And Bengal tigers too. Bengal tigers maul and kill many innocent humans ... yeh that applies to LSU too, Pres

Personally, I don't mind the Redskins. If the Redskins, Chiefs, Braves, Blackhawks, or Indians were to change their name it would be a sad day for the world - where political correctness trumps the love of a sport and its history.

Vikings are representative of a trading people that had and extremely complex culture who most of Western Europe encountered in battle, hense the bad reputation. They hardly were the brutes popular history has made them

I always loved that they named the green paradise Iceland and the icy wastes they didn't want to inhabit Greenland so other travelers would go to the one they didn't want. :-)

Man I thought this thread was gonna be about how sucky the Vikes have been this year.

Bengals going to the superbowl

Doubtful Will.

1st in their division as of now.

Bengals at least conference final game, no doubt.

i'm feeling bengals and colts for the super bowl

Well that's good because the Bengals and Colts are both in the AFC so we all know you're wrong.

I was gonna say.. also I wouldn't count the Chiefs or Broncos out yet either.

I've got Chiefs v 49ers. Alex Smith's eyes turn a sharklike black and he slaughters his former friends for 400 and 5 TDs.

Just kidding. He'd get crushed.

Damn, this didn't get nearly as many bites as I hoped

http://hashtagyolo420blazeitdropthebass.com/

It's been a weird year in the nfl that's for sure

What's made it so weird? Injures or just plain good luck on some teams parts?

Somebody is bitter that the Bengals are doing better than the Bears. :-)

Injuries have played a part, but coaching and just the do luck of everything gelling at once has too. "Super Bowl contenders" New York and atl fell flat on their faces. Now the two teams who finished worst in the last two years are Super Bowl contenders. The two Super Bowl teams from last year are mediocre as is the pick for the worst team of the season (the jets). Important players are dropping like flies and franchise caliber skilled players are being traded mid season. Just strange

It's just like someone shook the entire league up.

This sport needs to be unloved. If 'political correctness' or whatever the rightwing slogan du jour is does it in, so be it.

colts all the way

And you think Rugby is any better? How about Hockey, beloved by your namesake and his countrymen? Football and Boxing don't have a monopoly on injury and death in sport.

I thought the communist news papers always used to show scores of the football games?

Putin33 really seems to lead a joyless life.

No, cricket is the one joy in his life.

Of course he's the guy who likes cricket.

The entire civilised world likes cricket.

As much as I find American Football one of the least interesting sports ever devised, I don't quite understand Putin's hostility to it. Yes, it may be so dull you need squadrons of scantily clad women in order to keep people's attention, but to actually want it to die out seems a tad extreme.

No certainly football does not have a monopoly on injury in sport. But I can't think of another sport in which you lose 2-3 years of life expectancy per season played. Nor can I think of another sport that has infected academia with corruption as much as American football has, where universities and entire communities can look the other way at crimes being committed because the football program is god.

"I thought the communist news papers always used to show scores of the football games?"

AFAIK they reported baseball and horseracing, but I base that on what Alexander Cockburn said.

On the first part, boxing is far worse.
On the second part, basketball is just as guilty.

"The entire civilised world likes cricket."

I'll interpret that as something like the "Close the Chunnel? But then Europe will be cut off!" style of British humor.

@Draug Not bitter at all. Our season is basically over with Cutler out for atleast 4 weeks. My only hope right now is when the Bears go up to Minneapolis Dec. 1 Cutler is back and I get to see the Vikes blown out by myBears in person.

"On the first part, boxing is far worse.
On the second part, basketball is just as guilty."

Far worse? The life expectancy of a football player is 55 years. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/14477196/nfl-is-killing-its-players-and-league-doesnt-care

What is it for boxers?

Clearly conference realignment and the dismantling of basketball conferences for football TV contracts demonstrates that basketball doesn't pull as much as weight as we thought. My former college President publicly stated that he was afraid that Tressel might fire him, when asked if he'd fire Tressel over the tattoo-gate scandal. I don't even have to mention the Paterno-Sandusky fiasco.

Someone on Facebook once posted a map of who were the highest paid state employees in each state. In Maine it was the dean of the law school, a few others had some other weird ones. But in over forty it was the coach of the football or basketball team or the athletic director at the state university.

lol basketball doesn't have anywhere close to the pull that football does. football is a much bigger revenue sport than basketball for the overwhelming majority of schools -- the only places where basketball has more sway are places where the football program lacks a pulse _and_ the basketball program is elite. so like... Kansas, maybe? I think even Kentucky makes more revenue off of football but I could be wrong there. I know UNC makes more from football and I'm pretty sure UCLA does too

It must just be the nature of the sport. It's easier to build a big football stadium than a big basketball arena.