My new favorite Viking...

by TrevorR on Jan 29, 2010 3:00 PM CST

Anyone want to guess?

Why its Fran Tarkenton!

Why you ask? Well its not that I idolize him or think he's the best ever...I just love that he speaks his mind even if it pisses off the entire Viking nation. I don't even always agree with what he's saying but he makes life here (in MN) WAY more amusing when "one of us" (as they say here in MN) goes and spouts off against the hometown boys.

Tarkenton made his distaste for Brett Favre clear when he was originally signed in a few different interviews which were savaged here in local media (especially KFAN). Now I think he feels like he gets the last laugh cause of Favre's regrettable INT to end their game winning drive.

For some reason, Tarkenton was on the radio out in Philly (on at 97.5 FM) and came up with a few nice zingers to rile up the hometown boys:

"They were the better team. Their offense turned the ball over five times, the Viking offense. But still if he didn't make that stupid play at the end of the game they would have won the game."

He's on record as cheering for Favre to fail which coming from a Viking legend shows his amazing distaste for "our" all time great QB. But he's saying the exact things that Viking fans are refusing to admit right now which makes for some great debate on the radio.

"I have never seen any quarterback much less, well he is going to be a Hall of Fame quarterback, make plays like that at a critical time. He has done the same thing in the Giants game (a Packers loss in the 2007 NFC title game). He plays at home, has the better team and plays against Eli (Manning). He was a young kid right? And he throws the pick ... and then he does what he did the other night which was just shameful because great quarterbacks, and he is a great quarterback, they don't do that. You don't see Peyton Manning do that."

Now I'll defend Favre to some degree in that he's made plenty of those throws too. We all know that you live and die by Favre and while he's not Manning, Manning is also not Favre in other ways. So like I said earlier, I don't always agree with what he says, I like that he's standing up and facing the fans and forcing them to at least have a discussion about that throw which they all seem to want to dismiss. Favre did NOT lose that game for them, in fact he was a big reason they were still IN the game but he certainly played a key role in keeping them from winning it too. The facts are the facts...keep speaking your mind Fran!!

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Yeah, I definitely share your love of Tarkenton as well. I read an article in the paper yesterday, which contained the quotes you provided above and some others as well, and I thought it was hilarious.

He makes some good points about great Qb’s not making those kinds of plays, and the fact that Favre made a big mistake against the Saints but some of the things he says are a bit too extreme because of his obvious hate for Favre. Such as saying that the INT he threw against the Saints was “shameful”.

It’s funny that Favre indeed end his season that way though, because ever since talks started about the Vikings signing Favre, Fran was against it and made it known too the public. A lot of Vikings obviously didn’t like that, and the fact that he did kind of get the last word like you said is really funny.

by packallday555 on Jan 30, 2010 1:42 PM CST reply actions

Since you guys

are always over at the DN, I thought I’d add the info that makes Tark ‘the pot calling the kettle black’ ( I usually only read when visiting here):

Tark totals for his 11 games as a Viking in the playoffs including the 3 Super Bowls -

292 attempts, 149 completions, 1803 yards, 10 TD’s and 16 INT’s for a QB rating of 59.

Noone in their right mind would throw a stone w/ those numbers.

I’ll go so far as to post what I had to say on the subject as well:
Responses are to DCPurple quotes-
‘But no, too many have bought into R4F’s fanboi cheerleading and think that Favre is the greatest QB to walk the gridiron, so the blame is spread everywhere but on the Precious #4.’
Not me. I put it on his shoulders w/ every other TO, poor tackling, secondary blown cover, missed blocking assignment the whole game long. Add it all up, it totals loss.

‘gratuitous attacks on Tarkenton for speaking his mind’
You gotta be kidding me. You can put yourself in a tiny minority w/ that statement. The man has been like a little kid who gets one upped on his baseball team by a new player – pointing to every error in him he can find instead of looking at his own dung pile of blunders. And Lord knows, Tark has a pile to be he can’t get the smell out of. Then he makes it worse with this attempt to belittle Favre to make himself look better.

Tark does have the option to decline, or better yet – hide his mental fraility about not being the all time fan favorite, or the best QB to ever wear a Vikes jersey, when the media comes knocking. He is neither, and deep down he knows it – and it’s killing him 24/7.

And I liked Fran as a player when I was young.

by jshep on Jan 31, 2010 7:12 AM CST reply actions

Honestly while he’s made a FEW points that I’ve agreed with, he sounds like on of the guys from Grumpy Old Men (great movie, taped in MN coicidentally). I like it just cause he’s a viking who’s bucking the Favre-love trend. I don’t agree on his take on Favre too much and as you pointed out, he doesn’t have a good history himself so its really hard for him to talk.

I get the dislike he is getting from Viking fans though, most of what he says comes across as bitter and frail…its still amusing though! :-)

by TrevorR on Jan 31, 2010 10:48 AM CST up reply actions

Vikings fans being mad and losing respect for one of their former great Qb’s? Should we go over there and tell them their not great fans :)?

Just had to say it haha. No disrespect intended.

by packallday555 on Jan 31, 2010 12:31 PM CST up reply actions

understood, and fran was the man

But you have a hard time repsecting anyone when their arguments are fairly week and their judgements not always on track. Over the year Fran attacked Favre, the fan base, the coaches. He was pretty much hot on the topic. However, it was difficult to tell if it was because he was trying to sell his new book, because he hated a QB overshadowing him or he just was a good vike fan and hates all things Packer. Whatever it was it sounded like he was a bitter odl man and that is really to bad.

by Grime on Feb 1, 2010 10:10 AM CST up reply actions

Ha! Good one

Actually he is the reason I am a Viking fan but now I can’t stand him because he has turned into one of those old buffoons who are always yelling about something and it never quite makes sense. Seriously think the guy has a problem and should be checked out! ;-)

by PurpleJesus on Feb 1, 2010 8:24 PM CST up reply actions

I don’t think there is a cure for jealousy :).

by packallday555 on Feb 1, 2010 8:25 PM CST up reply actions

Yeah, I saw those responses over on DN and I agree with both you guys. I think DCPurple makes a valid point about some being blinded by the “precious #4 like he says”, but there is no doubt that Fran is in the wrong here. Like you pointed out he wasn’t ever great in the playoffs, and it’s pretty apparent that he is really jealous of Favre.

by packallday555 on Jan 31, 2010 12:29 PM CST up reply actions