Minnesota Vikings

2013 NFL Draft: Prop Bets To Keep It Interesting On Thursday Night!

The NFL Draft has always been an event that's required an incredible amount of patience. With ten minutes between picks in the first round (and for you ADD-afflicted youngsters out there, be glad, it used to be 15 minutes), with the proceedings spread out over three days, and for most of you reading ... More >>

Houston Texans Tout New Video Board Construction at Reliant Stadium

When Houston Texans fans return to Reliant Stadium in August for preseason action against the Minnesota Vikings, they will be looking at two brand-new video boards in the stadium, each 277 feet wide and 52 feet tall. Reliant Stadium will now have the largest in-stadium HD video displays in the wor ... More >>

NFL Free Agency 2013: "Dead Money" Overview

As a concept, the NFL salary cap is a fairly easy one to understand. Unlike the NBA, with its myriad of loopholes, exceptions, and fine print that allow teams like the Lakers and, well, almost everyone else to zoom past the artificial "cap", the NFL is a simple hard cap. What you spend is what what ... More >>

Texans-Bengals: 4 Winners, 4 Losers, Playoff Edition

In the grand scheme of things, none of us really wanted to be there at Reliant Stadium on Saturday. Yes, the NFL is awesome, and we love our Texans, and it was (cue hokey Clay Walker voice) football time in Hoooussston!! But up until the time Christian Ponder was scrambling around the Texans' defens ... More >>

Texans-Bengals, Act III: Same Names, But New Identities

After a season of lofty hopes and expectations of a home AFC Championship game, the Texans find themselves in the exact same spot they were one year ago. They're the number three seed in the AFC playoffs, opening at Reliant Stadium against number six Cincinnati. The Texans thrashed the Bengals, 31 ... More >>

Friday Night: Dwight Yoakam at Arena Theatre

Dwight Yoakam, Mike Stinson Arena Theatre December 21, 2012 When most of us are sick and fighting seasonal flu and cold systems, we retreat to a warm bed with cold pillows and Netflix. Few of us could go onstage in skintight blue jeans and shake our asses for two hours, but that's what Dwight Yoa ... More >>

Football! This Weekend's Best Bets

Before we get to this week's picks, a quick stock check on the "Houston Texans win the Super Bowl" prop bet. What exactly did the Patriots' 42-14 beatdown of our hometown team do to their wagering street cred? Well, prior to the game, the Texans and the Patriots were tied as the odds-on favorites t ... More >>

AFC Playoff Projections, Week 7: First One Onto The Colts Bandwagon!

When Peyton Manning and the Broncos stormed back with 35 unanswered points in the second half of their 35-24 Monday night win against the Chargers this week, they accomplished a few things: 1. They tied an NFL record for the largest comeback win by a road team in NFL history. 2. They evened their ... More >>

Bartender Chat: Amy Singletary of J. Black's Feel Good Lounge on Hockey Fights and Orgies

At J. Black's Feel Good Lounge, bartender Amy Singletary -- whose last name is spelled just like that of Minnesota Vikings linebacker coach Mike Singletary -- says she gets asked all the time if she's related to the famous football player. (Amy is white; Mike is black.) "I'm like, what does it look ... More >>

Man Falls To Death Off Escalator At Texans' Game (UPDATE: ID'd As Jonathan Kelly, 25)

A man fell from one of Reliant Stadium's large escalators and died during Thursday night's Texans-Vikings exhibition game, various media outlets say. The identity of the victim has not been released, but CBS Houston says says the 45-year-old man "fell to his death while horse-playing on an escalato ... More >>

The Betting Lines on the First 15 Texans Games Are Here!

Think you have a pretty good idea on how your favorite NFL team will do this upcoming season? More importantly, does your "pretty good idea" differ drastically from the super-early predictions the experts have forecasted for your squad? If so, the gambling gods have given themselves you another way ... More >>

2012 NFL Draft -- Live Blog

I made an analogy on my radio show this morning on 1560 The Game that the NFL Draft tonight is like Christmas Day for many NFL fans. Air of anticipation, excitement of the unknown, food, it's all there. (My co-host, John Granato, compared it to Hanukkah because it's played out over several days, but ... More >>

The 2012 NFL Schedule Is Here! The 2012 NFL Schedule Is Here!

In the timeless Steve Martin comedy The Jerk, there's a famous scene where Martin's character Navin R. Johnson sprints across the parking lot to snag a copy of the new phone book to confirm that, indeed, his name and phone number are included. When he is able to find his name he screams that inclus ... More >>

So Texan Fans, Would You Take Randy Moss? (w/ serious highlight VIDEO)

Would you like this in a Texans uniform?​"Now back to biz!! There's good an bad an u have to b ready for both!! its in gods hand now." -- Randy Moss on Twitter, 2/13/12 And just like that, future Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss announced his desire to return to the National Football Le ... More >>

Forecasting the NFL Head Coach Guillotine

Your time here is done.​They call it "Black Monday." It's the day after the NFL regular season ends, when any still-employed head coach whose name has been remotely associated with the words "hot" and "seat" tiptoes cautiously into his office and hopes that there's not a box on his desk to pa ... More >>

Football! My Texans Prediction and Other Weekend Best Bets

Baby needs new gear...​Every year at about this time, I wind up investing several hundred dollars in various pieces of Texans gear for my two sons (ages 13 and 12, and I'm fairly certain the only two Texan fans in their Chicago-area junior high school), and while the attitude in this, the most ... More >>

Football! This Weekend's Best Bets -- Crushing Las Vegas

Vgeas is begging you to bet on a dog​For years, the rule in Las Vegas (because that's the only place you can wager, online wagering does not exist..cough, cough) has been that squares (wagering parlance for "Joe Q. Betting Public") bet favorites and overs a vast majority of the time. And for ... More >>

Football! Weekend's Best Bets (No, Really!)

I realized something in the last 48 hours. I am a big fan of the Boston Red Sox, which means by sports fan definition, I should be on suicide watch right now. I mean, "my team" just pulled off the biggest September choke in MLB history with a soul-crushing ninth inning loss. The thing is, I'm not e ... More >>

Vikings 28, Texans 0: Five Things We Learned

Photos by Marco TorresMatt Leinart's back-up job is safe​The short answer is that we didn't learn much. When the only quasi-starter to play is likely Number 3 corner Brice McCain and the offensive line features a free-agent guard signed two days ago, you know there isn't a lot of value. But T ... More >>

Houston Texans -- Five Things to Watch Tonight Against the Vikings

At least this shouldn't happen tonight.​It's the final game of the 2011 preseason tonight with the Texans' backups taking on the Minnesota Vikings' backups in the newly inflatable-roofed Metrodome. If you're the Texans, I suppose the good news is that you're traveling to Minnesota in September ... More >>

Readers React to our River Oaks Monster Tale

Anthony Rendon Rescues The Year For Rice: 25 Items From The Owls' Sports Year

Tommy Lavergne, Rice University Anthony Rendon at bat​Continuing with my personal review on the sports year just past, here are my thoughts on the Rice Owls of 2010. 1. I got to watch Anthony Rendon play third base on a regular basis. He can hit, and he's a good fielder. If the Astros didn ... More >>

One Guy's Thoughts On The Sports Year: 25 Things To Remember

So with the end of the year fast approaching, I thought I would take some time to revisit some of the highlights, and lowlights, of this past sports year. Your list is probably different, but these are the things that caught my attention this year. maxim.com Thanks for everything, Jenn​1. ... More >>

NFL -- (Really F-ing Weird) Weekend In Review

The Jets' Sal Alosi is trippin'​Admittedly, on Sundays when the Texans are playing, I tend to get engrossed in whatever it is they're doing. I do a radio show in Houston, I talk about Houston sports, and therefore it is most important that I'm well versed in what the Houston did on the field ... More >>

Rice Owls Hope To Go Out In A Blaze Of Glory

Rice's season prepares to set with the sun​This is not the season the Rice Owls intended to have. The plan was to have a winning season. The plan was to go a bowl game. The plan was to be competitive. The plan wasn't to come into the last game of the season with a 3-8 record. The plan wasn ... More >>

NFL & College Football -- Weekend's Best Bets (with Tales of Deceit, Adultery and Ron Artest)

We see....FAIL in Ron Artest's future​Drayton McLane apparently has plans to sell the Astros. This comes as no surprise, those rumors have been swirling for some time. Now I don't know if he'll get his $800 million asking price, but I did call Drayton and make an offer and we now know that $9 ... More >>

Ten Songs We Are Sick Of Hearing At Football Games

Take that Crazy Train right on out of here, Ozzy. Thanks.​That sound you heard Sunday was the collective shattering of the playoff hopes of thousands of Houston Texans fans as the team suffered yet another home loss, this time against the hapless San Diego Chargers, bringing their record to 4- ... More >>

NFL, College Football and Brett Favre's Wiener -- 5 Winners, 5 Losers

Brett Favre can't get out of the headlines​I hope everybody had a lovely Texans bye weekend (insert lame joke about "Texans giving up fewer than 300 yards passing to BYE" here), and that you're refreshed, rejuvenated and ready for the back half of the football season. I'm on vacation this week vis ... More >>

Chilean Miners: The Important News You Have Missed, Some Of Which Involves Lindsay Lohan

Also, Texas is suing for trademark infringement​Hey there, Chilean miners -- you are climbing from the depths into the world's heart (copyright pending). As you surface, you are busy signing book and movie deals, getting some off your wife, tasting real food and beer, hoping your colleagues keep u ... More >>

Albums All You Sudden Saints "Fans" Can Enjoy While You're Smirking

Far be it from Rocks Off to rain on anyone's Super Bowl parade, but are we the only ones bothered by this massive, conveniently timed outpouring of love and affection for New Orleans? It started right after the Saints beat the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game, when admitting you were ... More >>

Some (Few) Good Things Emerge From Texans' Monday-Night Loss

​It's never truly Texans season until there's the first Matt Schaub injury scare. This year, it came before the season even started -- when the Texans' QB ran out of bounds and turned his left ankle in Monday night's 17-10 preseason loss to the Vikings.But Schaub recovered, and so did the Texans, ... More >>

25 Reasons You Can't Talk Enough About Brett Favre Tonight

​It's always nice when the local pro sports squad gets national TV attention. Tonight, for instance, the Houston Texans are taking on the Minnesota Vikings on ESPN's Monday Night Football. Sure, the game doesn't really count for anything, but it's nice to get a little attention.So I've done a li ... More >>

Rex Grossman: Can He Become One Of the Top Five Texans QBs Ever?

The Houston Texans have signed former Chicago Bears quarterback Rex Grossman. Do a Google-news search for the move and one of the first things that comes up is this, from a fan blog: Now on to the butt of many Chicago jokes...Rex Grossman. June 12th 2009 is a day that should go down in Chicago hist ... More >>

Can the Houston Texans Get Garcia In This Rosenfels Trade? Jeff Can Come, Too

Photo by gr750 NFL free agency starts today. And since the Houston Texans are trading Sage Rosenfels to the Minnesota Vikings, they find themselves in desperate need of a backup quarterback. And with Matt Schaub as the number one QB, the Texans are going to desperately need a proven backup for tho ... More >>

Can the Houston Texans Get Garcia In This Rosenfels Trade? Jeff Can Come, Too

Photo by gr750 NFL free agency starts today. And since the Houston Texans are trading Sage Rosenfels to the Minnesota Vikings, they find themselves in desperate need of a backup quarterback. And with Matt Schaub as the number one QB, the Texans are going to desperately need a proven backup for tho ... More >>

Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking: Texans Settle Into Mediocrity

Okay, so the Texans beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday to finish their second straight season at 8-8. That's two seasons in a row of mediocrity. Can I have a YAY TEAM! Over at the Chron, Richard Justice thinks the team is heading in the right direction and has turned the corner. He likes how G ... More >>

Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking: Texans Settle Into Mediocrity

Okay, so the Texans beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday to finish their second straight season at 8-8. That's two seasons in a row of mediocrity. Can I have a YAY TEAM! Over at the Chron, Richard Justice thinks the team is heading in the right direction and has turned the corner. He likes how G ... More >>

Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking: Post-Denmark, Pro-Texans, Really Jetlagged Edition

You're not going to believe this, but last week, I wrote a post in which I predicted the Texans would defeat the Browns. But I headed back out for Europe, and things got lost in the shuffle, so that post never ran. But trust me, I actually did write that the Texans were going to defeat the Cle ... More >>

John Royal's NFL Power Rankings

John Royal's NFL Power Rankings

Hope for the Houston Texans?

Gary Kubiak and team search for their first winning season

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: New York’s Super Win Gives Rockets Hope

Jason Friedman’s NFL Picks: Looking for the Lambeau Laxative, Not Expecting Lightning to Strike Twice

Jason Friedman’s NFL Picks, Week 13: Are There Not 32 Men in This Country Worthy of Being Starting QBs?

John Royal's NFL Picks, Week Nine: Getting Rid of the Hired Help, Going with the Raiders

Jason’s Friedman’s NFL Picks, Week Seven: No Light at the End of the Tunnel Just Yet

Jason Friedman’s NFL Picks, Week Six: Forget Dog Fighting. Parity Is the League’s Biggest Problem.

From Britney to U2: The 2007 NFL Preview

Visitors' Guide

Get Bowled over by the best of the real Bayou City

The Year of Living Anxiously

Are We Having Fun Yet? Or is it just the jangly buzz of advanced urban stress syndrome?