nfl-general
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Brett Favre is a Jet.
The Packers are starting over with Aaron Rodgers.
Everything has gone to hell.
How disastrous, or dare I say beautiful, would it have been if Ted Thompson and the Packers caved to Favre’s demands, and we started the season with a Favre v.s Rodgers epic battle?
Sadly, we will never know. Unless, of course, the stars align just right, and we see the Jets and Packers in the Super Bowl.
Then we have the Chargers, last year’s AFC Championship surprise, trying to re-assemble their team with four stars who are, for all intents and purposes, still pretty banged up.
Antonio Gates is still stumbling around with his big toe, Rivers and LT are still recovering from knee surgery, and Shawne Merriman doesn’t want to go under the knife. Something’s got to give, and I get the feeling it’s Merriman’s knees.
Last but not least, the constant over-analyzation of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning’s injuries, or lack there of.
What happened to routine surgery and letting a guy relax for a chance? I guess when you’re famous commerical-doting, Super Bowl winning quarterbacks, you can’t exactly go limping around the mall without making Sportscenter.
And this was just the off-season.
Without any further haste, because we all would hate to keep the drama train from running wild off the tracks, here are the Power Rankings for the end of the pre-season:
We all know who Brett Favre is, what he represents, what team he’ll really be remembered by, and everything that has to do with this summer-long saga that has, for the time being, been put to rest.
But what you don’t know is that Brett Favre is not Joe Montana. Not because he didn’t win three additional Super Bowls or didn’t have Jerry Rice, but because he, at 38, still has it.
Brett is not Dan Marino. Not because he’s better in every meaningful statistical category after passing Marino, and not because he actually won a Super Bowl, but because nearing the end of his career, he isn’t playing with hobbled ankles.
Our beloved number four is not John Elway. Not because the odds are against him to go out on top winning a championship, let alone two in a row, but because he isn’t limping into the 2008 season, and he doesn’t look like he’s 50 when he’s only pushing 40.
Brett Favre is Brett Favre, and there has been no one like him, and undoubtedly we will never see anyone like him again. And because of that, I will explain to you why Favre and the Jets will shock us all.
Anyone can analyze the quarterback position, mostly because youre usually only looking at one guy under a microscope. But take a look at the Oakland Raiders backfield, even for a second, and you have to start to wonder: Who is the starter, the third down back, and will it even matter?
That’s what happens when you have a sure fire talent, a couple of injury riddled busts, and a collection of all around solid talent at the position.
It’s not really about DO you have the talent, it’s what you do with it.
So, in doing my best from digging too deep in the cookie jar and trying to pretend like the Pittsburgh Steelers’ signing of Mewelde Moore will actually shake your fantasy football world up, even a little bit, here is my perspective on each team’s running back issues, by player, as insignificant as they may be.
To some, Sunday is a time to unwind. To many, it is a day of worship. I spend my Sundays relaxing while praising the football gods. It is an American tradition to participate in the great sport of football. Unlike with most other sports, you do not need to physically be in the game to be a football participant. It is as much of an experience for the player as it is for the spectator. The trials and tribulations experienced by players on field translate to fan emotion off field. Therefore, for this past November’s Sunday Night Football game–this season’s undefeated team to beat, the New England Patriots took on my favorite team, the struggling Philadelphia Eagles–I decided to focus on the onlookers of the game instead of on the game itself (being a fan of the game, this was harder to do than it may seem).
I’ve heard that there are two different times of the year. There is football season, and there is waiting for football season. With about 50 days left (depending on which day you read this) until the kickoff of the NFL season I thought it would be fun to list some entertaining activities to occupy your time. Understand that these range from the mundane, to the ludicrous, to “Hey, maybe I could actually do that.” This column is all in fun and some of the activities listed should be performed at the readers own risk (of embarrassment). The following are in no particular order.
Finally, we’re making some ground. After all of the speculation, the he said, she said quotes and misquotes, we finally know the truth.
Brett Favre wants back into the NFL, and the Packers don’t want him on their team.
While it doesn’t appear likely that either side will be changing their mind anytime soon, (Brett is set on returning, and the Packers are focused on Aaron Rodgers) now is the time to start focusing on where Favre will be playing next season.
The Green Bay Packers have emphatically stated they will not release Favre, in fear he could go to a rival and beat them twice a season. They probably would be reluctant to let him go to another NFC team, as well, in fear they could meet him in the playoffs.
So, what then? Trade him to Baltimore and possibly see him in the Super Bowl? Ted Thompson is truly in a lose-lose, here. If Brett is reinstated and rides the bench, chants of “we want brett” will be heard for all 8 home games. Aaron Rodgers won’t make it out of Green Bay alive.
Regardless of the actual outcome, what’s better than speculating just a little further in the epic story that has become “the retirement of Brett Favre”?
Here is a look at all of the 31 other teams Brett Favre is more likely to play for, and reasons why or why not it will actually happen:
Fantasy football is upon us. Believe it or not, we are a mere month away from gearing up for a season full of jubilation and undoubtedly, tears of loss and regret. And before you can call yourself ready or boldly declare you’re going to steal your league’s championship this year, you’ve got to know where you stand on each position. More importantly, you’ve got to know where you stand on each player.
I’ll be breaking down each team’s star at each offensive position (QB/RB/WR/TE) and letting you know, if you don’t already know, on who to take, and who to definitely stay away from.
Where there is an up and coming young gunslinger like Jay Cutler, there resides a dream shattering disappointment in an Alex Smith. Any quarterback can go from progression to regression in a blink of an eye, so outside of the obvious top ten quarterbacks, one has to know exactly what separates the rest of the hopefuls.
Here is the complete breakdown of the 2008 starting quarterbacks for each team, as well as any quarterback battles heading into the pre-season:
This is the NFL off-season right? It is amazing that the off-season of the NFL dominates the headlines more than other sports regular season. We have seen the NFL Draft, free agency, the debate over rookie contracts, defensive ends Dancing with the Stars and now the biggest dance of them all, the Brett Favre retirement tease. Just when you thought you would see your first season without #4 in Green Bay, it sounds as if we may be seeing Favre play again this fall… but will it be back in Green Bay?
By David J. Cohen
Recently NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell came out and said it is “ridiculous” for players like Jake Long to make boatloads of money without proving themselves in the NFL. He said “There’s something wrong with the system, the money should go to people who perform.”