TO’s new reality show on VH1, “The TO Show,” confirms everything we already knew about the Buffalo Bills wide receiver.  He’s selfish, likes to be the center of attention, and doesn’t really listen to anyone else.  The pilot episode last night centered around TO’s two publicists (who I refer to as his “handlers”), Kita and Monique trying to change TO’s image from TO to Terrell.  I don’t think giving the entire world a look into the life of one the biggest divas in NFL history was the best move.

Apparently, the show is supposed to show a different side of TO.  What it does is show the viewers that TO is exactly the same at home as he is out in public.  He pays up $137,000 for diamond earrings.  He invites an entire club back to his house for a party.  He hooks up with his real estate agent in his hot tub.  On the field, he always wants the ball.  Off the field, he always the attention.

The show also seems painfully calculated.  He is forced by his handlers to contact his ex-fiance to see how she is doing.  When TO meets with her, he dodges her questions about his love life, a la Drew Rosenhaus.  He had to have learned it somewhere.  TO didn’t want to go meet with her.  He is forced into it by his handlers and he makes it clear he doesn’t want to do what they tell him.  It’s hard to imagine that Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb, and Tony Romo know how Kita and Mo feel.

The show did have one interesting part which, surprisingly, pertained to football.  In one scene, TO sits down with his best friend Pablo, a large dude that cuts rank farts on the LA freeways, and divulges how his meeting with Jerry Jones went when Jones told TO that he was no longer a member of the Dallas Cowboys.  The reasoning that TO says Jones used makes perfect sense: I support you 100%, so I’m going to cut you.  Jones’ method of drawing a diagram on a tablecloth is original to say the least.  The show becomes even more amusing when TO describes waiting around so he could take the tablecloth with him after the meeting.

The advent of “The T.O. Show” has to be a low point in the history of reality TV shows.  If TO’s handlers want to “change the man,” as is their mantra throughout the show, then they should take my advice: get him out of the spotlight.  The less there is of TO, the more people like him.  The last thing that will change people’s opinions about him is seeing him in his cushy personal life still being TO.  As a closet Philadelphia Eagles fan, the disdain factor for TO just reaches the ridiculous.  If TO wasn’t already a joke to people before, he has definitely surpassed that now.  If he was already a joke to people, he has pushed himself totally out of the radar.

Dick Jauron and Trent Edwards, study up.  Using this show as film on how to deal with TO could come in more handy than any other games tapes you have on him.

You can watch the episode here.

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Going into this game, the Packers are either going to be high on momentum or utterly out of gas. They could lose two absolutely deflating games to the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys, or they could be 3-0 with oh so much momentum. The Buccaneers are interesting adversary for this pivotal game as well. The former NFC Central rival did win the NFC South last season, but they won it with a record of 9-7 and they struggled down the stretch before losing in the Wild-Card round to the eventual Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. The Buccaneers are a decent team that the Packers should be able to beat, but there are some matchups that need to be exploited for this to happen.

Packers secondary vs. Buccaneers quarterbacks: The Bucs have a lot of quarterbacks on their roster that could all start this year. Jeff Garcia, Luke McCown, and Brian Griese are the favorites while rookie Josh Johnson is hanging around. The lack of a set-in-stone starter takes away from continuity in the offense. Instead of having one starter with the first team every practice, the team cycles through the quarterbacks and the team has to adjust to each individual one. This is detrimental to the development between the offensive line and quarterback, running backs and quarterback, and wide receivers and quarterbacks. Essentially the whole team. The Packers secondary has to take advantage of the different timing between the wide receivers and quarterbacks in this game by searching for routes to jump, playing tight coverage, and looking for every opportunity to make wide receiver and quarterbacks life miserable.

Aaron Rodgers vs. Tampa Bay linebackers: The Bucs have a very good linebacking corps, with Derrick Brooks, Cato June, and Barrett Ruud all manning the second level of the defense. These three playmakers will most likely be licking their chops to get a shot at Rodgers, who will have already faced two tough defenses in three weeks. Rodgers will have to make quick decisions along with not getting fooled by unusual coverages and linebacker blitzes. Ryan Grant and Brandon Jackson will also be counted on to pick up a blitzing linebacker, giving Rodgers time to find an open receiver.

Chad Clifton vs. Gaines Adams: This is an unusual pick for an important matchup, but the play of these two players will have a direct impact on the outcome of the game. Adams is a speed rusher coming from Rodgers’ blindside. Clifton protects that blindside. Adams is young and spry. Clifton is aging and feeling the effects of that Warren Sapp cheapshot. Adams will be counted on to put pressure on Rodgers and rush his progressions, while Clifton will need to protect that blindside and keep A-Rod in one piece.

The Verdict: I’m predicting a good old fashioned NFC Central slugfest in this one, with the Packers pulling it out, 17-13.

The Packers are 3-1 after four weeks of the season.

Presumably, the Packers don’t really want Favre back after all that’s happened. Essentially, their message is they aren’t going to free him to sign with any of the league’s other 31 teams — especially not NFC North division rivals Minnesota, Chicago or Detroit — and he won’t be given his starting job back if he returns to Green Bay.

The most likely scenario would have Favre petitioning the league for reinstatement and the Packers trading him to an AFC team, or at least an NFC team outside the division. Among the teams that fit that profile are the Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins.

The Packers’ best-case scenario, in which Favre would’ve simply stayed retired, almost certainly won’t happen. The Packers went so far as to send an intermediary down to Mississippi last week to try to talk Favre into staying retired, but their attempt failed.

The Wisconsin State Journal’s article puts serious contenders for Favre out there for the first time in a while. But would these really help Brett Favre? He obviously wants to go to a contender and the Minnesota Vikings are rumored to be his top choice (which means he’s looking to follow Darren Sharper and Ryan Longwell), but Minnesota most likely isn’t going to happen. Do these really give Favre a chance to be a winner though?

The Miami Dolphins were 1-15 last year and are starting from the ground up. They have a new coach in Tony Sparano and a new head man in Bill Parcells. If Favre wants to win, Miami would probably not be the best option. Parcells and Sparano are getting reputations as strictly business, given their run-in with superstar-turned-wanna-be-actor Jason Taylor. A Taylor-for-Favre swap is pretty intriguing, but I don’t think that’s what Taylor wants and Favre wants a winner, but I don’t see the Dolphins turning into playoff contenders right away. Right now, John Beck, Chad Henne, and Josh McCown are the quarterbacks on the roster for the Dolphins. Beck started last year and had a lot of trouble adjusting to the pro-game. He could have been Cam Cameron‘s quarterback of the future, but with Parcells coming in, his future is up in the air. Parcells used a high draft pick on Henne, who could be Parcells’ “guy” while McCown is the veteran in the mix. McCown also happens to be a friend of the Packers family, along with Nathan Poole, for knocking the Vikings out and Packers into the playoffs in (I think) 2003. God, I love opening old wounds. So the Dolphins do not look that likely if Favre wants to win. If he wants to play and end up on MediCare, he can go for it.

The Baltimore Ravens would be the worst situation for me besides an NFC North team. I may be in the Baltimore area, but I do not like the Ravens. Besides the personal anguish this would cost me, the Ravens cannot quite afford Favre. Right now the Packers have 2008 first round pick Joe Flacco, 2006 Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, and bust Kyle Boller. The Ravens are also reeling from the Steve McNair-era where they were at the mercy of an aging quarterback on the downside of his career. I have read many columnists in the Baltimore-area newspapers, and it’s clear they do not want Favre. They know that on the heels of a 5-11 season that they need to rebuild and devote time and confidence to either Flacco or Smith, something they did not do with Boller. The only way to get their quarterbacks better and to put themselves in a position to win in the future would be to let Flacco and Smith play and become experienced.

I pretty much covered the Chiefs, one of the most inept franchises in history. But they can still have fantasies. Like this one. And this one. And finally this one.

The Jets are intriguing. Favre is older than head coach Eric Mangini. Kellen Clemens looks like he could be a good quarterback if he is given time to play, which wouldn’t happen if Favre joined the team. Chad Pennington is still on the team and he has had some pretty good moments in his time in the Big Apple. I’m no Jets expert, but this scenario is pretty mysterious. Who knows here. I just don’t know whether Favre would want to play for a team coming off a losing season.

It seems like every year Sports Illustrated picks the Panthers to win the Super Bowl. But it doesn’t happen. They are mired in the .500-ball heave that is the NFC South. The team does not have many offensive weapons outside of Steve Smith and at times last year, it seemed like they could not do anything right. Sure, they played in Super Bowl XXXVIII. But that feels like ancient history.  Also, the Panthers seems set with Jake Delhomme as their signal caller.

Tampa Bay is quarterback heaven. Jon Gruden is apparently tight with Favre because of the days of the Holmgren regime.  But seriously, how many quarterbacks on the roster?  Jeff Garcia, Brian Griese, Luke McCown, Chris Simms, and rookie Josh Johnson.  They’ve got about every type in there.  Let’s add aging-gunslinger to that category.  The Bucs won the division in 2007, but the fact that they won it at 9-7 leaves no guarantee for them to be a winner in 2008.  Not seeing Favre here.

The Redskins are another interesting possibility.  They’ve got plenty of money (aka Dan Snyder) and a young quarterback in Jason Campbell.  The Redskins know what they are doing with Campbell by letting him play last year.  The only reason a player can get better is by playing.  And he got better as the season went on before he got hurt and Todd Collins led the team to the playoffs.  The Skins have been down this road before with Mark Brunell.  I don’t think that worked too well.

So there we have it.  I’d say Favre doesn’t have any really good options out there.  Anywhere he went (Minnesota included) he would get in the way of the development of a team.