the_idle_threat
06-15-2006, 12:19 AM
No matter what Favre does, it's news
Posted: June 14, 2006
NFL Grapevine - Mike Hart
Once upon a time, everyone thought they had nailed down the sure things in life.
A lot of people think the list starts and ends with death and taxes. That's because these two things go together hand-in-hand. After all, those taxes will kill ya.
We're sure about that.
It's about high time to add another sure thing to the list. One thing that has always been for sure in these parts is that whatever Brett Favre says, doesn't say, does or doesn't do will always create a stir.
One local television newscaster deemed it necessary to breathlessly inform the viewers the other day - with the type of excitement that should have been reserved for the collar of that Bin Laden character - that Favre was busy learning the new offense. This late-breaking announcement occurred during the news portion of the show.
It is good to hear that Favre is learning the new offense. That is, of course, his high-paying job.
Whatever Brett Favre does is news in these parts. It has been for years. Sooner or later, camera crews are going to catch up to him while he is buying a toothbrush, getting a haircut or taking his garbage to the curb.
Our man Brett held a charity softball game on Sunday in Little Chute, Wis. A throng of 8,107 spent their afternoon watching Brett and his buddies raise some loot for a good cause.
Not everybody can do that, however. It is hard to imagine that a Jon Kitna or Rex Grossman softball game would draw anything but flies.
So it was pretty big news when Brett was not spotted at one of those recent Organized Team Activity sessions that are so popular with guys like Al Harris and Charles Woodson.
Hmmm.
Inquiring minds wanted to know what was up with that. After all, didn't Mike McCarthy lead people to believe that No. 4 would be at all four "activity" sessions last week?
New Mike must have forgotten while he was in exile in San Francisco that Brett Favre is bigger than the Beatles and Elvis combined. You could probably say that Favre is bigger than Slim Whitman and Boxcar Willie, too.
McCarthy appeared to get his undies in a bundle when queried during a Q and A about why Favre was MIA during that particular OTA.
"I said he would be here next week," McCarthy said. "I never said he would practice all four days. Him practicing all four days was never the intention, ever.
"Brett has hit every target that we've asked. The plan for him has been laid out for months and frankly, ladies and gentlemen, I'm not going to get into going through this every day."
Sorry, New Mike. You will be going through this each and every day you occupy office space at 1265 Lombardi Ave.
We're talkin' Brett Favre here. Not Ingle Martin for crying out loud.
It wasn't too long ago that Favre drew a pack of media types to a remote location to announce that he didn't have anything to announce. He's like E.F. Hutton . . . only when he doesn't talk, people still want to listen.
A Harris Poll conducted online by Harris Interactive among a nationwide sample of 2,085 U.S. adults between May 9 and 16, 2006 asked people to name their favorite sports star.
No. 4 finished No. 3 behind Tiger Woods and that Jordan fellow, who used to play a pretty mean game of hoops.
That's not too shabby for a guy coming off a 29-interception campaign.
By the way, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Donovan McNabb and Ben Rothlisberger dropped out of the top 10 this year.
The warning shots have been fired, New Mike.
Brett Favre is the straw that stirs the drink and the world is watching.
That's for sure.
_______________________________
Uneasy rider
Ben Roethlisberger might want to invest in a helmet for his eventual debate with Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher over the merits of wearing one while riding a motorcycle.
That helmet should also have an added accessory known as the Cowher Spit Shield.
The jet-jawed Cowher isn't likely to mince any words or spit when this discussion takes place. Especially since they've already had it last year after the injury to Cleveland's Kellen Winslow.
When tackling the topic last year, Steelers linebacker Joey Porter put it best.
"What I say about motorcycles is that concrete is undefeated," Porter said.
Mike Holmgren put the brakes on players taking their motorcycles for a spin while he was coaching the Packers in 1998.
Holmgren issued the ban after defensive tackle Jermaine Smith suffered a season-ending elbow injury in a motorcycle accident shortly before the start of training camp.
The ban was put to the test when kick returner Glyn Milburn won a Harley-Davidson for being the most valuable player of the American Bowl exhibition game in Tokyo.
Holmgren would not budge.
"Football's hazardous enough," he said at the time. "He can look at it, though."
___________________________
Talk of the town
It is somewhat unfortunate that Brad Childress did not land the Green Bay gig if only for the entertainment value.
The brand-spanking new coach of the Minnesota Vikings kept the laugh track going full speed ahead with his constant criticism of Daunte Culpepper.
Culpepper might be gone, but Childress has kept the rips coming. He gave it the old college try after the Vikings picked quarterback Tarvaris Jackson of Alabama State.
Here's how Childress sized up his second-round pick: "A guy who is a piece of clay and has all the skills. I think he is a sponge. You are talking about a guy that never had a coach there as a quarterback coach. So what can he do with coaching? He's got the skills. What can he do with coaching?"
Now the last time anyone checked, Alabama State does really and truly have a quarterback coach by the name of Reggie Barlow. This is the same Reggie Barlow who was a wide receiver and kick returner in the NF of L for eight years. So this Reggie Barlow fellow just might know a thing or two about playing the game of football.
Childress' remarks did manage to trickle their way down to Alabama State.
"Next time you see Brad Childress," said Barlow, "tell him some people in Alabama weren't very happy with those comments."
As luck would have it, Barlow can tell Childress himself as he will be spending some time with the Vikings as part of the NFL's Minority Coaching Fellowship Program.
__________________________________
All the answers
Scott Ostler as The Answer Man for MSNBC.com:
Q: Giants punter Jeff Feagles keeps selling his number to teammates. He sold No. 10 to Eli Manning for a family vacation, he sold No. 17 to Plaxico Burress for a new kitchen. Has Feagles made any other deals?
A: Feagles recently sold his surname to a start-up Eagles tribute band.
______________________________
VineLines
Randy Hill for Foxsports.com: "Based on the recent endeavors of draft choice A.J. Nicholson and second-year receiver Chris Henry, the Cincinnati Bengals might be the subject of another ESPN original program.
"The working title is Pleamakers." . . .
Michael Ventre for MSNBC.com: "The assistant head coach for the Dallas Cowboys is a man named Tony Sparano. Hmmm. I wonder if he has a daughter named Pasture?" . . .
Denver Broncos running back Kyle Johnson, a former "street" free agent, when asked if he felt comfortable in his job status: "When you're a street guy, your comfort zone will return the day you retire." . . .
Pete McEntegart for Sportsillustrated.cnn.com: "The FCC has upheld its $550,000 fine of CBS for the glimpse of Janet Jackson's breast during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXVIII. Thus the Jackson incident remains history's second most costly boob, next to FEMA's Michael Brown." . . .
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck on the attention he has received in Seattle for a minor leg injury that has required crutches: "There was a time here where we couldn't get the best tackle in the game (Walter Jones) to show up for training camp and no one knew."
From Packer Plus wire reports and other news sources. Send e-mail to mhart@journalsentinel.com.
Posted: June 14, 2006
NFL Grapevine - Mike Hart
Once upon a time, everyone thought they had nailed down the sure things in life.
A lot of people think the list starts and ends with death and taxes. That's because these two things go together hand-in-hand. After all, those taxes will kill ya.
We're sure about that.
It's about high time to add another sure thing to the list. One thing that has always been for sure in these parts is that whatever Brett Favre says, doesn't say, does or doesn't do will always create a stir.
One local television newscaster deemed it necessary to breathlessly inform the viewers the other day - with the type of excitement that should have been reserved for the collar of that Bin Laden character - that Favre was busy learning the new offense. This late-breaking announcement occurred during the news portion of the show.
It is good to hear that Favre is learning the new offense. That is, of course, his high-paying job.
Whatever Brett Favre does is news in these parts. It has been for years. Sooner or later, camera crews are going to catch up to him while he is buying a toothbrush, getting a haircut or taking his garbage to the curb.
Our man Brett held a charity softball game on Sunday in Little Chute, Wis. A throng of 8,107 spent their afternoon watching Brett and his buddies raise some loot for a good cause.
Not everybody can do that, however. It is hard to imagine that a Jon Kitna or Rex Grossman softball game would draw anything but flies.
So it was pretty big news when Brett was not spotted at one of those recent Organized Team Activity sessions that are so popular with guys like Al Harris and Charles Woodson.
Hmmm.
Inquiring minds wanted to know what was up with that. After all, didn't Mike McCarthy lead people to believe that No. 4 would be at all four "activity" sessions last week?
New Mike must have forgotten while he was in exile in San Francisco that Brett Favre is bigger than the Beatles and Elvis combined. You could probably say that Favre is bigger than Slim Whitman and Boxcar Willie, too.
McCarthy appeared to get his undies in a bundle when queried during a Q and A about why Favre was MIA during that particular OTA.
"I said he would be here next week," McCarthy said. "I never said he would practice all four days. Him practicing all four days was never the intention, ever.
"Brett has hit every target that we've asked. The plan for him has been laid out for months and frankly, ladies and gentlemen, I'm not going to get into going through this every day."
Sorry, New Mike. You will be going through this each and every day you occupy office space at 1265 Lombardi Ave.
We're talkin' Brett Favre here. Not Ingle Martin for crying out loud.
It wasn't too long ago that Favre drew a pack of media types to a remote location to announce that he didn't have anything to announce. He's like E.F. Hutton . . . only when he doesn't talk, people still want to listen.
A Harris Poll conducted online by Harris Interactive among a nationwide sample of 2,085 U.S. adults between May 9 and 16, 2006 asked people to name their favorite sports star.
No. 4 finished No. 3 behind Tiger Woods and that Jordan fellow, who used to play a pretty mean game of hoops.
That's not too shabby for a guy coming off a 29-interception campaign.
By the way, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Donovan McNabb and Ben Rothlisberger dropped out of the top 10 this year.
The warning shots have been fired, New Mike.
Brett Favre is the straw that stirs the drink and the world is watching.
That's for sure.
_______________________________
Uneasy rider
Ben Roethlisberger might want to invest in a helmet for his eventual debate with Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher over the merits of wearing one while riding a motorcycle.
That helmet should also have an added accessory known as the Cowher Spit Shield.
The jet-jawed Cowher isn't likely to mince any words or spit when this discussion takes place. Especially since they've already had it last year after the injury to Cleveland's Kellen Winslow.
When tackling the topic last year, Steelers linebacker Joey Porter put it best.
"What I say about motorcycles is that concrete is undefeated," Porter said.
Mike Holmgren put the brakes on players taking their motorcycles for a spin while he was coaching the Packers in 1998.
Holmgren issued the ban after defensive tackle Jermaine Smith suffered a season-ending elbow injury in a motorcycle accident shortly before the start of training camp.
The ban was put to the test when kick returner Glyn Milburn won a Harley-Davidson for being the most valuable player of the American Bowl exhibition game in Tokyo.
Holmgren would not budge.
"Football's hazardous enough," he said at the time. "He can look at it, though."
___________________________
Talk of the town
It is somewhat unfortunate that Brad Childress did not land the Green Bay gig if only for the entertainment value.
The brand-spanking new coach of the Minnesota Vikings kept the laugh track going full speed ahead with his constant criticism of Daunte Culpepper.
Culpepper might be gone, but Childress has kept the rips coming. He gave it the old college try after the Vikings picked quarterback Tarvaris Jackson of Alabama State.
Here's how Childress sized up his second-round pick: "A guy who is a piece of clay and has all the skills. I think he is a sponge. You are talking about a guy that never had a coach there as a quarterback coach. So what can he do with coaching? He's got the skills. What can he do with coaching?"
Now the last time anyone checked, Alabama State does really and truly have a quarterback coach by the name of Reggie Barlow. This is the same Reggie Barlow who was a wide receiver and kick returner in the NF of L for eight years. So this Reggie Barlow fellow just might know a thing or two about playing the game of football.
Childress' remarks did manage to trickle their way down to Alabama State.
"Next time you see Brad Childress," said Barlow, "tell him some people in Alabama weren't very happy with those comments."
As luck would have it, Barlow can tell Childress himself as he will be spending some time with the Vikings as part of the NFL's Minority Coaching Fellowship Program.
__________________________________
All the answers
Scott Ostler as The Answer Man for MSNBC.com:
Q: Giants punter Jeff Feagles keeps selling his number to teammates. He sold No. 10 to Eli Manning for a family vacation, he sold No. 17 to Plaxico Burress for a new kitchen. Has Feagles made any other deals?
A: Feagles recently sold his surname to a start-up Eagles tribute band.
______________________________
VineLines
Randy Hill for Foxsports.com: "Based on the recent endeavors of draft choice A.J. Nicholson and second-year receiver Chris Henry, the Cincinnati Bengals might be the subject of another ESPN original program.
"The working title is Pleamakers." . . .
Michael Ventre for MSNBC.com: "The assistant head coach for the Dallas Cowboys is a man named Tony Sparano. Hmmm. I wonder if he has a daughter named Pasture?" . . .
Denver Broncos running back Kyle Johnson, a former "street" free agent, when asked if he felt comfortable in his job status: "When you're a street guy, your comfort zone will return the day you retire." . . .
Pete McEntegart for Sportsillustrated.cnn.com: "The FCC has upheld its $550,000 fine of CBS for the glimpse of Janet Jackson's breast during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXVIII. Thus the Jackson incident remains history's second most costly boob, next to FEMA's Michael Brown." . . .
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck on the attention he has received in Seattle for a minor leg injury that has required crutches: "There was a time here where we couldn't get the best tackle in the game (Walter Jones) to show up for training camp and no one knew."
From Packer Plus wire reports and other news sources. Send e-mail to mhart@journalsentinel.com.