I’m stunned by the fact that Brett Favre seems to be planning on coming back to the Minnesota Vikings to get a chance at two regular-season vengeful triumphs over the Packers (and possibly a trip to the Super Bowl, if the hype machine is to be believed). 

We all know this isn’t going to end well — one, because Favre is 40-years-old, and we saw last year that 40-year-olds with blown-out biceps and a little too much self confidence self destruct at some point, and, two, they’re the Vikings. They’ll never win.

Every Viking fan alive knows they’ll never see the purple and gold win a Super Bowl, it’s not even a question, it’s something they understand somehwere deep in their souls — the Vikings will never win a Super Bowl, certainly not while playing in a Dome, and probably only after they are moved to Los Angeles. I just don’t see this whole thing ending well for Viking fans, Favre fans or Favre himself.

What’s next, start for the Broncos in 2010? You’d think the collapse in NYC last year would have been a sign from the football gods that this thing just isn’t meant to end well, but that it is most definitely meant to end now. Does anybody really think No. 4 is going to win a Super Bowl with the Vikes at 40?

Maybe it’s just crazy enough to work – but I seriously, seriously doubt it.

- Padraic

17. Tampa Bay, QB Josh Freeman: Not a fan of Freeman. Was told all week he was headed to Denver. Apparently has all the tools, but, in my opinion, will struggle with the Buccaneers.

18. Denver, DE Robert Ayers: I thought this would be their pick at No. 12. Broncos definitely needed defensive help. Ayers can also play OLB and should be an immediate contributor on one of the league’s worst defenses.

19. Philadelphia, WR Jeremy Maclin: I’m not sold on Maclin, since he played week in and week out against terrible Big 12 defenses.

20. Detroit, TE Brandon Pettigrew: Should provide a security blanket for new QB Matthew Stafford.

21. Cleveland, OL Alex Mack: Very athletic lineman who should team with last year’s top pick, Joe Thomas, to form a formidable front wall.

22. Minnesota, WR Percy Harvin: I thought this was a good pick for the Professor and the Vikings. A speedster known to be hurt or take plays off in college. If coaching staff can motivate him, he could be the steal of the draft.

23. Baltimore, OT Michael Oher: Had a down year with Rebels but is a character guy who could be around for 12-15 years in Baltimore. Overcame a rocky childhood to blossom into NFL player.

24. Atlanta, DT Peria Jerry: Could provided much-needed pass rush help for Falcons. Was a bit of an injury risk.

25. Miami, DB Vontae Davis: Brother of 49ers TE Vernon Davis. Enough said.

26. Green Bay, LB Clay Matthews: Great pick by the Packers. Should team with Barnett to form one of the best linebacking corps in the NFL.

27. Indianapolis, RB Donald Brown: Smaller RB that could be a great third-down back for the Colts.

28. Buffalo, OL Eric Wood: Known as a tough guy, Wood has a good work ethic and should help Bills.

29. New York Giants, WR Hakeem Nicks: Had breakout final year at UNC. Giants were obviously looking for replacement for Plaxico Burress and I think they found it with this pick.

30. Tennessee, WR Kenny Britt: Nice pick for Titans, should be an asset for whoever is throwing him the ball.

31. Arizona, RB Chris Wells: Great pick by Cardinals. Wells should immediately boost league’s worst rushing offense.

32. Pittsburgh, DT Evander Hood: Played on a Big 12 defense. Is he really first-round material? Steelers bailed on this pick.

Andrew

I love it. Nothing erases the stink of the first 0-16 season like a new logo.

Maybe this is just like baseball in which some people really care about superstitions.

Maybe a whole new logo will give the Lions a decent offensive line, a defense that can stop, well, something and at least one credible offensive threat other than Calvin Johnson.

Maybe adding the eyes to the lion will do the trick. Detroit’s quarterback could now see the back of the endzone with Jared Allen bearing down on him. Or maybe they lacked teeth. No, on second thought, that’s not the case. Center Dominic Raiola disproved that when he called out disgruntled fans last season to meet him at his house.

We can see how superstitions are working in baseball. Placing the bat that Babe Ruth hit his first home run with on home plate in the Yankee Stadium opener sure isn’t helping the Yankees, especially with their pitching. At least baseball’s ‘most prestigious’ team is setting a good example for the Cubs, showing them how to completely reverse their fortunes with a new park.

The best part about this whole deal is that the Lions organization actually paid someone thousands of dollars to add a few lines to the existing logo. That must be one sweet gig.

But, I must say, the new logo does look a little better than the old one. But that is one opinion. Well, at least it made everyone talk about something related to the Lions that did not have 0-16 plastered on it.

- Would all the people saying that Detroit ’should just announce its pick’ please be quiet. Really. It’s sad to say, but anything can happen with a player - or to a player - up until draft day.

- While digging around on my favorite informal Husker news site, huskerpedia, I came across this link on undefeated teams. This is almost required reading, and not just because the ‘71 and ‘95 Husker teams made the list. (But I am quite pleased with where they ended up.)

Anyone have thoughts?

- Russo

It seems that the woeful Oakland Raiders now have competition for the title of the NFL’s most disfunctional franchise.
ESPN is reporting that the Denver Broncos are set to trade their Pro Bowl QB Jay Cutler because he won’t return any phone calls from owner Pat Bowlen or new head coach Josh McDaniels.
Cutler is halfway through the six-year, $48 million contract he signed as the 11th overall pick out of Vanderbilt in the 2006 draft. He’s 17-20 as Broncos starter, although that’s misleading because of Denver’s dismal defense.
In games that the Broncos have allowed 21 points or fewer, Cutler is an impressive 13-1, and that only loss was to Green Bay in 2007 when the Packers won the coin toss and Brett Favre threw an 82-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime.
Say what you want about Cutler needing to grow up (very true), but is it really wise to trade a 25-year old rocket armed QB, who is only going to get better? Isn’t there plenty of blame to go around in this mess? Don’t you have to, on some level, blame a young, rookie head coach for creating this? What happens if the Denver offense goes from being one of the league’s best to becoming the AFC version of the Detroit Lions? And is it any coincidence that Cutler’s agent, Bus Cook, orchestrated Favre’s move out of Green Bay last season?

Andrew

It was an interesting week for the AFC West and my favorite (Kansas City) and least-favorite (Denver) football teams.

Poor Jay Cutler seems like he’s ready for a full-fledged nervous breakdown after learning of a potential trade — and ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski is letting him hear about it here. I don’t think Mr. Wojciechowski is going to get a Christmas card from the Cutler family any time soon. I don’t like Cutler or the Donkeys and I even winced a couple of times reading that one.

On a slightly related note, on the same “page” as the column was one of those internet ads telling me the IQ scores of different folks. I got a big kick out of this one … “Jay Cutler’s IQ = 129; Brandon Marshall’s IQ = 109; Average Bronco fan’s IQ = 97.” And don’t tell me those IQ-test sites on the internet don’t know what they’re talking about. Everybody knows Bronco fans aren’t very sharp.

And here’s to Tyler Thigpen taking the starting job in KC back when the football gods smile down on him about three games into the season. Matt Cassel, the new Chiefs’ QB who was rumored to have been discussed in a Cutler trade, is going to find playing behind the KC offensive line a slightly different proposition than sliding into the Patriots well-oiled machine. Chief receivers Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez are great, but I don’t know if they’re quite Randy Moss, Wes Welker, et al. I have this feeling there’s going to be a QB controversy before the season is over. But maybe that’s just because I’m a Thigpen fan.

Hear me out here. Cassel has never played for a bad team (or even practiced for one) and he’s about to step right in and start dodging bullets with one of the worst. He’s gone from a Lamborghini with a yet-to-be-created auto-pilot feature (aim at the guy in row 64Q up there and let Moss run underneath the ball) to being asked to race a Chevy Malibu with two hubcaps and 139,367 miles on it. That just feels scary to me. 

 Welcome to Kansas City, Matt!

- Padraic

What I love about the NFL is that it is replacing Major League Baseball in terms of ‘Hot Stove’ speculation.

Tomorrow is one of my favorite days in the NFL. Or should I say 10:01 p.m. today in Mountain Standard Time. That is the exact moment that the NFL free agency period begins and teams in earnest start to build for the 2009 season.

This winter has shown that no veteran is indespensible. So far, veterans - and most likely Hall of Famers - Derrick Brooks, Warrick Dunn and Fred Taylor are among the most recognizable names cut by their teams and are out on the free agent market.

Other players want more money and are weighing what are called ‘hometown discounts,’ which means taking a paycut to stay with their team. Among those players are the Chargers’ LaDanian Tomlinson and the Vikings’ Matt Birk. Birk, a Minnesota native with four children, has probably the toughest of decisions.

The biggest name on the market, starting tonight, is Tennessee defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. He will most likely get the largest contract for a defensive player in league history.

Other big names likely to find new homes - unless they are re-signed - are the Ravens’ Ray Lewis, the Redskins’ DeAngelo Hall, the Cardinals’ Kurt Warner and Anquan Boldin, and the Bengals’ T.J. Houshmandzadeh and the Cowboys’ Chris Canty. Here are some others:

Top 50 free agents

The other fun part of free agency is hearing about the needs of specific teams. For instance, the Eagles’ need for a receiver, the Cowboys’ need for a locker-room leader, the Vikings’ need for a quarterback (and a coach but that cannot be solved in free agency) and the Broncos need for a running back and, well, a defense.

During free agency, you also get a preview of the NFL Draft.

What catches your eye during free agency?

- Russo

Jim Brown turned 73 today. Happy Birthday to the greatest running back of all-time.

A first round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns in 1956, (1957) Brown played only nine years in the NFL, retiring at the age of 29.     

He announced his retirement on July 14, 1966 after Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell insisted that Brown report to training camp instead of finishing his work on the movie The Dirty Dozen.

He departed as the NFL record holder for both single-season (1,863 in 1963) and career rushing (12,312 yards), as well as the all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (106), total touchdowns (126), and all-purpose yards (15,549).

 He was the first player ever to reach the 100-rushing-touchdowns milestone, and only a few others have done so since, despite the league’s expansion to a 16-game season in 1978 (Brown’s first four seasons were only 12 games, and his last five were 14 games).

Brown also set a record by reaching the 100-touchdown milestone in only 93 games, which stood until LaDainian Tomlinson reached it in 89 games during the 2006 season. Brown holds the record for total seasons leading the NFL in all-purpose yards (5: 1958–1961, 1964), and is the only rusher in NFL history to average over 100 yards per game for a career.

Brown was also a superb receiver out of the backfield, catching 262 passes for 2,499 yards and 20 touchdowns. Every season he played, Brown was voted into the Pro Bowl, and he left the league in style by scoring three touchdowns in his final Pro Bowl game.

Brown’s memorable professional career led to his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971, while the The Sporting News selected him as the greatest football player of all time. Brown’s football talents at Syracuse garnered him a berth in the College Football Hall of Fame. Brown also earned a spot in the Lacrosse Hall of Fame, giving him a rare triple crown of sorts as well as being one of the few athletes to be a Hall of Fame member in more than one sport.

Some say Emmitt, some say Barry, and now some say LT, but nobody did what No. 32 did. (period)

By the way a pretty fair basketball player had a birthday today as well. Any guesses? 

-Lenn  

The Kansas City Chiefs hired former Arizona offensive coordinator Todd Haley to try to bring them back to respectability. I don’t know if that’s going to happen, but I’m optimistic.

Until he drafts Matthew Stafford or Mark Sanchez and then I’ll be ready to throw them all overboard.

Please draft some defenders. Please.

- Padraic

What a great day when I read the news that Tom Cable will keep have the interim label removed and will be the next head coach of the Oakland Silver Jumpsuits…I mean, the Raiders.

As a life-long Denver fan all I have to say to that is hallelujah!!! I’m sure Charger and Chiefs fans were equally as ecstatic to know the best the Oakland organization could do was a former college head coach who went 11-35 in four seasons in charge at Idaho (yes, Idaho) from 2000-03 in his only previous experience as a head coach.

Cable went 4-8 after replacing Lane Kiffin with the Raiders (5-11), who have lost at least 11 games in six consecutive years. Cable rallied Oakland to back-to-back victories to end last season. So I can hear Oakland fans already telling me how improved the team at the end of the season and wait until next season. Blah, blah, blah.

This hiring means the worst organization in professional sports will continue to remain that way for at least another decade and the AFC West title remains, essentially, a three-team chase — between Denver, San Diego and Kansas City (although that is debatable as long as Tyler Thigpin is the Chiefs’ starting QB) — year in and year out.

Andrew