Brett Favre's Only Weakness - Eric Mangini

Age is a meaningless number, and Brett Favre is walking proof. Down by a field goal to the Raiders with 1:07 remaining in regulation, Favre showed us just how meaningless. Pinned on his own 5-yard line on 3rd and long, Favre should have just rolled over and died. But if you know Brett Favre, you'd know that curling up in a corner has never been one of his fortes. So even at the tender age of 39, why would we expect any different from Favre?

Favre completed a huge 37-yard pass to Chansi Stuckey to escape third down. The Jets were out of timeouts, and Stuckey was unable to get out of bounds. Favre was forced to waste a down in order to stop the clock. After accepting a careless Oakland penalty, Favre found Brad Smith for a medium gain, and immediately downed the ball again the stop the clock. Raider and Jet fans alike were on the edge of their seats, apprehensive and hopeful, respectively, that this white-bearded old man could possibly have another miracle in his back packet...

26 seconds left, another 3rd down. Favre again found Brad Smith, this time for a considerable 18-yard gain. Smith, unable to get out of bounds again, forced Favre to down the football again. He had done it. The Jets were within Feely's field goal range, and Favre had given his team a chance to send the game to overtime. Feely missed the 52-yard attempt, but was given a second chance as interim Raider head coach Tom Cable had foolishly called time out in an attempt to freeze Feely. Feely nailed the second one. The score was notched at 13 apiece.

Eric Mangini was satisfied with the tie. Or that's how it seemed. On the Jets opening drive, it became clear that Mangini had abandoned the strategy that sent the game to overtime: trusting his veteran quarterback to make plays. From their own 22-yard line, Mangini called for two consecutive running plays with Thomas Jones. Mangini finally let Favre throw on third down, and Favre did his best to show Mangini the error of his ways. 17-yard completion, first down. Unfortunately, Mangini didn't get the message, and gave the ball back to Thomas Jones. The Jets eventually punted the ball away at midfield.

After holding the Raiders to a 3-and-out, the Jets got the ball back. Once again, Mangini pounded the ball on the ground with Jones on two consecutive snaps, and yielded six total yards. Brett Favre is a legend, but you can't expect him to bail you out of every third down hole you dig yourself into. This time he failed, and the Jets punted the ball back to the Raiders. But the Jets defense continued to take care of business. Another 3-and-out for the Raiders, another chance for Favre and the Jets (or should I say, Thomas Jones and the Jets). Again, two consecutive running plays, which finally yielded a first down. Then a third, resulting in a two-yard loss. On 2nd and 12, Favre was finally given the green light, but was again unable to dig his team out of the hole Mangini had dug. On the ensuing Raider drive, JaMarcus Russell would uncharacteristically complete two big passes, allowing Sebastian Janikowski to kick a miraculous 57-yard field goal to seal the game.

Even at the age of 39, Brett Favre's greatness is undeniable (when was the last time Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Drew Brees threw for six touchdowns in a game?). But when your own head coach is doing everything in his power to contain that greatness, there really isn't much you can do, is there?

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NFL Opening Week: Priority List

The NFL season looms, with question marks everywhere throughout the league. How badly injured are the Super QB Duo of Brady and Manning? What is Brett Favre going to do in a different shade of green, and can he shift the New York spotlight from the champion Giants? How are the Saints going to deal with Hurricane Gustav? Individuals face new challenges and teams fight for supremacy, all while mother nature wreaks more havoc than Justin Tuck facing that porous Patriot line. Some solutions will be found immediately, while others need an entire season's worth of information. We here can only go week by week, however, thus the seven games to watch for during week one of the NFL season:

• Washington Redskins at New York Giants (Thurs., Sept. 4): The opening game of the season, featuring the newly crowned kings of New York. The Giants have done a bit to cover the loss of Osi Umenyiora, but is it enough to uphold the previously dominant D-line? And can the ever-inconsistent Eli Manning continue to shine and actually earn his Oreo commercial contract? If Clinton Portis runs all over New York and Jason Campbell runs his offense efficiently, the Champs are going to have all they can handle.
  

• New York Jets at Miami Dolphins (Sun., Sept. 7): Brett Favre is manning a new ship; for the first time in FIFTEEN years, we'll see Favre in something other than a Packers jersey. To add to this drama, the quarterback the Jets shunted away due to Favre's presence faces his old team in the very first game of his season. Chad Pennington will be out for revenge against the team he had spent his previous eight years with. With a downgraded Dolphins defense, Pennington will need to step up, as Favre shouldn't be too challenged; if Brett is, however, he might need yet another retirement ceremony this year.
  

• Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots (Sun., Sept. 7): The 18-1 Patriots. Never before has one loss meant so much. Brooding in his hole all summer long, one can only assume that Darth Belichick has another evil plan lined up for this year. Then again, if Brady, Moss, Maroney, and the gang can get even close to their play last year, Darth over there won't have to boil up anything too diabolical. Oh yea, the Chiefs aren't too bad either, barring another injury to Larry Johnson. This should be a fun game.
  

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints (Sun., Sept. 7): What's going to happen with Gustav still blowing? The Saints offense is fully loaded, but if they can't even take the field, what's the point? Tampa Bay survives year after year, plowing along with a team that no one ever expects much out of. This would be a great game, but will the city of New Orleans be ready? Most of southern Louisiana has evacuated, so say Gustav does blow over, will anyone even be present at the game?

• Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns (Sun., Sept. 7): The game most likely to be immensely competitive. Dallas is being listed as a Super Bowl favorite, while the Browns figure to go deep into the postseason. Tony Romo vs. Derek Anderson. Terrell Owens vs. Braylon Edwards. Jamal Lewis vs. Marion Barber. Both defenses are also quite talented. Hell, I'd watch the game on the sole hope that Pac-Man Jones goes crazy and starts choking TO on the sidelines. Oh yea, and Josh Cribbs is a ridiculously entertaining player to watch.

• Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts (Sun., Sept. 7): A rematch of the Super Bowl from two years ago sees a game likely to be nowhere nearly as exciting. The Bears offense is in shambles, though the defense can still compete. The Colts are as powerful as ever, as long as Peyton is healthy. Devin Hester's increased presence on the field can only make things more exciting, however, as he's a potential score with every touch.

• Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers (Mon., Sept. 8): The Vikings are reloaded on D, and Adrian Peterson is ready to show how good he really is. The Packers face a Favre-less backfield for the first time in over a decade. It's time to see if the Green Bay receivers were as talented as they played like last year, or if last seasons deep run was just a fluke. Aaron Rodgers faces an extraordinarily difficult test to begin his career; not many people face such a stacked D while under the pressure of replacing the face of a franchise, all of this happening at home. Half of Green Bay worshiped Favre as a god, so I wouldn't be surprised to see the boo birds coming out early of Rodgers can't produce.
  

Good luck stopping this man GB.

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All Brett, All The Time

Just to make sure that you have your daily face stuffing of Brett Favre, there's been an update.

Today NFL Comissioner Roger Goodell officially reinstated Brett Favre back into the team, abiding by his effort to "force the issue."

I figured this was the commish forcing the issue and the Packers having to swallow it. But, the Packers team president has issued a statement today also:

“Although we built this year around the assumption that Brett meant what he said about retiring, Brett is coming back,” said team president and CEO Mark Murphy. “We will welcome him back and turn this situation to our advantage.”

I must say, the Packers are acting very respectably in this situation. We still don't know what the team is going to do with him. Interestingly enough Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal is reporting from a team insider that Favre will be allowed to compete for the starting job with Aaron Rodgers.

I'll believe it when I see Brett Favre spiralling Aaron Rodgers down the field. I still think Brett, baby, should take that $20 mil. Especially if it's an upfront deal.

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Favre offered $20 million, to go away--please!

Not only do the Packers want to get rid of the whole Favre hoopla, but NFL commission Roger Goodell wants the dispute settled by Monday.

Goodell made it clear he thinks the situation has lingered long enough.

“I think we have to force it,” Goodell said. “I think it’s come to the point where there need to be some decisions made on behalf of the Packers, on behalf of Brett, on behalf of all the fans.”

The Packers have reportedly offered Favre $20 million over 10 years to basically go away. That compares to $12 million he would receive next year if he were to play for the Packers.

If Favre comes out of retirement, he might have 2 maybe 3 years left before he gets dangerously close to permanent brain damage. Next year he'll be paid $12 million, but thats from a lingering contract. I don't see him making much more than $20 million for the rest of his NFL career.

Favre needs to accept the "marketing contract" the Packers offered that might even go higher than $20 million, because he's not only saving himself from having to practice every day, he's saving his health, and his family from unnecessary stress.

There's no question about it, Brett Favre wants to return so that he can play in the playoffs again. The little Brett inside of him is not aching to rejoin his teammates on the practice field, he just wants to shove it to the new quarterbacks du jour like Tom Brady and Eli Manning.

I'm starting to think that the only reason Brett Favre wants to come back is because he saw Eli Manning win a Super Bowl. It wasn't even that Eli got carried to the Super Bowl, he suddenly magically turned into a clutch player and drove the Giants to the championship. The same guy who had a 32.2 QB Rating against the Buffalo Bills in the second to last game of the season.

I couldn't believe my eyes, so I can't imagine what Brett Favre was thinking.

$%!@#%$%$%$#@!!!!!
I'm a billion times better than that mothe#@$#@$%$#@!!!

I feel for you Brett, but let it gooooo. Think of it this way. Eli will only make $8.5 mil next year and $9 mil in 2008. You can pocket that amount for doing nothing! You have officially become $20 million worth of annoyingness. Janice from Friends bows to you.

I don't know if these pictures are real. But these are supposedly Eli at his finest:

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Back Off, Brett

My dear friend and ATA creator, Brian P., once characterized Brett Favre as the heartbreaker of the NFL. While I'm not going to disagree that Favre was indeed the greatest player in the NFL for several years (though not fond of the Packers, it's hard for anyone to deny Favre), I'm going to have to doubt Brian's claim that Brett wears any of the pants in this relationship.

It's true that Brett screwed with all our emotions, it is - we followed his success, grew with him, glorified him, grieved and shed just as many if not more tears at the news of his "retirement." After mourning a legend's departure, we were finally ready to move on.

The Packers found new beau, Aaron Rodgers, who, at this point, is probably trying hard to avoid all the drama instilled upon by jealous ex, Favre. This time, both we and the NFL are in no position to be played. Bretty boy is acting like a psycho ex who can't take a hint. He's whipped, by the NFL, by the Packers. Seems like they've got him around their little finger. Sadly, but surely, we are all ready to move on...

Word has it our quarterback's been throwing to local high school players; maybe this gave Brett all the taste of retirement that he needed. Either way, quite frankly, I'm tired of the boy who cried wolf.

My advice to Brett?
Leave while you're still, in the slightest bit, respected as the record-setting MVP quarterback we all know and love. Take the Packers up on the supposed $20 mil they are offering you to stay away. Take all of the offerings, for that matter, that they seem to be throwing at you to simply get out of the picture. Take the hint(s)! Don't show up to camp. Don't show up at all. How likely is it that, in the case that a trade ensues, Green Bay will trade you off to a winning rival team like the Vikings?

And lastly, run before the Madden Curse gets you, too.

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Random Sports Ramblings

There are a lot of things going on in sports right now, so I'd just like to clear the pileup caused by my train of thought:

• Where are all these old guys coming from at the British Open? Seriously Greg Norman? I thought he was in a care home drinking Arnold Palmers. Tiger leaves, and everyone just decides to awaken? Either that or now people aren't scared and hiding anymore.
  
• It was already written about here, but I really have to say, Brett Favre needs to stop with his on-again-off-again mid-life crisis. He's double the age of most other NFL quarterbacks, and even if he is useful, what exactly does he want to prove? He's already outdone Michael Jordan on the fake retirement ridiculousness and has most likely broken the record for most cortisone shots taken in one season. America loves you Brett, don't tarnish it.
• C.C. Sabathia is gigantic. He's been stellar with two straight gems, but how many more complete games can that guy healthily chug out? I'm sure the stress isn't good for him.
• Sometimes you've gotta feel sorry for Lamar Odom. Every offseason without fail, he's been in multiple trade rumors. Yearly stories are posted about how close he is to being traded (for Shawn Marion, for Richard Jefferson, for Kevin Garnett, etc.), with the latest incarnation, actually reincarnation, as a trade to the Sacramento Kings for Ron Artest. From the Lakers standpoint, if Artest can keep his head on straight and play Dennis Rodman Jr. for at least 3 years, this could be great. If the Ron-Ron of Auburn Hills comes out, then you can only hope that Jack Nicholson doesn't have a courtside heart attack. Honestly however, Odom is a great player who just either got outplayed by a better player (KG) or bullied by a buffer troll-looking man (Perkins) in the Finals. If Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol stay alive, having Odom as the willing fourth option behind the both of them and Kobe Bryant could work out much better than having Ron Artest actively forcing himself into the first mate role.
• As a casual boxing fan, I must admit that seeing a Manny Pacquiao vs. Oscar De La Hoya matchup would make my year. The newly heralded pound-for-pound king facing off against the aging Golden Boy could be the most entertainingly brutal passing of the guard ever seen. Well if Oscar has any gas left in his tank, because otherwise Pac-man will demolish him.
• After watching the Josh Hamilton Derby, it got me to reminiscing. MTV and its Rock N' Jock basketball, baseball, and football were the sh*t. Tim Hardaway draining 50 point shots, Nelly nabbing passes from Dan Marino while he was chilling in a Laz-e-boy, Ken Griffey Jr. hitting bombs into gigantic metal gloves... why did this all stop? They were so entertaining. By the way, the home run and the half-court-buzzer-beating shot are two of the most overhyped things in sports. Home runs are ludicrously common nowadays, while those last second heaves make way too many top 10 countdowns over actually legitimately better plays. Maybe add in one per month, because of another one pushes out a clip of Kobe posterizing someone, I will flip out.

See you all next week for more random ramblings.

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Come on Brett, Baby. Really?

Shocking news coming out of the football scene recently. Shocking because it's not-so-shocking. What exactly is shocking and not so shocking at the same time?

Brett Favre's Un-retirement.

We all love Brett dearly. We all are so very thankful for what he has done for football and his amazing ability to put a place like "Green Bay, Wisconsin" on the map.

Indeed Green Bay, I don't believe that you would exist without Brett Favre. You're entire city would flicker off into an inefficiency between quantum particles and their interdependecy with strong and weak forces.

If you don't believe me, it's all detailed in String Theory. It's actually going to be researched in August 2008 with the unveilling of the Large Hardon Collider. Make sure you understand string theory before you try to argue with me.

But back to the matter at hand.

Favre was unequivocally the greatest player in my football universe for years. Right up until March 2008, in fact. Right up until he retired.

So let's not make a big mess out of this situation, shall we? You're screwing with so many people's emotions, Brett, baby.

This is like getting dumped by that indescribably amazing girl that you ran into at the 7-11 on free slurpee day. It seemed like you guys had the perfect relationship, but after one of your best years, it all came tumbling down. And then after spending the next 3 months at home willowing over what could have been, you're finally able to take a step forward with your life. And BAM! You see her with another dude, who is smarter and more tan.

Because that's what's gonna happen Green Bay fans. Your Brett, baby, is going to go to a nicer city than yours. Why? Because almost all cities are greater than yours. And almost anywhere else in the continental US will he be able to get a better tan.

Don't do this Brett! Don't complicate this relationship even further than it needs to be.

Just reading the language in Green Bay's statement shows you that they've just begun to move on.

"Brett's press conference and subsequent conversations in the following weeks illustrated his commitment to retirement," the news release added. "The finality of his decision to retire was accepted by the organization. At that point, the Green Bay Packers made the commitment to move forward with our football team."

If you just happen to have a record season under a new team, the sting of the divorce will last forever. So come on Brett, Baby. Really?

BTW, you know that ATA (After the Anthem) loves Green Bay! We love all the Bays. Even you Chesapeake!

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