Favre Rumors Too Juicy to Avoid
This blogger has done everything in his power not to get wrapped up in the Brett Favre rumors, but there are two floating around today that are just too good to pass up. There have been rumblings that the Packers have offered a sum of approximately $20 million, to be paid over a few years, to Favre to stay retired. Another rumor has the Pack considering trading Favre to a rival team, potentially the Vikings or Bears, if all else fails.
Supposedly the Packers have found suitors in the form of the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but have not been able to convince Favre to accept them as destinations. Understandably, Favre wants to go to a contender, but he can’t be this choosy. If the team did, in fact, offer him a large sum of money to stay retired, it shows the utter desperation of the club at this point. This kind of offer feels like a last-ditch effort before they’re forced to trade him to a rival. Can you imagine Brett Favre in a Vikings or Bears uniform? As far as the division goes, the Pack would probably rather deal Favre to the Bears. With Favre, the Vikings would become the favorite in the NFC North, as the 38-year-old would join all-world running back Adrian Peterson and one of the league’s best defenses. Even this blogger must admit that he’s intrigued by the possibilities.
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Dolphins QB Situation
The Miami Dolphins are looking for a fresh start this season after last year’s 1-15 debacle. Cam Cameron was fired after just one year as coach and new football operations boss Bill Parcells brought in Tony Sparano as his replacement. The Dolphins haven’t had a franchise quarterback since the days of Dan Marino, which seems like just a distant memory more with every passing year. The club currently has three starting quarterbacks on their roster in rookie Chad Henne, second-year guy John Beck and journeyman Josh McCown.
McCown has the best shot of winning the starting job, initially. He’s known for being a good practice player and has fared decently in the opportunities he’s had to start for teams, but he’s not the long-term solution. He’s fooled coaches into thinking he was a solid starter in the past and he might have it in him one more time. But everyone knows that McCown is not part of the team’s long-term plans. The quarterback of the future is either Chad Henne or John Beck. Henne probably has the better chance between the two. Beck was a Cam Cameron guy and he looked absolutely terrible in the playing time he received last season. Parcells and Sparano have no attachment to Beck and obviously have their doubts about his ability or they wouldn’t have used a second round pick on Henne.
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Leinart’s Time to Shine
This is a big season for Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart. Leinart is key to the team’s success, this season and in the future. After a shoulder injury ended his season after just five games in 2007, Leinart watched veteran signal caller Kurt Warner throw 27 touchdowns in his absence. The team drafted Leinart with their first-round pick in 2006 to be their starter and signed Warner to be his backup, but their respective performances haven’t reflected their perceived roles to this point. Leinart hasn’t looked like the franchise quarterback that many thought he would be and Warner has performed well in every opportunity he’s had to play since joining the team.
This season, Leinart needs to step it up. The starting gig has been handed back to him and it’s time to perform. He’s got two of the best wide receivers in the league in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin and an offensive line that is now capable and improving. The last thing the franchise wants is to have to insert Warner midseason. The club wants the younger player that they’re paying first-round money to lead them to the playoffs and not have to depend on a 37-year-old guy who would be essentially serving as a stopgap. Leinart is used to playing with pressure, so he’s prepared to handle this situation better than most players at his age.
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Chiefs Ink Dorsey
In an effort to avoid the Brett Favre situation until something significant occurs, let’s focus on something else. The Kansas City Chiefs have signed defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, their first pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, to a five-year deal worth more than $50 million. The club selected Dorsey, who was at one time viewed as a candidate for the top selection, fifth overall. The LSU product was the leader of the team that won the National Championship last season.
Remember these words…Glenn Dorsey will be the best player from the 2008 draft class. In five years, people are going to wonder how the Chiefs got him at five. Kansas City got a steal here. Dorsey’s stock was hurt by an injury following his senior season that prevented him from working out much and resulted in his not being in the best of shape. But make no mistake about it, when healthy, Dorsey is a dominant player. He commanded double teams for the bulk of his collegiate career and still looked like a man among boys in the trenches. There are some questions about his durability, but his ability to take over games is incredible. The Chiefs might have had the best draft of any team in ’08 and it all started with Dorsey falling into their laps.
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Favre Coming to Camp?
Brett Favre has said that he plans to report to Packers camp on Sunday. Nobody is quite sure if this is merely an idle threat by Favre in an attempt to expedite his release or trade from the team. In the meantime, the New York Jets have reportedly been cleared by the Packers to talk with Favre. The Jets, along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, have expressed interest in the future hall-of-fame quarterback. There has also been much speculation about Favre being interested in playing for the Vikings, though the Packers are highly unlikely to let that occur.
What will happen if Favre shows up to camp on Sunday? Talk about awkward. If he does, I’d say Aaron Rodgers demands a trade. How could he not? What is the team going to do, bench Favre and play Rodgers ahead of him? I can’t see it happening. Rodgers has waited patiently since his extended stay in the green room on draft day, and now is his time. As far as Favre being traded, I’m sure the Packers would love to ship him to the Jets. He’d be out of the conference and on a team that probably wouldn’t be a threat to face the Pack in the Super Bowl were they to reach it.
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Bears QB Battle
It appears that Kyle Orton has the upper hand as far as securing the Bear’s starting quarterback position. Orton is finally getting a fair shot at the job now that head coach Lovie Smith is off of his “Rex is our quarterback” kick and Brian Griese is out of town. Grossman is still very much in the mix for the starting job, but is by no means guaranteed the spot. The team surprised a lot of people when they didn’t select a quarterback in the 2008 NFL Draft.
I think Orton gives the Bears a better chance to win than Grossman does. Orton doesn’t have the arm to sling the ball all over the field and make spectacular throws, but he is careful with the football and throws accurately on short and intermediate routes. Grossman is a human turnover when he’s on the field. Between fumbles and interceptions, Grossman gives the ball away to the opposing team at an alarming rate. He does have ability, but it doesn’t seem like he’s got the mind for the position. The Bears need to make sure their talented defense plays up to its ability. If that unit excels, then Orton’s ability to manage games will prove to be extremely valuable.
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Ravens QB Battle
The Baltimore Ravens’ starting quarterback spot is wide open. The club started training camp on Monday and all eyes were on signal callers Kyle Boller and Joe Flacco. Thus far, observers have come away impressed by Flacco’s arm strength, which is no surprise. Boller though, has looked good and has the experience factor on his side. Likely third-stringer and former Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith has had a bit of a rough go during the first two days, throwing three interceptions in one 7-on-7 drill.
Though Flacco has a shot at winning the job thanks to his size, arm and apparent NFL readiness, one would still think that Boller will be lining up under center come opening day. Boller has 40-plus starts under his belt and is still pretty young, but he was Brian Billick’s guy, and that shipped has obviously sailed. New head coach John Harbaugh has expressed that the position battle could continue well into the preseason, but we all know that it’s best for a team to settle on a quarterback as soon as possible. With the quarterback position comes a leadership role, no matter what age the player is, and the guys on the roster want to know who will be running the offense. Boller is probably the favorite to win the job, but there is a good chance he loses the gig to Flacco by season’s end.
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Saint Shockey
The New Orleans Saints have added another weapon to their already-talented arsenal of offensive players. The club acquired disgruntled tight end Jeremy Shockey from the New York Giants for a second-round pick and a fifth-rounder, both in the 2009 draft. This was a great move for the Saints. Drew Brees hasn’t had a consistent tight end to throw to since he left Antonio Gates in San Diego. Gates became the superstar he is today while playing with Brees, and there’s no reason to think Shockey won’t see a lot of balls come his way.
This, much like the Jason Taylor trade, works out well for everybody involved. The Saints get a real playmaker in Shockey and the Giants unload a guy who was obviously unhappy with his role on the team. Shockey was sidelined with an injury during the Giants’ magical Super Bowl run last season. Rookie tight end Kevin Boss stepped up in some big moments and made Shockey somewhat expendable. Shockey was unhappy with the Giants’ tendency to frequently utilize him as a run-blocker as opposed to a receiver. Shockey now enters into a pass-happy offense and should be going out for plenty of passes in New Orleans. The Giants received ample compensation in the trade and should be satisfied with the deal.
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Dolphins’ Taylor Dealt to Skins
After loads of speculation on draft day and reports of a rocky relationship with team management, Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor has been traded. Taylor was shipped to the Washington Redskins yesterday for a second-round pick in the 2009 draft and a sixth-rounder in 2010. The Redskins recently lost defensive end Philip Daniels for the season and plan to switch Taylor, who has played primarily on the right side, to left end opposite Andre Carter. With 117 sacks, Taylor is the active sack leader in the NFL.
This is a good move for all parties involved. The Dolphins are in a rebuilding mode and there’s no reason to waste Taylor’s remaining years on a team that’s just looking to improve. The Dolphins receive the second round pick that they were reportedly unable to secure on draft day and should be happy with the picks they acquired. The Redskins are looking to contend this season. Taylor should bolster their pass rush and help their already talented defense. This move is especially good for Taylor, who didn’t get off to the best start with new team VP Bill Parcells. Taylor, at 33, probably only has a few good years left in him and he’s got to be glad that they’re going to be spent on a contending team.
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Henry Back to Cinci?
After having assault charges dropped due to a mistrial last week former Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry is looking to join an NFL team and it could be the same one that released him when learning of said assault charges. The Bengals’ relationship with star receiver Chad Johnson is dicey and Henry is a supremely talented wideout. He’s 6-4 and possesses good speed and adequate hands. He, along with Bryant Johnson, has been a starting-caliber receiver in the third position for the past few years. He’s got big game capability and the skills to be a standout receiver in the league.
Henry though, appears to have Pac-Man syndrome, in that he’s a repeat offender. He’s often finding himself in trouble with the law and was suspended for the first eight games of last season by Commissioner Roger Goodell. Henry will get a chance to play somewhere because he’s just too talented not to, but it’s going to be a big risk by whatever team that signs him. Henry had a solid collegiate career at West Virginia but slipped to the third round of the draft due to concerns about his character. He needs to get a hold of his life off the field if he’s ever going to shed this label. He’s got a ton of talent and it would be a shame to see it wasted.
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