I pride myself in being a television connosieur.  Not a snob, mind you, a connosieur.  I have Jersey Shore on my DVR alongside Mad Men.  But I do know good TV, and last night's commercials were not good TV.  Most Super Bowl commercials are generally over-hyped and underwhelming, but this year's crop in particular yielded precious few memorable moments.  There were, however, two notable exceptions: 

 And this one didn't even air during the game!

Disagree with me?  Vote for your favorite spots here. 

If only to get his free oil change!

One has to admire Jim Cooper's dedication to his Vikings--those oil changes can run up to $35!  Only a true fan just gives them away, even to Brett Favre.

This one's apparently making the email rounds.  Not bad, not bad at all:

A man goes to the Minnesota Vikings ticket office and inquires about purchasing super bowl tickets.  The ticket teller replies that there weren't any tickets for sale because the Vikings did not make it to the Super Bowl.

The following day the same man goes to the Minnesota Vikings ticket office and inquires about purchasing Vikings Super Bowl tickets.  The ticket teller politely replies that there weren't any tickets for sale because the Vikings did not make it to the Super Bowl.

This goes on for an entire week.  The man again goes to the Viking ticket office inquiring about Super Bowl tickets and the teller says none are for sale because the Vikings did not make it to the Super Bowl.

Another week of this goes by and the man still is asking the ticket teller about Viking Super Bowl tickets.  Finally the ticket teller in a loud voice says, "I'VE TOLD YOU FOR THE LAST 2 WEEKS THERE WERE NOT ANY TICKETS AVAILABLE BECAUSE THE VIKINGS DID NOT MAKE IT TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!"

The man replied, "I know. I drive all the way from Green Bay just to hear you say that."
 

...USC safety Taylor Mays.

Here's Kiper's blurb about the Packers' draft needs (link goes to ESPN Insider):

Green Bay Packers
Top needs: OT, S, RB, LB, CB
First round (23): S Taylor Mays
Second-round options (56): OT/G Vladimir Ducasse, , OT Selvish Capers, RB Ryan Mathews, RB Joe McKnight,
Third-round options (86): RB Montario Hardesty, LB Patrick Angerer, OT Kyle Calloway, CB Trevard Lindley
Summary: Need meets value in Round 1 when the Packers solve a problem in the secondary by getting the maligned but undeniably talented Taylor Mays, who showed some caution this year both in coverage and as a tackler, but didn't get a lot of help from a very young USC defense. The Packers need to continue to build the offensive line because Aaron Rodgers was under too much pressure this year, but I also think they want to add depth and talent to the RB position. And you never have too many talented LBs in the 3-4 Dom Capers has installed.

I agree that safety is a position of need (and the last USC defender Green Bay drafted turned into a monster!), but the Packers clearly need to shore up their offensive line before they do anything else.  If Aaron Rodgers isn't adequately protected next season, there's no chance that this offense clicks at all, let alone allows him to pass for another 4,000 yards.  Football games are won and lost in the trenches, and as such teams should generally try to build from the inside out.

Cory Provus and I had a chance to talk with the Brewers skipper at the On Deck Event on Sunday, and he told us that he feels confident that Milwaukee will compete for a division title this season.

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These are absolutely burning up the internet right now, but the obvious question the newsguy in me needs to ask is: Are they real?

Favre's Ankle

Favre's Hamstring

If that is indeed Favre, then it would appear to be fairly obvious why he tried to throw and didn't run on the Vikings' final play of regulation in the NFC Championship Game.  What do you think, folks?  Are these legit? 

CBS apparently thinks so, preventing the ManCrunch.com spot from airing during Sunday's game.

Personally, I thought the ad was hilarious if a tad disturbing--not because it features two men making out, but because I would have hoped that the Packers fan would have had better taste in men than to pick a Vikings fan.  And he kissed him right after a Minnesota touchdown!  Unfit for the Super Bowl, I tell you, completely unfit.

Seriously, though, is it?  If ManCrunch.com can crunch the numbers and afford a Super Bowl ad, should they be allowed to air it?  CBS is clearly still skittish about any sort of sexuality during their broadcasts after the infamous "wardrobe malfunction" several years ago, but would they have been as reluctant to air the spot if it had featured a man and a woman passionately kissing?

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The NFL has named its All-Decade Team for the '00s, and safety Darren Sharper and cornerback Charles Woodson were the only two Green Bay Packers picked.

I'd like to feign indignation at the supposed slight, but Sharper and Woodson seem to be the only Packers worthy of consideration.  Donald Driver has been great, sure, but better than T.O. or Marvin Harrison?  Ahman Green had some fantastic seasons, but certainly not more than Edgerrin James or LaDainian Tomlinson.

Of course, the omission most likely to make waves in Green Bay...and New York and Minnesota, I suppose, is Brett Favre.  While he had four 30-touchdown seasons last decade, he also threw a whopping 176 interceptions and couldn't match the numbers put up by All-Decade quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

So what do you think, fans, did Favre (or any other Packer, for that matter) deserve to make the All-Decade squad?  

It's probably of little consolation to heartbroken Vikings fans, but the NFL's Vice President of Officiating, Mike Pereira, says that the referees should have called a penalty on the Saints that would have negated Brett Favre's first interception in the third quarter.

Favre was hit low by Bobby McCray and high by nose tackle Remi Ayodele and injured his left ankle on the play. His pass was intercepted by linebacker Jonathan Vilma. New Orleans took over at its own 31 with the score 21-21 but did not score on the ensuing series.

A penalty would have nullified the interception and given the Vikings the ball at the Saints 19. Pereira called it "pretty much a direct shot into the back of [Favre's] legs," which isn't legal because of rules about going after a quarterback's knees.

Would that have changed the outcome of the game?  Possibly, but as I said after the Packers' heartbreaking loss to the Cardinals, missed calls are a part of the game.

OUCH!  Think Vikings fans are a little bitter about that last interception?  I know I would be, but I'd also realize that when the offensive line allows the quarterback to take a colossal beating and the superstar running back has to be benched because of an acute case of fumbleitis, the last pass is largely irrelevant.  I'm not defending Favre's decisionmaking by any means, but Minnesota should have had the game well in hand long before the final seconds.