Favre retires - REACT

Hey folks, hope you are having a fine Wednesday.

As promised, the site is gearing up again and what better way to start off than with the announcement that Brett Favre will be retiring. again. Maybe for real.

NFLDraftbible.com has compiled some reaction to the imminent departure of Brett the Jet, myself among them.

Click the link for some other thoughts on it, but here is what I had to say:
"Brett Favre has retired yet again and while the season didn't exactly go the way he or the Jets envisioned, that's not what leaves me with a poor taste in my mouth. It's the rumors that he has, once again, asked to be released prior to deciding to retire (presumably to play for the Vikings, where he wanted to go last summer) that really will stick in my craw. Will we see a repeat of last off-season, when Favre pitched a fit as he once again flip-flopped on retirement and, failing to force his outright release, then settled for a trade to the Jets? For the Jets, being able to move forward with their quarterback situation prior to free agency and the draft while dumping Favre's $13 million cap hit is a positive. But one has to wonder - will the Favre controversy from 2008 rear its ugly head in 2009, all dressed up for a repeat performance?

Let me be clear on this - I love Brett Favre. I think he is a heckuva competitor and has put together a fine career which should not be much marred by the sub-par end of last season. The Jets collapse was not just his fault - he was part of many issues.

That said, I have to wonder if he will ever get that he is not in control. Twice now he has (allegedly) tried to force an outright release to (allegedly) play for the Vikings (who are a QB and good playcalling away from being a legit Super Bowl contender).

I like Favre - I still think the trade for him was a no-brainer, no-lose situation which played out very well for part of the season, only to peter out for many reasons at the end. I am happy I have a Brett favre jersey. I am glad he played for the Jets. Maybe Pennington would have had the success he had with the Dolphins, had he stayed with the Jets. But I doubt it (though some of the failure rests on Mangini's hands - best of luck Brady Quinn).

Regardless it was a risk worth taking and I think the Jets made the right call.

Right now I'm hoping Favre makes an equally good call and stays retired. I really don't want to see him again in yet another uniform for a team that is good, though far from great.

Still, given last year, you have to wonder.

Best of luck, Brett - enjoy hunting season.

Thundering Blurb Football Show - special guest

Hey guys

Just a quick reminder that the Thundering Blurb Football Show will be on tonight at it's regularly scheduled 9pm EST/6pm PST time and we will be once again welcoming Eric Boland, Jets beat writer for New York Newsday and Newsday.com.

I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about both for the Jets and the newly signed head coach of the Browns, Eric Mangini.

Should be good - check it out live or download it via ITUNES or Blogtalkradio.com. Subscribe to the feed and never miss a show!

Thursday Morning Stampede

You can tell we're getting to the end of camp and towards proper football when the news deluge becomes a trickle as it has the last few days.

Answers we are still waiting on:

• Will Steven Jackson report? Owners in many drafts are banking on him not holding out but with conflicting reports about whether the sides are even talking, it makes me nervous. The longer this goes on without significant movement, the riskier a top 5 (maybe even 10) pick becomes.
• Will Jason Peters report? I will say it again - an offensive tackle is just as integral to a good running game as anyone else involved. Peters is the best o-lineman in Buffalo and it's bad enough he was holding out, but now the team is racked by injury. The value of Marshawn Lynch and that whole offense could hinge on Peters coming back to the fold but like Jackson, no real progress has been made.
• How bad is the 49r QB situation? It looks pretty grim and what does that mean for Gore? Keep in mind that Gore has put up good numbers in awful offenses before. How much will Martz control the overall offense vs HC Mike Nolan? Does it matter who wins the job with that group?
• Can Tarvaris Jackson progress? It probably won't matter to Peterson that much, but should to the rest of the team. The Vikes are very close to Super Bowl status. If Jackson can take a significant leap forward, utilize Berrian and Rice to their potential and give Peterson even more room than the O-line does on a play-by-play basis - I would tap them as heading to Tampa Bay.
• Will McFadden live up to the hype? People are still kicking themselves for undervaluing Peterson last year and so McFadden has occasionally gone way too early in drafts this year. Peterson was/is a freak and was in a much better situation O-line-wise than McFadden is. we;ve seen soem good play but what does it mean so early? It'd be nice to have been blown away but I am not yet. I still want to know what he can do, an answer I will only get during the season.
• What effect will Favre have on the Jets? Here's an answer we'll get a glimpse at this weekend when he makes his preseason debut, but from a fantasy perspective there are some questions that will take a few regular season games to answer. Will he open up the offense give Thomas Jones room to run? Will Cotchery and Coles see their numbers go up? Will he be Favre from 2007 or 20006? A lot of owners - myself included - are betting heavy that he has increased the value of this team.
• Who is catching balls in Seattle/Jacksonville/Carolina? You could throw in a few other teams but these three will have more value than most of the others you could name. Steve Smith is suspended for two games - will it affect his season overall? Can DJ Hackett stay healthy or is it already too late? Who will fill in as the #2 across from Burleson in the injury decimated Seattle WR corp? Or Jacksonville? As we find these things out, some Hail Mary picks at the end of drafts could have huge value.

I'll be back later with any news that shows up plus a few things that we definitely know coming to the end of Training Camp.

The NY Favre Fantasy Breakdown

So after mulling it over a few hours here's how I think this affects the Jets Fantasy Prospects:

Pennington:er..... cut.
Clemens:Kellen, bench - bench, Kellen.

Those were the easy ones....

Laveranues Coles: A solid WR2 anyway, I could see him top 1000 yards this year if healthy. He doesn't go too long, and years of crossing routes have started to take their toll, however I still think he will get a lot of targets from Favre and is reliable enough to catch a lot of them (62% last year). If he manages to increase his TD total, he could float into the WR1 range.

Biggest Questions: Will he stay healthy and will Favre click with him?
Biggest Plus: awesome hands, fearless receiver

Jerricho Cotchery: Like Coles, already a #2 WR with potential #1 upside, Cotchery should top 1000 easy, maybe heading towards 1,400 land. And see his TDs increase to boot. If he clicks with The Favre, could take over as #1 for the Jets and the upside there would potentially be huge. He's already the main deep threat for the Jets, so it isn't a reach to think Favre will utilize him as such. He gets tons of targets - if that keeps up, he just became a really interesting Fantasy prospect.

Biggest Questions: Will other WRs/TEs (Keller, Smith, Clowney) eat into his targets and will the Oline jell enough to give Favre the time to hit him deep?
Biggest Plus: Goes deep, gets many targets.

Thomas Jones:Jones is doing cartwheels. This will open the offense a ton and give him room to run. He may even see some catches. I was already calling for a solid bounce baclk season - lock that in there. He should top 1,000 yards if the Oline holds. He seems to be rebounding slower from dings, but has looked good in camp so far.

Biggest Questions: Is age catching up to him and will the O-line hold?
Biggest Plus: Workhorse back who will be depended upon to keep the Jets going while Favre learns the offense.

Leon Washington: The young, dynamic back will see a ton of catches from Favre but how much it will all amount to still depends upon Washington. He makes things happen in space and that's where he coudl excel on a screen, but he won't get much work between the tackles. Could be Westbrook but more than likely will still be watching a lot of Favre from the sidelines. Like him as a bye week guy with upside though.

Biggest Question: Will he get enough touches?
Biggest Plus: Speed and a dynamic playmaking ability.

Chris Baker/Bubba Franks/Dustin Keller: I wonder if Franks had a hand in talking Favre into NY? Well, don't get carried away - Franks is enough past his prime to not have a huge impact and was brought into block. Baker is the immediate recipiant of good Favre Karma - he can do a lot of different things and will be on the field the most. However, don't be shocked if Favre bonds with Keller ala Donald Lee last year. Keller is having a great camp and aside from not being able to block, is making some great catches. He and Baker may cancel each other out but I like Keller to take over somewhere in the midst of this season.

What that means is up in the air until we see what the Jets will do with their TEs.

Biggest Questions: Who will get looks, how will the TEs get used?
Biggest Pluses: Baker can do anything, will get lots of field time, Franks blocks well, knows Favre and Keller is an exciting prospect who can open up the outside in a way the other two can't.

That's all for now - lots to consider before your draft day but the Jets just might have become a good place for some value.

Favre to Jets - finally?

According to FOXSports.com , Brett Favre is now a Jet. Jay Glazer is saying there are no compensation details yet but rumor earlier was a 3rd with escalations to a 1st depending on the Jets and Favre's performances.

More when I have it.

But bump up the Jets offense considerably if it's true....

Wednesday Morning Stampede

So FAVREWATCH 2008 is far from over, but we knew that would be the case.

All that and some running back news below for the Morning Stampede...

Green Bay Packers
As was reported yesterday, Favre is probably close to being traded and soon. Both the Jets and Bucs are allegedly interested - the Tampa Tribune says Favre will be a Buc be days end, with Brian Griese heading to Wisconsin to back up Aaron Rodgers (which as I wrote last night, only made sense). Not so fast says Jay Glazer of FoxSports - the NY Jets have offered a much better trade package. Apparently, Favre currently prefers the Bucs, though he is talking to the Jets, and supposedly feels that the Packers are asking too much from the Bucs just because they are a NFC team.

I think this will clear up by Friday, maybe before, but it continues to be somewhat ugly between the Pack and their once favored son.

Both the Bucs and Jets would be good, not great fits, for Favre and neither is a Super Bowl contender though the Bucs seem closer on the surface. Favre may help them make a run while he merely makes the Jets an 8-8 team with Wild Card aspirations. That's not a slam on Favre - the Jets are just farther away. But you never know.

Either team would put Favre back on the Fantasy radar and make him - at the very least - a #2 QB.

Chicago Bears
Kevin Jones is definitely healing well and while he might still open the season on the PUP list, he is supposedly running close to full speed. He's been in pads, though sporting a heavy knee brace. It's the brace that reminds you he is still coming back from a nagging injury and is a guy who the Bears probably picked up more for later in the season. Jones could be a pick during the last half or third of your draft, but you shouldn't draft him for anything but bench depth. Matt Forte is still the starter and will be for some time, barring him struggling mightily.

San Francisco 49rs
Frank Gore could have a huge season if he is involved in the pass game the way I (and others) suspect he might, yet I still see him slipping late in the 1st round of drafts. Gore has worked hard to get into better shape, including dropping wieght. With the concerns for just about every running back pick after #3 (Westbrook or Peterson, depending on who you ask), Gore is someone to look at closely and consider for your #1 back.

Most of the 49rs have a long way to go to prove themselves fantasy worthy and Gore could still face 8 man fronts if Martz's offense struggles. But Gore has faced them before and done well. Dropping the weight and getting into better shape will hopefully keep him healthier and get rid of nagging injuries that have plagued him for his career.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Just when we thought Fast Willie Parker had lost his goal line touches for good with the drafting of Rashard Mendenhall - not so fast. According to HC Mike Tomlin (by way of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ), Parker is once again under consideration for goal line duties. Now, I need to look into this but this may be a sign Mendenhall is struggling a little in camp. I'll see what I can find out. Parker will get you the yards - but his touchdowns were completely absent last year and it killed his owners. If he can get even a few more goal line touches, it would really help his value to you. I have been, and still do, assume that the rookie Mendenhall will get a ton of short yardage looks, including in the red zone. Parker hasn't got the size for it and concern still is he might wear down. But he has been effective on occasion and could be again if the offensive line is back on it's game. That was the biggest problem last year - the Ol-ine struggled as much as he did.

He's your rock solid RB2 - with a ton of upside if this plays out.

That's all for now - more later.

Favre to Bucs - Garcia to Packers?

Hey guys

In case you were asleep, Adam Shefter says the Packers have placed Favre on the declared non-injury inactive list and told him once and for all - no, you cannot get your release. They are talking to the Bucs and Favre is thinking it over. And of course we have talked about what this could mean for Favre and the Bucs - but what about a wrinkle?

Could Garcia be a part going back to the Pack?

Let's face it, the Pack has very shaky QB depth behind Rodgers who has a bit of an injury history. They need a veteran back-up and I was shocked they didn't pursue one. So why not?

Well, Garcia still thinks he can start. He can. too. Maybe he can gamble that Rodgers will not work out or get hurt, but I doubt he'd be happy. On the other hand - well rotoworld put it better than I ever could -

....and Jeff Garcia would certainly throw a hissy fit to be remembered.

I think Garcia could do well in Green Bay but he may not go. I would think Brian Griese or Chris Simms will be more likely.

But anyway, I thought it an interesting notion. Jets are also getting mentioned a lot on NFL Total Access.

Favre Leaves Camp and other tidbits

Continuing our last story on this, Brett Favre has now left Packers camp and will be meeting - along with his family - with GM Ted Thompson later. Some earlier reports via The Sports Network have pegged him as once again asking for his outright release, something that likely won't happen and would - as I have said - would be akin to assisted career suicide for Thompson. Adam Shefter over at NFLN reported yesterday that the Bucs were still talking with the Packers about a possible trade, so perhaps the meeting will involve something along those lines. Shefter feels that the Bucs trade or retirement are the only choices. As rumors have said the discussions yesterday with Favre and McCarthy centered on team unity and avoiding an ugly lockerroom situation, he may be right.

I say Favre should take the trade, if he really wants to play. I also think the Packers should try to make a deal as best they can and be flexible in what they want for Favre so he has a selection of choices.

The sad thing is, something tells me that this brouhaha has probably so sapped Favre of energy and desire that he migth just walk away. And as much as I think a lot of his actions here in this have been badly executed and thought out, I think that would be too bad. Favre wants to play - somehow that shouldn't be THIS hard to make happen.

In other news --
Jacksonville Jaguars
The wide receiver situation in Jacksonville is no clearer despite the current depth chart. With Porter and Williams out, Troy Williamson and Dennis Northcutt are the first team, while Mike Walker and Matt Jones are second team. I still have hopes for Walker, though not as high - being on Jones' squad isn't a ringing endorsement. However, HC Jack Del Rio has spoken well of Jones' effort in camp. So you never know.

I've said this before but this is like the Pats prior to last year, only with less yards. It's going to be hard to know who will get yards consistently and while Garrard will be an effective starter (though not a dynamic one) for fantasy teams, no receiver here will be good enough, often enough to be better than a #3, at best. But the offense overall should be pretty effective, regardless of who catches the ball when.

New Orleans Saints
Reggie Bush is going to get some opportunity to return punts again, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune . Still, he won't do it that often, though he might make for a few really impressive run backs. Meanwhile, Pierre Thomas is "competing for a lot of touches" according to Head Coach Sean Payton, via the Baton Rouge Advocate . Thomas is a guy I have been touting all off season and with Deuce returning from another knee injury and Thomas impressing last season, expect the guy to get a good amount of touches.

More from the article:

"He has good vision and good balance," Payton said. "He’s a guy that has proven that you can hand him the ball more than 15 or 20 times in a game and he can carry the load."

That's a good sign if you happened to have snagged him when I told you to for your Dynasty Teams. I think he will compliment Bush very well and he certainly looks to take over for McAllister, who is nearing the end of being a useful full time back.

New York Giants
I don't normally want to call out other Fantasy Guys, especially those I don't know. And in all fairness I can't recall who said it. But I did a little reading in Alaska and out of curiosity, I read some Fantasy Football magazines. I don't do magazines. At the Journal last year, we did an online one that updated weekly. I read Footballguys, in part because I know so many people involved and I like what they do. I read Pro Football Weekly's for the excellent team breakdowns. This year, I picked up ESPN's as well.

I won't critique it much here, but will point out once again my frustration with some of the content there. So late in their mock draft (which was allegedly done in 45 minutes - thanks guys, good job being thorough - and with little explanation of any picks), in the final round in fact, one guy picks up Mario Manningham. He touts the pick, how clever he is. Manningham is great!

Manningham is also the only rookie WR taken. You know, over James Hardy, Devin Thomas, Limas Sweed - or what I like to call 'Guys who can contribute maybe this year'. Manningham - behind the likes of Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer and Steve Smith.

The same Manningham who today, according to the New York Post , has bleeding in his strained quad. Thats' bad and it could put him on the PUP, if not IR if it's bad enough.

Which just goes to show you that you ALWAYS need to use your own judgement and use the mags and everyone's opinions online and everywhere else to help form your own. Anyone reading this column is unlikely to have made that pick - because you probably know the upside of the other rookies and you pay attention. It ain't that hard.

But I look back at that mock and shake my head even harder at the $7 or whatever that I spent. Thank God I get to write it off next year.

More later....

Tuesday Morning Stampede

Yesterday, Green Bay Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy and estranged quarterback Brett Favre met for something on the order of 9 hours or so, longer than expected and wrapping their discussion at about 12:30am EST. Not much is known for sure about the meeting but we know they talked about what a QB controversy and battle might do to team chemistry. We still don't know what is going on here and there is supposed to be a press conference at some point today.

As the World Turns, These Are The Days of our Lives......

Washington Redskins
Yesterday Malcolm Kelly got his knee scoped and today it looks like fellow rookie Devin Thomas is going to miss all the practices this week and the second preseason game. Not a good start for the rookies here. Now word on if Fred Davis has woken up in time for camp or gotten a new alarm clock.

New York Jets
The rookies in this camp are faring much better, as Dustin Keller has been showcasing his talents all camp long and now Vernon Gholston is doing the same. While the Newark Star-Ledger is saying he has had a quiet camp so far, both the blogs at Newsday.com and DailyNews.com have mentioned Gholston being in the backfield many tiems in the day since he has signed his contract. Both players could have an impact - though Gholston's learning curve and the return of Chris Baker at tight end may limit the upside of both this season.

St Louis Rams
Steven Jackson continues to hold out but I think he shows to camp soon. Not because he will get what he wants or cave, but because if he misses one more day of camp, he loses a year towards being an unrestricted free agant, according St Louis Post-Dispatch . He may be willing to lose that if he thinks he can sign an extension but at this point both sides seem pretty far apart.

Baltimore Ravens
Wednesday's episode of The Thundering Blurb Fantasy Football Show will talk about Training Camp battles, but I'll touch on this one here as well. Rookie Joe Flacco is struggling in camp, overthrowing short passes or throwing them too hard. Touch Passes are important for the Ravens scheme so that's not good for his starting bid. Flacco has doubters and certainly has holes in his game. He was going to take a year to develop at least. Troy Smith has the edge in camp right now and looks like the starter.

More later.

Late Sunday Week Primer

Hey guys

Hope you had a good weekend - between some computer issues and the imminent kickoff of both college football and pro football seasons, the Blurb was quiet this weekend for the most part.

Here is a quick look at what's on tap, then a brief weekend update for you:

This week we'll have much more Training Camp news as well as the beginnings of some college discussion. Both The Thundering Blurb Podcast and The Drive Block will of course be in full effect. And I am hoping to have at least my top 10 college rankings by Friday. That and Friday night/Saturday morning I hope to have delivered some on the spot Cowboys camp news as well.

So as always pretty quiet.

Here's the weekend update:

Carolina Panthers
The Panthers have suspended wide receiver Steve Smith for 2 regular season games for his altercation with Ken Lucas, and it will be interesting to see how hard he drops in drafts. Hopes were high for him in the Fantasy community but there is no way you can draft him where he was going, often as people's #1 wr. And now you know why we tell you a draft prior to preseason games is a bad idea.

However, if he drops long enough for you to grab him as a #2 and you can grab some good filler guys to back him up, he should be very productive after he gets back in the groove by week 3. So play up his suspension in your leagues and see if you can snag him as he tumbles hard. Overall he should be much better than last year, but you also have to worry about how he reacts to this.

Denver Broncos
Brandon Marshall has received his punishment from the league and it's about where I thought it would be - I said 4, reduced to 2, and it's 3, likely to be reduced to 2. Marshall is another guy who may tumble hard come your draft day and this will, like Smith, keep him from being someone you can grab as a #1 but might drop enough for you to grab later after you have a good #1, a good Rb and another guy in either category. When he comes back, Cutler will be very happy to see him and target him often.

Kansas City Chiefs
This might be irrelevant depending upon how you view the pass game in KC, but rookie Will Franklin has apparently passed by Maurice Price and Jeff Webb. Devard Darling is all that stands between him and starts, so consider a late flier on him - though if pickings are better elsewhere, remember the KC pass game will likely top out at 'meh' with sprinklings of 'yuck'.

And brace yourselves -
Green Bay
Favre arrives in camp Monday. He was reinstated today after the Hall of Fame festivities were done with. It looks liek the competition is on and Aaron Rodgers took to the fight with 7-of-20 passes for 84 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception at the Packers' Fan Fest scrimmage Sunday night. Yeah, that's not a great start to this is it? Oh and the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel saying that the Pack called the Vikings about Favre being available in trade - and I still say if that happens then Ted Thompson might as well sign his letter of resignation. The two times Favre would lead the Vikes against the Pack would do it for him, if he wouldn't. But man, wouldn't that make Bernard Berrian and Sidney Rice owners happy?

More tomorrow throughout the day as we continue spinning Training Camp and the NFL for you every single day.

ps- just watched the Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - and I have rarely been so perplexed by a flick.

An interesting Favre thought

So, Goodell isn't reinstating him today. So no Brett this weekend. Packers get to breathe a bit and allegedly have a chance to move things forward with Favre - be it the package or convincing him to agree to a trade or whatever.

Here's an interesting thing though. Because while I think Favre has really misplayed this top to bottom (although he isn't alone of course), he faxed his papers in what - four days ago?

Does anyone find it interesting that the NFL delayed reinstating him until after this weekend - until after the Hall of Fame induction?

That's a savvy group. Why risk having Favre show up to camp during a huge weekend for the League?

Interesting thought huh? Just conjecture of course, but seems off to me.

Favre rejects Jets, decides to be sourpuss

I'm not saying this as a Jets fan, though you might write it off as sour grapes on my part. Could that be part of it? Maybe. But I think really that I have just had enough of the Favre thing.

'All I want to do is play football,' he says. 'Why don't you all understand?' he pleads. 'The Packers don't want me, then I need to be released so I can find someone who DOES,'he cries.

Unless of course a team who wants him is the Bucs. Or the Jets. Or rather a team not the Vikings.

Enough Brett. Just stop. It's done.

I thought the Pack made a huge misstep when they offered him $20 mill to just go away. I was pretty disappointed and was finally of the mindset that they were being beyond ridiculous.

Maybe Favre was in the right.

But the fact is, Favre only wants one of two things:

To play in Green Bay and be in charge.

Or to play for the Vikings and stick it to Green Bay twice next year. The old 'I told ya so' with a little extra lemon thrown in.

I believed (past tense) Favre wanted to play above all else. I understood not going to the Dolphins. Or Kansas City. Heck, at heart I get not wanting to play for the Jets if he thinks the O-line has too many issues still.

But the statements he made today confirm he just wants to be right. It isn't about football for Favre, not if he can say this to ESPN:

"My intentions have been to play, and with Green Bay. They say no, so I still want to play in this division for obvious reasons, which I made clear to management. If they won’t let me play in Green Bay, let me play against you. That’s where I am."

If they won;t let him play in Green Bay (and I do think he gives them a chance at a Super Bowl that Rodgers doesn't) he wants to stick it to them twice a year.

That's not passion. That's just bitter.

Maybe he has a right to be. But he'll get no more sympathy from me (not that he's gotten a ton, in honesty).

Green Bay has not acted well and has been responsible for a lot of this mess.

But every time they do something that puts me in Favre's camp - amazingly, he finds a way to make me lose sympathy for him.

I can only hope Favre comes to his senses and finds a way to play - after all this drama, after all the times he told us how much he missed it, it would be a waste not to.

Find a way to get traded to another team, Favre. If not the Jets, fine. But don;t get caught up so much in the bitter fued between you and Ted Thompson that you forget why you started this disaster in the first place.

/soapbox

Back with more actual news later.

New Footballguys, The Audible: Drive Block is done and up

Great show tonight - if you didn't get a chance to stream it, take a look to the right OR download it at ITunes or at Footballguys.com (or just click on the link under Sites that keep you from getting pancaked)


Favre talk (although Cec and Sig would rather not), and a ton of news from around the league. We talk Atlanta running backs, Houston running backs, Cecil as Max Headroom and MORE!

FAVREWATCH 2008 Continues

Getting ready for the Drive Block (@7 minutes off) but wanted to hit this -

From the Green Bay Press-Gazette: The Packers are in 'serious negotiations' with the Jets for a trade. Win Win - Bus Cooke has spoken with Gang Green so Favre might be ok with the trade.

We'll talk about this on The Block, but I think this could be the reason Favre didn't fly to Green Bay today. He might have known he needed to go East.

Stay tuned - more later. But I think the Jets would benefit, Clemens would get 2 more years (maybe?) to learn from a Pro Bowler (as would 3rd string Ainge, BTW) and ultimately the Jets would get a good QB who could make a huge difference NOW - which with the money they spent, is what they want. Win now.

And as I said, Favre wins too - he gets a chance to start which is what he wanted.

Win-win.

we'll see.

Tune into the Drive Block - or call (347) 826-7620 and join in!

Camp Stampede - Midday report

Howdy folks!

Thanks for all the great feedback I am getting on the Thundering Blurb show! We'll be there every week until season's end - and possibly beyond!

Let's get to the news --

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It appears that Jeff Garcia's injury does NOT appear serious. Still, it got the mind racing - and maybe will kick something forward if they start to worry about Garcia's durability. The snag I didn't touch on earlier? Maybe favre doesn't want to play there. That's always a problem as the bucs are aware*coughJakePlummercough*.

Green Bay Packers
Favre has chartered a plane to Green Bay. I expect he will be at the practice facility tomorrow. I expect NFL Total Access to have nothing but conjecture about it. I expect to enjoy it all.... In Non-Favre news (yes the Packers have that) and lost in the Favre debacle is the hold-out of Ryan Grant. Well, Grant may want to get into camp as reports are that his back-up - second year man Brandon Jackson - is doing very, very well in camp. So well, in fact, that the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is saying they will probably split carries when Grant ends his hold-out. Now I don't know about THAT but RB pairing has become more common so it's not impossible. But the real message here might be that the Packers might find themselves having leverage in this situation, unlike the Favre one. If Jackson is doing well, Grant - while not replaceable - certainly can find himself in less of a sure position and more likely to settle for less, or even status quo, in terms of his contract money.

Houston Texans
I love the Texans and I can't tell you why. They intrigue me. And they signed a guy who has also caught my attention in the past - former Denver RB Mike Bell. The Denver-to-Houston pipeline set up by Mike Kubiak continues. With Chris Brown already banged up, Ahman Green not looking phenomenal in camp and the rest of the running backs not locking the job up, Bell could have a shot at a starting job. Or at worst, lock up the short yardage back role.

New York Jets
As of this morning, we finally have a positive Kellen Clemens report where he actually out-performed Pennington and threw no INTs. That's big for his backers, as Clemens has thrown some ugly picks the first practices. A lot of the picks it seems (reading Erik Boland's excellent blog at Newsday.com and Rich Cimini's good work at the Daily News) have come in the 2minute drill practices and that's not good. But Clemens looked good today. All along, people have said it's not that Pennington looked better bu that Clemens looked worse. Looks like Clemens finally played to his potential. Can he keep it up?

Apparently the hit of the day according to both bloggers was during a non-contact drill (isn't it always?). Safety Kerry Rhodes absolutely decimated WR Chansi Stuckey as Stuckey went across the middle. Just laid him on his tail. During a practice where Mangini was angry because many people were lagging, Rhodes sent the message that he was here to play and everyone had better keep up.

Cimini said it and I'll echo it - the Jets need more guys liek that if they want to top their pathetic win total for last season.

That's all for now - more later -- and don't forget - The Drive Block goes live at 10pm EST/ 7pm PST! Catch me, Cecil and Sigmund Bloom as we give you the latest on the events of the day!

Jeff Garcia Hurt

Just saw this item at TampaBay.com.

Looks like self-proclaimed 'I am the starting quarterback' Jeff Garcia is pranged up.

We don't know how serious - if at all - it is right now but if he's even kinda hurt.....

How bad would the Bucs want Favre?

I think Gruden would do everything he could to get the soon-to-be-ex-Packer. Something will happen and it looks liek the Pack is talking or considering talking to the Bears or Vikings. If the Bucs made a strong offer, the Packers would probably try to move him there to avoid the nightmare of a trade within the division...

I'll report back on more as I hear it.....

Morning Favrewatch 2008 report

Hey folks -

We stand upon the edge of the the Favre/Green Bay/Training Camp Hurricane and the news out of Green Bay just gets weirder.

Now I have been largely on the Pack's side - I think frankly both sides have behaved poorly but I really felt that the way Favre has handled it has been worse. And that may still hold true, really. I still feel like he has been acting like a prima dona.

All that said, if this report by the Green Bay Press Gazette is true, then they may be more insane than I gave them credit for.

I get they don't want Favre back. But they also held a lot - maybe not all but MOST - of the cards in this thing, especially from a PR standpoint. But to send Mark Murphy to buy Favre off? You're that desperate? Jeez guys.

Go and talk him into working a trade to a team both of you can be happy with. Go and talk to him about being #2 quarterback in camp (which allegedly they did). Explain to him why he is crazy to think you'll release him to play for a Division rival (something he darn well knows, but just doesn't care about). get that list of teams he wants to go to. Show him yours. Compromise. Buy him lunch and repair that dent I saw in his pickup.

But bribe him? Wow. No wonder Murphy looked so flustered. The moment he said it he knew 1) they had him and 2) Favre or Cooke would leak it to the press.

Assuming this is true, well - game, set and match to Favre. You just blinked Packers.

Friday should be fun. Heck, TODAY could be a real riot.

We'll keep you posted.

Favre and the rest of the guys....

Is there any other news?

Favre and his agent Bus Cooke met with Pack President Mark Murphy met today - Cooke and Murphy for 9 hours.

Amazing. Murphy didn't look pleased leaving. Brett did - though he only logged two hours. Cooke looked a little smug, but who knows? what were they talking about? Trades? Retirement? Whether Heath Ledger should get an Oscar nod?

I don't know. Friday will be very interesting indeed. I would love to know - for real - what Favre wants. I am not 100% sure he's only after a release. But I'd be curious to know what is really in his head.

Carolina Panthers
DeAngelo Williams has been running with the first team so far - HC John Fox doesn't give starting gigs away without earning it. I still think Jonathan Stewart will get most of the carries, but you shouldn;t be looking at him as anything beyond a 3rd RB with tremendous upside. But anything sooner and you are facing some real risk - as with all rookie RBs.

Cincinatti Bengals
Rudi Johnson is looking very strong in camp - he may end up being a value at the end of the 2nd rounds (and farther back) where he is going now. But don't read too much into the hype yet - he has to hold up over the season and that offensive line still has some large question marks.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Rashard Mendenhall and Willie Parker are still looking like they will split carries. And here's the thing - they seem very happy with that. Parker was ok during the time he split with Bettis - productive overall. You can count on good yardage for him and an uptick of touchdowns, but anything would be better than last year. Mendenhall will probably do all right and vulture some TDs but like Stewart, he won't be reliable enough to warrant more than a #3 spot on your team. But I think he will grow to be a tremendous compliment to Parker as years progress.

That's all for now - remember - in less than an hour and a half - The Thundering Blurb podcast goes LIVE at BlogtalkRadio.com! 9pmEST/6pmPST!

Call in at (718) 506-1722 - or tune in here and chat it up!

Best Favre exchange EVER

Rich Eisen vs Adam Shefter on NFLN yesterday -- watch Jamie Dukes sweat!

Check it out!

FavreWatch 2008

Well, I thought I was done tonight but I guess not.

ProFootballTalk is reporting that New Packers president Mark Murphy is heading to Mississippi to ask Favre NOT to come to camp when he is reinstated - this according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

The article is a bit of conjecture in certain instances - and frankly has a severe editorial slant. I would say the Press-Gazette is on the 'Bring Brett Back' bandwagon. So I'm not sure I totally trust their take on things.

As the article states, Favre won't be reinstated until tomorrow at best (Wednesday), the team is not practicing Thursday so Friday is the earliest the Favrenator can show up - I think there could be a few more explanations.

Now I don't have an unnamed source, but I do have my brain here, so let's use it.

Murphy could:

1. Try to talk Brett into staying retired - it wouldn't work but everyone on both sides is so delusional, I can believe anything....
2. Try to talk Brett into a trade - be it Jets, Bucs or any other place. Maybe even just to talk a list out of him, something Favre won't provide....
3. Talk to him about how the Qb battle could go if he shows up....
4. Tell him he is, without doubt, the backup. And he'd better be ok with it....

Now why not call with these things? Because one thing Favre has complained about is a lack of being wanted on the packers part. A lack of that 'hands on' I guess Brett used to get at some point long ago. Now, when Ted Thompson was going to fly out and welcome him back in March, that must have been a mirage, so we can discount that.

Fact is, any team official SHOULD fly down and talk to Favre. First off, he needs it, clearly. Guys like him need some soft handling sometimes -no right or wrong in it - just a fact. Second, he deserves it. Listen - this text messaging/voice mail crap is teenaged BS - on both sides. Someone needs to go down and work this out with Brett or pull him into an office when he returns. These are adults, not pimply faced teens breaking up with each other over email.

Regardless, I can think of multiple reasons why Murphy is flying down there. Maybe he's going exactly for the reason the Gazette claims. If he is, Brett will tell us about it for sure.

But let's not assume it's the only thing he can achieve down there in Mississippi.