FanHouse Steve Hutchinson

Apparently Brett Favre had decided more than a week ago that he wasn't going to join the Vikings, but the Vikings wouldn't take "no" for an answer.

ESPN.com's Ed Werder reports that Favre told Vikings offensive coordinator Darren Bevell on July 20 that he would not be coming back, and that Bevell and the rest of the Vikings staff asked him to wait and think about it a little longer. The Vikings then had Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen and Steve Hutchinson call or text Favre to try to convince him to come out of retirement in what a source told ESPN was a full-court press.

There had been signs of frustration from Minnesota Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield in recent weeks. As the Pro Bowler became frustrated over unsuccessful efforts to extend his contract, there were veiled threats of a departure in free agency.

That would have left Winfield in the same boat as now-former Vikings like Matt Birk and Darren Sharper, very good veteran players who allowed their contracts to expire, only to find little to no interest from management in a return. Birk is now with Baltimore, while Sharper signed in New Orleans. Winfield, however, was able to avoid walking down that path, as he agreed to a new deal Thursday.

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

Mike Holmgren has long been one of the primary identities of the Seattle Seahawks. He took them to the Super Bowl and made them a perennial winner of the NFC West. Then last year happened. As Holmgren's retirement tour rolled along, more and more injuries piled up, Seneca Wallace had to start at quarterback for a few games, and the Seahawks stumbled to a 4-12 record.

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

In an NFC that is heading into the offseason without a clear favorite, the Minnesota Vikings have almost all the pieces to be the presumptive favorite. They have an outstanding defensive line, an improved secondary and the best running back in the business. They also have a very good offensive line and thanks to Bernard Berrian, the receiver corps no longer is a joke.

If you thought there was any chance that Chris Kemoeatu was coming back to the Steelers, there are some pretty strong signs that he will be heading elsewhere in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The Steelers already have Kendall Simmons (back from an Achilles injury) and 2008 starter Darnell Stapleton under contract for 2009. They also have a starting right tackle (Willie Colon) who almost every scout/player personnel man not employed by the Steelers believes would be better off playing guard. So the only real reason to bring Kemoeatu back is if he's willing to agree to a very reasonable deal.

But if you listen to Kemoeatu's agent, it sure sounds like he's expecting a landmark offer. And he hopes it comes from the Steelers.

The AFC and NFC Pro Bowlers were announced a short while ago, and why make some pointless comment you are sure not to laugh at when we can just give you the rosters instead? Here goes.

Every week I take a look at the line play in one NFL game. Check back every week for a new Between The Lines.

When the Vikings faced the Titans it was a match-up of two of the best young running backs in the game: Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson. As you would expect, that got plenty of publicity.

But if you were looking for the best matchup of the week, it was the Clash of the Titans when defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth lined up head-up against guard Steve Hutchinson. There may not be a better one-on-one line battle all year, as Haynesworth is arguably the best defensive tackle in the game, while Hutchinson has been considered the best guard in the league (with apologies to Eric Steinbach and Alan Faneca) for several years.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: Well, it all comes down to this. If Tarvaris Jackson is an average NFL quarterback this year, the Vikings should be one of the teams to beat in the NFL. But Jackson has not been an average NFL quarterback during his two years in the league. There are some positive signs this August, but the jury is truly still out on Jackson. At his best, Jackson is a strong-armed QB with good mobility. At his worst, Jackson is an inaccurate QB who doesn't do a good job feeling pressure, and struggles to connect on passes further than 10 yards downfield. Gus Frerotte is a better backup than the Vikings had last year, but he's deliberately not good enough to give Jackson a threat for the starting job. Likely third stringer John David Booty has shown he's not ready for the NFL yet. Heat Index: 4.

While the offensive line might not represent a direct draft day decision for your roster, few areas of knowledge can offer a competitive advantage in fantasy football like having a good grasp of the various units of trench soldiers around the league. Over the course of the next couple weeks, I'll break down every NFL team's offensive lines into five tiers: the Crème de la Crème, the Highly Competent, the Serviceable, the Pretty Grim, and the Bunk.

Just six NFL offensive lines made their way into the 2008 group of the Crème de la Crème. If you see a team on this list, rest assured your running game is safe, your quarterback with have decent pocket time, and you might just dig up some big time sleepers amongst these rosters. Consider this your early birthday present. You ride with these guys and you're ridin' in drop top, six-four, tinted windows, top down, AC on style.

Read on for the best six offensive lines in the NFL.