Random Thoughts on Fall, Football, and Favre

Internet, Fall is upon us! This means no more long, hot rides home from work, comfortable temperatures, and long sleeved shirts! It also means that I've had a death cold for over a week now, but I'm willing to embrace that because...

FOOTBALL SEASON HAS STARTED!

It's no secret that I've been kind of "meh" on sports lately. My boyfriend was even concerned that I had stopped caring at all. To be honest, I was even getting concerned. But last night, after the Boyfriend left me alone with my TV, the remote, and the season opener between the Saints and the Vikings, I DIDN'T CHANGE THE CHANNEL.

Or play solitaire.

This is big news. Not only has my love for sports been renewed, but we're headed into the two most exciting seasons of all: football and hockey. Saying that makes me quiver a little bit. Hell, even basketball is going to be a blast this year.

The point is that now I can feel a little less guilt for not giving the Red Sox any attention.

Of course, with football season also comes Brett Favre. You guys, I HATE Brett Favre. I know that many of you have a soft spot for this goon, but it's important that you understand that I am 23 years old. When Favre retired from the Packers, I was 20. The first time Favre led the Packers to the playoffs, I was like 6. When he won the Super Bowl, I was 10. Are you getting the point? Let me spell it out for you: Brett Favre was not a Ken doll or a My Little Pony. I did not give a shit.


So you see, by the time I started caring about football, Favre was an old, retiring football player. Had he stayed retired, I would probably be all, "Oh. Good ole' Brett Favre. He was quite the QB!" But now I'm all, "Seriously? This old shit is back AGAIN? His teammates flew down to get him?! HIS EYES ARE AS DRY AS POTATO CHIPS?!"

No really. And I quote: "I mean, all morning they have been as dry and brittle as a couple of potato chips," Favre said. "I've been dealing with this lately. I've tried a few things, but nothing has worked. So, we're going to get them checked out. Now, I can still see good."

Right. Potato chips.

Is anyone else feeling like Favre isn't going to make it through this season? He stunk last night against the Saints. He has something wrong with his ankle. His eyes are evidently "as dry as potato chips." He didn't know if he wanted to come back this year because of the emotional toll that losing has on his fragile psyche. That doesn't spell a winning season to me.

Favre has an arsenal of excuses should he want to peace out early. He came back this year because he said he had "unfinished business." I think he should start learning how to accept that the business is going to remain unfinished.

Samantha Lewis is an on again, off again sports blogger who is thrilled that she has something to watch other than baseball. You can follow her on Twitter here!

In the Crease With Javier Gorriti-Brett and Britney

Brett Favre has been an iconic figure, not just in the NFL, but American sports over the last 15 years. Personally, I have always been a big Brett Favre fan (not Peter King big, I don't want to actually date Brett) for how he's played the game and the fearlessness he's shown doing so. This is why it brings me great sadness to see what is possibly the beginning of Favre losing his mind a la Britney Spears. Britney too was an iconic pop figure who went from being America's darling to another crazy celebutard.

Much of this is media created of course. If anyone was listening to every word we said and broadcasted it to the world, we would sound crazy as well. Britney went, and is going through a similar hybrid media creation/accentuating the existing personality, over the past few years. That being said, crazy is crazy and Brett Favre has definitely given us some crazy over the past few years. The alarming thing is the rate at which it's increasing.

I'm not suggesting that Favre is going to start doing a ton of drugs and getting out of cars in short shorts with his junk hanging out, or shave his head and check into a Malibu rehab center, but some of the blurbs we are hearing on a weekly basis makes you scratch your head a little. First we heard that Brett was addicted to and abusing pain killers. I think most of us gave him a pass on that as we can all imagine the physical toll it must take on one's body to play QB in the NFL. The recent retirement saga that we have endured from Favre over the past 5 years was first seen as a guy legitimately trying to figure out if he still wanted to play, now is seen as an attention-grabber with the need to be in the spotlight at all times. I think this marked that change in perception, and reality, when it comes to Favre, we all saw him as an old gunslinger who lived to compete and win. Now he is seen as an attention whore. We used to see him as a guy that wanted to win above anything else. Now we see him as a guy who wants to beat the Packers above anything else. We used to see a guy that would never miss a game. Now Brett is talking about not being sure if he's up for playing all 16 this season. We used to see Favre as the ultimate tough guy who would play through pain and protect his locker room at all costs. Now Favre is tattle-taling on the Jets for their listing of his status on the injury report for each game.

To me it is sad to see the perception of Favre change in the public eye. He is still the winningest QB in the history of the NFL. Favre still leads in career TD's, yards, attempts, INT's(you have to play a long time to do that) and consecutive games started. Favre has had one losing season in his career and is one of the greatest QB's to ever play the game. I hope that Brett can stay out of the limelight, keep his mouth shut and continue to win games. He is 1-0 this season and a Super Bowl is well within the Vikings ability this year. Britney has been able to reinvent herself to some degree, I hope Brett can do the same.

Javier Gorriti, UMaine Black Bear from 1994-1998, is a frequent contributor to the CMSB and the PM JAB with Chris Sedenka. He is the president of Mermaid Seafoods in Portland ME. and has been working and living in Maine over the past 5 years. He can be reached at javier_gorriti at hotmail.com

Will it ever end???

Guess who is ready to stretch the retirement drama for a few more weeks? Brett Favre, who filled the airways last year (thanks to ESPN) with is on again/off again retirement ordeal and who was most recently hammered in the media by some of his teammates, told ESPN's very own Ed Werder that he is going to take "several weeks" (hopefully no more than 1) before he decides on his NFL future. However, Favre did acknowledge that the retirement drama is a bit much:

"I'm an emotional guy, and I'm sure people are tired of seeing me get emotional. People would probably say, 'Oh, here he goes again.' I think it would just be better for me to just thank the Jets, and I sincerely mean that. It was well worth what I invested. But I'm going to just quietly step away if that's what happens.''

Oh jesus Brett, don't give us the worst tease since Ali Larter wore whipped cream and for a few seconds made every guy in America actually wish they were Brad Moxon.

So how long will it take for this drama to unfold? Will Brett come back? How much airplay will ESPN give this? Stay tuned next week. Same Brett channel, same Brett time. Holy end of the season collapse Brettman, Mangini got a job.

And he back peddles like Champ Bailey too

Yo Brett, holla at ya boy


A day after being ripped in the media for ripping his QB in the media, Thomas Jones was on full blown, stage 5 damage control duty.  The Jets Pro-Bowl running back was more than a little pissed about Brett Favre's performance against the Miami Dolphins:

"The other day, the three interceptions really hurt us. I mean, that's just reality. If I were to sit here and say, 'Oh, man, it's OK,' that's not reality. ... I don't like it, I know everybody else on the team doesn't like it.

"If somebody is not playing well, they need to come out of the game. You're jeopardizing the whole team because you're having a bad day. To me, that's not fair to everybody else. You're not the only one on the team. So when you get to the wire and somebody is just giving the game up, I mean, it's just not [fair]."

Today, Mr. Jones went on ESPN's First Take to, um, clarify his remarks.

First, and this is very important, he wanted to make sure that everyone knows he went on Hot 97 to talk about his music company and one of his artists, not Brett Favre.

"I went to HOT 97 to talk about my music company, Outta Pocket Entertainment, and my artist Miko that I am working with. I didn't go up there and anticipate some Brett Favre questions."

Despite not anticipating those questions (and why would he, I mean, a NY radio station talking to a NY football player whose team only days before was eliminated from the playoffs after leading the division after 12 weeks, why would football be brought up) he sure as hell was willing to answer them. Um, here's a whacky idea Thomas, try saying something like "no comment" or "I am not going to discuss the season until my company drops more albums than Ron Artest's".

Jones also wanted to people to know that when he answered the question about how he, Jones, looks at a player who is playing poorly that he:

"Answered that in a general way, a general answer, the question was not geared towards Brett Favre. When she asked me that question she did not say 'do you think Brett Favre should have come out the game, do you think Brett Favre was playing badly. When she asked me that question, I answered it generally."

Yeah, okay, so you were talking about QB, who plays for the Jets, who threw three interceptions against the Miami Dolphins, but you were not talking about Brett Favre, that seems reasonable. Just like if someone said the Jets' running game sucked, they aren't talking about you specifically, just in general the running game sucked, of which you are the main focus of.

So after a minute or so of deflecting, Boozy the Clown's sister Dana Jacabson wanted to get to the point like it was a bottle of vodka and directly asked Jones what he thought should have happened with Favre during the Miami game. Always willing to answer a question, Jones responded.

"Well, I mean, at the end of the day that's what the coaches and those guys get paid for, that make those decisions. The only thing I could give my opinion on was the interceptions and that's what I did. As far as him coming out, that's not my call, just like if I am in the game and I am not playing well and I have 2 or 3 fumbles, if you need to come out of the game that's not my call, I'm not going to take myself out of the game."


After another futile attempt by the Belvedere spokeswoman to get Jones to answer the question as to whether or not he thought Favre should have been benched, which was met with more deflection, Jones said that even though he has not spoken with Favre since Jones' comments, he and Brett are cool. I am sure that Favre is not pissed for being ripped by his teammates in the media, why would he be, he knows all he has to do is forget about NY and the Jets get to pick from their fleet of career back ups to start next year.

God I Hate Brett Favre

What are you in town for? Oh, to play the Dolphins like a dumbass? Right....


For the second time in 6 years, the New England Patriots needed Brett Favre to defeat Chad Pennington in a Week 17 matchup to gain a playoff spot. In 2002, Favre and the Pack walked into the Meadowlands and got thumped 42-17-in no small thanks to a god-awful 16-33, 1 TD 1 INT performance from Favre. This time, Brett looked even worse throwing three picks (great thinking on that last pick by the way) as the Jets fell to the Pennington-led Dolphins, 24-17.

With that the Pats season is over. From Brady going down early, numerous other injuries that required the Pats to bring back Rosey Colvin and Junior Seau, the solid play of rookie LB Jerod Mayo to the emergence of Matt Cassel, 2008 was a great season given the adversity, a season we Pats' fans had not seen in, well, 6 years, when no game was a given. Regardless, there are too many emotions to give a comprehensive recap of the season and I can only muster this....

Brett, you suck. I can't even write the rest of this, so Matty is going to take it from here...

Editor's Note:

Well, we all knew it would happen. Like he did in the Meadowlands against the Jets in 2002 (see above entry), Brett Favre broke Pats fans hearts again tonight with a horrid, putrid, washed-up, "should have stayed retired" performance that propels the Miami Dolphins to the playoffs, and keeps the 11-5 Patriots at home. Tonight and from here on out, Pats fans should blame Favre. So with that The CMSB suggests "The Favre Boycott". As Patriots fans, we boycott anything Favre shills, be it Wrangler jeans, Prilsoec OTC, or anything else he gets commercial dollars for. I think a massive Wrangler burning is in order, if anyone has any ideas how we can make this happen, email the editor at editor@centralmainesportsblog.com. Can we boycott Favre and hopefully send him away for his sins against Patriots Nation? Yes we can Patriots nation, yes we can.

Update: There is a "Boycott Brett Favre" Facebook group. Yes, you should join.

Big Game Brett? We Hope.

New England needs a Superhero.........ugh


So the New England Patriots' season comes down to this; win and hope for some help. While the Pats are taking on a Bills team they handled in Week 10 20-10, they need either the Jacksonville Jaguars to beat a very good Ravens team that has something to play for, OR the New York Jets to beat the surprising Dolphins. Neither prospect is very promising.

The Jags have won just 2 of their last 9 games (one against the hapless Lions), while the Ravens need to win to assure themselves a playoff spot, and with their second ranked defense the Ravens should have little trouble punching their ticket for the playoffs. That leaves the Pats needing Brett Favre and the New York Jets to beat the Fins--oh boy. The Fins have won 8 for their last 9 games--though just one win against a team with a winning record--while the Jets have looked as bad as those throwback jerseys they for whatever reason decide to pull out from time to time. The biggest reason for this tail spin? The man who was suppose to save the Jets--Brett Favre.

After winning 7 of 8 games from Week 4 through their stomping of the Titans in Week 12, the Jets have looked terrible in dropping 3 or their last 4. Over that stretch Favre has been one of the worst QBs in the league, completing fewer than 60% of his passes, averaging under 200 yards a game while throwing 6 picks to just 1 TD pass. The Jets are still in a position to win the AFC East only because of their Week 15 win over the Bills in which the defense scored 10 points in the fourth quarter while Favre and the offense mustered zero first downs. While Favre's play has been the primary cause for the Jets' recent struggles, the coaching staff also deserves to shoulder some of the blame.

That's because another trend that has coincided with the Jets recent and season struggles--Thomas Jones' carries. While most in New York have called for the ball to be in Favre's hands more often, the Jets need is to get the ball into Jones' hands--New York is 5-1 when he gets 20 or more rushing attempts, 4-5 when he is a pedestrian. Part of the reason for this correlation between the Jets' commitment to a running game and their winning football games is because of the problems the offense faces when it gets in 3rd and longs (6 yards plus). Favre's numbers in those situations are decent except that he often turns the ball over; 44/71, 478 yards, 6.73 YPA, 2/7 TD/INT. For whatever reason the coaching staff in New York decides at times to go away from the running game and Jones--as they did in Seattle where they rushed a total of 25 times during the game, with just 9 in the second half (3 more than they had on their first drive of the game, their longest of the game).

So, here is what we Pats fans need. First, show up and beat Buffalo. Though the Pats should win this game, the Bills will be looking to be the spoiler and keep the team that posted 56 on them the last time they met in Buffalo out of the playoffs. Next, we need Mr. Magini and company to commit to a running game that is third in the league in yards per carry at 4.8 and keep the offense (Favre) out of third and longs against the Fins. Otherwise we will probably see Favre hand the Fins the division, and the hatred for Favre will only increase in the northeast.

Skip Bayless, Oy Vey

Wha, wha, wha, wha, whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..........................



Brett Favre has been one of the more polarizing players in the NFL over the past few years. From his "gun-slinging" ways to his recent departure from the Packers, it is either love or hate for Mr. Favre, and it has continued with his recent selection to the AFC Pro-Bowl Team. While Favre has his New York Jets at 9-5 and in control of their playoff destiny, there are some who feel that Phillip Rivers and Chad Pennington were more deserving than Favre. Recently, this was a topic of debate on ESPN's First Take with Jemele "Don't drop the H name" Hill and Skip Bay(clue)less.

It is no secret that Bayless has been a supporter of Favre since he left Green Bay--well, it could be that Bayless is rooting for Favre in hopes that the former Packers' QB's play will validate Skip's comments that Ted Thompson's allowing/forcing Favre to leave was the greatest blunder ever made by a GM...Ted Thompson is Bayless' Ray Finkle--so it was no surprise that Bayless defended Favre's selection, and even less surprising of how poorly thought out his argument was.

Though Favre's 17 INTs, lack of a 300 yard game and the fact that the Jets' offense has been pretty inconsistent were mentioned, Bayless wanted to concentrate on two things; the record of the Jets and the Packers. Huh? You see, Bayless only cared that Favre had his current team in playoff contention, and hammered on the point that the Packers went from 13-3 with an NFC Championship Game appearance in 2007 to 5-9 and out of the playoffs in 2008 after Favre left.

First off, how does the fact that the Packers have fallen off in 2008 from 2007 have any influence on how to view Brett Favre's 2008 season with the Jets? Two different conferences, two different schedules, two different teams around you. Second, Bayless completely over looks other factors that have caused the 8 game drop in wins for the Pack. Maybe if Bayless did a little more research and spent less time building his Ted Thompson voodoo doll, he would see that the departure of Brett Favre is not the sole reason, and arguably not the biggest reason, for the Packers less than spectacular 2008.

First, let's compare Favre's 2007 numbers to the 2008 numbers of the current Green Bay QB, Aaron Rodgers.

Favre: 356-535, 66.5%, 4155 yards, 7.8 YPA, 28 TD-15 INT, 95.7 Rating

Rodgers: 296-466, 63.5%, 3470 yards, 7.4 YPA, 23 TD-12 INT, 91.8 Rating

Projected: 338-533, 63.5%, 3966 yards, 7.4 YPA, 26 TD-14 INT, 91.8 Rating


Ahhh, I don't see where the Packers have been hurt by a significant drop in QB play. Pretty even numbers and in fact the Packers' scoring output this year (26.5) is just a shade under what they did in 2007 (27.2).

So, the question needs to be asked, if there has not been a drop in QB play, why are the Packers struggling? Well, there are two reasons.

First their defense is playing far worse this year than last. In 2007 the Packers were giving up 18.2 PPG (6th in the NFL) and 313 total yards (11th). This year the Pack defense is giving up 24.4 PPG (21st) and 344 total yards (24th). Kind of hard to fault Rodgers or credit Favre for the performance of the defense and how it has affected the Packers.

Second, look at the schedules. In 2007 the Packers opponents' winning percentage was 46%, and they played only 4 games against playoff teams--granted, the Packers were 3-1 in those games, but those were their only games against teams with a winning record. This year, the Packers have had a little more on their plate as far as who they've played. Thus far their opponents have won 55% of their games and have played 9 games against winning teams. Wonder how Favre would've done against the likes of Tampa, Carolina, Indy and a much improved Vikings squad this year instead of playing the 2007 versions of Denver, Carolina, Vikings, Chiefs and Raiders.

We also need to put into context the Packers' 5-9 record. Of their last 6 losses, 5 have been by a total of 15 points (the one other being the 52-29 blow out in New Orleans), and had another loss, to Atlanta, that was decided by 3 points. So it's not as though Rodgers hasn't had the Packers playing competitively for most of the season--not much solace to the Green Bay faithful I am sure.

So Mr. Bayless, I ask you, what is it about the 2007 vs the 2008 Packers that has allowed you to come to the conclusion that Favre is a legitimate Pro-Bowler? This is not to say Favre does not deserve to be on the Pro-Bowl roster, rather perhaps Thompson did not make a mistake going with Rodgers, and what is it about Favre (other than the fact that he plays on a team that may get his team into the playoffs) that makes him a Pro-Bowler?

Update on the New Lions Scout

According to News Radio 620 in Wisconsin, Brett Favre admitted to speaking with then Lions' CEO Matt Millen regarding their upcoming game against the Packers. However, Favre has emphatically denied initiating the call or that the call lasted as long or was in-depth regarding the Packers as first reported by Fox Sports' Jay Glazer. Favre states that the call lasted just 20-30 minutes, and that discussion about the Packers was very brief.

This story is peculiar (for many reasons) but mainly because Favre was so adamant about not having spoken with the Lions regarding the Packers at all when the story first came out on Sunday. Now the story is slowly veering towards what Glazer first reported, making Favre look guilty by trying to hide the truth. If the call was as innocent as he claims, why hide it, why allow the media to speculate and guess as to whether the battle between Favre and Ted Thompson has escalated to what was reported? He has to know the feathers he will have ruffled in Green Bay and how the media in New York will feed on this, so why not kill it form the outset? Who knows.

In other news, John Madden was asked about the incident and claimed that it was he, not Favre, who placed the call to the Lions. He had this to say:

"And how dare anyone make fun of Brett, after all he’s been through. His wife had cancer, he lost his dad, the Packers’ turned out to be an ungrateful organization and then he had to go through a battle to be traded in the off season. HE’S A HUMAN BEING, JUST LEAVE HIM ALONE, LEAVE BRETT ALONE!!!!"

NBC had no comment on Madden’s remarks.

Favre, Lions Newest Scout

"I just wanted to know if Rod Marinelli needed some Wrangler Jeans"

And here we all thought that the Brett Favre--Green Bay saga had ended when Favre landed with the Jets in early August. Obviously that was a bit too much to hope for. Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported yesterday about rumor that Brett Favre had a 60-90 minute conversation with Lions’ coaches on the eve of Detroit’s week 2 match up with the Packers where Favre, as Glazer’s sources stated, "gave them a rundown of the nuances of what Green Bay does on offense."

Now, obviously it is quite surprising that Brett Favre, a player revered by most, would stoop to this level in an attempt to get back his former team. But I have another question. Why would he use the Lions of all teams as a means to get back at his former club? Why would he think that a team that lost 7 of its final 8 games in 2007 and was coming off of a 34-21 loss to a Falcons team that was suppose to be horrible would be the best means to strike back at Green Bay? Did he talk to Kitna and get a guarantee? Did Matt Millen promise to take a garbage wide receiver off the board in the Draft before the Jets got a hold of yet another first round bust? Was he going to receive a Ford Sync for his services so that he had at least something that would want to talk to him after the dust settled? This is like being in high school and paying the president of the chess club to protect you from bullies.

Further, because the rumor is being substantiated by media outlets in Wisconsin, the same people who were on suicide watch following his retirement are probably burning his effigy from Green Bay to Beloit. He has absolutely tarnished his image by this stunt. And for what? To get back at an organization that was tired of his inability to tell the team whether he was going to return or retire? Is he really this petty? I don’t remember stories of Joe Montana calling the St. Louis Rams and giving them the low down on the Niners offense after he wound up in KC and Steve Young took over in San Fran.

The best part in this whole story is that on that advice, Detroit went out in week 2 and gave up 48 to a Green Bay offense that has topped 27 points just one other time this season.

Way to go Brett, you just sullied your reputation by helping a team get trounced by your former club, and you make all those who you have a grudge with tremble with fear.

Note: It now appears that Glazer embelished this story a little bit. Regardless, given the saga that was his retirement (his contact with the Vikings), it wouldn't be too surprising that he had such a conversation took place.

Tuesday Morning Quick Hitters

The San Diego Chargers got their 1st win of the season against the NYJ 48 - 29.

Green Bay's Al Harris may have a torn spleen.

The ever popular sports hernia get another player, this time Jeremy Shockey.


The Boston Red Sox had to put off their celebration for another night, losing to the Cleveland Indians 4 - 3. The Sox magic number is still 1 and with Tampa Bay's 4 - 2 win over the Orioles they are 2 1/2 games back in the AL East. The Red Sox are 7 games up on Minnesota in the Wild Card.

The Philadelphia Phillies increased their lead over the New York Mets on Monday. The Phillies beat up on the Atlanta Braves 6 - 2. The New York Mets lost to the Chicago Cubs at Shea 9 - 5. The Chicago Cubs clintched the NL Central. Philadelphia leads the NY Mets by 2 1/2 games in the NL East and the Mets lead the Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild Card race by 1 game.

The Arizona Diamondbacks gain 1/2 game on the Dodgers in the NL West by beating the St Louis Cardinals 4 - 2. The D-Backs are now 2 games behind the Dodgers.


USC's top DB Shareece Wright might be lost for "weeks"





Boston Bruins Patrice Bergeron is back on the ice for the 1st time since he took the cheap shot hit from the thug of the Phialdelphia Flyers. The Bruins beat the Canadiens 8 - 3.

Thursday Morning Quick Hitters

Little Dusty does it again. Dustin Pedroia homered in the 7th to start the 4 run rally and newly acquired Mark Kotsay had a triple to drive home runs in the 5 - 4 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Lil Dusty is hitting an astounding .618 in his last 8 games.

The New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays once again in Tampa 8 - 4. A HR by A-Rod was the 1st time that video replay was used in MLB History. The Rays are only 3 games up on the Red Sox in the AL East.

The Minnesota Twins lost a game in the AL Central race and the Wild Card race, losing to the Toronto Blue Jays 5 - 4 in 11 innings.

The Chicago White Sox avoided a sweep by the Cleveland Indians, beating the Tribe 4 - 2.

The New York Mets finished off a sweep of NL Wild Card leader Milwaukee Brewers 9 - 2.

The Chicago Cubs lost their season longest 5th game in a row, bowing to the Astros 8 - 0. Houston has won 8 in a row and now are 6 games back in the Wild Card race.

Adam Dunn drives the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 4 - 3 win over the St Louis Cardinals.

The LA Dodgers stay 1 1/2 game behind the D-Backs with a 6 - 4 win over the San Diego Padres.


THE NFL SEASON OPENS TONIGHT! Sorry, that deserved all caps.

And the Rudi Johnson era begins with weirdness in Detroit.

Baltimore Ravens starting QB, Kyle Boller, out for season.

Tom Brady Sr discusses Juniors injury.

The New York Jets players elect Brett Favre a captain.

Carolina Panthers backup QB Matt Moore breaks leg.


It's official, Oklahoma City Thunder. Steve Martin is VERY happy!

ESPN's Marc Stein reports GSW Monta Ellis may have some 'splainin to do.

"Don't Sweat Green Bay Yet!"

If any "die hard" Green Bay fan had the pleasure of watching the recent Green Bay vs. Denver game they would have seen something amazing! I, unfortunately, missed the game and am currently kicking myself in the arse.

I did, however, watch the numerous highlights online (thank GOD for the Internet) and they blew me away. When you watch Aaron Rodgers play he bears an eerie resemblance to our previous fearless leader Favre. Now I'm not saying that Green Bay will do anything big this year I do feel that they look pretty good. Let's all pray that Rodgers can summons up the courage and skill to do something great this season.

...Cheeseheads UNITE!!


GAME INFO:
FINAL - Invesco Field at Mile High

Friday, August 22, 2008

Packers (1-2-0) 27
Broncos (1-2-0) 24

GB: A. Rodgers (18-22, 193) , G. Jennings (4-42)
DEN: J. Cutler (6-13, 115) , B. Marshall (2-71)

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:
Aaron Rogers
Game

How Much Will Favre Help the Jets?

Recently, Mike Lupica made comments that echo the sentiments of several football pundits when he stated that "The Jets became a viable franchise [by signing Favre], made you finally notice and talk about them and care about them." Las Vegas took notice of the Favre deal as well when the odds of the Jets winning the Super Bowl jumped from 75-1 in January to 15-1 in August after the Favre acquisition. Yes, much has been made about the Jets and their new QB, and while their offense looks solid on paper, one must ask...How much will Brett Favre help a team that went 4-12 last year? To say that Favre will automatically turn this team into a playoff team is to say the QB position was the sole reason they finished with the 6th worst record in the league. Assuming that would ignore a poor defensive showing in 2007 along with a non-existent running game.


Besides Favre the Jets also made plenty of other off-season acquisitions; linemen Damien Woody and Alan Faneca; OLB Calvin Pace; DL Kris Jenkins; FB Tony Richardson; TE Bubba Franks; CB Andre Woolfolk; along with rookies Vernon Gholston and Dustin Keller. The changes on offense were in hopes of upgrading a unit that finished 26th in total offense while the defensive changes are part of the Jets' swtich from a 4-3 to 3-4--Dewayne Robertson and Jonathan Vilma were shipped out of town as part of that switch. The defense did not perform as poorly as most think (18th in total defense) and the lack of offense put too much pressure on this unit. However, the switch in formation, personell and philosophy will cause several problems the Jets will have to overcome. Further, the offense has its own challenges.


First, the man everyone is talking about....Brett Favre. Favre had an unbelievable season last year in Green Bay, leading the Pack to a 13-3 record and an NFC Championship game appearance thanks in large part to his 4,155 passing yards and 28 TD. While Favre and the Pack certainly looked outstanding, there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical of what Favre can do for the Jets.

The Packers played a rather weak schedule in 2007. They played only 4 teams with a winning record. While they did go 3-1 against playoff teams, two of those wins came at the beginning of the season when their opponents (Giants and Chargers) were struggling to find an identity and started a combined 3-5 over the first four weeks of the season while the third team, the Redskins, finished 9-7 and lost their first playoff game. It is hard to gage whether the Packers' 2007 success as a result of much improved play or a softer schedule given that the Packers went a combined 12-20 over the two previous seasons and their weak schedule. One also has to be somewhat skeptical of Favre's success last season. As impressive as he was, this is a QB that had 38 TD to 47 INT in the 2005 and 2006 seasons. A new system implemented made Favre more of a rhythm passer and did not allow him to sit in the pocket for more than a few seconds---thus eliminating situations Favre had become prone to forcing balls---but when the going gets tough, as it will in New York, and that young and new defense gives up points, will Favre return to his old ways and try to win? The Packers were 11th in the NFL in total defense and rarely did Favre and the offense have to overcome large second half deficits.

Favre is also a notorious gunslinger, a mentality that can be both supremely beneficial and hurtful to an offense. On one hand, his ability to hit the open receive on a busted play is invaluable. On the other Favre has had a tendency to force balls into tight windows and, rather than throw the ball away, take the sack or take the few yards that are there, will turn the ball over way too often. Last season we saw a Brett Favre we had not seen before, in part because of the change in offensive philosophy by the Packers, where he was less turnover prone and willing to take the yards available. He benefited from McCarthy's wanting to get Favre in more 3 step drops, timing throws and allowing the receivers to make plays. In New York, Favre is not only learning a new system but also new receivers. With Cotchery and Coles, Favre has as much talent as he had in Green Bay. The wild card could be the rebuilt offensive line and the play calling of offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. Favre succeeded, in part, last year because the 3 and 5 step drops did not give the opposing pass rush enough time to get to Favre and put him into those situations where he was notorious for trying to make a play when they best throw to make would be one that flutters over the bench. Another factor that helped Favre was the success of the Packers' running game last year...something the Jets struggled with in 2007 as they finished 26th in the NFL in that area.


Thomas Jones had a terrible season averaging a meager 3.6 yards per game and reaching the end zone just once. Coupled this with the a passing attack that ranked just 25th (no to mention a QB position that was not stable) and it is easy to see how the Jets managed to score just 16.8 points per game. To help the running game and protect their QB (53 sacks allowed ranked 29th in the league) the Jets went out and opened their wallet for Alan Faneca and Damien Woody; both former Pro-Bowlers. However, Woody's motivation has been question since he left New England for a big contract with the Lions in 2004, has battled weight issues since he came out of Boston College and has started just 13 games in the past two seasons for a Lions team that did field too many superstars on the offensive line. Meanwhile, one has to wonder whether Faneca, whom had been squabbling about a new contract in Pittsburgh over the past few years, will not go the way of Woody and become complacent after earning the big pay check. It should also be noted that both Woody (30) and Faneca (31) are getting on in years and we have seen in previous years offensive lines be unable to gel with new faces. Tony Richardson, a great blocking fullback, was also signed in hopes of improving the offense and has made 4 Pro-Bowls since 2003....but at 36 years old how much can he be relied on to be an every down back and if he was so instrumental to the running success of Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor last season in Minny (big reason why he made the Pro-Bowl last year and why the Jets signed him), why was he not re-signed? In short, if the NYJ running game cannot get going, it is going to be tough for Favre and the offense to get a passing attack situated in the face of attacking defenses ignoring the running game.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Jets have several new faces as well and had their share of problems last season surrendering 22 points and 331 yards a game. Calvin Pace was brought in to be a pass rushing specialist from Arizona. However, how does an OLB with just 14 sacks in 67 career games receive $42 million over 6 seasons with $22 million guaranteed? Perhaps Pace will fit in with Mangini's new system, but with Vernon Gholston looking like the starter at the other OLB (though some have Bryan Thomas slated to start in that spot), the Jets have some huge question marks as to whether they can generate a pass rush. No doubt that Gholston is a talent who looks to be a promising player should fit in with the Jets new lok 3-4, but he is a rookie who, if Pace fails to contribute, will be keyed in on by opposing teams.

Kris Jenkins was brought in from the Carolina Panthers to hopefully be that block eating NT to play over the ball in their new 3-4. Just one problem, Jenkins played primarily in a 4-3 while in Carolina. At 350, Jenkins certainly has the bulk to play in the middle of the 3-4, but it is a different scheme and one that can cause problems for defensive lineman. Jenkins, like Woody, has also had issues with weight as he tipped the scales at near 400 pounds last year. If he too becomes complacent after his huge contract, the Jets could be in trouble as the success of the teams that use the 3-4 is predicated on the linemen occupying blockers and allowing the linebackers some space to operate. FInally, while in Carolina, Jenkins also benefited from playing along side solid line mates such as Julius Peppers, Mike Rucker and Brentson Buckner, and Jenkins will not have that kind of talent around him and playing in NY could expose Jenkins as a player who benefited more from playing with is teammates than his teammates benefited from playing with him. DE Shaun Ellis' production has fallen since his totaled 23.5 sacks in 2003 and 2004 while Kenyon Coleman should start at the other DE spot.

The influence that Favre will have on the defense will be whether he returns to this INT ways and forces this defense to spend more time on the field and on their side of the field or if he can control the ball and keep the D on the sideline. The D is both young and new, and needs the offense, like most defenses need, to control the ball and put points on the board early. On the flip side, the defense could put Favre and the offense in bad situations if they have to play from behind in the second half of games and shy away from the running game. Even if Favre turns the offense around there still is the question of the defense as only two teams made the playoffs while surrendering 20 plus points a game (Cowboys and Giants).

Another factor facing the Jets is the fact they play in a division with a team that is coming off of an 18-1 season and a team, the Bills, that is also improved and finished 3 games ahead of the Jets. One thing that will help the Jets is that they only play 3 playoff teams (Pats, Seahawks and Chargers) a total of 4 games this season and benefit, as the Pats do, from facing the AFC and NFC Wests.

While the Jets will be improved with Brett Favre at QB over Clemons and Pennington, how many games will Favre give them? Most prognosticators think he is worth 2 games....meaning if you think the Jets are a 10 win team, which they were in 2006, then with Pennington they are an 8 win team. This is not a team with a top 5 defense or with a myriad of weapons on offense (Jones, Cotchery and Coles are solid, just not elite at their positions) and has a slew of new faces. 8-10 wins is not unthinkable, but it is a stretch for a team that was 4-12 last year and has failed to make the playoffs in 3 of the last 5 seasons.

Friday Morning Quickies

MLB

Mike Mussina got his 15th win...yes I did say 15th win, last night, on the way to shutting out the Texas Rangers 3 - 0.

The Tampa Bay Rays heroics may have caught up with them Thursday. The Seattle Mariners Raul Ibanez continued his monster August with a walkoff HR against the Rays. The Mariners won 2 - 1.

The New York Mets David Wright bailed out Scott Shoeneweis in the 9th, by hitting a 2 run walkoff HR to give the Mets a 5 - 3 win over the San Diego Padres. The Mets gained 1 game on the Philadelphia Phillies and are now 2 1/2 games back in the NL East.

The Florida Marlin inch closer to the top of the NL East by beating the Philadelphia Phillies 3 - 0. Florida Rookie Chris Volstad pitched 6 shutout innings to bring the Marlins within 1 1/2 games of the Phils in the NL East.

Manny being Manny is apparently better in Dodgertown than it is in Boston. In 6 games with the Dodgers, Manny is 13 - 23 (that .565 folks) 4 homers, and 9 RBIs. He hasn't had a HR stretch like that this season and only 1 6 game streak with as many RBIs..hmmm....maybe Scott Borus really is the best. Manny helped the Dodgers beat the St Louis Cardinals 4 - 1.

NFL

Quick Scores for Pre-Season : The Patriots lost to the Baltimore Ravens 15 -16. The Saints beat the Cardinals 24 - 10. The Chiefs beat the Bears 24 -20. The NYJ beat the Browns 24 - 20 and the Detroit Lions beat the Super Bowl Champs (yech!) New York Giants 13 - 10.

Sorry, have to report, Brett Favre meets the press in New York City. In related news, the Jets release Chad Pennington.

Indianapolis Colts camp seems to be missing their little Peyton.

Chicago Bears 1st Round Draft Pick Chris Williams had back surgery yesterday, leaving season in doubt.

Former Patriot Asante Samual will miss The Philadelphia Eagles opening pre-season game wit a hamstring injury.

NBA

The Los Angeles Clippers continue to overhaul their roster by signing White Chocolate, Jason Williams.

Olympic Coverage

As much as NBC would like to pretend it hasn't happened yet, the Beijing Olympics opened with a glorious fireworks display and ceremony. NBA players Yao Ming and Dirk Nowitzki carried their countries flag in the opening ceremony.

Some Helpful Olympic links

A Great Event Calendar at New York Times

NBC Main Page

NBC TV & Online Schedule.

Portland Press Herald's Coverage of the Maine participants in the Olympics.

NY Jets/Cleveland Browns Live Blog

Brett Favre is not playing tonight, but I have a hunch we may hear about him tonight. He is in the building, however, I'm sure there will be some type of awkward sideline interview. Ian Eagle and Greg Buttle (I wonder if he knows Dick Pole or Rusty Kuntz) are announcing, Sam Ryan is talking to Mike Tannenbaum on the sidelines before the kickoff, so we have officially begun. The game is from Cleveland and the drama is all real...

7:35- Tannenbaum wishes Chad Pennington the best, I am sure going to Miami won't be a huge issue for him (especially in the winter).

7:36 pm- Favre is on the sidelines, hooked up with a headset and talking to Kellen Clemens. I wonder what his first words to HIM were?

7:38 pm- Kickoff, Jets have won the toss, and it's on!

7:39- Clemens is on the field and the Jets start from their own 23. The first play is a well thought out original sweep to the right for Thomas Jones. Damien Woody is starting tonight, and amazingly he is down to only 2 chins. Clemens completes a deep out to Jericho Cotchery for a first down to the Jets 41. Eric Mangini looks nervous, not really sure why. Perhaps he keeps looking out for someone the Patriots hired to off him. Clemens completes a 6 yard pass to Chris Baker, who is "at peace" with his contract situation (definition-I can't do a damn thing about it). Who needs that Favre guy? Tony Richardson (when did he sign with the Jets) runs for a first down and the Browns defense continues to look stellar. 3rd and 3 and the pass is complete to Leon Washington, but not for enough, which sets up the single worst looking QB sneal ever on 4th and 1, which amounts to nothing. Change sides, commercial.

7:46 pm- Jamal Lewis takes the opening handoff for 12 yards and the Browns offensive season is under way. Derek Anderson is starting, and can't figure out why Brady Quinn is holding a voodoo doll of him. A complete pass to Dontae' Stallworth and the Browns have another first down. Stallworth usually has a hamstring injury at this point, I'm stunned he is on the field. We also get our first flag, a defensive pass interference call on Justin Miller, and Buttle doesn't like it at all. Jamal Lewis with a nifty one-handed catch for 3 yards. Anderson then scrambles 7 yards for a first down, and Quinn;s eyes well up with tears (not really, but maybe). One play later and Braylon Edwards catches a ball thrown behind him for a touchdown, and it's 7-0 Browns.

7:55pm- Leon Washington gets 27 yards back for the Jets and Clemens is back on the field. Luckily CBS is already in regular season form and goes to commercial right after kickoff, which is something I absolutely love to death. Oh great G2 commercials, please stop it already. Oh awesome, lightning delay. Buttle "That's what you get when you are on the lake, brother!" Hulk Hogan wants royalties for that Buttle. More Buttle goodness "This is like the lightning that struck last night when Brett Favre was traded to the Jets". I can't imagine why none of the big networks have picked this guy up yet. -A little more Favre love, and we are off to commercial.

9:00pm- We are back from the rain delay, and it;s 2nd and 5 for Clemens and the Jets. He manages to throw an awful looking pass on both second and third downs and the Jets are punting. One hour weaher delay and thjose are the two best plays you have? Really? They manage to stay away from a commercial and Brady Quinn is in the game. All of Crennels back-ups are in. Eagle pokes a bit of fun at Quinn for holding out last year, which has really cost him money, playing time, and pride. Jerome Harrison from Washington ST runs for a first down and the drive is alive.

9:12pm- Cedric Steptoe (more on that later) deflects a pass he should have caught, and Brady Quinn has an interception. All of a sudden being the poster child for a gay dating sight is starting to look pretty good...

9:14pm- Ratliff to Clowney 71 yard touchdown for the Jets. No way we ever hear that again, ever. Erik Ainge, Danny's nephew, will play for the Jets tonight, btw...

9:18pm- Joe Namath is on the phone, and the booth is laughing but noone can hear him. Maybe it is better that way. Going to commercial, they will have more with Namatah when they come back (The production crew is strug-a-ling).

9:20pm- We are back and there is STILL NO AUDIO! Great work CBS2, great work. Buttle is really asking some tough questions, I would absolutely LOVE to have the answers to them. Oh that was funny apparently, no idea if I can confirm that. So for all we know they weren't really talking to Namath so they could avoid another Suzy Kolber incident, but we'll never know. Meanwhile Quinn leads the Browns on touchdown drive that is capped off by a Jason Wright TD run form 1 yard out, 14-7 Browns.

9:45- Jets get a Field Goal right before the half and the score is 14-10 Browns at Half. Not a ton left, will continue to update sporadically.

Thursdays (Hopefully this will be the last one with Brett Favre for a while) Quick Hitters

MLB

The Boston Red Sox offense took off again last night. Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis were the only 2 starters not to have an RBI in the game. Ellsbury hit a 3 run blast off Ron Mahay and Jed Lowrie and JD Drew added 2 RBIs apiece to pace the Sox to a 8 - 2 win over the Kansas City Royals.

Jason Giambi and Sidney Ponson sur the Yankees to a 5 - 3 win in Texas. The Yanks also lost newly aquired catcher Ivan Rodriguez to a knee injury after David Murphy took him out at the plate. In other Yankee news Joba Chamberlain was placed on the 15 day DL.

The Tampa Bay Rays used some heroics to stay 3 games up on the Sox in the AL East. Carlos Pena capped a 6 run 9th inning with a 3 run HR to top the Cleveland Indians 10 - 7.

The Chicago Cubs kept a 5 game lead over Milwaukee Brewers by beating the Houston Astros 11 - 4. Alfonso Soriano and Mark DeRosa powered the Cubbies with a 3 run HR and a grand slam respectively.

Rickie Weeks best day of his career at the plate (4 hits) helped the Brew Crew keep pace with the Chicago Cubs, beating Cincinnatti Reds 6 - 3.

Kyle Kendrick pitched a gem last night for the Philadelphia Phillies and Ryan Howard homered to power the Phils over the Florida Marlins 5 - 0. The win opened a 2 1/2 game lead over the Marlins and 3 full games over the Mets in the NL East.

Pedro Martinez and the New York Mets couldn't hold down the San Diego Padres, losing 4 - 2. Brian Giles and Chase Headley both homered to help power the Pads.

Derek Lowe lasted only 3 1/3 innings allowing 8 runs in that span, getting the loss in St Louis' win over the LA Dodgers 9 - 6. Albert Pujols and his grand slam help St Louis continue to play wild card killer.

The Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins kept status quo in the tightest divisional race in MLB right now. Minnesota topped Seattle 7 - 3, and the Pale Hose topped the Tigers 5 - 1.

NFL

The Brett Favre saga is over, as previously reported by the Central Maine Sports Blog. The Jets traded a conditional 2009 4th Round pick for Favre. If Favre lights up Broadway, the draft pick could be a 2nd or even a 1st round pick.

That's it...tomorrow we will get back to reporting real NFL stories.

NBA

The Boston Celtics will raise Banner 17 to the rafters October 28th in front of King James and his Cleveland Cavaliers.

The San Diego Clippers...ooops sorry I'm old....Los Angeles Clippers have acquired Steve Novak from the Houston Rockets.

Greg Oden will finally take an NBA court against the West Champ Los Angeles Lakers.

Brett Favre Saga is O-V-E-R

The New York Jets have acquired Brett Favre from the Green Bay Packers. Details to follow.

Tuesday Morning Quickies

MLB

The New York Post's Joel Sherman questions Manny Ramirez and his tactics to get out of Boston.

The Red Sox tried to stage a late rally, but fell short as Sean Casey lined out to right to end the game. Clay Buchholz falls to 2 - 7 with the loss, Royals win 4 - 3.

Cliff Lee kept the Tampa Bay Rays off the board helping the Indians beat the Rays 5 - 2. The loss keeps the Rays 3 up on the Red Sox.

The Milwaukee Brewers continued their freefall losing to the Reds 6 - 3. The Brewers added a familiar twist to their struggles, by fighting with each other. Losing pitcher Manny Parra left the game and, apparently, Prince Fielder had a few choice words and a couple forearm shoves for the pitcher. The players were separated and calm was restored. The Brew Crew is 5 games back of the Cubs.

Speaking of the Cubs, the Astros won a rain shortened game at Wrigley, 2 - 0 over the Cubs.

The Minnesota Twins missed an opportunity to go 1/2 game up over the White Sox, but losing to the Seattle Mariners 11 - 6. Raul Ibanez hit a grand slam and had 6 RBIs for the Mariners.

The Arizona Diamondbacks moved 1 1/2 games up on the LA Dodgers by beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 11 - 6. The D-Backs had a season high 18 hits on the way to the rout.

Francisco Rodriguez blew a 4 run lead in the 9th, but the offense bailed him out, as the California Angels used a bottom of the 9th walkoff walk to beat the Baltimore Orioles 6 - 5.

The New York Yankees seem to be battling the injury bug again. Joba Chamberlain had to leave the game with what is described as "stiffness" in his sholder. Mariano Rivera was, for the 2nd night in a row, unavailable to close and this time it really hurt. The Texas Rangers Marlon Byrd hit a game winning, bottom of the 9th 2 out grand slam to beat the Yankees 9 - 5.

NFL

The Green Bay Packers canceled a late night press conference, as Brett Favre meets with team brass.

Ken Lucas trying to be the bigger man in Panthers camp.

Commissioner Gordon...I mean Goodell (sorry leftovers from The Dark Knight) decides the Vikings did not tamper with Brett Favre.

New York Giants back Ahmad Bradshaw speaks out at camp about his new jail sentance.

New England Patriots rookie becoming a jack of all trades.

NBA

The Philadelphia 76ers have re-signed restricted free agent Louis Williams.

Kwame Brown officially signs with the Detroit Pistons.

The Cleveland Cavaliers added depth to their backcourt by signing Tarence Kinsey.

Monday Morning Quickies

MLB

Xavier Nady seems to like being on the Yankees just fine, thank you. Yanks earn the split with the Angels 14 - 9.

Dice K came back to have a strong game, along with Jed Lowrie, beat the A's 5 - 2.

Ben Sheets continued his mini slide losing to the Braves 5 - 0. The Brewers slipped to 5 games back of the Chicago Cubs. An Atlanta Braves note, longtime Braves announcer Skip Carey passed away late Saturday. Carey was 68.

The New York Mets slipped to 2 1/2 games behind the Phillies by losing to the Houston Astros 4 - 0.

Speaking of the Philadelphia Phillies, they have a huge comeback in the 8th inning, scoring 4 runs and beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5 - 4.

The Chicago White Sox dropped out of 1st place for the 1st time since May, losing to the Kansas City Royals (who were in their throwback powder blues) 14 - 3. The game included a bench clearing, well, dance rather than brawl.

The Minnesota Twins took a 1/2 game lead on the Pale Hose by beating Cleveland 6 - 2. Francisco Liriano was resurrected, after a stellar few months in AAA, throwing 6 innings and giving up only 3 hits.

Manny Ramirez is hitting .615 with the LA Dodgers. Let that sit a while Sox fans. Manny went 4 - 5 with 3 RBIs in the win over NL West Division leading Diamondbacks. The Dodgers beat the D-Backs 9 - 3.

Tampa Bay stays 3 games up on the Red Sox by beating the Detroit Tigers 6 - 5.

NFL

There was real football on the field last night, albeit preseason, the Washington Redskins beat the Indianapolis Colts 30 - 16.

The Brett Favre situation gets weirder and weirder. In more Packer news, Ryan Grant was welcomed back into the fold Sunday, signing a 4 year, $30 Million contract.

Nick Kaczur spoke with the media on Sunday, admitting to "making mistakes".

Former Patriot Tebucky Jones is in some trouble.

Cincy Bengals top draft pick Keith Rivers, still isn't in camp.

Denver WR Brandon Marshall will be suspended by the league this morning.

NBA

Another established NBA veteran heading overseas. Orlando Magic guard Carlos Arroyo is heading to Israel to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv.

David Stern getting into a urination contest with former Sonics owner.

Paul Pierce had a little too much fun in Vegas.