Saturday night NFL notes

Vikings resign E.J. Henderson
Via PFT's link to the Strib, E.J. Henderson has signed a 5 year extention with the Vikes.

This is SPECTACULAR news. Henderson's improved play in 2006 has been a major factor in the Vikings' dominant run defense. He's really come into his own as a player, and ensuring that he's sticking with the Purple (and will not reach unrestricted FA this off-season) is a great move.

Let's put Ladanian Tomlinson's TD record in perpective
Yes, he's got three more games to add to the record of 29 TDs. But is it that great a record? It has been repeatedly broken in recent years, suggesting it is not a terribly difficult record to break (relatively speaking). After Emmitt Smith broke the record in 1995 with 25 TDs, the record was broken again in 2000 by Marshall Faulk (26), in 2003 by Priest Holmes (27), and Shaun Alexander in 2005 (28) before Tomlinson broke the record again in 2006.

So 4 times in 7 years, including 3 of the last 4, the single-season TD record has been broken.

When Peyton Manning threw 49 TD passes in 2004, he was breaking Dan Marino's mark of 48 that had stood since 1984. And if Drew Brees can throw for more than 5,084 yards this season (there's an outside shot), he'll have broken Dan Marino's single-season record that has also stood since 1984 (that's one that a lot of QBs have looked capable of in different seasons, but they've always come up short).

Tomlinson has broken a a one-year old record (that had broken a two-year old record that had broken a three-year old record). That's a good thing to do, but it's not exactly other-worldly and it's not a guarantee of an MVP trophy.

There are still three games to go. If Brees breaks Marino's yardage record and the Saints win at least 2 of the next 3, I'd choose him as MVP.

For the record: I like Michael Irvin, but I don't like Terrell Owens
Michael Irvin was one of my favorite players growing up. I loved to watch him play. For the 1990s, Jerry Rice was the best WR in the league, but either Michael Irvin or Cris Carter were second, in my estimation. And Irvin was THEE dominant receiver on a team that won three Super Bowls.

You might think, based on some things I've written lately, that I support Terrell Owens. But I don't like Terrell Owens. However, it has nothing to do with his lack of effort, his selfishness, or his arrogance. I'm lazy, selfish, and arrogant.

I just think T.O. is mean. In the way he has treated Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb, Gregg Knapp, and Brad Childress, among others, he has been mean. A lot of athletes are arrogant jerks; however, Owens seems to be a player who has chosen particular players to show a real mean-spiritedness toward. As Dr. Z wrote in September about Owens, "he has a mean streak to go with everything else. He didn't attack Donovan McNabb or offensive coach Brad Childress until they were at their lowest ebb, at their most vulnerable. Same thing with his quarterback in San Francisco, Jeff Garcia." I tend not to like mean people.