Our annual Brett Favre fatigue is upon us. The once-beloved Green Bay Packers icon is dominating the sports news again, in the ponderous, mind-numbing way only he can, and if you're sick of the guy you're in good company.
But the blame is all misplaced. This isn't Favre's fault. It's our own fault, and we can fix it. At the end of this season, which it increasingly appears Favre will spend with the Minnesota Vikings, when it comes time to ask whether this is it -- whether he really, truly is retired this time -- we all need to stop, think and NOT ASK.
Technology is a wonderful thing. Thanks to inventions like Facebook and Twitter, we no longer have to ask someone how they're doing or what they're up to. We can read it for ourselves. Similarly, instead of calling someone on the phone, we can send them a text message. It's a real simple, unintrusive way to contact people.
For ESPN's Trent Dilfer, a former NFL quarterback, it was the perfect way to find out what exactly is going on with "retired" quarterback Brett Favre.
Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.
Heading into this year's draft, Josh Freeman was considered to have the highest upside of any quarterback entering the NFL in 2009, while also possessing the biggest downside. The Buccaneers, in need of a true franchise quarterback for the first time since ... well, they've never really had one, were not only willing to take the chance on Freeman, but they were also willing to move up two spots to get him.
The goal of every NFL team is to win the Super Bowl. Even if, through front-office hires and player acquisitions, that doesn't always appear to be the case. But of the last 15 teams to hoist the Lombardi trophy, only two featured quarterbacks not classified as "franchise caliber."
In 2000, the Ravens won it all with a kick-ass defense. Trent Dilfer's job was to give the ball to Jamal Lewis and get out of the way. Two years later: same story, different team. The Buccaneers' defense did the heavy lifting; Brad Johnson was in charge of game-managing Jon Gruden's version of the West Coast offense with short passes and handoffs.
Everyone makes mistakes. But when those mistakes are magnified by intense scrutiny of the NFL draft, well, they become much more embarrassing than, say, my typical Friday morning, mustard-stain-on-khakis incident.
Which is why the NFL FanHouse braintrust got together to determine who is the biggest bust for each NFL team. They're not listed in terms of stupidity -- they're all stupid relative to a team's total draft performance. Meaning, of course, some teams "bust" is much different than another organization's; we did it this way to avoid just linking you to DetroitLions.com.
Instead, we're putting it in current draft order, sans trades, and allowing this list to serve as a reminder of each's team's ability to properly execute a fail. The "bust factor" was based primarily on three things: statistical production (or lack thereof), position in the draft and other available options during that year's draft.
Ben Roethlisberger has started 82 games in his five-year career, winning close to 80 percent of them. Yet for most of the football-observing public not located in Western Pennsylvania, he's still nothing more than a game manager. A good quarterback who fell into a great situation and is just along for the ride.
As has been the case since, well, the Ravens relocated from Cleveland back in '96, this team is only as good as its defense. That was never more evident than during the 2000 Super Bowl run. Eight years later, Baltimore is 60 minutes away from the championship game thanks largely to its defense. Shocking, I know.
Unlike the '00 team, this year's version has some semblance of an offense. Trent Dilfer was game-manager-tastic, and one of Brian Billick's biggest mistakes as head coach was releasing Dilfer to bring in Elvis Grbac. But new offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has done a fabulous job of protecting Joe Flacco (did you know he's the first rookie to ever win TWO playoff games!?) with a punishing running game and play-action passes.
Flacco isn't easily rattled, and that quality has served him well. But he's also benefited from the knowledge that the Ravens can score 14 points a game and win. The defense held opponents to fewer than two touchdowns 10 times during the regular season, and have allowed just nine and 10 points in two playoff games. Not too shabby.
You certainly know the story by now -- late in the game, trailing 9-6, the Steelers marched 87 yards, and on third-and-goal, Ben Roethlisberger found Santonio Holmesnear the end zone (his feet were definitely in; it wasn't initially clear if the ball broke the plane). The call on the field was fourth-and-millimeters. The play was reviewed and a few minutes later, Coleman announced that Holmes had scored a touchdown, 13-9, Steelers, thanks for coming.
This morning I mentioned that Coleman, after botching the on-field explanation, elaborated on the call after the game. And in his Monday Morning Quarterback column, Peter King spoke with NFL head of officiating, Mike Pereira for his take on the reversal:
Bucs wideout Antonio Bryant has a history of, shall we say, moodiness. It dates back to his college days at Pittsburgh, but perhaps the most notorious example is when, as a member of the Cowboys, he thought it would be great fun to throw his practice jersey in then-head coach Bill Parcells' face.
Now Bryant has a suggestion for Emmitt Smith and Trent Dilfer: keep my name out of your mouth. (Maybe he and Terrell Owens can start a support group.) Both ESPN analysts made reference to all the personal baggage that follows Bryant with him from team to team, and it was enough, apparently, to set him off.
There was a two-week period, late last season, when Browns fans didn't want to run head coach Romeo Crennel out of town. The team was making a late-season playoff run, Derek Anderson and Braylon Edwards were emerging as franchise players, and Kellen Winslow wasn't trying to sabotage the organization.
Some 10 months later, it's business as usual in Berea: the Browns aren't very good; Anderson has been benched and Edwards has more drops than catches*, the fans are frustrated, and they're looking for change.
Which is why one disaffected supporter has decided to take to the internets to get the word out. Thankfully, it's not another one of those lame Fire [Insert Coach Here].com sites that provide angry fans a place to vent and nothing more, but an online petition to recruit Crennel's replacement, William Laird Cowher. Yep, that one. This'll definitely work.
Our annual Brett Favre fatigue is upon us. The once-beloved Green Bay Packers icon is dominating the sports news again, in the ponderous, mind-numbing way only he can, and if you're sick of the guy you're in good company.
Technology is a wonderful thing. Thanks to inventions like Facebook and Twitter, we no longer have to ask someone how they're doing or what they're up to. We can read it for ourselves. Similarly, instead of calling someone on the phone, we can send them a text message. It's a real simple, unintrusive way to contact people.
Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 
The goal of every NFL team is to win the Super Bowl. Even if, through front-office hires and player acquisitions, that doesn't always appear to be the case. But of the last 15 teams to hoist the Lombardi trophy, only two featured quarterbacks not classified as "franchise caliber." 
As has been the case since, well, the Ravens relocated from Cleveland back in '96, this team is only as good as its defense. That was never more evident than during the 2000 Super Bowl run. Eight years later, Baltimore is 60 minutes away from the championship game 
