Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker Ray Lewis (52) addresses the press during this week’s “pageant,” otherwise known as media day.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

As a semi-casual, half-hearted Green Bay Packers fan, I find the lull between the early exit of the playoffs until the start of mini-camps to be a very dull and uninteresting time.  Yet there is always one week that does seem to come alive with at least one or two stories that were either tailor made or were being held just until the right moment to be sprung upon the general populace.

Yep, it is media week so bring out the stupidity and the shocking that comes with the competition we know as the Super Bowl.

This year we have three incidents that clearly are contending for the Crown of Stupidity.  So with no further adieu, let me announce the winners (to date, things could change as we still have five days to go before kickoff).

Mardi Gras figurine of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees at the Super Bowl XLVII media party at Mardi Gras World.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Second runner goes up to Mr. Drew Brees, who also wins the award for Mr. Congeniality.  It seems that Mr. Brees decided to take it upon himself to throw all of the former NFL players who gave their blood, sweat and tears to the game under the bus so guys like him could line their pockets.  Mr. Brees in the question and answer portion of the competition explained that it was poor financial planning on the part of former players that resulted in their financial shortcomings today.  He went on to elaborate that current players should not have to pay or give more in order to support those who came before he and all the other multimillionaires could line their pockets.

Fortunately, former Packer Great, Herb Adderley was there to score Mr. Brees and point out his utter stupidity and lack of understanding of the topic matter.

Mr. Adderley stated,

“Drew Brees is misinformed and he had no idea what was going on as far as why, he never came to any of the guys and said, ‘Well, why did you have to take early pension?’ He just made up his own mind about why some guys were in bad shape financially. And he just came out and made statements like that. And in my mind, Drew Brees is one of the greediest guys, and misinformed guys, in the NFL today. Last year he held out because he wanted more money. The guy’s already made millions and millions and millions of dollars, but he’s going to hold out for more money. And then he comes down on the retired guys for just wanting a few more dollars for the time, the cornerstones, what we put in the league  …  And none of us retired guys are fans of Brees because of him being misinformed. I needed the money. I needed to put my daughter through school and she ended up being a very successful dentist at the particular time in Washington, D.C.  If I don’t do that, she don’t end up going to college.”

Ohhhhh, sorry Drew, it seems you have a severe case of foot-in-mouth disease.  Why don’t you go back to the locker room  and plan some more bounties with the rest of the team … oh wait, I mean develop defensive schemes that will allow your defense to capitalize on the weaknesses of your opponents.

Randy Moss
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

First runner-up goes to Randy Moss.  Up until this point, I forgot that Randy still played in the NFL.  In fact, I thought he had been traded to the CFL for a sled dog and a VHS copy of “Strange Brew,” starring Bob and Doug McKenzie.  But I was proven wrong as evident in the evening gown competition when Randy strutted out on to the stage in a pink gown with matching gloves.

While walking the walk, he clearly talked the talk and reminded everyone who was listening that he is the “greatest” wide receiver in the history of the NFL.  This coming from the man who graciously pretended to moon the faithful at Lambeau Field and insulted the caterer for the Minnesota Vikings.  He also led to the downfall of one Brad Childress and was instrumental in pretty much nothing since leaving the Minnesota Vikings.  Clearly, Randy is a legend in his own mind.

How one man can be so full of himself  to think that he can upstage all the other contestants to win the evening gown competition is inconceivable.  Yet I was informed that it was a close race between him and Honey Boo Boo for this portion of the competition.  The fact that Honey Boo Boo was able to establish more credibility and honesty with the judges allowed him to take the crown.

Congratulations, Randy Moss, you are this years winner of the Biggest Ego.  Unfortunately as your head gets bigger, so does your mouth.

Ray Lewis
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Finally this year’s winner (to date) is a tie.  A tie between Ray Lewis and Sports Illustrated.  In the swimsuit competition, both competitors came out wearing the same one piece black swim suit.  Both competitors clearly knew how to wait until the last minute to make a statement that took all the attention away from the competition and focused it on their own self-indulging escapades.

Sports Illustrated led off with a shocking news story that Ray Lewis used a banned substance (deer antler spray) to help him in his recovery from a season-ending injury in order to be ready for the granddaddy of all pageants.  Ray Lewis, for his own sake, is denying everything (which in this day and age, thanks to Lance Armstrong, equates to admitting guilt).  So as both contestants walked down the aisle, they suffered swimsuit malfunctions resulting in exposing a dirty little secret that will take the attention away from the game.

The winners will receive more TV and face time then Joan Rivers at a plastic surgery convention, yet Joan will definetly look better in the crown and the Go Daddy swimsuit!

Roger Goodell
Jim O

A special award goes to Roger Goodell for his handling of the NFL referees debacle,the Bountygate eruption and everything else that went wrong this year for the NFL.  According to one judge, “If it were not for Goodell, we would have had a normal and uneventful season.”

So as we wrap up this year’s pageant week, a special thank you to all of our contestants.  Though your crowns are honorary, your self-indulgence, greediness and lack of integrity will continue to define you for as long as there is football or at least until next year when some other bone heads take your place during Super Bowl week …

now can we just play some football?

Jan 29, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Randy Moss is interviewed during media day in preparation for Super Bowl XLVII against the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

If you haven’t seen his majesty, Mr. Randy Moss’s most recent quote, you might just react the way I did when I heard about the San Francisco 49ers’ most recent statement.

As reported by NFL.com, here is what the master mooner had to say:

“I don’t really live on numbers. I really live on impact and what you’re able to do out on that field. I really do think that I’m the greatest receiver to ever play this game.”

I have to agree with my fansided.com brother, Matt Hamm, over at ninernoise.com, when he said it was “one of the dumbest comments he’s ever spoken …”

Is Moss so full of himself to describe himself that way and to forget that there have been other guys to play the position with the names of Hutson, Rice, Reed, Lofton, Warfield, Harrison, Taylor, Monk and so many others who have come before him?

Apparently not.

I suppose he thinks he’s also the best caterer around and the best faux mooner, as well.

Needless to say, Moss has never been the brightest bulb in the box, and his latest comment certainly doesn’t add to his legacy. In fact, not only did his comment about being the greatest rub non-Niners fans the wrong way, but when he also said that he wanted to play one more year, but wouldn’t commit to coming back to San Francisco, he no doubt ticked off fans of his current team.

Maybe one can attribute his comments to the stress of the Super Bowl, but probably not. Moss has been there before and has faced the crush of the media throughout his career. He’s simply an arrogant cuss who can’t retire soon enough.

I have to agree to Hamm’s comment about Moss:

“Before today I was pro bringing Moss back, he’s been a good mentor/teammate and has done the job asked of him.  Now, I think the organization should let Sunday be his last game and publicly declare after the big game that they are moving on without him next season.”

So long, Randy.

I have no gripes with his draft history, the man has brought us Aaron Rodgers, Gregg Jennings, Clay Matthews, B.J Raji, Tramon Williams, and many more Pro Bowl players over the years.

My gripe with Thompson is his inability to sign free agents.

The Packers are a good football team, with the potential of being great. However, if you take away Aaron Rodgers from this team how many games do they win? I would be willing to bet that the best this team would go is 6-10, that’s how much Rodgers means to this team.

Thompson’s decision to not sign a veteran backup quarterback and roll with Graham Harrell is mindboggling. What Thompson is basically saying is that if Rodgers were to go down, Harrell would be the Packers’ savior.

Come on, Ted.

I applauded Ted for bringing in Cedric Benson, I thought it was a great move and it worked out well until his injury. Benson went down and again Thompson had the opportunity to get Steven Jackson in free agency, and he flopped.

As a result, the Packers are No. 23 in the NFL in rushing, teams just don’t have to respect the running game in Green Bay. That takes me to the offensive line; we cannot continue to keep blaming the poor running game on the running backs. The offensive line is getting blown up more times than not on running plays, which dooms the play from the get-go. Thompson made a move to get an old Jeff Saturday, which has been a neutral transaction for the Packers as he struggled to grasp the offense early.

The Packers lost Bryan Bulaga for the year, but again Thompson doesn’t seek veteran help. Instead he elects to go with a shuffled offensive line, which almost killed Rodgers on Sunday night. Rodgers is the entire franchise in Green Bay, and to not help him out at all, or at least show initiative that you are trying to do something to help the line is unacceptable.

Finally, the kicking situation has made Packers Nation lose their collective minds the last two months. Crosby is 12 for 20 this season with nine of those 12 makes coming from 42 yards or closer – that’s not getting the job done to say the least. What’s shocking is the Packers’ unwavering support for a kicker who is a career 76 percent kicker (fifth worst in NFL history of kickers with more than 100 attempts). To not bring in any competition for Crosby makes no sense to any fan. Look at San Francisco, David Akers has struggled all season, but is one of the best kickers in NFL history. Today, the 49ers brought in two kickers (Billy Cundiff and Nate Kaeding) that will either replace Akers, or at least give him a kick in the butt. The Packers have yet to bring in any competition for Crosby, who is a mediocre kicker at best.

Finally, this week the Eagles released defensive end Jason Babin. He is expected to clear waivers making him a free agent to sign with whichever team he would like. I’m willing to bet Thompson doesn’t even look at Babin, who would be a perfect fit for the Packers.

Without Clay Matthews the Packers have zero pass rush. I know they had five sacks against the Lions; however, three of those sacks were for three yards or less, so in reality those were no more than a run stuffed in the backfield. Babin and Matthews coming off opposite ends would be very helpful to the secondary, which has struggle, as has the defense as a whole.

It might not seem like a big deal, but signing key veteran free agents during the season can make or break a team. Take a look at the 2008 New England Patriots, they got a deal for Randy Moss and went on to go undefeated and make the Super Bowl. Moss was expected to go to Green Bay but Thompson didn’t pull the trigger. Then take a look at Justin Harrell No. 16 pick 2007 draft and Derrick Sherrod No. 32 in the 2011 draft – both are busts.

Again, don’t get me wrong, I think Thompson is a great general manager, but at times his decision-making makes me scratch my head. The Packers could’ve won the Super Bowl the last two years, but were one player away, one free agent signing away from being pushed over the top.

It’s the same this season, no trade deadline acquisition, or late season acquisition, may be the Achilles heel of the Packers and a potential Super Bowl run.

When the Packers signed center Jeff Saturday this week they upended the draft strategy - negating the need to draft an offensive lineman like Bryan Bulaga. Now the team can concentrate on its most pressing need - defense. Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

The eyebrows of general managers across the NFL must have collectively risen late this week when it was announced that their Green Bay brethren had done something that has been become increasingly rare in the Ted Thompson era: He completely changed the Packers draft strategy by signing a starting-caliber center, Jeff Saturday, formerly of the Indianapolis Colts.

Since losing Scott Wells to the St. Louis Rams in free agency, draft experts and pretty much every Packer fan expected that in 2012 the high-powered Packers offense would have to downshift to allow for the inclusion of a rookie center. Packers fans are accustomed to the Packers philosophy of ‘draft and develop.’

In the case of Wells leaving, however, the Packers did not have a ‘developing’ player to plug into the hole. The contract given to Jeff Saturday is a two-year deal, allowing the Packers to draft a center with the body type they prefer (recent reports have suggested that the Packers thought Wells too small to be an effective center) in the later rounds of this year’s draft.

So, earlier in the week, it looked like center had overtaken the need to go big on defense early in the 2012 draft. Now, the Packers can dedicate at least the first 2 rounds (I would go first three rounds) to their defensive deficiencies at defensive end and outside linebacker.

Much like the Packers’ 1999 draft, in which they selected three cornerbacks in a row to start the draft (Antuan Edwards, Fred Vinson and Mike McKenzie) in order to fill a huge hole at cornerback (and try to stop Randy Moss), the Packers need to do the same with this draft and selected a combination of at least three to four defensive ends and outside linebackers, hoping that at least one of them contributes immediately. Then the Packers can tackle the center position and grab a backup safety and another cornerback.

Remember, because the Packers lost so many high profile free agents last summer, they are due to receive up to four extra selections as compensation, giving them a total of 11 picks. This will allow them to re-stock some positions as they look to eventually replace starters like Ryan Pickett, Greg Jennings, Charles Woodson, John Kuhn and others in the span of the next two to three years.

So, let’s recap – assuming that no other starting-caliber players are signed, the Packers need to address the DE and OLB positions with the first three to four picks. Then the Packers should grab a center, a safety and a cornerback. If they see a running back or fullback they like, they should grab one toward the fifth round. In the seventh round, with likely three picks, they should go DT, WR and take a flyer on one more DE or OLB.

Of course, I’m sure no fan would be upset if Thompson traded up for either a better first round pick or for an extra second round pick to really find a stud outside linebacker.

Like Lombardiave.com on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Jeff Saturday could be snapping for the Packers next season. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Ok, so the Denver Broncos, because of their Reggie White-sized signing of Peyton Manning, get an A for their grade in free Agency.

The Miami Dolphins – well, they have just flopped and failed, so yeah they get an F

The San Francisco 49ers have landed some big names – Manningham, Moss and possibly Mike Wallace, but their handling of quarterback Alex Smith has this team in purgatory. Yeah they get an incomplete until the Smith situation is resolved. If he comes back to the team, they get a B-minus; if he goes somewhere else, we may have to throw them the big F. Placing all their eggs into the Manning basket was a bad move, pissed off their QB and have so far left them without a starting quarterback. Do you think Jim Harbaugh has placed a call to the Broncos for Tim Tebow?

But let’s get to what we all like to talk about – the Packers.

Free Agency? Free Agency? Did you say Free Agency? Ted Thompson where are you?

Yes, it seems there may be have been some phone calls made, but so far nobody on the other end has been listening.

At least until now … it seems that with the loss of center Scott Wells, the Packers have made an overture to Indianapolis Colts longtime center Jeff Saturday. Though the chances of him signing with Green Bay at this point is remote, but hey, stranger things have happened.

According to some sources, the Packers have a visit set up with Saturday, but nobody seems to know when that will take place. Saturday has also been wooed by the Titans and of course, the Broncos. The beauty of rejoining the battery tandem of Saturday and Manning is appealing, but the Broncos already have a solid offensive line anchored by a talented young center, J.D. Walton.

So, could Saturday be the big fish in the shrinking pond of available free agents that may be hooked onto Ted Thompson’s line?

I hope so. Here is a durable, smart, and passionate player who would not only be a fine addition to the Packers locker room, but a solid fill-in for Wells. If there’s one player that Thompson should focus on before the conclusion of this free agency period, it’s Saturday. Landing an immediate starter through the draft is problematic and filling this hole in the Packers offensive line is one that will require immediate attention.

Like Lombardiave.com on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Brandon Marshall is now a Chicago Bear. Was his trade to the Windy City the biggest move of day 1 of Free Agency.Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

No doubt it was a busy day around the National Football League with the start of Free Agency.

Have you kept abreast of every move that was made throughout the day?

Me either.

While there were several moves that raised an eyebrow or two, there were also several moves that didn’t grab much attention.

This is for sure – free agency continues to be the vehicle by which the “bad” teams in the league try to improve their lot by overpaying veterans who may have a name, but won’t necessarily push that team over the top toward a Super Bowl.

Consider the teams that grabbed the most headlines on the first day: Washington, Buffalo, Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Chicago – yes, I lump the Bears into that group … if for no other reason than the fact that they are simply Da Bears.

Anyway, the first day offered some trades (Brandon Marshall to the Bears) signings (Vincent Jackson to the Bucs) and out-of-the-ordinary announcements (Randy Moss to the 49ers – even though he signed on the eve of free agency).

So, we want to know how you feel about some of the moves made Tuesday. Take the poll as we look forward to future action, such as watching Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn, as well as whether Super Mario Williams will really sign with the Bills.

After taking the poll, head on over to Facebook to Like Lombardiave.com and follow us on Twitter.

Randy Moss had a short stint with the Vikings before being cut and signing with Tennessee. Now he has signed with the San Francisco 49ers. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

It was announced Monday night that Randy Moss signed a one year contract with the San Francisco 49ers after a 15-minute workout with head coach Jim Harbaugh throwing the ball as Moss ran routes.

I’m not sure what Harbaugh saw in the 15 minutes that he was on the field, but it must have been impressive for the team to sign him basically on the spot.

Next season will tell if us naysayers are full of soup or whether Moss’s last two seasons when his production took a huge dip had more to do with fewer opportunities. We’ll find out when Moss tries to catch passes from Alex Smith.

In the meantime, tell us what you think about this controversial trade.

Could Randy Moss be headed to Chicago? We hope not. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Word has it that the Chicago Bears have expressed an interest in signing former Minnesota Viking, former New England Patriot, Former Minnesota Viking and former Tennessee Titan Randy Moss.

What could be better for the Bears, that classy organization out of Chi-town, than to sign the sometimes he plays, sometimes he doesn’t, moon man? In keeping with their high standards for choosing the best wide receivers to join their team (think Roy Williams), Moss would be the perfect fit.

God only hopes that the new regime overseeing Coach Lovie Smith’s on field efforts don’t go this route.

Clearly I don’t like the Bears. As a Packers fan, I never have and never will. However, I would hate to see a division rival go the route of buying into the old routine of bringing in an old, worn out, washed up and insincere player. The Bears are better than that.

Let’s hope the rumor is just that … a rumor.

In Green Bay, we want a Chicago Bears team that will compete. By going the route of bringing in an overpriced and arrogant player like Randy Moss, it wouldn’t happen.

Like Lombardiave.com on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Why would any team in the NFL want to bring Randy Moss back? Raymond T. Rivard photograph

How many times have we come to see National Football League stars make attempts at comebacks or decide to hang on for another year, moving to teams that are looking for that flicker of talent the player once showed?

Well, here we go again. This time it’s Randy Moss.

He announced via a video on UStream last month that he was ready to play again after sitting out last year completely and catching just 28 passes for three different teams in 2010.

Today an unnamed source told National Football Post that three teams have expressed an interest in signing Moss. It would probably be a safe bet that none of those teams would be New England, Minnesota or Tennessee – the last three teams Moss made home in 2010. Of course, the source wouldn’t release the names of those three interested teams.

Moss was much more popular retired than he ever was when he was a player.

Our advice to Mr. Moss should he decide to accept It?

Stay retired, live off your millions and don’t come back and embarrass yourself.

Of course, we don’t expect him to adhere to our suggestions, but we can probably guarantee that our prediction will be spot on.

Like Lombardiave.com on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Goodbye, Randy. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

When I heard today that Randy Moss had decided to retire, a certain melancholy fell over me.

Don’t get me wrong, he was the one, that for so many years, was the guy Packers fans loved to hate. Who can possibly forget the spanking he put on the Packers defensive backfield on that rainy night in Green Bay back in 1998. Everything that was thrown to him during that coming out party went for huge yardage. He was a man among boys and continued that type of play game after game and year after year in Minnesota and later in New England.

He was also the guy who did the faux moon to the fans in that playoff game at Lambeau a few years back when the Vikes dismantled the favored, but overrated Packers.

God that pissed off Joe Buck and Packers fans to no end … myself included. (more…)

Brett Favre leaves Lambeau Field for the last time last October after the Packers defeated the Vikings. The loss was one last season that helped define the spiraling demise of a franchise. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

This week, Fansided Minnesota Vikings blogger Dan Zinski of The Viking Age reported his concern over the unstable status of that franchise and why recent developments could indicate that the Vikings’ 50-year tenure in the land of 10,000 lakes is in danger.
Zinski wrote in his blog this week:

“If billionaire Philip Anschutz has his way, Los Angeles will soon have a new NFL team. That team could end up being the Vikings.
“Tim Leiweke, president of the dreaded AEG, has confirmed Anschutz’s interest in purchasing majority stake in an existing franchise, with an eye toward installing that team in AEG’s proposed Farmers Field. Speaking to the Orange County Register, Leiweke named the five teams on his and Mr. Anschutz’s list of targets: Minnesota, St. Louis, Oakland, Jacksonville and San Diego.” (more…)

After the exciting blowout win by the Packers over the Jets…o.k. so 9-0 isn’t a blowout but it sure as hell was a lot of fun to watch the Jets squirm like they did, I realized that this team isn’t bad.  They just make bad mistakes at the worst of times.

Aaron Rodgers is one of the up and coming QB’s in this league and it’s no wonder the team can stay in stride with their opposition but they have to be more consistent.  Sure, the loss of Ryan Grant early in the season and for the season really took a bite out of the offense, but good teams overcome bad injuries.  It appears that maybe, just maybe, the Green Bay Packers are finding a way to overcome theirs. (more…)

ESPN’s Kevin Seifert has his five questions he would ask Favre at the interview.  The highlight (or the “bomb” question as we like to call it):

A conspiracy theorist could conclude you’re at the end of a remarkable manipulation to get from Green Bay to Minnesota against the Packers’ wishes and despite a “poison pill” inserted into trade language last summer. The plan would include announcing your retirement in February and then quietly asking for your release after the New York Jets drafted your replacement. Try talking us out of that one.

Seifert opened up the comments for the readers to give some of their questions.  And there are some good ones.

From melliot74:

Would you please just go away?

JamesIII012:

6. Why do i read about you?
7. What are the chances of you having a good second half of the season?
8. Are [you] certified to fit me for a pair of Wranglers?
9. Do you care that you have permanently tarnished you legacy?
10. Not a question but you will get pwned this year and i gurantee it

cranksandbeans:

1) Will you be chartering a sex boat to win over your new team mates?

2) How many more playoff intecep… uh, I mean runs do you think you have left in you?

pjacobsen699:

3. Is the high you are feeling from the constant manipulation of your idolators on par with 3 Budweisers and 1 Vicodin, or more like 3 Vics and a 12-pack?

I think it’s safe to say that the masses are through with this story and just want it to end.  Unfortunately, it’ll just keep going.  Now, the five questions I would ask Favre:

1. What is going through your head with all of this?

2. Do you feel a team is stronger if they have a great back like Adrian Peterson and (less than) decent wide receivers like Bernard Berrian and Sidney Rice?  Or do you feel that a team is stronger with great wide receivers like Donald Driver and Greg Jennings and a decent running back like Ryan Grant was during the 2007 season?

3. What is the exact source of your ill-will towards Ted Thompson?  The drafting of Aaron Rodgers to be your successor?  Not acquiring Randy Moss?  Or what?

4. What are your thoughts on Aaron Rodgers, NFL quarterback, not Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre’s successor?

5. If you run out onto Lambeau Field on Sunday, November 1, 2009 as a member of the Minnesota Vikings, what thoughts will be running through your mind?  What will your feelings towards the fans of Green Bay be?

Bonus question: What if this doesn’t work out?  At all?

There we have my questions.  Feel free to chime in with your own.

Again on JSOnline, Michael Hunt has a great piece highlighting the last year and how Favre’s actions this year have made him look like one of the most egotistical athletes of all time.

Remember how he flew into Green Bay last summer in one of the most egocentric stunts ever pulled by a professional athlete. Remember how it was his intention all along to play for the Vikings after his first retirement. And remember how he began to distance himself from his teammates by dressing in a private chamber, away from the locker room.

If Favre wants to play for the Vikings because they have a scary good defense and a freak-of-nature running back, and if he truly believes he can somehow stay within himself to become that final piece to get them to the Super Bowl, then more power to him.

But if his driving motivation is to stick it to Ted Thompson, such an impulse would be misplaced and pathetic beyond reason, sort of like the way Warren Spahn ended his Hall of Fame career in New York and San Francisco.

Either way, should Favre decide to further risk his dignity and legacy by dragging himself back on the field with Minnesota, he would do so without the heroic illusions that accompanied his 16 seasons in Green Bay. And there would be the good in crossing over, because if anyone didn’t know it by now, these are just guys, most of whom don’t play for altruistic reasons.

It’s a great piece.  Head on over to read the whole thing.

Because of instantaneous new media, such as Twitter, we’re able to get a constant view on things that are going on.  Take NFL Networks Scott Hanson‘s (@hansonscott) latest tweets from today:

Back in good ol Hattiesburg. Might have a Brett Favre update later. To quote [Brad] Childress, “stay tuned”…
about 8 hours ago from mobile web

Waiting at the airport for Favre to take a private jet to NY for his Joe Buck interview. If we catch his departure, you’ll c on NFLN.
about 6 hours ago from web

They are fueling up the jet we think Favre will be on. First video of Brett post-op soon… we hope.
about 4 hours ago from web

Jet has been fired up on for over an hour… no Favre. (maybe changed mind?) ha – that would re-define irony.
about 2 hours ago from mobile web

And we have a Favre sighting. Got in the jet and just took off 10 sec ago. How’d he look?
27 minutes ago from mobile web

how’d he look? watch NFL Network and find out. (and check out his right hand/arm.)
24 minutes ago from mobile web

In my humble opinion, this is just insane.  Of course, we all want to know what is going on with Favre as soon as we can, but putting the “Favre-arazzi” out there to Tweet is every move is a little over the top.  I feel NFL Network is so much stronger than ESPN, but this is an ESPN-like move right here, to film the flight’s departure from Hattiesburg.  And it’s not even like he’s going to Minnesota to meet with Childress and Zygi Wilf.  He’s meeting with Joe Buck.

The Joe Buck angle is another interesting aspect of this scenario.  How will Buck interview him?  According to sources, the interview is supposed to “revolve around the celebrity status of pro athletes.”  I doubt that will last.  I have never seen Buck give a one-on-one interview such as this, so I have no idea how he will deal with Favre.  If definitely will not be like Favre and Greta Van Susteren last year, and I doubt it will approach the Alex Rodriguez and Peter Gammons lovefest that came after the New York Yankees star’s steroid admittance.  If it was an ESPN interview, we would definitely expect that, as all the ESPN personalities have reputations for being on their knees for Favre making any interview on ESPN for Favre impossible to take seriously.  But for Buck, this is different.  If he conducts a smooth interview and does not cater to Favre’s ego and asks Favre the tough questions, I will have a whole new respect for him.  If he peters out as the interview continues, he will fall down the list of my respected broadcasters.  Buck’s reputation could be as much as stake as Favre’s.  After all, he will have to broadcast a Packers-Vikings game this year for Fox.

So there we have.  Five hours and twenty minutes until interview time.  Let’s see what happens.

Favre would be right at home under the big top right now.  By himself with all the attention, of course.

We all remember Anthony Smith.  If you don’t now, you will in a few moments.  Remember that one dude that guaranteed Pittsburgh would beat the New England Patriots in Week 13 of the 2007 season when New England was on that insane run, but then got absolutely owned by Tom Brady and Randy Moss in a 34-13 Patriots victory?  Yeah, the Packers got that guy.  However, putting that all aside, his coaches have acknowledged that he was not a trouble maker and that the Steelers ran into cap issues and could not keep him.

After starting 14 games in his first two seasons after being drafted in the third round out of Syracuse.  Unfortunately in 2008, Smith got buried on the depth chart behind Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark, and Tyrone Carter and had only 9 total tackles for the season.

Despite this lack of playing time and seemingly a decline in production, Smith can still be a good fit for a young defense learning the 3-4.  The scheme the Packers are using has similar terminology to the one used in Pittsburgh and already having three years of experience in the 3-4 makes Smith the odds-on winner for the starting safety spot opposite Pro Bowler Nick Collins.  Smith will be in competition with Atari Bigby and Aaron Rouse.  Bigby is coming off an injury while Rouse has tantalizing potential.

The Smith signing, no matter how late and insignificant it seems, could do wonders for the defense down the stretch in the 2009 season.