The Most Interesting 2010 NFL Matchup Debate… Will Donavan Receive a Brotherly Love Welcome?

September 6, 2010

Read the opposing arguments from Bleacher Fan and Babe Ruthless.

The NFL season starts Thursday night, and I can’t wait! Hopefully, you’ve had your fantasy draft by now and you’re in the mood for an exciting NFL season. There are all kinds of storylines to look at as the season approaches. If you look at the NFL schedule, you’ll see a plethora of “must see” games. However, one game stands out more than all the rest. It is a game that is definitely circled on Loyal Home’s calendar.

On October 3, the Washington Redskins travel to Lincoln Financial Field to take on the Philadelphia Eagles. Obviously this is an important NFC East matchup. But this isn’t just another divisional matchup. This is Donavan McNabb’s initial return to the City of Brotherly Love as a member of the opposing team. Admit it, you’re just a wee bit curious to watch this game!

The big question is how McNabb will be received by those fans who rooted for him (and I use the term “rooted” very loosely) for eleven years. How do you think he will be received? Will he be remembered as the guy who led the Eagles to five NFC championship games, including one Super Bowl appearance? Will he be remembered as a six-time Pro Bowl quarterback? Will he be remembered as the guy who won games despite having guys like Todd Pinkston and James Thrash as wide receivers? Will he be remembered as the guy who made Campbell’s Chunky Soup seem like it would be something worth eating?

Or will Philly fans remember the guy they booed on draft day? Will they remember the guy who possibly threw up in the Super Bowl? Will they remember the guy who couldn’t win the big game? Will they remember the guy who was seemingly hurt quite a bit?

It wasn’t exactly a clean break between McNabb and the Eagles organization. There appears to be a strong connection between McNabb and his former head coach, Andy Reid, but I think that’s where the love ends. The fact that McNabb plays for a division rival only stirs up the passion even more for Eagles fans, even though McNabb has nothing to do with where he was dealt.

Keep in mind Philadelphia is a town that boos Santa Claus and once cheered as a motionless Michael Irvin lying on the ground. I have a feeling that the vast majority of the fans in Philadelphia that October afternoon will be booing #5. In any other town, he would likely get a rousing ovation. But this is Philly. And that’s why I’ll be watching.

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Posted by Loyal Homer

The Most Interesting 2010 NFL Matchup Debate… Rivalry is Favre From Over

September 6, 2010

Read the opposing arguments from Bleacher Fan and Loyal Homer.

He did it to us again. Brett Farve dragged the Vikings, the media, and the world through the emotional ringer as the “will he or won’t he” retirement drama unfolded once more. Just when we were all sure that number four had finally hung up his cleats… for good… he unretired… again. While some people grow tired of Brett’s ability to unretire with the frequency of a professional wrestler, I love it.

Knowing that Favre will be back in Minnesota again means football fans will be treated to one more ”final” season of one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. It means we’ll get to see another season of Favre making big throws, leading fourth quarter comebacks, and playing with the joy and passion of a kid. But it also means something special. Favre’s return means NFL fans will bear witness one of the greatest of all time playing with true purpose against his former team in Week 11 when the Green Bay Packers travel to Minneapolis.

Favre has something to prove to the Packers, to the Vikings, and to himself. He knows that he is one of the best of all time, but his departure from Green Bay must cause him to believe there is doubt about that fact. The fact that he did not get to leave Lambeau Fields on his own terms still motivates him to show the Packers exactly what they let slip away. So when the Packers come to his new home in Minnesota, he’s going to put on a performance for the ages.

Sure, we saw it last season. The Vikings bested the Packers both at home and on the road, but 2010 is different. Aside from the fact that this may be Favre’s swan song (seriously, this has got to be it… right?), the Packers have motivation to march into Mall of America Field and show they won’t be pushed around again. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers were dealt two tough losses at the hands of Favre’s Vikings last season, and that has got to be motivation for them to show they won’t roll over for Favre and company again in 2010.

Although Rodgers is one of the best young quarterbacks in the league he has been – and remains – in Brett’s shadow. No matter how well he plays, until he beats Favre there will be doubts about both his ability and his legacy. Even if his stats are better. If he can’t beat the guy he was promoted to replace, he will always carry the stigma of being a downgrade from Favre. The Packers went through quite an ordeal to put the young quarterback under center and he wants everyone to know it was the right decision. But each year that Favre comes back and excels, he undermines the achievements of the talented new signal caller in Green Bay. The Packers are Rodgers team and his teammates want to prove it to him. They will get potentially a last chance to do that when they go to Minnesota and try to take one from Favre on his new home turf.

No other matchup in the NFL has this kind of drama. Gone are the days when America hung on the Cowboys and Redskins. Similarly, the Colts-Patriots rivalry is not exactly what it used to be since the Pats have struggled lately. A Super Bowl rematch would easily be one of the most exciting matchups of the season, but NFL schedule makers did not see fit to make it happen. There is no substitute for the rivalry and drama of the Farve versus Packers saga, especially since this should be the final chapter. If old number four is healthy, you know he will give it everything he has… which is all a NFL fan can hope for.

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Posted by Babe Ruthless

The Most Interesting 2010 NFL Matchup Debate… Rematch Grows To Rivarly

September 6, 2010

Read the opposing arguments from Babe Ruthless and Loyal Homer.

The most exciting game of the 2009 season was not the Super Bowl. It was the NFC Championship. It was a classic battle that ended in a dramatic overtime victory for the New Orleans Saints. At the center of this game was a quarterback showdown which could serve as the symbolic passing of the torch from the old to the new breed of gunslingers.

During the game Brett Favre was 28 for 46 with 310 passing yards, but it was his two interceptions – including a late-game bad decision which essentially cost the Vikings the game – that defined his game. Meanwhile, the Saints’ Drew Brees – who completed only 17 passes for less than 200 yards – managed to hook up for three touchdowns and no picks in a performance that propelled his team into the Super Bowl.

It was a thrilling game that helped bring an outstanding close to the 2009 football season.

So, what better way to kick off the next season than with a rematch?

If that one interception thrown by Favre at the end of the game really was the only reason that Minnesota lost, then they now have a chance to prove it, and stake a claim as the team to beat in the NFC (perhaps even the NFL).

After a not-very-surprising “holdout,” Favre has decided to return once more and play football (news that I’m sure the Medicare people were disappointed to find out). And with a supporting cast that is formidable even without Sidney Rice, Favre and the Vikings should once again be in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy.

The Saints are fresh off of a whirlwind tour as reigning Super Bowl champions, where the players and coaches enjoyed all the fruits of victory. Brees is on the Madden ’11 cover, the team has visited the White House, and the city of New Orleans has held a six month party in the team’s honor.<br.

But the time for fun and games is over.

Winning one NFL championship is difficult enough. Winning consecutive championships is nearly impossible, and the schedulers have seen fit to make sure that the Saints are no exception.

The final piece to the puzzle, which pushes this game from being one of intrigue to being the game to watch for the entire season, is simple – it is the season kickoff.

Let’s face it, this has been a very slow summer for sports. The World Cup ended two months ago, LeBron has announced where his talents will be, and unless you are lucky enough to live in a city such as New York, Tampa Bay, or Atlanta, you probably lost interest in baseball somewhere back in late July.

We have been patient long enough, and it is time we all got a taste of the good stuff once more.

America’s favorite sport is about to get underway, and it launches its 2010 campaign with a superstar repeat of the best matchup from last season.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!

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Posted by Bleacher Fan

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