If you are a Brett Favre fan

This whole thing is kind of great. The Jets are a classic NFL franchise. Better than all but the Pack and the Niners. And the Jaguars.
Also, piddly little deals like these cannot even begin to compare to the revenue storm that hurricane farbara is whipping up over the league's largest market.
He's going to cru$h. It'll be fun for a season. maybe two. Vern Coles will start in the pro-bowl and Jet fans will carry on with the incredibly gratifying tradition of watching Favre every week, with ferocity and numbers.
All we can do is watch it and hope that Aaron Rodgers finishes the season on the field. Which if he does, should be pretty distracting. So thinks TT. And me.
Of all people to turn this situation into a good one, it's Favre.
Who knows, maybe you don't have to win a championship to end your career gracefully. Maybe all you gotta do is move to NY and be bigger than the team from there that just won the superbowl. I mean jesus christ. I haven't even seen a clip of the nerd that beat Favre in the NFC Championship game since february. You know, the good Manning. Where's he? Maybe Favre sent him for beer on a 3-wheeler. Have you seen the press-conference where Favre gave a hickey to an intern from the post and the guy in the fireman's helmet chanted, "LE-ON WASH-ING-TON"? Its a party out there.
This move is gorgeous.
For now.
But the interceptions he'll throw this year will be priceless. Almost intentional. That's what I worry about. I don't know if jet fans will be able to process the blatant excitement that Favre gets from, maybe throwing it to the other team (gunslinging). But he'll make up for it by burying the dolphins twice.
He's obviously excited about the prospects. I think its gonna be great. I'll watch as many Jets games as I can. Eagerly. Which is depressing- but not for Favre and that's my point. Even if this ends badly he's going to leave with a trillion and he's just gonna be that much more famous for being the most likeable and undeniably dopest player at his position in the history of the league. He SHOULD have a party while he can still throw a ball 70 yards, and if he wont do it in Green Bay, then NY NY. It's perfect in a way.
Maybe people will forget about how unclutch he was in the second half of his career. Unless they make the playoffs- which is the best case scenario for us, not only because of the draft pick we get, but because he'll get dominated by some outstanding AFC defense and everyone in Green Bay will for a second, stop pissing about how, 'we never go deep anymore'.

Plus the team loves him. Its a perfect lockerroom for him to walk into. Bubba Franks already knows the country stations, and this is what Jerricho Cotchery had to say after their pre-season game in Cleveland, "He's gonna sleep at my house... I love me some B-Favre".
He's B-Favre now.
Gotta let Favre B-Favre.
They love him out there.

Moving On....

It is currently August 10th. The Badgers' home opener against Akron kicks off in just twenty days. The Badgers have cracked the preseason NCAA football polls, rating between 10th and the high teens. They return 9 starters on defense and 8 starters on offense, including an All-American tight end (Beckum), the university's fifth career scorer (Hill) who's apparently in the best shape of his life, and the Big Ten's interception leader (Shane Carter). We should all be getting psyched for another exhilarating year of University of Wisconsin football.It's true that the Favre saga has drained us mentally and emotionally. The Lance Smith debacle (he'll likely be sentenced to some jail time in about four days) has sapped some additional enthusiasm, and Bielema hasn't helped matters by closing most practices to the media.

But, come on now, people. 20 days 'till the first game! 20 days until we see David Gilreath return a punt. 20 days until the band plays busts out "Old Mother Leary" after a Badger touchdown (hopefully-- Akron is predicted to be at the bottom of the MAC). 20 days 'til we see John Clay make his collegiate debut. 20 days until we see Allan Evridge finally take a meaningful college snap. Ah, it's going to be beautiful. Dark days may come at Fresno State or against the Ohio A&M, but the beginning of every season is perfect. Don't tell me you can look at the picture above and not get excited. Summer may be grand, but autumn has a wonder all its own. Let's get fired up!

And So It Ends...

16 years is a long time, even a octogenarian would agree. There's too much to say here without producing an enormously long post, so I'm going to go with bullet points, in the style of Larry King's legendarily awful USA Today columns.

- First, I feel slightly wistful. Brett was a paradigm-shifting player for the Packers, leading what was the NFL's backwater to heights many had thought were unreachable. As all the commentators beat to death, he was everything you loved about sports-- the explosions of utter brilliance, the frightening raw talent, the hilarious improvisation, the passion, determination, and grit, the pure love of competition. But he was also a complex and flawed person, just like everyone else--- mistake prone, addictive, hardheaded, a bit self-centered, ruled by emotions. The last few months showed us this more unflattering side, but I'm confident our collective memories will fade and the bitterness between him and the current management will ease. He'll be back at Lambeau, waving to a standing ovation with tears in his eyes before you know it. He'll always be ours.

- Second, the trade itself. At first blush, a fourth-rounder seems like paltry compensation. Then you realize that unless Favre gets injured, with only Kellen Clemens as his competition, Brett will certainly do enough to trigger the escalator (50% of snaps) to a third-round pick. The esclator to a second round pick seems possible too (70% of the snaps and a playoff berth), as the Jets appear capable of making the playoffs with Fave at the helm. Still it seems oddly low. Maybe what this level of recompense indicates is that the Packers were right about his value. Maybe Favre's time has come and gone.

- But then third, you have to wonder, what the hell were other NFL teams thinking? Why not take a stab at getting Favre? Arizona is more comfortable with a washed up Kurt Warner and an ineffective Matt Leinart? San Fran is psyched about Alex Smith and/or Shaun Hill? KC can't wait for Brodie Croyle? Carolina loves the gimpy Jake Delhomme? Houston feels comfortable with Sage Rosenfels and Matt Schaub? Bizarre. He may not be a guy who can carry an offense-dominated team to the Super Bowl anymore, but he's got to beat the pants off most of these guys. Plus, you have to feel the media circus that would follow Favre would also be accompanied by an increase in buzz, season ticket subscriptions, and merchandise sales.

- Fourth, I'm concerned about Favre's prospects on the Jets. NYJ added guard Alan Faneca in the offseason, but their high-draft pick LT, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, has struggled pretty badly. I have no idea who their running back/s is/are. And main wideouts Jericho Cotchery and Lavernius Coles are both undersized guys. Favre tends to do better with bigger targets like Sharpe, Walker and Driver. Plus, the Jets don't run a West Coast offense, as far as I know. Can an old dog learn new tricks this quickly? And you have to figure he'll have some problems in the two Pats games this season-- Bellichik is just too tricky. I guess he'll have Bubba as a security blanket? Anyhow, I'm worried he's going to bellyflop and that it could get really ugly really fast in New York. If he does well though, like Montana with the Chiefs, it would cement him as a national icon. His marketing potential would grow to even greater heights. Personally, my hard feelings are aside now. I know I'll be pulling for him.

- Fifth and finally, big sigh of relief. I hope Rodgers, McCarthy and the rest of the Packers can get back to playing football. I hope this colossal distraction won't throw off the team's performance. I hope Ted gets back to scouring other teams' training camps, looking for likely-to-be-cut DTs. I hope the irrational and cruel booing of Rodgers stops. At least until he actually deserves it.

Hasta Ra Vista, Rance

UPDATE--- I am now officially sick to death and/or bored stiff by the Favre/Packers douchebaggery. I will ignore/refuse to opine on all such non-football related "news" regarding this "story" until Favre is traded or the team formally announces that he will not be traded. Or until ESPN headquarters is hit by a decent-sized meteor. Expect no commentary on recent "developments" like McCarthy and Favre having an unexpectedly lengthy "meeting" (oooo, the drama!) and the team hiring former Bush II obfuscator Ari Fleischer to a temporary PR consulting contract (cue palm smacking forehead noise). I am done with this non-football melodrama balogna.

So getting back to the non-football melodrama in Madison, shoe-stealing, girlfriend-assaulting UW running back Lance "Rance" Smith (nee Smith-Williams) has been dismissed from the football team, will leave UW-Madison and apparently enroll elsewhere. As readers of this blog and followers of UW football know, Rance was suspended for the team's road games last season after getting into a violent public altercation with his then girlfriend, also a UW student, about a year ago. Although the suspension was surely very frustrating for Rance, he got a good deal from the Dane County justice system, being placed in the DA's first offender program, which lets first-time offenders avoid jail time and any criminal record by completing a year's worth of counseling, reporting and community service. Coach Bielema also went to bat for Rance, lobbying the chancellor to reduce the suspension, arguing that Smith was contrite and had learned from the incident.

Then, this spring, with a pending overflow in the offensive backfield, UW offensive coordinator Paul Chryst went to great lengths to ensure that Rance (a rising true junior) would see the field this upcoming season. Coach Chryst essentially created a unique H-back type position for specifically for Smith, where he would line up in the backfield and in the slot and go in motion frequently, in effort to take advantage of his excellent speed and receiving skills.

But Rance betrayed this trust and blew these opportunities. As previously mentioned, he failed to comply with the first offender program, was kicked out of it, and will be sentenced for assault in ten days. He'll likely see some jail time, as the DA's office made it sound as if it had evidence of Rance continuing to have, umm, "inappropriate contact" with the victim/his ex-girlfriend. Not good. For a guy who has no academic eligibility problems, Smith is easily smart enough to have behaved and complied with the program. Unfortunately, this disappointment reflects his record on the field where Lance was a perpetual tease-- loads of speed, shiftiness and potential, but not enough consistency, toughness and follow through.

Some might ask-- how could it come to this? Did the coaches know he was flubbing the program? Was there anyone on the UW Athletic department who should have been on his case? As UW football beat writer Jeff Potrykus makes clear in the comments to this post on the Journal Sentinel's Badger blog, people at UW (including Bielema) knew that Smith in trouble with the program before the news broke, and no, it does not appear that Rance had a designated baby-sitter. He was expected to take care of his own business, like any other adult. A noble sentiment, I think-- personal responsibility. It's not something we always see a lot of in high-profile college athletics.

What remains interesting about this situation is that Bielema continues to put his neck out for Rance, apparently calling program after program, trying to find a good home for him as a transfer. Bielema-- "I know in the last 96 hours, I've probably placed as many phone calls as I ever have in my life." That's a sharp contrast to the personal responsibility approach the coaching staff seemed to show in regard to Lance's participation in the first-offender program. Personally, I think it's admirable that BB is trying to help Smith now, even after Smith has let him down repeatedly. But if I was in BB's position, I think I'd let Lance find his own way this time.

When Jay Mariotti's On Your Side...

You know you've been acting like a d-bag. See here.

5 Things To Be Glad About

1. With Favre now reinstated and reporting, this whole thing is going to end soon, one way or another. I really hope that the Packers relationship with Favre isn't damaged irreparably.

2. Ryan Grant has signed his deal and is due to report to camp today. As the wise Mr. Man predicted, he signed a heavily incentive-laden deal. He also gets a big chunk this year, which it sounds like was the sticking point from the beginning. It seems to me that he wanted to be compensated for his performance last year, which is fair enough. Congrats Ryan, and may you continue to run fools over this year.

3. Javon Walker did not quit football. I know that there has been some animosity between Walker and Packers fans, but he is a decent enough guy and has had about the worst 2 year stretch that anyone could have and still be alive. After a New Years Eve loss to the 49ers that cost the Broncos a playoff berth, Walker had to watch his best friend on the Broncos die in his arms after being shot in their limo after a New Years Party. Then, he injured his knee again and had an incredibly disappointing season. This off-season he was found unconcious in an alley in Las Vegas after being abducted and beated senseless. He almost walked away from football and offered to return $11 million of signing bonus. Al Davis talked him out of it, and he is in camp. I don't usually have a lot of space for a) people who whine there way off my favorite team, or b) Oakland Raiders in general, but I hope the best for Javon. Nobody deserves to go through what he has.

4. The Badgers are not in the top 10. Why is this good? It means they don't have inflated expectations from everyone else, and thus can be driven from within by motivation rather than via external pressure to meet expectations.

5. Chocolate Chip Cookies.

He's Back?

ESPN has apparently been fed some info by Favre (big surprise-- he either uses them or Peter King) claiming that he's been reinstated and is arriving in Green Bay tonight. Oooo, the excitement. Will some legitimate trade offers now step up? Come on, Bears, Vikings, Ravens, Jets and Bucs. Everyone's made mistakes, everyone has communication problems, yadda yadda. We should all just relax. Favre has another year left in the tank, max, and unless the Vikings pick him up and he gets to run play-actions off of Adrian Peterson all day, he's not going to be as effective as he was last season ever again. And when he does actually retire, he will undoubtedly sign the same personal services contract with the team that's already been offered, and will always be thought of as a Packer. It's really a short term issue, and one that got totally blown out of proportion by a sporting media that has realized the NFL is its most popular sport hands-down and that had nothing to do with itself this summer. Please, just let this thing end now. Training camp has been going on for a week, and I feel like I haven't heard much of anything about how the team is actually doing. It's ridiculous. Let it end, for the love of all that is good and holy.

In other news, Grant signed yesterday and should be in camp today, though he won't play in tonight's scrimmage. He gets a fair amount of guaranteed money, which is justifiable given how impressive he was last season, but most of it is tied up in him staying healthy (roster bonuses) and performing (performance bonuses). A solid result for both sides, I think. At least one personnel headache is at an end.