411's NFL Round Up 8.05.08: Brett Favre is Back

Posted by Emmett Wilks on 08.05.2008

The open quarterback competition may in Green Bay may be more closer than you think. Also, a look at the recent Hall of Fame inductees and breaking down the Hall of Fame Game that kicked off the NFL Preseason. All this a more in this week's NFL Round Up!

Good day to everyone, and welcome to NFL Round Up! With the Preseason officially beginning with the Hall of Fame game, I guess a good number of people are beginning their Fantasy Football teams. While I have never been a fan of Fantasy (I believe in individualizes the most team oriented game in sports), I don't hate on those who partake. If I were a Fantasy player, I would say I'd be very confident in picking Steven Jackson with my top pick. Currently in a contract dispute with the Rams, I have a very strong feeling he will 1.) sign a deal soon, and 2.) have a big time year in St. Louis. With nothing to back it up except the return of left tackle Orlando Pace, Jackson is my preseason pick for MVP this season. Just a thought for you all to reflect on. Now, onto the Round Up!


QUICK NOTES

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith was suspended two games for a practice fight with teammate Ken Lucas that left Lucas with a broken nose that will need surgery. To call the situation a fight would be misleading. It was a sucker punch from Smith, who cold cocked Lucas while he was on the sidelines taking a knee. Look, fights happen in preseason (many coaches even encourage them), but this was borderline assault, and the suspension was very appropriate. When the helmets are off and the man isn't looking, that's a cheap shot in every way. This marked Smith's second suspension for fighting, having missed a game in 2002 after a film session fight with teammate Anthony Bright. Smith has seen genuinely remorseful in this situation, but men with anger issues like these often are, and can snap again at any time. For a team on a precarious borderline between respectable and lousy, losing their best player to kick off the season is not a desirable situation to be in.


Steve Smith's cheap shot of teammate Ken Lucas cost him a two game suspension and major blow to his reputation and image.

In what could be a major steal signing, the Patriots signed nine year veteran John Welbourn on Monday. Terms weren't released, but the undeniable fact is that the versatile Welbourn could be a huge asset to the Pats. Appearing to be one of the best lines in football for most of 2007, the Patriots were exposed in the Super Bowl by the Giants defensive front, who manhandled them most of the game. Welbourn, who started every game at right guard for the Chiefs last season can also play left guard and right tackle. It's signings like these that have always helped the Pats stay competitive each year, getting talent role players who work well with the team. Aside from a steroids bust three years ago, Welbourn has been a solid lineman, and is big boost to the Patriots offensive line.

Rookie defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey will miss a week or so with a sprained knee. The injury, while painful, is typically a quick heal and usually tends to have no lasting effects, speaking as a guy who had one on each knee. The Chiefs need themselves a lot of help this season, and losing their prized first round pick won't help coach Herm Edwards much. Dorsey is on my short list for Defensive Rookie of the Year, and this injury does not look to be a serious concern.

Word in Chicago has that Rex Grossman is having some very good, and some very bad days under center, with a few more good than bad, at least recently. While I have been critical of the QB situation with the Bears, we should not forget that during some stretches in the 2006 Super Bowl season for the Bears, Grossman did demonstrate some flashes of quarterback brilliance. Having watched this guys for almost 9 years from the University of Florida to now, I still just cannot figure out why he hasn't gelled everything together yet. Grossman will be the Bears starter on September 7th against the Colts, mark my words. But his lease will be very, very short.

One of my favorite NFL writers, Don Banks as a nice piece up on SI.com speculating on how the Packers off-season would have been different without the ever changing mind of Brett Favre. He is of the opinion that both the Packers 2nd and 7th round draft picks (QB's Brian Brohm of Louisville and Matt Flynn of LSU respectively) would not have taken place. I will have to say, if one of those guys who they could have grabbed turns into a All Pro player, then you very well could make a case that Favre indeed proved to be a detriment to the continued future success of the Packers.

It was turned into a sad development; Eagles All Pro guard Shawn Andrews has admitted he is battling depression. The former two time Pro Bowler has been a no show at Eagles camp thus far, and in an interview with the Philadelphia Daily News said he has sought professional help. I cannot imagine anyone not saying he should take the time he needs to get his life in order. The Eagles are still fining him $15,000 a day for his absence, which should stop immediately in light of his situation. The potential of Andrews is unlimited, and the Eagles know they have a perennial All Pro player in their midst. If he needs a few weeks off to get his life together, the Eagles should be man enough to let him. The organization very graciously handled the incident with Andy Reid and his kids in 2006 when they were arrested for drug and traffic violations, giving him a two week leave of absence from the team. The Eagles need to afford the same consideration to Andrews, camp or no camp.


CLOSER THAN YOU MAY THINK


A truly open QB competition between Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre may be closer than many fans would think

On Sunday, Brett Favre was officially reinstated by the NFL and activated by the Green Bay Packers by Monday. After all the hoopla and circus, Favre will likely be on the field again by August 5th, and compete with Aaron Rodgers for the starting job in Green Bay. Oh boy, this could get very ugly. Look folks, there is simply no doubt who has been QB of the two, Favre. As ESPN's great commentator Tony Kornhieser says "the difference between Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre is that one of them is not Brett Favre." Favre is one of the greatest players to every man the position of quarterback. There is just no debating that (thought for some strange reason, some people still try to), and the Packera know this. But they have still maintained a strong public loyalty towards Rodgers, having anointed him the successor and new face of the franchise. The thought of an open battle is still very interesting though. So how do some of the important factors work out for the two QB's. To be blunt, if we forget everything about last season and Favre's entire career, and make this an honest to goodness competition, this may be more even than people would perhaps think. Let's take a look at four factors that may decide a race between the competitors.

PHYSICAL TOOLS

This is one factor that Favre is remarkable at making nearly even. At 14 years the senior of Rodgers, Favre physically may still be more gifted than Rodgers. Rodgers may be quicker on the scramble, but Favre still has the cannon that he cannot touch. Both guys possess very good accuarcy and tight spirals on the fooball. But those 275 consecutive starts cannot be ignored on Favre's body. Like all great players, the fall from top physical strength to the pits can be startlingly sudden. Both guys are durable (Favre with his starts streak and Rodgers has never had a major injury), tough, and have great field vision. They are relatively evenly matched. This is nothing like the Joe Montana and Steve Young battles of the early 90's. Young was unquestionably the greater athlete of the two, and that physical prowess and Montana's injuries finally propelled him to the starting role. That fact that Favre is making the physical tools of the two debatable point is quite extraordinary onto itself. Call this a draw.

Favre- 1 Rodgers- 1

KNOWING THE OFFENSE
Both guys have been with Mike McCarthy since he arrived in 2006, and each is well aware of his playbook. Favre of course has the upper hand having taken nearly all the meaningful snaps, but it is important to note that Rodgers won't be some rookie with a learning curve to get by. He knows (or at least should know) everything about the offense, or at the very least as much as Favre. But the greatest experience is game experience, and Favre has boatloads more than Rodgers. There is just no amount of practice that can substitute for a half on NFL football. Advantage to Favre here.

Favre- 2 Rodgers- 1

DECISION MAKING

Or to be more direct, turnovers. For the last few seasons, Favre could get away with the stupid and ill advised turnovers. In an even race, those picks would be magnified. If Favre tries to get too cute in preseason games with passes, that very well may be a point if concern for Coach McCarthy. Remember, it was another fourth quarter interception from Favre that once again helped seal the fate of the Packers in the NFC championship game. Rodgers, especially during his college days at Cal, was always a low turnover guy. While Rodgers has not been afforded enough passes to really know what he will do, but it is not really that likely he will suddenly turn into a interception machine. Advantage here goes to Rodgers.

Favre- 2 Rodgers- 2

LEADERSHIP

Even though he has manned the position for the last several months and called every play for the first team for months, Rodgers simply cannot begin to touch Favre in this department. While most of the Green Bay players have remained positive about both guys, they understand that this is a win now league, and they will follow the guy who they feel will get them there. Favre won't lose that debate with Rodgers. It's just no going to happen. He has been entrenched in Green Bay since 1993 as the unquestioned starter. He knows how to lead and inspire. Rodgers could learn this one day, but he doesn't know it today, and that perhaps more than anything will hold him back from the spot in an open competition.

Favre- 3 Rodgers- 2

A VERY GOOD CLASS

The Hall of Fame inductees this year represented a very good class of players, but far from a defining one. Like all players, these guys were great, but none flawless. Of the five inductees this year, CB Darrell Green, WR Art Monk, LB Andre Tippett, CB Emmitt Thomas, DE Fred Dean, and OT Gary Zimmerman, only Green could ever be cast as one of the games elite greats. During the 80's and 90's with Washington, he was among the defining corners in football, and remained among the games fastest players into his 40's. Green was the only 1st Ballot inductee this year, and was very much deserving. Playing 20 seasons in Washington, Green stayed at an elite level for over a decade, always among the leagues best at the position. Few other players have ever maintained a high level of play over such a long span as Green did with Washington. He did stick around too long though, but that takes nothing away from his best years, when he could fly around the field like few other players in football.
Zimmerman would be just below that level. As one of the best offensive lineman of the 80's and 90's, he garnered a huge amount of accolades and praise in his day, but has never really ever been considered among the greatest tackles to play the game, but was without a debate a worthy inductee. Part of Zimmerman's problems was the results of his own success. After leaving Minnesota in 1993, he helped make Denver's offensive line the most feared in football (and perhaps extended John Elway's career as well). The offensive line, under coach Mike Shanahan, won back to back Super Bowls, and has remained very good in the years since Zimmerman left, lending an incorrect, but still acknowledged belief that Zimmerman was just a cog in a greater machine. Rubbish of course, Zimmerman was a great player, but it's a perception that remains nonetheless.

For Monk, this was a long time coming. Having been eligible since 2001, he had resided in the waiting room for seven years without selection. Monk was perhaps the ultimate player to fall under the distinction "really good for a long time but rarely great." As I made numerous mentions to when I did my Top 10 list earlier for the past several weeks, that is an important distinction, but not one that should have kept Monk out of Canton. Those lists were for the greatest of all time. The Hall of Fame is a place for many great players, not just the greatest. He was the primary receiving threat on three Super Bowl teams, and racked up numerous NFL records by the time he retired. Was he among the best at his position at any point? Not with Jerry Rice in the league, no. But in the 80's, he was certainly one of the three or four best receivers in football. Still Hall of Fame worthy? Of course.

Like Monk, Tippett waited a longer time than many thought he would as well. Eligible since 1999, Tippett was perhaps the third best linebacker of the 80's, right behind Lawrence Taylor and Mike Singletary. Spending his entire career with the Patriots, Tippett was leader of the defense and all around great linebacker.

For Emmitt Thomas, his road to the Hall of Fame was far too long. Among the best corners of the 1970's, Thomas spent his entire 13 seasons in Kansas City, where he had 58 career interceptions (4 more than Darrell Green mind you) and a Super Bowl title. Just as impressive was he stellar coaching resume, where he has been a defensive backs coach for Washington, Philadelphia, Green Bay, Minnesota, and currently Atlanta. Unfortunately, Thomas was just one of those guys who got lost in the shuffle for years before it was made right this year.

Fred Dean finished out the very good class. While a major factor in two Super Bowl wins for San Francisco in 1981 and 1984, Dean was certainly one of the better defensive lineman of the late 70's and early 80's. His great years were short however, but still elite level. His longevity as a play maker is probably what kept him out of the Hall for as long as it did. Not a major factor early in his career, he had a marvelous run from 78-83 with the Chargers and Niners that has defined his career. When at his best, he was the games best pass rusher during the time period, racking up multiple double digit sack seasons before it was commonplace. So, overall, a very good class, but not one we will be talking about for years to come.


A VERY NICE BEGINNING

The figurative beginning to the NFL season kicked off Sunday night with the Hall of Fame Classic between the Indianapolis Colts and the Washington Redskins. While close to nothing can ever be deduced from a preseason contest, the game itself was actually quite a nice way to start off the season, with the Skins topping the Colts by a score of 30-16. The preseason, while too long, remains very beneficial for many reasons. The most glaring remains working out the mistakes early season mistakes; penalties, knowing adjustment, etc. That's the obvious ones. But there are others, including allowing rookie players adjust to the speed of the NFL game, which can never be fully accomplished by practices alone, but also letting players who no one knows about really make a name for themselves on the field. The list of guys who made their first impacts in the NFL in preseason games is a long one, and last night may have been no exception.

While the results of these games mean absolutely nothing (the Colts are now 2-13 in their last 15 preseason games), they remain a valuable, though overlong, tool in gearing up for the season. A few things I noticed watching the game

1.) Pleasant QB situations for Washington

a.) Entering his third NFL season, it would be easy to say that the Skins have a good amount of expectation for young QB Jason Campbell, and this preseason opening made them feel very good. Taking just two series under center, Campbell went 5-5 passing for 61 yards and a TD to Antwan Randle-El. Under a new coach and in a new system, Campbell looked poised, confident, and in charge of Washington's first team. All in all a nice start for Campbell, who was overshadowed by another QB…

b.) I can't imagine I was the only one who felt that the Redskins may have stumbled onto a gold mine when it comes to Colt Brennan. I am not saying he is a future Hall of Fame player, All Pro, heck, even a great starter. But for a guy put into his first real NFL action to fire off those kind of passes was quite impressive. Even beyond his numbers (9 for 10 passing, 123 yards, 2 TD's and a rating of 157.5), which can be very misleading, Brennan proved that he can play some football. Brennan made all the right reads, tossed some great passes (both TD's and the completion to TE Jason Goode through two defenders were the highlights). Granted, it was done against a third team defense, but even there, the speed of the game was a lot faster than what he saw at the University of Hawaii. Give that boy an A for his first NFL test.

2.) Don't worry about the Colts.

With seven starters on the sidelines for the Colts (including QB Peyton Manning, FS Bob Sanders, DE Dwight Freeney, WR Marvin Harrison), I'd still be hard pressed to say that the Colts still did not look to be in pretty good shape. They committed just 4 penalties, allowed 3 sacks (2 of which were off safety blitzes), but the remaining starters looked good for their time in the game.

b.) With his big effort in the game, look for former Michigan Wolverine Mike Hart to get some more work. Hart, the Colts 6th round draft pick, managed 53 yards on just 4 carries, including a memorable second effort run for a first down. Finding your rookies is a key component of the preseason, and Hart could very well have earned himself some more carries after that.

3.) Is the whole NFL season getting too long? Football is known as the sport that begins in the heat and ends in the cold (for a good chunk of America anyway), but if the Preseason begins on August 3rd, and the Super Bowl kicks off on February 1st of 2009, that is 180 days of NFL football that is going to be played. That's about half the year for what is supposed to be a seasonal sport. Just wondering is all.




That's going to do it for this week. Have a good one everybody.