"One & done Vikes" weigh & measure 'Boys, 34-3. Who dat next opponent?

"Two men enter, one man leaves" . Favre was on fire with 4 TDs in the NFC Divisional Playoffs against the Dallas Cowboys...

...while Dallas Cowboy QB Tony Romo never got off the ground.

Best quote after game: "We don’t care what Keith Brooking says," chimed in DL Pat Williams. "He was about to get his ass whupped on our sideline over there."

To all the sports yappers who picked Dallas, I'm still waiting for your mea culpa. I've heard two guys actually admit they picked Dallas after the fact.

For the "hottest team in the NFL", crowned by the media as the winners of the Vikings/Cowboys NFC Divisional Playoff game yesterday at Minnesota before it even played out, Dallas laid a big deuce. Ask my cousins what a "deuce" is. The Vikings dominated in every aspect of the game. Brett Favre set more NFL and personal records, throwing 4 TDs and ended the game with a 137 QB rating. The Vikes' D sacked Dallas Cowboy QB Tony Romo 6 times. Sidney Rice had 3 TDs. Just an unbelievable game...it felt like a championship game, to me at least.

Check out highlights of the game here.

Some notables: Favre became the first 40-year-old to play in AND win a playoff game. He added to his all-time consec. streak record (for non-kickers) at 308. 19 straight playoff games with a TD (NFL record that he already held). 43 playoff TDs - 2nd to Montana who has 45. Vikings = 6 sacks is a franchise record and their first NFC playoff berth since 2000. Sidney Rice tied a record of 3 TDs in a game - this guy is pretty special.

Click on READ MORE! for more pics and stats. NEXT WEEK: Vikes (13-4) @ New Orleans Saints (14-3) for the NFC Championship Game!

Celebrating one of the three TDs Sidney Rice had.

Rice tied a NFL playoff record with 3 TDs.

3-sack Ray Edwards led the D.

Favre and Romo after the game.

Uno Favre.

Dos Favre.

Tres Favre. The 40-year-old showed that age means shit to him. But passion does. Win or lose next week against the Saints, it's been a great year of watching Brett with the Vikes. I've become a fan - of the team. And more than likely, will continue to follow them whether or not Brett returns. As for the Packers - until GM Ted Thompson is running that team, they are dead to me.

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When it rains, it pours for the Dallas Cowboys.

My good friend Nick in Cedar Rapids, Iowa is a hardcore Dallas Cowboys fan. Normally, I could care less about player injuries on any other NFL team except my own (Jets) and it's not that I really care about the state of the Cowboy franchise - just an observation. The Cowboys, who were considered one of the best teams in the NFL a week ago, have suffered a rash of injuries (to say the least) in their defeat against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Get this:

1. QB Tony Romo - out for 6-8 weeks with broken pinkie

2. RB Felix Jones - out a couple weeks with torn hamstring

3. Punter Matt McBriar may be out the rest of the season with a broken foot.

4. And on top of all that, Pacman "Dipshit" Jones was just handed a 4-game suspension this morning for violating the league's personal conduct policy (he was fighting with a team bodyguard and there was alcohol involved - shows you what sort of fellow Dipshit is when he needs a bodyguard to keep him in line). So much for Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones and his internal investigation which concluded that Dipshit's infraction would not be punishable within the Cowboy organization.

Pacman Dipshit is a loser. His rap sheet is a mile long. He was suspended all last season for off-field issues (one revealed instance involved in a fist fight and a shooting in a Las Vegas strip club that paralyzed manager Tommy Urbanski) and, after reinstatement, was given a three-year probation period by NFL Commissioner Goodall. Besides being a career criminal - he's deaf. He needs to voluntarily remove himself from the league so he can pan for coins on the street and drink himself to death, thereby ruining his life on someone else's time (and pocketbook). And Jerry Jones might wanna think about having an outside organization evaluate HIS OWN methodology when it comes to investigating players on his team.

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Romo's Admiration for Favre Confirmed!

By TODD ARCHER / The Dallas Morning News (partial reprint)

...To Romo, Thursday night's meeting at Texas Stadium between the Cowboys and Green Bay is about NFC supremacy and home-field advantage in the playoffs, so the kid from Burlington, Wis., did his best to downplay the Favre idolization storyline during the week.

"I know what you're trying to get at," said Romo, who watched from a buddy's house when the Packers beat New England in Super Bowl XXXI. "I understand the angle and it's nice and fun, but I have to beat the guy this week. At the end of the day, I don't want him to pass for 365 yards against us. That's the bottom line. I'll root for him on every other game."

Jason Witten, who has worked Romo's football camps in Burlington in the off-season, and Steve Tenhagen, Romo's favorite receiver in high school, know better.

"The truth is, he loved him," Witten said. Said Tenhagen, "He's got a whole lot of people believing he's not much of a fan. I think he's doing a good job of downplaying the situation." Romo met Favre two years ago at the Packers' quarterback's golf tournament in Tunica, Miss., thanks to former teammate Marco Rivera, who played with Favre in Green Bay. "Brett came over and I introduced him to everybody at the table and Tony's like, 'Hey, Brett, nice to meet you,' playing it off," Rivera said. "I was thinking to myself, 'Oh, if he could jump across this table.' "

The way Romo tells it – at least this week – he was more of a John Elway fan when he was younger, even rooting for Denver to win Super Bowl XXXII against Favre's Packers because he is a traditionalist.

Also this - "The truth is, he loved (Favre)," Witten told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "He can imitate him, he can do all that stuff. He's done a good job of relaxing and understanding where he's at. I think he's playing it off pretty good. But that's his hero."

Romo has been playing down admiration for Favre because the two will be locked in an important game Thursday night featuring the NFC's two best teams, both 10-1. He presumably doesn't want to come off as too much of a Favre fan when his job is to beat him.

I originally touched on this whole story in my post below. I understand the concept of downplaying your admiration for a player - a bit, especially as Romo is a young pup. But a real man would have admitted that it was true and just go with it. What did I tell you? Come on people - what's on Passion = Truth is...the truth!

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Psychological Edge on Packers/Cowboys Showdown Tomorrow Goes to Green Bay

I think that the psychological tactics are already working in Green Bay's favor.

First, GB is coming from a position of getting no respect all season, even though they were thought to maybe finish 8-8 or 9-7. Second, we're playing with a "dead man walking" as our QB - that's what the media and other naysayers stated in the off-season. Favre is old, should retire, doesn't have the arm strength, is playing for records, is holding back the growth of his team, etc. All bullshit - which I stated hundreds of times before. Third, we don't have a running game so how can we possibly be 10-1? Fourth, Brett has never won in Dallas so he never will. Fifth, we're the underdog going into this game at -7 1/2 points. Enough? Fine.

I'm originally from Waterford, Wisconsin - next door to Burlington, where Romo's from and, coincidently, our arch rivals in high school. All season long - through 11 games - I've read in national and local news that Favre was Romo's idol growing up in Burlington. Not ONCE has Romo EVER denied that. Not one peep. Though it is possible, I can't imagine any junior or senior high QB in Wisconsin who wouldn't have put Favre at or near the top of their worship list. Possible, but not probable.

Suddenly - just before the GB/Dallas game - Romo is addressing the media, saying, 'I never fawned over Brett Favre - I had a Montana jersey and I liked golf more'.

Romo said he enjoyed watching Favre play and that he was great, but "idol"? No. Why is he JUST reacting to this "alleged" idolatry now? Don't you think he would've had ONE opportunity throughout the season to refute those statements - he certainly was aware their teams were playing each other and he's played in Brett's golf charity tournament so they've met. If I were in Romo's shoes - or any public figure for that matter - and the press printed, 'Jeff Ircink loves Mel Gibson or Jeff Ircink worships the Beach Boys', I'd say, 'You're correct - that's right'. If they printed, 'I understand he loves Julia Roberts or Renee Zellweger', I'd say, 'No - I can't stand either one'. Very simple. My theory is this: for a game of this magnitude and hype, Romo-boy needs to come across strong, from an authority position, in order to competently lead his team. He can't be bothered by his idolatry of Favre when he has to play "his idol"- it'll throw his game off.

Romo's waffling. Not good. Touche Packers.

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Gunslinger Favre and Packers Mosey into Dallas for Shootout!

Everyone's been waiting for this showdown on Thursday - a possible NFC Championship in Dallas. Ha...can't believe I'm saying this. Pack 10-1??? Course, I knew they were better than all the naysayers but this is nuts. Whoo! Great season thus far.

So Dallas. Hmmm. My gut tells me that they really think they're already going to the Super Bowl. Which is fine...to be confident. That should be the goal of every NFL team. But I also believe the Packers have been underestimated all season, reaching 10-1 with very little respect. Before the season started we were maybe predicted to go 8-8 or 9-7, with 50-1 odds of going to the Super Bowl (with perhaps our strong 4-0 finish at the end of the year influencing those odds). Before the season started, we were slated to play a schedule with 7 teams having 8-8 or better records. As it turns out, through 11 games we've played three teams that are winning. That's not our fault. And everyone said, 'the NFC North sucks' and 'the NFC sucks'. Look at the Patriots - with 11 games played, their division consists of teams with 5-6, 2-9 and 0-11 records. That's handing New England 38% of the wins. No one is squawking about that.

Hell, and the Packers are playing with a "walking dead" QB so why would anyone take us seriously? If it weren't for Brady's performance, Favre would certainly be a shoo-in for his 4th MVP. Just my take. Dallas may have an edge on us in a number of categories. We are young and inexperienced - save Favre. They have a number of great receivers, included Terrell Owens. We'll send out Driver and 4 other receivers at any given time. Our rushing has been coming along. There's the Favre-factor. And the Favre-Romo thing (Favre was one of Romo's idols growing up).

Did I ever mention Romo is from Burlington, WI - my high school rival? Yeh. Neat story. My brother - who is in Houston on business and will be forced to watch the game in a bar with Houston/Dallas fans - says this Favre-Romo thingy is a psychological advantage for the Pack, as there is no way Romo could beat up on his childhood idol. Silly? Maybe. I don't know what I'm worried more about - the Pack winning or Jason in a potentially-filled powder keg atmosphere.

Um...what else? GB hasn't won in Dallas (Dallas hasn't won in GB either). If we win Thursday, what are the odds of beating a team twice? Dome and turf versus outdoors on grass. One game will not define the Packers' season, but it would be nice IF we get deep into the playoffs to host Dallas for the NFC Championship in a rematch of the famous Ice Bowl AT home - AT Lambeau. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Check out this ESPN story on the recent Packer success - this from a sports columnist that, along with the rest of the world, thought Favre should've retired last year.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=chadiha_jeffri&id=3123660

Basically a lot of bull is being thrown around by the media leading up to this game. For all the hype, funny thing is there are a ton of people who can't watch it at home if they don't have the NFL Network channel. That sucks - for a potential NFC Championship look-see. I've watched a few games on this channel and the quality is shit. And no HD (for those who feel that's a big deal). Personally, I think it's gonna be close but who knows? No one. I'm ready to just watch it. You?

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