Aikman: Favre will be a boost for Vikings
Troy Aikman
Fox NFL analyst Troy Aikman expects Brett Favre will be a big upgrade for the Minnesota Vikings at quarterback, saying the Vikings wouldn’t be a Super Bowl contender without him.
Aikman will open the season Sept. 13, broadcasting the Washington-N.Y Giants game at 3:15 p.m. KOKH-25 will carry the Dallas-Tampa Bay game in the opener of the doubleheader at noon.
Here are a few of Aikman’s comments during a Fox conference call this week:
On whether Favre solved Minnesota’s QB problems: “Brett makes that position better. I don’t think that anybody can deny that. He’s a better quarterback than Tavaris Jackson or what they’ve had there the last couple of seasons. They’ve got everything that you could want in the other positions and what’s clearly held them back has been the inconsistency at quarterback. It’s not as if it’s a guarantee that Brett is going to step in and provide consistency. We all know that Brett has been somewhat of an inconsistent player himself here as of late. The fact that it took him this long in order to reach a decision is concerning. Whether that was just to avoid going to training camp or not, I believe that there is something to be said for going through an off-season with your teammates. But bottom line: Is Brett Favre an upgrade at that position and does he help them? Absolutely and I don’t think you can talk Super Bowl without talking about the Minnesota Vikings with him at quarterback.”
On the best quarterback in the NFC North: “I’d give Aaron Rodgers a little bit of a nod over Jay Cutler right now but there’s no doubt that Cutler is a heck of a talent and he’s not too far behind.”
On the pressure Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett is under this season: “I think there are a lot of people who would look at the Cowboys offensively last season and say it was a disappointing year. I don’t know if that is necessarily the case considering the fact that they lost Tony Romo for a few games. Jason understands offensive football and knows how to attack defenses. They get Felix Jones back this year and Tashard Choice, who emerged at the end of last season, will be impactful again. The weapons are there, the quarterback is there, this should be a heck of an offensive football team.”
On what the loss of Plaxico Burress means to Eli Manning and the Giants: “There’s no doubt that when you lose a go-to, No. 1 receiver, it’s going to be impactful in a negative way on a football team. I know the Giants like some of the young players and they’re expecting to have good years from them but so far in preseason that hasn’t quite happened. I’m sure it is a concern. If someone in that position doesn’t emerge, they’re going to have problems throwing the football. Ultimately it will hold the Giants back.”
Roy Williams jokes with Joe Torre on HBO show
Bengals safety Roy Williams, a former OU standout
On this week’s episode of “Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals,” Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre makes an appearance.
In a hilarious exchange, Bengals defenders Tank Johnson and Roy Williams, who both played for the Dallas Cowboys last season, pay a visit during batting practice as the Reds prepare to host the Dodgers in a recent series at the Great American Ballpark.
Johnson, who is on a quest to meet Torre (“He’s an American icon.”) wants to take a photo with him and ask him to have a beer. Finally, they greet Torre in the visitors dugout and ask the four-time World Series winner for any words of wisdom that he can share.
Johnson: “That might be the coolest thing I’ve done since I’ve been in Cincinnati.”
In the program, Johnson brushed up on his NFL history with a little twist. “I just learned who Donnie Walsh was and why he was so important to the NFL. That dude was a coaching genius. That damn West Coast offense.” When a Bengals assistant corrects Johnson and says it was Bill Walsh, who once coached in Cincinnati, Johnson remarks, “Who’s Donnie Walsh?”
ESPN Radio’s ‘College GameDay’ will be in Arlington for OU-BYU game
ESPN's Trevor Matich, former BYU standout
It’s not quite ESPN television’s “College GameDay,” but ESPN Radio’s “College GameDay Road Tour” will originate from the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, when BYU and Oklahoma will play the first college football game in the world’s largest domed stadium.
Host Ryen Russillo, Brad Edwards and Trevor Matich, an all-conference player at BYU where he won a national championship in 1984 and 12-year NFL veteran, will be on the air from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. analyzing the afternoon’s college football action.
The “College GameDay” set will be located right outside Cowboys Stadium. All the action can be seen via webcam and heard via stream on ESPNRadio.com.
Oklahoma and BYU fans are encouraged to stop by and watch the day’s games with Ryen, Brad and Trevor on several HD and plasma screen monitors, and possibly take home a T-shirt or mini-football, which will be distributed to the crowd.
