NFL players unhappy with Custom Jersey option on NFL.com

-PSon

John Madden retires from teaching basic math to morons

NFL announcer John Madden retired today and morons across the country are up in arms about the prospect of watching NFL games "without a hand to hold."

"Dagumit, the NFL without Madden is like eatin' hog but no taters. How should I know whens the right time to punt and if a touchdown is more points 'n a field goal?"

More casual fans will find it hard to go about watching football without the banal dialogue they have been accustomed to.

"It was like watching games with grandpa. He talked constantly and never explained anything I didn't already know, but something about him made me feel warm inside."

There have been many theories as to why a guy in the prime of his career would just quit. Many have speculated that his love of Brett Favre caused him to retire. Brett was gone, and his heart just wasn't in it anymore. Here's a tribute to the intense connection these two titans of the turf have shared.

-PSon

Same Ol' Mississippi Boy

Just to show that some things never change, Jet Favre came out of the gates with a couple of breathtaking wounded duck TD tosses. Watch this second one, the pass is only 20-30 yards but Brett heaves it end over end about 50 yards in the air. I think the receiver was confused and called for a fair catch. Maybe he was trying to save the Jets receivers from having to deal with his "rocket arm."

Brettie And The Jets

A Jet fan's wet dream or worst nightmare? After months of pining for him, Favre was introduced Thursday as New York's QB. Brett was spotted jogging out to the field holding a clipboard and playbook like the good teammate he is. Brett was later spotted throwing dimes to Jets cornerback Kerry Rhodes, just like old times. Rhodes later commented on how accurate his passes were and mentioned, "It seemed like hitting defensive backs in the numbers just comes so naturally to him. It's almost like this good ole boy from Mississippi is out on his ranch when he steps on the field, 'cept for instead of shooting ducks, he's throwing 'em."

Favre Jets To New York

I can't believe I'm the one breaking this story but the Packers have traded local diety Brett Favre to the New York Jets for a ham sandwich, potato skins, and a side of ranch. Boy does Brett Favre look happy to be there. Joe Montana wearing a Chiefs jersey thinks this is a bad idea. Anyway, the real reason I posted this is to pass along an email that Jim Rome read on his show that was too funny to fall by the wayside. "Hey Jim... I-N-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!"

Even Hitler Is Fed Up With Favre

The subtitles for the German film, Downfall have been altered many times but that fact doesn't make this clip any less funny.

The Weekend In Sports - A Pictorial

C.C. Sabathia and Prince Fielder react after a big win against Atlanta this weekend. Still waiting to hear from my sources as to whether or not they were reacting to the win or to the news that manager Ned Yost was taking them out for McDonalds and ice cream.

Brett Favre gets a call from Packers brass while hanging with some of his friends including Beverly Hills 90210 actor, Ian Ziering (on the left, sitting) and Detroit Red Wings great, Sergei Federov (on the right). He looks happy so the Packers must have informed him that he will be a Viking by the end of the week. Note the cutoff jean shorts, bowl haircut and tucked in white t-shirt.

Bear-Hug for Brett

As a Bears fan, I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching lately. You see, the Bears’ outlook for next season is abysmal. We just lost our “franchise” running back to alcoholism and rampant stupidity. We’ve added little to nothing on offense, and our once mighty defense… was decidedly less mighty last year. The keystone to all this mediocrity is our abysmal situation at QB.

A quick history of Bears football shows a terrifying list of half-decayed zombies, French existentialists, and tackling dummys who have tried in vain to lead the Bears back to the glory land. These simple words make Bears fans across the nation shudder: Kordell, Kramer, Krenzel, and the worst of all … Burris. 

And while I do genuinely love Kyle Orton. Seriously, I love the guy. I can’t be sure he’s a long-term answer.

But there may be a silver lining to this dark, sweaty cloud. Because, you may not have heard (BREAKING NEWS), Brett Favre may be coming out of retirement and leaving the Packers! I know, you’d think someone would be talking about such important news. If you don’t believe me, look it up! I’m for real.

So could Brett Favre be the Bears' salvation? Can Brett lead the Bears to a Super Bowl victory? Would time and space end if that happened? Would I even want that to happen?

Hence… the soul searching.

After much thought. My answer is Yes. To all of the above. I would welcome Mr. Favre, but knowing TWO very important things.  

1. I love the Bears. And I would place my personal feelings on nearly any subject aside if it meant success for the Bears. If Hitler’s great grandson had a cannon for an arm. And Pol Pot’s nephew had great hands. I’d cheer them both to a Super Bowl victory, with no shame. So as much as I’ve hated Brett over the years. As many times as I’ve made up horrible things about him (he’s not really a child molester. I can admit that now). I would welcome him with open arms. But under VERY strict guidelines, ie victories.

2. If we welcomed Favre to the Bears. But he sucked. The glorious potential of that situation would be … wait for it, this is good … the prospect of Brett FUCKING Favre getting benched for the likes of Rex Grossman or Kyle Orton. OH GLORIOUS DAY! Imagine the pain on the fat, drunk, ugly faces of Packer fans across the nation as their golden god is relegated to clipboard carrier for their biggest rival.

So as you can see. It’s a win – win in my book. So come on down Favre! You can even crash on my futon while you’re looking for a place in Chicago. I’ve got cable and wireless internet, just sayin.

-bb13

What the Hell is Brett Favre Doing Here?

As anybody who watches SportsCenter every night or reads sports blogs during the day can attest to, I am sick of hearing about Brett Favre. Now if I'm sick of hearing and reading about him, why am I writing about him? The answer is actually quite simple, I find him fascinating. Why does he do what he does? What goes on inside his mind during the course of a season, a game, a play?

I am not a Brett Favre fan. I wouldn't say I dislike him as a person because I don't. He's a very likable person. I dislike Brett Favre because of the fans who idolize him and believe that he does no wrong. I hate hearing the John Elway/Brett Favre comparisons. I'm not going to say that John Elway is greater than Brett Farve or vice versa. When a quarterback reaches a certain level, it becomes hard to tell them apart. Quarterbacks can not be judged in a vacuum. Some were blessed with great receivers, running backs, coaches, fans, stadiums, etc... Others were hampered by things outside of their control.

Brett Favre was blessed with a perfect situation. He played with coaches who let him do what he does best and once he started piling up stats (for better or worse) the fans came to believe he was the second coming of Bart Starr. When Favre won the Super Bowl he became infallible in the eyes of Packer fan. Brett Favre is a gunslinger through and through. He will amass incredible stats partly because of skill, partly because of the sheer number of passing attempts (the Allen Iverson Corollary), but mostly because he has been allowed to do whatever he wants. I don't think Favre would have been successful in any system he played. Would he have led the '02 Oakland Raider to the Super Bowl? I say not. Would the '98 Vikings have won the Super Bowl with him? I think so.

I think we're seeing now what kind of person Brett Favre is. The situation is not a simple one for either the Packers or Favre. Favre is an icon, his name is synonymous with Green Bay football. The fact is that he has been holding the Packers hostage for years. Every offseason he held retirement over their heads which hampered them by limiting the moves they were able to make. This year the Packers wanted an answer earlier. Favre retired, stating that he had nothing left. The Packers did all the right things. They changed up their playbook a bit to tailor to incumbent, Aaron Rodgers' strengths. They draft not one but two quarterbacks. They got ready for life without Favre.

Then the rumors started. Favre wanted back in. His family wanted him to play, he wanted to play. Favre was asked about this and he claimed ignorance. For weeks, a new story came out every day with more evidence to prove that Favre was trying to make a comeback. Aaron Rodgers stopped fielding questions about replacing a legend and started receiving questions about Favre's impending return. Then the bombshell, Favre asked for his release from the team. Favre wants to play, the Packers want him to stay retired.

Not to insinuate that Favre did this on purpose but the timing is impeccable. Favre waited until after the draft and after Rodgers was named the starter. If the Packers let Favre play this year they are effectively pushing Rodgers out the door in favor of one, maybe two more years of Favre-ball. This will severely hamper the team's ability to compete once Favre is gone. If the Packers release him, he will most assuredly go to one of 4 teams (Bears, Vikings, Panthers, Ravens). Packer fan cannot bear (no pun intended) the thought of Favre playing with their hated NFC North rivals but that looks to be the case if he is released.

My thoughts? The Packers need to release Favre if that is what he truly wants. Favre put the Packers in this position and they can't keep catering to him if they are to compete now and in the future. Favre may go on to play for the Vikings or the Bears but he does so with 100% certainty that his legacy will be tarnished (more than it already is). Favre will not receive quarter with Bears/Vikes fans if things go downhill. Favre is not a Bear legend. He will get the same treatment as hacks like Grossman and Orton. The best situation for Favre is the Vikings who are blessed with a top-notch back, a good line, and serviceable receivers. Can you picture Favre in the Purple and Gold?