Brett Favre: So Long, Farewell, I Don’t Want Another Goodbye

So, this is it: It’s finally over for Brett Favre. He will finally ride into the sunset after the thought of coming back for a second time in consecutive years.

Good riddance, Brett.

It isn’t enough that he has done this to Green Bay so many times, but now he has done it to the Minnesota Vikings.

Am I missing something?

Sure, he had a great beginning of 2008 and a great year in 2007, but his numbers were very much on the decline for the previous three or four years.

However, somehow people can’t get enough of Favre.

Was he a great quarterback? He leads the NFL is many different career statistics. He also led the Packers to two Super Bowls in the ’90s, including winning one.

He could also give fans heart attacks every time he threw the ball because they didn’t know—and oftentimes, he didn’t know—who he was throwing to.

He’s the all-time leader in interceptions.

Favre had a remarkable arm and a love for the game that will cause many Packers fans to not look at him the same for the very fact that he played for the Jets and flirted playing with joining their archrival in Minnesota.

Imagine if Derek Jeter held on for one more year, and flirted with playing with the Red Sox. It’s pretty much the same thing.

It was always said that Favre had a bar stool appeal to the “average” person. You could imagine being Favre because he seemed like a normal dude.

Does any normal dude hold their organization or business hostage because they can’t make up their mind time after time after time?

Does any normal dude who works 16 years at Pepsi flirt with working one more year for Coke?

As sports fans, we want to believe that “our guys” hate their guys. We want to believe that Steelers players hate Ravens players and Cowboys players hate Redskins players, especially if you have been on one side of that coin for 16 years.

How can Favre, who was hated by the purple and gold for so many years, “sleep with the enemy?”

Favre shouldn’t be given a pass because he failed to play for Minnesota. He wanted to do it, he said that “we” could be pretty good when referring to the Vikings upcoming season.

But Favre finally listened to his body.

Hopefully, we will never have to listen to Favre again.

Eagles Defensive Coordinator Jim Johnson Passes Away

Training Camp Questions: NFC West

Three Under the Radar Storylines for the Detroit Lions’ Season

There’s a lot of talk about the Detroit Lions this off season.  I guess a remarkably terrible season and a complete organization overhaul will do that to a team.  While we’ve heard so much about the supposedly great class of rookies and the improved linebacker unit, there are a few storylines that have remained mostly under the radar.

With training camp opening this week and preseason right around the corner,  I give you my three under the radar storylines for the Detroit Lions 2009 season.

1. Rookie Head Coach Jim Schwartz

Many have been singing praises for Jim Schwartz since his appointment as the new Lion’s head coach, even though they haven’t played a single game. 

Sure, his Tennessee Titan’s defense gave up just over 14 points per game, good for second best in the NFL in 2008.  He’s also received accolades for his “no depth chart” policy.  But as everyone who knows football is aware, great coordinators don’t always make great or even decent coaches.

Just ask Lions new defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham.  After four successful seasons as Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator from 1995—1998, Cunningham was promoted to head coach following the resignation of Marty Schottenheimer.

Following two mediocre seasons at the helm, Cunningham was fired and hasn’t held a head coaching position since.

Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan had a similar fate.  Following successful stretches as an offensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins, Linehan was given the top job for the St. Louis Rams.

After an 11—25 record in just over two years (2006—2008) Linehan was fired.

Jim Schwartz marks the third time since 2000 the Lions have chosen a first time head coach to lead the team.  The first two, Marty Mornhinweg and Rod Marinelli, went a combined 15-65 in five years.

We know Jim Schwartz can run a defense, but whether or not he can translate that into success the Lion’s head coach, will be something to watch carefully this season.

2. Image Building

Following the NFL’s first 0-16 season, the Lions will be looking to add a hint of credibility to their woebegone franchise.

Making trades and drafting well are only two of the ways to build a successful franchise.  The third is free agency, and while the Lions have many goals this year, one of them must be to make it a more appealing place for potential free agents.

While money does talk for most NFL players, the Lion’s history and management have scared off high quality free agents for years.  A winning season is unlikely, but making earnest progress will entice better players to come and be a part of an upstart organization.

The time is now for the Lions to begin their turnaround.  Matt Millen, the rightful scapegoat for many (not all) of the Lion’s problems over most of the last decade, is gone.  If the Lions don’t show signs of progress this year, who will there be to blame it on? 

A respectable coaching staff and the departure of Matt Millen are a start, but it’s crucial for the Lions to show the league that there can be a successful football team in Detroit.

3. Daunte Circa 2004 or Daunte’s Inferno?

While the spotlight is on first overall pick Matthew Stafford this summer, the Lion’s other quarterback will be just as, if not more important this year.  

The great debate in Detroit is whether or not Matthew Stafford should start from week one and all eyes will be on him this preseason to see if he is ready.  Meanwhile, five years removed from his 4,700 yard, 39 touchdown season in 2004, Daunte Culpepper will be entering training camp in his best shape in years.

Stafford is getting all the face but time, but what I think is more important in the short term, is whether or not Culpepper can hold on to the starting job and give Stafford time to develop his game further.

With the spotlight on Stafford this off season, it will be interesting to see what Culpepper can do.  If he can have a good season behind center for the Lions, it will be the best scenario for the Lions in the long run.

I’m looking forward to finding out whether Daunte can turn around or if he will completely flame out.  Either way, it makes for good entertainment.

A Confident QB, An Unusual Workout Routine, and the Wonders of YouTube

On a day when Brett Favre drew most of the NFL headlines by simply choosing to do nothing, the arrival of the relatively nondescript quarterbacks of the San Francisco 49ers to the team’s facility in Santa Clara was greeted with little fanfare.

Yet even in their introductory dealings with the media both Shaun Hill and Alex Smith made indelible impressions that spoke volumes.

Hill, 7-3 in his ten starts for the Niners the past two seasons came in tanned, smiling, and exuding all the confidence and bravado one would associate with a starting NFL quarterback.

He spoke of how much more comfortable he was with new offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye’s playbook than he was with Mike Martz’s at this same time last year.

He expressed that he specifically liked the fact that he’ll have the option to check out of bad plays at the line of scrimmage to audible into whatever suits his fancy, and how having that freedom and responsibility will benefit his style.

Hill also said that he would prefer for head coach Mike Singletary to name the starting quarterback as soon as possible so that he could get the majority of the reps and build a report with the receivers.

His tone and body language, however, made it clear that not only does he see the competition as a trivial annoyance to be easily dealt with, but also that he is not the kind of guy who puts much stock in practice or preseason games and that he would very much prefer to get the real season underway as soon as possible.

Perhaps it could be argued that Hill acted far more arrogantly than someone with his modest accomplishments ought to, especially when engaged in a quarterback controversy with a former No. 1 overall draft pick, but Hill, with his head up, his voice clear and his glare penetrating, looked like The Man out here.

The contrast with Smith was in a word, startling.

Smith engaged the media with his head down and his voice quiet.

He made little eye contact with those who asked him questions and gave few definitive statements.

He said that his throwing shoulder, which has undergone operations the past two seasons, is feeling better than it has in a long time, but readily admitted that doubts still creep into his mind about it’s durability from time to time.

Smith stated that as far as he knew the competition between him and Hill was even but at no time did he express or even suggest that he believed he would win the job.

He was hopeful, but not confident, waiting to see what training camp and the preseason games would bring.

If you took the average Joe off the street unfamiliar with the 49ers, asked him to observe the two interview sessions and then asked him who was the former No. 1 pick and who was undrafted journeyman, there isn’t a chance he would guess that Smith was the one marked for stardom while Hill is the NFL vagabond looking for a permanent home.

Smith just wants to make a good impression in this training camp and see what happens.

Hill is already looking past the so-called “competition” and is eager for the games that matter.

One guy looks and sounds like a leader of men, the other like someone hoping to hold a clipboard and draw an easy, painless paycheck the next few years.

I would be shocked if, barring injury, that Shaun Hill isn’t the starting quarterback of the 49ers in Arizona for their regular season opener against the Cardinals on Sept. 13.

Far removed from the quarterback drama was rookie linebacker Scott McKillop, a fifth-round pick out of Pittsburgh, who despite his polite “Yes sir, no sir” answers and cheery demeanor ruined at least a dozen scribes’ afternoons when he revealed that he was too young to have ever seen Singletary’s playing days as a star linebacker for the Chicago Bears.

“I had to check him out on Youtube,” McKillop sheepishly confessed, while adding that until he visited Santa Clara for the first time in May for OTAs, he hadn’t even heard of “The Super Bowl Shuffle” that Singletary and the rest of his ’85 teammates recorded and boogied to in the aftermath of their dominant 18-1 season.

I feel so old.

Speaking of the ’85 Bears, Singletary’s Hall of Fame teammate, running back Walter Payton was known for his grueling off-season workouts running up steep hills in his native Mississippi.

Curtis Taylor, a seventh-round pick out of LSU hoping to catch on as a backup safety, may be a generation removed from the legendary Payton, but he too sees the benefit of using Mother Nature as a training partner rather than running on a treadmill in some antiseptic gym.   

“I’ve been training by running the levees back home,” Taylor said, meaning Louisiana.

When a reporter asked him if he was running over the levees or around them, an incredulous Taylor replied, “It wouldn’t do me no good to run around them.”

For most of us media types, even running around them would be a marked improvement over our current (non-existent) conditioning programs.

Is Larry Johnson Washed Up, Or a Victim of the Curse of 400 Carries?

2005 was an unfortunate year for the Kansas City Chiefs.

At 10-6, they became the sixth team in NFL history to miss the wild card with double-digit wins; but for one Chief, it was bittersweet.

One man had finished with 1,750 yards and 20 touchdowns and was the NFL’s third leading rusher.

That man was Larry Johnson.

In his third year with the team, he was named to the Pro Bowl. It was the beginning of a new era at Arrowhead Stadium, and around the league, as well.

His 336 carries were cause for concern though, (Johnson only became the starter Week Eight against the Chargers).

It was smooth sailing for Larry Johnson, however. He was touted as the next big thing. Not only were NFL analysts predicting success in 2006, but even Fantasy analysts were suggesting that LJ was the second or third best running back to draft. 

The former Nittany Lion didn’t disappoint in ’06. If anything, he was better than ever. He was the second leading rusher with 1,789 yards and 17 touchdowns. He was back in the Pro Bowl, but again his workload set off red flags.

416 carries. It was, and still is an NFL record. He surpassed Jamal Anderson’s previous record of 410 attempts.

LaDainian Tomlinson, the leading rusher in 2006, only had 368 carries. He had 26 more yards than Johnson on 68 less carries.

In 2007, after clearly outperforming his rookie contract, Johnson demanded a new deal. He even sat out of training camp. He finally got a deal done but only made it nine games before being injured.

When he went out in the Week Nine game against Green Bay, he had 158 carries and 554 yards.

He was on pace for 280 carries, which would have tied him for ninth with Marshawn Lynch in 2007.

In 2008, LJ only played in 12 games. He was suspended weeks seven thru nine for violating team rules. He was then suspended again by Commissioner Goodell for his behavior outside of football (four different arrests and charges for assault).

He ended 2008 with 874 yards and 198 carries. For the first time since 2004, Larry Johnson wasn’t in the top ten for rushing attempts.

That year, he was was on pace for 264 carries, which would have placed him 11th on the list.

Johnson seems a lot to me like another former Big Ten running back that got burned out quickly.

He joins that group with none other than Heisman winner, Eddie George.

From his entrance into the league in 1996, to his departure from the Oilers/Titans organization in 2003, George averaged 341 carries a season. George only played in 14 games with the Dallas Cowboys after he signed with them in 2004, rushing for a career-low 432 yards.

In his first four seasons before 2000, George rushed for 5,365 yards. George began to decline after 2000 in which he had 403 attempts. After 2000, in his final four seasons, he rushed for 3,567 yards.

400 attempts in a season seems to be the kiss of death for all that have embarked upon its quest.

Jamal Anderson had three consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons before 1998 when he had 410 attempts.

He had one 1,000 yard season after that, and two seasons under 200 yards. Four years without missing a start turned into 21 starts in 48 games his final three years.

James Wilder had two full seasons as the starter in Tampa Bay. In 1984, he had 405 attempts for 1,544 yards. The next year it was 365 attempts for 1,300 yards.

Then it was 190 carries for 704 yards.

106 for 488.

86 for 343.

70 for 244.

And finally, 11 attempts for 51 yards.

So far, Wilder is the only back to have a 1,200+ yard season after joining the 400 club.

It might be unfair to say Larry Johnson is washed up, but consider this: His stats are already in decline after his glorious 416-carry season.

He is 29 years old; come November 19, 2009, Mr. Johnson will be 30, another number many pros (running backs, in particular) fear.

This upcoming season will be the deciding factor.

With Matt Cassel at quarterback and the departure of Tony Gonzalez, the Chiefs will need Johnson to return to his 2005-’06 form to take the pressure off of Cassel.

Should I bother to mention that in six years, Larry Johnson has only had two 1,000 yard seasons?

I guess that’s a story for another time.

Hopefully, LJ can break the curse.

Brett Favre: Tribute to the Only Cheese Head That Can “Break My Heart”

For Daniel, Rob, and Rocky. Thanks for all the support, all the time.

I’m standing in line at the local grocery store when out of the corner of my eye I spot a misplaced magazine.

As I move toward the rack, one hand carrying tonight’s chicken dinner, the other a baker’s dozen cookies, I inch my way toward the rack, careful to leave one foot in line. I don’t want to lose my spot.

The cover of the magazine shows a green sleeve designed with a nonchalant yellow stripe, a tattooed No. 4 on the jersey.

I know this jersey. 

“Miss?” the cashier calls out to me.

I hear her, but I’m trying with all my might to grab the magazine.

“Miss, are you ready?” she asks again.

I look behind me and see the just-out-of-work folks falling into place in a line where the wait time has crept up to 10 minutes. Instinctively, I nod for the lady behind me to go ahead.

I must see that magazine. 

Brett Favre may not be the most well-liked quarterback in the current scheme of things. 

After all, it’s tough to love a guy who decides to break the hearts of millions (yes, males included), make a sudden comeback the following season, re-retire, un-retire, only to (almost) sign with a team Green Bay Packers’ fans can only describe as the epitome of a rival, and then do an about-face and claim he’s not coming out of retirement after all.

Can someone say indecisive?

Alas, my point isn’t to write another “Dear Brett” letter, nor is it to write about the sour taste he’s left in the mouths of many Cheese Heads.

Bear with me while I strive to make a case for a man I can sincerely say I still respect and admire in spite of the sour taste this Cheese Head has had in her mouth.

For those who have read my pieces (all eight!), my initiation into the Bleacher Report sphere began with an article originally titled, “Mike, Brett: Retire to Un-retire No More.” It was later retitled, “Players Who Declare Retirement Should Not Be Allowed to Play Again” by an intern editor, whose work I didn’t know I could reedit.

In the piece, I was angry, bitter, and upset. To put it bluntly, I was being a girl.

While my draw to most athletes usually stems from their troubled past, Favre didn’t quite fit the mold of my favorite player. He was a genius on the football field and, quite frankly, looked like a Greek god in his green uniform. All sexism aside, the guy was undeniably great.

Say what you will about him, the guy has a track record like no other. He’s currently the only player with three-consecutive AP Most Valuable Player awards, he’s thrown the most career touchdown passes, and he holds the recods for most consecutive starts as quarterback in the NFL. He led his Packers to seven division championships, four NFC Championship games, and achieved the ultimate in Super Bowl XXXI, where he led Packers Nation to a championship win.

A few other notable stats for the awesomeness that is Favre: He has the most career passing yards, most career pass completions, and most victories as starting quarterback.  

He did all this in 17 seasons with Green Bay, and as far as the media are concerned, only had one wife. Talk about committed, huh?

All humor aside, while his indecisiveness isn’t my favorite part about being a Favre fan, like everything else you have to take the good with the bad.

Yes, the man also holds the record for most interceptions. No, he didn’t win more than one Super Bowl.

But you can’t complete a pass unless you risk the interception. And the number of rings doesn’t equate the memories, stats, and dedication.

And the man did commit 17 years of his life to a nation that honored that commitment with dedication, loyalty, and such an incredible fanhood it can only be described as scary.

While I at one point argued Favre should never have left, I can’t say I wasn’t happy just to watch him play when he did return, even if it was in a white uniform with a green stripe.

And with news breaking out Tuesday he will not, as previously thought, be coming back to play for the abominable men in purple, you have to respect Favre.

In an effort to sidestep the bitterness I may have had at one point, I have to admire a guy who won’t come back, not because he doesn’t want to, but because he can’t guarantee 100 percent. You can’t be upset at someone who demands perfection of himself, not for himself. 

At one point I thought he was unwilling to let go of the fame, but now I realize more than ever it’s not about the fame—it’s about the passion.

In terms of relationship, Favre is doing what’s best for the fans even though we may not recognize it right now. Because it’d be too easy to come back, become a sell out, and feed the greed and need for his passion. Instead, he’s letting us go to be free to find another who is able to give us 100 percent.

And you know what? We deserve it.

And on the fateful day at Albertson’s, as the cashier announced my total was $20 and some change, I stared at the crumpled $20 bill in my hand.

I knew I should have brought my wallet.

I ended up losing my place in line and trading in my cookies for the magazine.

But those are the sacrifices one makes for those you love. And, as I’ve said a million times before, while Brett Favre is the only person who can break my heart into little pieces, I can’t hate the guy for it.

He’s done it for the better of the relationship.

So Brett, in the words of Sir Elton John, “Don’t go breakin’ my heart.”

But in case you do—thanks for the memories.

Jim Johnson Was One of the Good Guys

Andy Reid used the words sincere, direct, and honest to describe defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, who passed away to melanoma around 5:45 this afternoon.

But perhaps Coach Reid forgot Johnson’s greatest trait. The one that made him stand-out from every other defensive coordinator—fearlessness.

Jim Johnson was the most fearless football coach I’ve ever had the privilege to watch.

I think one game tells his story best. It was a game that Pro Football Hall of Famer Ray Didinger reminded me of earlier this afternoon. A 2007 Sunday night loss to New England, one of the league’s great offensive powerhouses.

For the entire season, teams played New England scared. They didn’t blitz. They played a cautious, lazy defense.

But Johnson came in with his fearless approach, blitzing nearly every play. And it worked; Brady felt the pressure. The Eagles defense gave them a chance to pull the upset of the year.

It didn’t turn out that way though, with troubles offensively. The Eagles lost 31-28. But Johnson’s defense was of no fault.

Though Johnson’s scheme didn’t win that game for him it was tried by other teams around the league, most notably by Johnson’s former understudy, Steve Spagnuolo in Super Bowl XLII, where Spagnuolo’s Giants went on to shock the world, beating the undefeated Patriots.

He went in and tried something unprecedented. He was fearless and it made him great.

Off the field he was a great person, too.

He shaped not only the football lives of so many of his defensive students, but their real lives as well.

He kept them focused on one collective goal—winning.

“There’s been no finer coach or man than Jim Johnson,” owner Jeffrey Lurie said Tuesday night. “He was just an incredible gem from Day One.”

And that just about sums it up.

Jim Johnson was one of the good guys.

No More No.4-Play: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Brett Favre

First and foremost: As a life-long Bears fan, I won’t lie, I listened to this upon hearing the news that Favre officially retired.

(It’s work-safe.)

As an unbiased (I know, right?) sportswriter though, I feel it’s my duty to take a look at Favre’s legacy in a piece I like to call…

“The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”

Let’s start with The Good:

• Favre is the only player to win the AP Most Valuable Player three consecutive times (1995–97)

• He led the Packers to seven division championships.

• Two Super Bowl Appearances, with one win.
• He holds a gang of NFL records. Let’s see: Most career TD passes (464), most career passing yards (65,127), most career pass completions (5,720), most career pass attempts (9,280), most career interceptions thrown (310), The Cal Ripken streak for QB’s, (269; 291 total starts including playoffs), and the most wins by a QB (169).

One of the best to ever do it? No doubt about it. Top five QB of all time? Yup. But be easy, gentle reader. We have to look at..

The Bad:

He’s the All-time Career interceptions leader with 310. Second on that list of course, is Cade McNown with every pass he ever threw.

He’s the all-time leader of every passing record for the Packers, except for two. TWO? What kind of quitter is he? In other news, I see you, Lynn Dickey!

The soap-opera that was the last two years. What are Ron Jaworski and those guys going to talk about now?

*checks any sports site, news site, and talk show in the last two days*

Wait, they reinstated WHO?!?!?

Um. Moving on.

The Ugly:

• E’s new girlfriend on “Entourage”. (Note: This has nothing to do with Brett Favre, but you have to figure as a man he agrees with me, as should you. I mean, come ON!)

Wrapping things up, there isn’t much else to be said about No. 4. I take my shots in jest because—let’s face it—he’s basically moonwalking into the Hall-of-Fame, and he made the game fun to watch (4th and 26, anyone?). That’s all that matters, when it’s all said and done. Now bring on the season already!

We Will Miss You, Jim Johnson

Today is a sad day for the NFL.

Jim Johnson, defensive genius and veteran NFL assistant of 22 years, finally succumbed to cancer Tuesday afternoon. He was 68.

“I’m not sure there’s a person that I’ve met that isn’t a Jim Johnson fan,” said Andy Reid, during the team’s official press conference. “He really represented everything this city is all about with his toughness and grit. That’s the way he fought this cancer.”

Reid’s words characterized general sentiment and the sadness felt on this day. He was echoed by Jeffrey Lurie, Roger Goodell, and an assortment of players and colleagues, both past and present.

“I loved Jim Johnson,” said Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, an Eagles assistant for nine seasons with Johnson. “He had a special ability to bring out the best in people while getting you to see the best in yourself. He saw potential and developed it. He made me believe I could coach at this level.

“In football, he was a pioneering and brilliant strategist, changing the way defense is played in the NFL. For me, he was a father-type mentor, and above all, a cherished friend. He belongs in the Hall of Fame. I will miss him so much.”

Sometimes one doesn’t appreciate what is there until it is gone.

Eagles fans, both old and young alike, took Johnson for granted. The 26 Pro Bowls his players were selected to, the 390 sacks in 10 years—second in the league over this span—spoke volumes, but his ability to communicate with players was his greatest asset.

“He was a tough coach who wasn’t afraid to let you know how he was feeling, but at the same time, he cared about us deeply,” said former Eagles safety and seven-time Pro Bowler Brian Dawkins.

It is evident that Johnson overshadows his football prowess by the man he really was.

“He was great to work with and for, and he had his priorities in order,” said New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin. “His players loved to play for him and his coaches loved to coach with him.”

As a coach and as a person, Johnson was admired from afar. To quote a few (from ESPN):

“Even though I’m a Cowboys fan, I have plenty of respect for Jim Johnson. His blitzing schemes caused havoc in the NFC east for many years…I give my condolences to his family.” -tedchennault

“As a Redskins fan, I am sorry to hear of Jim Johnson’s passing. He was a great coach and always made the Eagles’ D an extremely tough one to play. My thoughts are with his family and all who played for and worked with him in Philadelphia and everywhere else he coached.” -Rudybux45

Particularly in Philadelphia, where Jim Johnson adds to a list of beloved sports names who have recently passed away (Harry Kalas, Gary Papa), fans are aroused in a spirit of shared empathy. Jim Johnson, an excellent man, a beloved figure in Philadelphia sports, has passed away.

Jim Johnson, thanks for the memories. We will miss you.

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