Before I get to the mind numbing douchebaggery that is the latest Brett Favre fiasco, let me share a few quick observations and opinions regarding the Green Bay Packers’ 34-14 dismantling of the Indianapolis Colts.
- Aaron Rodgers continues to impress the NFL world, Packers fans and most importantly, his teammates. Not only has he played through a shoulder injury for the last three weeks, he’s played at an extremely high level. Against Atlanta and even Seattle, he seemed tentative, but you can see that he is regaining his confidence in the pocket. Is it too early to start calling Aaron Rodgers a potential Pro Bowl quarterback? This blogger says no. By the way, you can vote now.
- On the other side of the ball, we appear to have two players that might as well pack their flip-flops for a trip to Hawaii. Charles Woodson, despite a broken toe, has been playing out of his mind this season. On Sunday, he was instrumental in limiting the explosive Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison duo to four insignificant catches. Meanwhile, Nick Collins has become a monster. He not only murders people over the middle, he has become invaluable in run support and has finally developed a nose for the ball. I’m not interested in making unfair comparisons at this point, but his number is 36 so it may be worth mentioning some day. I’m just sayin’.
- Overall, the Packers defense was improved on Sunday, but there is still much room for improvement. The Packers’ DBs as a whole have been playing well. Aaron Rouse is an exciting, intriguing player. One has to wonder, with his skill set and freakish size, why are the Packers not manning him up with star tight ends? That said, Brandon Chillar did a solid job of containing the wily Dallas Clark.
- Ryan Grant. I know I have been hard on the dude. I’ve been harsh, but I think my constant disappointment with him is all about unfulfilled potential. He’s got skills. He lit up the league last year. On Sunday, it looked like he finally turned a corner. But while he is finally making his cutbacks, he is still fumbling. This has to change.
- Bye week. Chances are, the Packers will be 100 percent healthy for their game against the Titans (sans Cullen Jenkins, of course). It will be exciting to see how the Packers newfound confidence carries over.
FAVRE! WTF!
OK, so what is now making the Lions-treason situation so interesting is the brewing rivalry between ESPN and Fox Sports. Scoop artist Jay Glazer pretty much said he released the story so Favre wouldn’t go to his cronies at the four letter network and let them report an altered version of the events. Then, today, an internal ESPN memo was leaked ordering ESPN staff to ignore the Favre story.
“Yesterday, FoxSports reported that Brett Favre spent 60 to 90 minutes before the Week Two game between the Lions and the Packers educating the Detroit coaching staff regarding the Packers’ offensive strategies. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD BY RELIABLE SOURCES THIS REPORT IS NOT TRUE. We did NOT report it yesterday. Today, the NFL responded to the report, saying even if Favre did this he did not break any league rules. We are NOT reporting it today, because that would mean airing the erroneous report. DO NOT REPORT IT.”
Glazer and Fox stand by their story – 1000%. ESPN’s memo reeks of sour grapes on their part and only fuels my ESPN pro-Favre coverage conspiracy theories from this summer. I believe ESPN tried to influence the situation this summer to get Favre in Minnesota so they could have a record-setting Monday Night Football opener. Still bitter, they are now trying to humiliate what they perceive to be a lesser network. It’s just weird. The whole thing is weird.
As for the report, I believe it’s true. It’s consistent with his past behavior – just ask James Campen. Additionally, this story isn’t coming from Ahmad “main man” Rashad or something, it’s coming from Jay Fucking Glazer. The dude is airtight. Furthermore, the Lions had no comment… AND NOW LeRoy Butler has chimed in, not only confirming he heard the same rumors, but that this only the tip of the iceberg.
I still want Brett to come back someday and watch his name and number get installed in the Packers ring of honor, but Jesus, man. What is he thinking? If you need a bridge burned to the ground, you know who to call.
STAY TUNED.
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