National Friday League, Week One

Links
The lousy and often incorrect newspaper writers of the Twin Cities (I Dislike Your Favorite Team).

DVOA projections have the Vikings as the 5th best team in the league (Football Outsiders).

Tarvaris Jackson: knee brace (Viking Update).

Ocho Cinco! (SI)

Dr. Z has altered his Super Bowl pick to Patriots over Eagles, but he's still got the Vikes at #4 in his Power Rankings.

Intriguing Games on the Sunday Schedule
Of course all the games are intriguing: there's good reason to be interested in them all, and I don't think there's a single game I'd be disappointed to watch this weekend. But here are some games that I think will be extremely competitive.

Jacksonville at Tennessee
Jacksonville is a good football team, but I think they're overrated because David Garrard is not as good as he was last season. Jeff Fisher has always made Tennessee a solid team, but this squad has little in the passing game: even if you like Vince Young (and I do), whom is he throwing to? And since both teams have multiple running backs they can use, this game looks to be a tough defensive battle featuring 80 rushing attempts.

Seattle at Buffalo
I don't really think Buffalo is that good, and I think Seattle will win their division. But I don't like the Seahawks to win this game at all. This road matchup with the Bills is a big reason my fantasy team has benched Matt Hasselbeck in favor of Kurt Warner.

"In Conclusion, Libya is a Land of Contrasts."
The Sunday Night game features the Colts against the Bears. The Colts have had the best passing game of the last decade (don't argue), and the Bears this season might have the worst passing game of my football-watching days. When one team has the ball, Peyton Manning will be zinging sharp, accurate passes downfield to guys like Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne; when the other team has the ball, Kyle Orton is going to be lobbing five yard passes to players you may or may not have heard of. When you root for a team that desperately struggles in the passing game and for whom any completion for a first down feels like an accomplishment (and I've done it--last season), watching a team like the Colts just highlights what your team is missing, reminding you of what a pro passing game is supposed to be.

The Bengals
I've been adding media links to my post on the Bengals being a sleeper playoff team. Let me add this: the Bengals are too good to have virtually nobody picking them to make the playoffs. It's a flawed team, but with a lot of offensive talent. They may not be that good, but they're not awful enough to have such little respect.

A relaxing weekend, and a tense weekend
It's a weekend without a Viking game, meaning we can relax and enjoy football. But always approaching is the Viking-Packer matchup, so the tension will just keep mounting.

As for me, I've got big plans. You know, "actually a pretty nice little Saturday, we're going to go to Home Depot. Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I don't know, I don't know if we'll have enough time."