goes Jackson again....gain of eighteen on a scramble. He follows it up with a nice pass in rhythm to Berrian who almost breaks it. Woodson gets him by the shoelaces. Another Jackson completion and this is a drive. Oh wow! Berrian had the ball tipped to him in the back of the endzone but he can only get one foot down.
Vikings get a FG and it's 10-6 now.
8:55- "Our cheese curds are saltier than your cheese curds."- Tony Kornheiser
Go away please. Packers ball and Rodgers opens up the drive with a strike to Driver, but there's a penalty. 3rd and 9....complete but short. The Pack will punt. Allison goes for six yards and it will be Vikes ball near their own 20. Let's here "Fuel" again by Metallica! Commercial.
"Driver! He got Winfield to bite, and says 'good night!'" - Mike Tirico (Via Jay and JFein)
"Tries to get it to his fullback, Thomas Tapeh but Collin Jenkins was knocking him on his bottom."- Mike Tirico
Great pass to from Jackson to Sianicoe and he is blasted! Fumble...wait, incomplete. Wait again, it was a catch and the ground caused the fumble. Either way...it's a challenged and it's incomplete. Sorry I dosed off there for a second.
9:10- Great! A Michael Phelps mention!!! Keep it up guys....you're doing great. Jackson on a third and long hits Chester Taylor and he picks up the first.
Michael Phelps' performance in the Olympics was Favre-esque. (Via PM)
The drive stalls out and Kluwe punts again. Blackmon gets loose!
"Cutting back, he needs two more blocks. He got one.......he got the other one! Touchdown Green Bay!"- Mike Tirico
Great call on that one by Tirico and a great return. 17-6 Packers with 6 minutes left.
"He was too pooped to leap."- Tony Kornheiser
9:19- Those are pretty boring cheerleader uniforms. Is this a BYU game or something? (Via Mal)
I'm pretty sure the Packers don't have official cheerleaders anymore and that they use local highschool kids. I could be wrong though.
"And the Packers saying to the Jets if you trade him at all you lose you first born for fifty three years or something like that."- Tony Kornheiser
Why did we just get a picture of the 0-0, 1st Quarter scoreboard at the bottom for about 15 seconds? (Via Bazooka Jones) Good question, but here's the picture....
So unfunny. Jackson is crushed with a blindside sack but KGB was offsides on the play. 3rd and 6 for the Vikings and Jackson gets another scrambling first down. The Vikes are out to the 40 now. Nice little drive. Another first down as Peterson goes over 100 yards and Minny is in GB territory.
Jackson picks up some more yards and it'll be 3rd and 1 to start the 4th quarter. 17-6 Packers after three.
9:31- Vikings come up short on third down and it'll be 4th and 1. They're going for it.....Jackson throws....
Sidney Rice is wide open for six! They go for two and...no good. 17-12 now.
Great play by Jackson and it happened right as Tirico and Jaws were saying they would have kicked the Field Goal. They were right, but hopefully it shuts them up a bit.
"Way to second guess yourself after they score the touchdown. That's twice you've done that tonight."- Tony Kornheiser
Blackmon brings it out past the twenty and here comes Aaron Rodgers again. Tavaris J. is now a stellar 8 for 21 passing and the Packers defense seems to be running out of gas. Rodgers to Humphrey for about seven and Grant picks up the rest for a first down while Tony waxes ecstatic about Tennis celebrations. Great play by the Vikings defense and the Packers lose four. A short pass is picked up as well and it'll be 3rd and long....Driver catches it but well short. Packers to punt.
The lack of a down and distance on screen has been annoying, and the worst part is that it's not like they don't have room. There's plenty of room on each side. (Via Bazooka)
I know we've covered it, but it needs to be said again so it gets fixed. Just a tiny spot on below the game clock would be fine, but it should be on there.
9:43- When Stu calls the Broncos-Raiders game "Old School" is that code for "shitty"? Peterson picks up about seven yards on first down with a nice run but....another flag.
"This is a big drive for the Vikings here."- Ron Jaworski
Thanks Ron....great analysis. Jackson to Peterson and we get a little skirmish after the play. Timeout Vikings....8:51 left. 3rd and 1 and it's incomplete...Wade was held but no call. Another punt and it's all the way to the Packers twenty.
"Lollipop yes, Lazer no."- Mike Tirico
I'm not really sure why Tirico turned into a 5-year old kid when describing that punt, but it was highly entertaining. And there's penalty number seventeen as the Vikings encroach.....
RYAN GRANT BREAKS ONE! Oh man what a cut back near the goal line and he gets all the way to the two. 1st and Goal Packers. And another penalty! Good lord. Rodgers keeps it on first down...no go. Second down....
TOUCHDOWN! Rodgers on the sneak and he goes into the crowd with a Lambeau Leap. Great spike too. 24-12 Packers.
9:57- Great here comes the Favre-Rodgers comparison. Tirico finally says what everyone is thinking when he says....
"It's a great storyline, it's a great point, but let's not do this week after week."- Mike Tirico
Amen. 5 minutes to go and a pass interference gets the Vikings out to midfield. Jackson again with the scramble and he adds another 18 yards. He decides to then follow up those two good plays with a near interception. He's inconsistent to say the least.
3rd and long....tipped but Shiancoe grabs it about a yard short of the marker. 4th down....Jackson sneaks....got it! That was a long yard. Incomplete on first down but Mills grabs a pass for another first on second down. Great pass under pressure there. 1st and Goal. Jackson scrambling yet again and he pulls off some great moves to pick up a yard or two. Another penalty....defensive holding. 1st and Goal again....
TOUCHDOWN! A.P. goes up the middle for six. 24-19 with 2:39 to play. And the Vikings will get another 15 yards on their kickoff because of a leaping/leverage penalty.
10:08- Onside kick....Ohhhh! Nothing....out of bounds. Great attempt though. The Vikings have one timeout left and the 2 minute warning, so they might get another shot here. Jackson for nothing and Minnesota calls timeout. Jackson again for nothing and another penalty. Holding! The Vikings decline it but the clock is stopped because of the penalty. The booth doesn't seem to understand that but that's not surprising. Timeout and the Vikes will get the ball with 2 minutes left.
Has ESPN moved Wendi Nix to Boston yet, and have her camp out in the parking lot of the Patriots facility ? So we can get 24 / 7 Brady. (Via JG)
Not yet. She was in Green Bay all day today at her other condo. Allison takes the punt out to the thirty and here we go. First down....Jackson to Berrian for seven but he's in bounds. Second down....Jackson to Peterson for the first down over the middle. And Tavaris spikes it with 1:08 left. Second down....
Interception! Game over. And Mike Tirico gives Atari Bigby the business for not just going down after the pick. There was no one even close to make a play on that ball....terrible pass.
"We get the Packers twice more on Monday night."- Tony Kornheiser
Kill me now because that was just dreadful. If you're not trashed from playing the "Brett Favre Mention" Drinking Game, see me in yet another thread for our second game of the year sure to be even better with the Three Mikes on the call!
Final: Packers 24 - Vikings 19
100 Comments:
Interesting title you have for this post AA.
"The last time he was taking a license plate number before he fell down" - who else, but Tony Kornheiser
LOL @ the title
Doesn't a moratorium mean that they shouldn't have ANY Favre mentions? C'mon, Tirico, lay down the law.
AA, you've failed to realize that simply making a tackle has become a spectacular feat for my Bears.
On the plus side, because of the Bears D last night saw the re-emergence of the Manning Face
Seriously MNF, if the Broncos/Raiders is the doubleheader game then scrap the whole idea.
I'm in favor on a 5 PM kickoff on ESPN for something like Vikes/Packers, and another 5 PM kickoff but on ESPN 2 with something like Panthers/Chargers. None of this Raiders crap or 49ers.
does the raider bronco game start at 7:15 sharp or are they holding the kickoff? Thanks
Tony: Our cheese curds saltier than your cheese curds.
Yeah I don't know what happened with that title.
I think right away, Anon.
So by right away you mean which? Sorry, I'm slow.
You know how you have the Pam Ward Chronicles for college football, well I think you should have the Tonys for the NFL, honoring two of the worst announcers the NFL has, Tony Siragusa and Tony Kornheiser.
"Driver! He got Winfield to bite, and says 'good night!'" -- Tirico
Damn, that penalty negated an awesome call by Tirico...
Brett Favre would've pulled back the right guard and got that ball to Driver.
"He got Winfield to bite, and says good night" - Mike Tirico.
Wow, so eloquent. The TD may have beent taken away, but that doesn't change the fact that he actually just said that.
Tony: "That is like the 45th penalty". No exageration here tonight, huh, Tony? You are the worst guy to sit in the MNF booth - that wouldn't be an exageration except for Namath, OJ, and the Three Mikes that are doing the late game.
uh, jfein, Brian Baldinger has a horse in that race.
Metallica has a new album coming out just like AC/DC did - that is why we got them on all the bump music last weekend. Please tell me Twisted Sister isn't reuniting and releasing a new album this Fall.
10:15/7:15 sharp. If this game is still on then it will go on ESPN2...I think.
I said two of the worst, not the two worst. Baldinger is bad, I agree and I can't stand Joe "I'm better than everyone around me" Buck.
It's "Shiancoe."
Yeah, Fox is littered with bad game analysis. The Pearson/Vasgersian combo is pretty awful, as well.
For a few seconds, the scoreboard displayed the quarter as the 1st quarter. Good one, ESPN.
Why did we just get a picture of the 0-0, 1st Quarter scoreboard at the bottom for about 15 seconds?
Michael Phelps' performance in the Olympics was Favre-esque.
What Tony was thinking: "Sean Salisbury would have completed that pass".
Wow, the key block in that was Viking on Viking.
"He was too pooped to leap!" - TK
That was a pretty sweet punt return.
What Sean Salisbury was thinking: "Where's the zoom on my new cell phone camera?"
Those are pretty boring cheerleader uniforms. Is this a BYU game or something?
Zygi Wilf has no friends. Or he just cut one.
Who used to be Green Bay's quarterback? I forget. They haven't talked about him at all this broadcast.
Why did the on-field down and distance graphic just say "3rd and 33"? It was 1st and 10.
@jfein: They were talking about Lynn Dickey earlier.
jfien, you must be thinking of Don Majkowski.
I find it annoying that the down and distance isn't even being shown except the "on-field" graphic most of the time, which may or may not have a player "standing on it". I hope this isn't how it will be all season on MNF.
It should be on the bottom with the score and the clock. I find this almost as annoying as Tony Kornheiser.
TK: "Is there a chart that says when it is time to panic?"
Can Tirico just do this game alone? Actually, the whole season? Jaws and Tony have got me crazy and while Tirico is vanilla, this was one of his best games since he got the MNF job.
Every time they show a fan in the stands, it's like a whole new nuther world of weirdness.
Sort of like one of those Discovery shows on deep sea exploration.
"They got none of the points. No, they got three of the points". - Tony Kornheiser
Worst....commercial....ever....Microsoft.
Did Tirico just plug the Raiders-Broncos game as they were going to commercial at the end of the 3rd quarter of a close football game?
With all the hype ESPN is giving this game, it sounds to me like the Broncos and the Raiders are playing in the AFC championship.
"No situation without penetration." - Jaws
Agreed, SSR. That commercial is just off-putting and weird.
"Jackson got it. Rice. Touchdown". - Mike Tirico
Tirico gives Green Bay good calls and gives the Vikings that uninspired call.
Even with no celebrity interviews, little from Michele Tafoya (meaning Suzy Kolber is gone), and some interesting games on tap this month for MNF, it's still a trainwreck of a broadcast.
I think Tirico does a good job on the games. He pointed out a rule difference between NCAA and NFL during that I didnt know during one of the preseason games.
I liked the work he did on the Thursday night college games.
pm, it's a commercial that should be canned right away. Bill Gates should just stay in Redmond.
The lack of a down and distance on screen has been annoying, and the worst part is that it's not like they don't have room. There's plenty of room on each side.
"I know this is football, but why do tennis players always lay down on their backs after they win?" - Tony Kornheiser, an analyst for MNF. No, really, they dub him as an analyst.
Has ESPN moved Wendi Nix to Boston yet, and have her camp out in the parking lot of the Patriots facility ? So we can get 24 / 7 Brady.
Did that Sportscenter update really accomplish anything other than to plug the 11 pm show ?
I hate refs who feel they have to explain WHY they make their calls.
"There is no foul for block in the back.... (3 second pause).... because there was no contact with the back."
Just say "There is no foul on the play." That's it! For some reason, we see these horribly awkward 'explanations' a lot more in the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE than in college.
Tirico is very good. He clearly works hard on any job (whether golf or football or whatever ESPN throws his way). I like Jaws better on NFL Matchup, but he is alright on MNF. I used to defend TK, but he is beyond defensible now. He, along with graphic problems, is tanking this broadcast. Unfortunately, it will only be worse in game #2 tonight.
AA, the reason why the packers don't have cheerleaders is simple: the local young women are pale cows.
I'd take less Kornheiser for a down and yardage graphic.
"Ryan Grant....beautiul cutback. Ryan Grant. To the two". - Mike Tirico. Good call.
This is a lot of penalties for the 5th game of the pre-season. These teams will get this corrected by the start of the regular season.
Did a Ryan Grant HUGE run just spark a convo about how well Aaron Rodgers is managing the game?
White men CAN jump......Aaron Rodgers proved it.
"Gotta a Lambeau Leap in you Aaron? He'll take it." - Mike Tirico
Tirico: When you Lambeau Leap you've gotta get your bottom over the fence there.
Tirico burns Soulja Boy, and now this Favre thing.
He's my favorite now, thank you!
BOOOOOOOO Brett Favre comparison!
Mike Tirico says "Let's not do this [compare them]." Well, your network will beg to differ, Mike.
To think of all the time I spent reading TK's WaPo columns, and this is how he repays it.
If ever a receiver sold a PI call w/o going down, Rice did it there.
They are still having trouble with the down and distance graphic. Why does the arrow not start on the line of scrimmage?
Despite that last call, the Packer DB's have really gotten away with a lot tonight.
The Vikes are running the 2 minute offense just like the Redskins.
I'm going to lose it if I hear about Gene Upshaw's death. It was tragic and he was a big part of the NFL, but why mention it every game?
Who's idea was it to give Tavarius Jackson the keys to the Vikings offense?
I think Kordell was a lot better at running an offense.
Mal, better watch it, AA may delete your comments from here on out.
"Almost none of these players have played a full game this year." - Mike Tirico. Really?
Leverage? What kind of made up penalty crap is that?
Jeff Triplett is just absolutely horrible announcing penalties.
ssreporters 10:03
I wonder what excuse the Patriots will use to take the patch off their uniforms, since last year the Sean Taylor one was too big after one game.
I understand the rule leverage, but it has a horrible, horrible name.
A one-legged Culpepper would be a much better QB for the Vikings now. How they can, in good conscience, had Jackson the ball next week is beyond me. He is awful. Like P.T. Willis awful. Like Danny Wuerffel awful.
Leverage. Also known as "ref has the Vikings and the points".
Leverage? That's got to rank right up there with Simeon Rice's "leaping".
jfein, I think leverage and leaping describe the same penalty.
24-19.....yet such a poor game of football.
Do any of these guys in the booth not understand the clock rules? This ain't calculus, fellas.
Well, here we go. Very entertaining 1st Monday Night Football game.
Wow. Dream situation for the Vikes... But they're gonna need a big return, I think.
Even Jackson is probably gonna get a Favre comparison on this 2-minute drill.
Why does Stu Scott sound like Arnold Schwarzenegger when saying "DA RAIDERS!"?
I think you're right, Jay. I was speaking more on the lines of calls you've never heard before and will probably never hear again.
All 3 of those guys sucked as QBs.
Stu Scott impersonating Berman. That has to be a circle of hell.
That throw from Jackson looked like the last throw from Favre in the NFC Championship game.
TAVARIS!!
"Nothing good can happen here". I would have laughed if he fumbled.
Cue more Brett Favre comparisons.
Tirico going into coach mode.
TK: "We have the Packers two more times this year, so you haven't heard the last of Favre from me". Not much of a teaser there, Tony.
Hey! A Michelle Tofoya sighting. She really earned her check tonight.
There will be a riot in GB if they lose this game. Several trailer homes could be lost.
Wow. Tavaris is bad. I'm a Bears fan. I know bad QB'ing, and that, friends, was bad QB'ing.
"Tonight we will make it very easy for you in the booth. Mike, Mike, and Mike". Mike Greenberg
I would've liked to hear Aaron Rodgers say, "This win feels great! F*CK YOU BRETT!"
I hate Mike Greenburg. What a douchenozzle.
NICE. Seriously, announcing tonight is miserable.
whoa! TJ completed a pass!
No jokes necessary!