What cheap shots?
I suppose if a team throws good sportsmanship out the window, the other is justified, within the rules.
The Vikes had other options: FG, knee
That is not an easy schedule, I must say.
All you people whining about the Vikings scoring, ask yourself this: If the Vikings had simply taken a knee, and handed the ball over on downs, and Dallas had promptly attempted to run plays designed to score points, or for that matter done ANYTHING other than take a series of knees themselves to let the time expire, would you have been as critical of Dallas??
If not, you’re holding the Vikings to a double-standard.
Now, if you agree that it’s ok for the Vikings to kick a field goal there, what difference is it whether they try for a field goal to increase the lead, or try for a touchdown to increase the lead? After all, the field goal was an almost certain scoring play; the pass for a touchdown/first down might have failed and Dallas gets the ball with no further points scored against them. So which of the two is really doing more to rub the superiority of the team into the noses of the opponents? :dubious:
Cowboys players were upset because they got spanked. No one likes getting spanked. Being reminded your being spanked is even worse, but that’s no reason to pout and kick the dirt and complain.
I still think the “classier” move would be the workmanlike field goal (ok, fourth down, let’s kick it and get on with the game, instead of having more fun and proving our offensive superiority some more). But I don’t think it’s something that is worthy of significant, heck even more than mild comment.
What I want to know is why the Vikings defesne was still trying to stop the Dallas offense on that very last series? Doesn’t seem very sporting to me.
First, I don’t see any “whining” here. Just talking football and sportsmanship.
Second, good point about the double standard. I suppose by asking the Vikes to deem the game settled by easing up, one should expect the losing team to concede as well, and go home. If a gladiator has his foot on your throat and you expect mercy, then don’t stand up and take a swing at him if he let’s you up.
Packers have a decent schedule, but I would have preferred having one at least of the West divisions in the mix!
Home: Lions, Bears, Vikes, Dallas, NYG, Buffalo, Miami, SF
Away: Lions, Bears, Vikes, Philly, Wash, NYJ, NE, Atlanta
Away games to worry about: Vikes, Philly, Jets (if they aren’t one-year wonders), Pats, maybe Falcons.
Home games of note: Vikes, 'Boys.
Prediction: 4-2 in the division, 3-1 against the NFC East, 4-0 against the AFC East, 2-0 against the other 2d place teams. Final result: 13-3.
In a weird quirk, the Vikings have almost an IDENTICAL schedule. The only difference is that they get the Cardinals at home and the Saints away, instead of the Niners/Falcons. I was always of the opinion it was 1st and 3rd they coupled up that way, and 2nd and 4th, but apparently not so. Some divisions couple 1-2, some 1-3, and some 1-4 from the looks of it. I think the Vikings will go 5-1 in the division, 3-1 against the NFC East, 4-0 against the AFC East (I’m more comfortable with that prediction for the Vikes than for the Packers, with a HUGE caveat to follow), but only 1 - 1 against the other 1st place teams. That leaves them tied with the Packers at 13 - 3, but the Packers will win via some tie-breaker I’ve not bothered to figure out yet. 
CAVEAT: If Favre finally really retires, the Vikes will finish about 11 - 5, assuming they get their hands on someone decent at QB.
That’s not a quirk but an inevitability the way the schedule is currently put together. Two teams in the same division will have 12 games in common and 2 games against each other, leaving only two conference games different.
I agree with all of this. It’s not about whether it’s right, wrong or neutral to rub the other team’s nose in it. It’s simply that the Vikings did, in fact, rub the Cowboys nose in it. If you don’t have a problem with the practice, it’s all good, no harm no foul. I’m just saying that the Patriots bugged a lot of people because they rubbed their opponents’ noses in it, and now the Vikings have done the same thing, so a general backlash by people who don’t think it’s cool to do that in general is only to be expected.
On a personal note, I’m not bothered by it by I would never do it.
Yeah, of course. Duh. The double standard applies to the team that’s, you know, winning, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with such a double standard. It’s just dopey to even try to frame it that way. If the Vikings went for it on 4th and long deep in their own territory they’d be killed for it, as opposed to the Cowboys where it would have been expected because they were losing. Oh no, a double standard!
Uh, no. A field goal is the least sportsmanlike option there is, and would be viewed as way cheaper than throwing for a touchdown. NFL teams as a rule run it on 4th and turn it over on downs. That’s just the way it’s done. The only two options in that spot are to take a knee or try for the first/TD. You never kick.
Not since realignment in 2002. The way it works now is:
6 games in your division
4 games against a division in your conference, division rotates yearly
4 games against a division in the other conference, division rotates yearly
2 strength of schedule games
The two strength of schedule games are against the teams in the two other conference divisions you don’t play that season. In them you play the teams that finished with the same divisional rank as you.
That’s why the Patriots and Colts played every year, since this setup means that every year division winners play all division winners in their conference.
It is one thing to run up the score on a cleary outclassed team in the regular season and to run it up, so to speak, on a Divission Champion in their second game of the playofff. The first kid is like a bully beating up on a crippled kid, the second is nothing like that.
That’s weird logic. The Vikings clearly outclassed the Cowboys yesterday. The Cowboys were exactly like a crippled kid getting beaten up by a bully. Just because they won a lot of games in the regular season doesn’t mean they were competitive yesterday.
Look at how badly the Patriots got dismantled by the Ravens. Just because the Patriots won their division doesn’t mean they weren’t severely outclassed.
Yeah? Well…we’ve been warned by better moderators! Yeah! SO SUCK IT GOLIONS WOOOOOOOOO!!!111!1!ONE
Sigh. Sorry, wasn’t clear. It’s the fact that they have the same home and away matchups I was talking about. 
Give me examples. Several examples. I say you are wrong.
I KNOW who the schedule determines who plays whom, in case that isn’t clear. That’s NOT what I was talking about. You might try reading what I SAID, rather than jumping to a conclusion. <grrrr grrrr grrrr>
Ok, I’m not really mad about it, just find it funny two different people couldn’t read the words “identical schedule” in juxtaposition with splitting up what games are home and what games are away, and understand that it was the Home and Away aspect I was commenting on. 
I thought you were doing a pretty good riff on #3 in this article: http://www.cracked.com/funny-3809-internet-argument-techniques/
Hey! I’m the Horton of the Internet: I say what I mean, and I mean what I say.
Deciphering each is, of course, where the milage varies.
Of course, I could get this guy to explain what I meant. 
Just go look at the play-by-play of any blowout score and see what the winning team did on their last drive. The criteria would be the winning team in a blowout (17+ points) getting to fourth down in field goal range late in the fourth quarter. Going chronologically this season:
Week 1
Jets @ Texans, Jets ahead 24-7
4-1-HOU 29 (2:00) 49-T.Richardson up the middle to HST 27 for 2 yards (41-B.McCain). HST-95-S.Cody was injured during the play.
Translation: Up 17 points coming out of the 2:00 warning, 4th and 1 on the opponent 29 they hand off to the fullback.
Week 2
Browns @ Broncos, Broncos ahead 27-6
4-3-CLE 32 (1:53) 32-L.Jordan left end to CLV 32 for no gain (22-B.McDonald).
Translation: Up 21 points just inside the 2:00 warning, 4th and 3 on the opponent 32 they hand off and turn it over on downs.
Week 3
No examples
Week 4
Giants @ Chiefs, Giants ahead 27-16
4-6-KC 21 (:22) 27-B.Jacobs right end to KC 18 for 3 yards (53-D.Williams).
Translation: Up by 11 points with half a minute left, 4th and 6 on the opponent 21 they hand off and turn it over on downs. (Note: I remember actually watching this game, which is why I pulled it even though it doesn’t perfectly match the criteria.)
How many examples of real world NFL teams doing exactly as I describe do you need?
My turn: You claim that kicking the field goal would be the sportsmanlike move, while I claim that would be the pussiest move of all. Show me one single example of a team kicking a field goal in such a spot.
It may have been presented to me in Annoying Facebook Glurge style, but a neat story nonetheless:
Packers fan says team saved his life
Short version: For much of his adult life, guy sells his blood a couple of times each year in order to pay for Packers tickets. Then…