Last month, NFL Network's Jamie Dukes argued that it was "hypocritical to say [Brett Favre] should stop playing because you think it's time for him to stop." Never mind that no one has ever argued that. Instead, most fans -- even those with just a casual interest in the sport -- would prefer Favre not fake retire every offseason. I don't think that's asking for a lot.
Dukes is back. The just-concluded NFL Rookie Symposium prompted Dukes to writes that, "... there is an expectation among the populous that NFL players are supposed to be perfect because they were given the right to play football. THAT NOTION IS LUDICROUS!"
Send your NFL questions (along with your name and location) to NFLFanHouse@gmail.com. Each Thursday, we'll answer the best -- or, if nothing else, most entertaining -- in our NFL Mailbag.
Excluding Brett Favre, which remaining free agent can play the biggest role in 2009?
The easy answer (INCLUDING Brett Favre!!) is Plaxico Burress. He's a high-ceiling, high-impact wide receiver. You saw the way the Giants' offense missed him at the end of 2008, and we've seen a handful of teams express interest in him -- even though nobody knows if he's going to play in 2009. If he is allowed to play, he's your answer. But it looks increasingly likely that he'll be suspended for at least part of the season, if not all. So in the non-Burress division, I have three veterans who could make an interesting impact in the right situation:
Retired NFL quarterback Trent Green is the first-ever guest columnist of MMQB, filling in while Peter King is on vacation. Green provided an interesting read on subjects relating to the league's personal conduct policy, concussions and the expanded season. And of course it wouldn't be a MMQB without a healthy dose of Favre thrown in for good measure.
Back when Tarvaris Jackson was assumed to be the long-term quarterback of the Vikings, his teammates talked around any question of whether Jackson was the right man for the job.
But now that we're just waiting for Brett Favre to make it official that he's going to be a Viking, and Sage Rosenfels is set to be the backup, it's pretty much open season for players (or player's dads) to explain what it's been like in recent years.
The best thing about the build up to the next NFL season is the exact same thing as the worst. If that makes sense. It's fun to dissect every aspect of everything, but it can also be maddening when you consider we're still just under three months until an actual, real NFL game is played. Regardless, things constantly change in terms of fantasy football draft value.
What I'll do in On Second Thought is take a look at the rankings we compiled as a staff and point out which players I believe we collectively ranked too high and vice versa. This isn't a slap in the face to my colleagues, as some of the rankings I didn't like were my fault (you'll see one here). Plus, we started working on them a month ago. Things change.
Word on the street earlier today was that Brett Favre and the Vikings had, GASP, already signed a contract. It was shocking, spicy, etc., and properly panned by Ryan Wilson: it doesn't really matter whether there's a deal in place or not, because at no point in the next six months will we stop talking about Favre.
Seriously, he can even say "I'm retiring 4eva" and it won't matter, because he's said that before. But, it's at least worth mentioning that Mike Florio's scoop was quickly denied this evening by everyone's favorite sports agent, Bus Cook.
One way or another we'll know something about Brett Favre's NFL future by the end of next month. Training camps will be underway and he'll either be in Minnesota preparing to march the Vikings to the Super Bowl (even though it's not clear he's a better option than Sage Rosenfels at this point in the proceedings), or he'll spend his days at the ole fishin' hole, accepting the fact that he is, finally, retired.
But for now, Brett's still in the mix, and if his comments on Joe Buck Live (the only way to make this show more unbearable is to have Tim McCarver playing the role of Ed McMahaon) are any indication, he's "considering" playing for the Vikes this season.
If you're wondering how hard the battle lines are going to be drawn in the coming CBA negotiations between the NFL and its players, union, look no further than this spin-heavy news item. The Green Bay Packers released financial information that shows a $20.1 million profit for the fiscal year that ended March 31, and Packers CEO Mark Murphy used the occasion to cry poverty.
Players union head DeMaurice Smith has called on NFL owners to release audited financial statements to support their claim that they're struggling financially. The owners have so far refused, but the Packers, as a publicly owned franchise, are the one franchise that has no choice in the matter. Their financial information shows an increase in total revenue from $241 million to $247.9 million.
The FanHouse Podcast: Because bloggers are much sexier on the phone.
Stephanie Stradley has been with FanHouse since its inception, and Thursday night might have been the lowlight of her internet career: she joined Will Brinson and Ryan Wilson on HouseCast.
Actually, Stephanie's a lawyer in real life so we decided to have her on to talk about two of her recent posts: Tweeting with T.O., and Donte Stallworth's plea deal. And while the Stallworth news has obvious legal implications, so does T.O. TweeterGate.
Stephanie also talks about the Twitter phenomenon -- especially among athletes -- the differences between the Stallworth and Vick cases, the prospects for the Texans in 2009, and, of course, Brett Favre. (Seriously.)
In his first extended interview since announcing his retirement from the New York Jets, Brett Favre acknowledged on HBO's Joe Buck Live that he is considering returning to the NFL in 2009, and that he has spoken to the Minnesota Vikings.
Asked if he will play in 2009, Favre said, "Maybe." He later added, "I am considering it."
Favre also confirmed what has been widely reported: That he has talked to the Vikings to gauge their interest, and that he met with a Vikings trainer to discuss exercises that can help him recover from shoulder surgery in time to be ready for training camp.
Last month, NFL Network's Jamie Dukes argued that it was "hypocritical to say [Brett Favre] should stop playing because you think it's time for him to stop." Never mind that no one has ever argued that. Instead, most fans -- even those with just a casual interest in the sport -- would prefer Favre not fake retire every offseason. I don't think that's asking for a lot. 
Send your NFL questions (along with your name and location) to 
Retired NFL quarterback 
Back when 
The best thing about the build up to the next NFL season is the exact same thing as the worst. If that makes sense. It's fun to dissect every aspect of everything, but it can also be maddening when you consider we're still just under three months until an actual, real NFL game is played. Regardless, things constantly change in terms of fantasy football draft value. 
Word on the street earlier today was that 
If you're wondering how hard the battle lines are going to be drawn in the coming CBA negotiations between the NFL and its players, union, look no further than 
The 
In his first extended interview since announcing his retirement from the 
