We've moved...

To our clientele:

If you are looking for us, we've moved here.
Yeah, the rent's a bit higher in the new place, but that doesn't mean you'll pay one dime more.

So visit often. The attitude is on us.

-The Grill Room Management

Willkommen to the Stammtisch, Brett!

While the Grill Room caters to mostly an American audience, we do follow certain German traditions around this joint -- besides serving the best beer in the world.

Recently, we had the idea to move around the tables with the aim of positioning one in the finest location in the place. So, after a little work, we now have our Stammtisch. It is right next to the fireplace, has unfettered access to the bar, and offers a picturesque view of the storybook German countryside on the left and our 120-inch, big-screen TV on the right.

Of course, the Stammtisch is reserved for only our finest customers, and able consumers of our strong stuff.
In the last couple of weeks, that table's been a bit quiet, even if New Orleans' Bourbon Street contingent have been regulars.

Well, this week we've invited Brett Favre's Vikings up to join the Saints and Peyton Manning's all-too-polite Colts at our Stammtisch. What they accomplished in Green Bay last Sunday was mighty strong.

The table's plenty exclusive, but it's also plenty big, so we've extended an invitation to the defending champion Steelers to gather 'round next week, but only if they go to Denver and beat the Broncos Monday night. With incentive like that, how can they lose?

The gang around the Stammtisch will be watching.


THE STRONG STUFF

• 1 (1) New Orleans (99 proof, 7-0) With Carolina, St. Louis and Tampa Bay coming up, Saints won't play their next NFL game until the Patsies come calling on Nov. 30.
  
• 2 (2) Indianapolis (95 proof, 7-0) With Manning completely ineffective (31-48, 347 yds., 0 TDs), Colts had to go to RB Addai to throw clinching TD against 49ers.
• 3 (4) Minnesota (91 proof, 7-1) Favre and Peterson get the headlines, but Percy Harvin is the story.

WORTH A SHOT

• 4 (3) Pittsburgh (87 proof, 5-2) Ready to head to Denver Monday night to finish what Ravens started last Sunday.
  
• 5 (5) New England (85 proof, 5-2) After bye week spent in Florida with wife Gisele Bundchen, Tom Brady says his body feels great. And this is news...
  
• 6 (7) Philadelphia (84 proof, 5-2) Used scrimmage against Giants to prepare for confident Cowboys this Sunday.
• 7 (9) Baltimore (82 proof, 4-3) Put Denver in its proper place, and is fixin' to do the same with Cincy.
• 8 (10) Cincinnati (79 proof, 5-2) Used bye week to make sure all their fillings were properly glued in place with rock-'em, sock-'em Ravens coming to town for revenge.
• 9 (6) Denver (78 proof, 6-1) Took 'em eight weeks, but they are what we thought they were. OK, maybe they're just a little better...
• 10 (15) Dallas (77 proof, 5-2) Well, well, it's about time the Cowboys started their rise. Otherwise, how can they fall?
• 11 (13) Houston (76 proof, 5-3) Loss of TE Daniels, is a mighty downer to a team on the way up.
• 12 (11) Atlanta (74 proof, 4-3) After tough loss to Saints, Falcons will benefit from Obama's NFL bailout plan when they host his team on Sunday.

WATERED DOWN

• 13 (18) Chicago (66 proof, 4-3) This team has 9-7 written all over it.
• 14 (8) Arizona (65 proof, 4-3) Speaking of having 9-7 written all over it...
  
• 15 (16) San Diego (63 proof, 4-3) Had to play a full 60 minutes to put away awful Raiders. Lucky for them, they might need only half that to put away Giants Sunday.
• 16 (14) Green Bay (61 proof, 4-3) Rodgers holds the ball for 10 seconds in the pocket and O-Line gets rapped. Nice...
  
• 17 (12) N.Y. Giants (60 proof, 5-3) Defensive coach Sheridan vows to finally make an adjustment Sunday when he crosses his arms the other way on the sidelines.
• 18 (17) San Francisco (58 proof, 3-4) Just what Tennessee needs, an angry 49ers team at home this Sunday.
• 19 (19) Miami (57 proof, 3-4) Finally figured the best way to get the ball in Ted Ginn's hands -- don't throw it to him.

CHEAP STUFF

• 20 (20) N.Y. Jets (56 proof, 4-4) Buddy boy's Jets will spend bye week talking big to themselves, because frankly, nobody else is listening anymore.
  
• 21 (24) Carolina (55 proof, 3-4) Big win in Arizona Sunday, but Coach Fox won't last long holding his breath every time Delhomme drops back to pass -- even if it was only 14 times.
  

ROT GUT

• 22 (21) Jacksonville (50 proof, 3-4) Enough of this team already.
• 23 (23) Seattle (47 proof, 2-5) Just dumped Edgerrin James. There! That will fix it!
  
• 24 (22) Buffalo (45 proof, 3-5) The exciting Dick Jauron is heading to Norton, Kan., during the bye week, to kick seriously tail in a bingo tournament.
• 25 (25) Kansas City (39 proof, 1-6) Had a bye week Sunday and nobody noticed.
• 26 (26) Oakland (37 proof, 2-5) Coach Cable will join Jauron in Norton to make sure those blue-hairs pay up -- or else.
• 27 (30) Tennessee (30 proof, 1-6) Now that they've played that mighty Young trump card, what's next?
  
• 28 (27) Cleveland (29 proof, 1-7) After firing GM, Mangini warns owner he might be next.
• 29 (28) Tampa Bay (28 proof, 0-7) Why do we think they can beat Green Bay this week? Seriously, why?!
• 30 (31) Washington (19 proof, 2-5) After years of running the team into the ground, it has finally occurred to Dan Snyder things aren't going well. Will ya cut this guy off already.
  
• 31 (32) St. Louis (18 proof, 1-7) Into fourth day of 11-day drunk after winning Sunday.
• 32 (29) Detroit (15 proof, 1-6) Ahh, home...

(*) -- denotes last week's ranking.

Golf Hall setup is too easy

For a game that generally demands the highest standards and decorum, requirements for gaining entrance to the World Golf Hall of Fame have always seemed just a little too vague and a little too low to us in the Grill Room.

On Monday night, Lanny Wadkins, Jose Maria Olazabal and Christy O'Connor Sr. were inducted into golf's shrine to itself in St. Augustine, Fla.

These three gents join the likes of Tony Jacklin, Gene Littler and Larry Nelson -- to randomly pick just a few of the head-scratching members for no good reason at all -- as inductees.
It is not like these guys weren't good players. They were very good, in fact, but don't belong anywhere near the likes of Nicklaus, Palmer, Jones and Hogan in anything resembling a nod to greatness.

I guess this doesn't make it unlike so many of the other sports Halls these days. It seems like the NFL, for one, lowers its standards of greatness each year. Baseball has lately been called by some the Hall of Good, so maybe we're being a little hard on golf and the players it considers great. It just seems like more should be expected of the world's greatest game.

Wadkins was like players of more recent vintage, Fred Couples and Davis Love III, who had a ton of game and should have won more, but didn't. Mostly, that's because Wadkins had no back-off button on the golf course. It was said that he never saw a pin he didn't like. His go-for-broke approach no doubt speared him a few of his wins, but most likely cost him many more.

Wadkins managed to win a very respectable 21 tour events, including the 1977 PGA Championship, his one and only major. He also won the venerable U.S. Amateur, and was one of the United State's great Ryder Cup players, racking up an impressive 20-11-3 record in the event.

Wadkins, who will be 60 next month, has been pretty outspoken lately about not being included for induction earlier with contemporaries like Hubert Green and Nelson. In fact, Wadkins has never been shy about saying what's on his mind, which made his wishy-washy approach as the game's lead analyst on CBS all the more baffling.

CBS dumped him in 2007, after five languid years behind the mic. While he remains dumbfounded by this decision, he was clear about what Monday night's honor meant.

"To join this (Hall) and be a part of something with my heroes ... I am honored beyond belief," Wadkins said.

Frankly, I've always had a particularly soft spot for Olazabal (pictured), even if I do question his Hall-of-Fame credentials.

I named a dog after him once back when I was being paid to cover the sport a very long time ago. Yes, I realize that both of those developments are equally pathetic.

Olazabal the golfer, comes from a small fishing village in the north of Spain, has always carried himself like a gentleman and let his clubs do most of his talking in his prime. Olazabal the dog was a royal pain in the ass, who came from hell. (Sorry, I obviously have unresolved issues where this dog is concerned.)

Olazabal the golfer is best known for winning two Masters and partnering with countryman Seve Ballesteros in the Ryder Cup to rain terror on the Americans. The Spaniards were as responsible as any Euro not named Montgomerie for turning around that continent's fortunes in the bi-annual event. Ballesteros and Olazabal amassing a gaudy 11-2-2 record playing together, and
Olazabal sports a solid 18-8-2 overall record in the event.

In my book, Olazabal has been one of the two or three best putters in the game over the past 20 years or so, which mostly explains his stellar record on the slippery greens of Augusta.

Too often his game has gone sideways off the tee, however, or he would have undoubtedly improved on his record of 23 wins on the European Tour and six more on the PGA Tour.

Included in that PGA resume is one of the most impressive ball-striking exhibitions I have ever seen.
Olazabal won the 1990 World Series of Golf at Firestone Country Club by a whopping 12 strokes. The Spaniard, who was a mere 24 at the time, opened with a 61, and then lit the brute of a course up with three consecutive 67s, to finish an unheard of 26-under.
It's ironic that the long-distance runner-up in that event was none other than one Lanny Wadkins.

Admittedly, I know little about O'Connor, 84, beside what I've read. His record says he won 24 times on the European Tour and played in a mess of Ryder Cups. I'm sure the guy was a very good player, which is good enough these days to get a seat next to the game's greats.

A footnote: President Dwight D. Eisenhower was also posthumously admitted to the Hall Monday night. Eisenhower was the most prolific of all our golfing presidents, playing an estimated 800 rounds during his presidency. With apologies to the above three inductees, that is a statistic worth getting excited about!

Packer fans in purple haze

Justice can be hard to find in this cruel world, especially if you are digging around NFL stadiums on a Sunday afternoon.
Just ask any virtuous Green Bay fan who crowded into hallowed Lambeau Field yesterday.

When Brett Favre started his interesting road to retirement two seasons ago, he broke the hearts of Packer-backers everywhere. But he was certainly forgiven.
When he exited that road and landed as the quarterback of the hated Vikings this past summer, he did the unforgivable.

So there would be hell to pay, that was all there was to it.

The Packer Nation circled the date on their calendars when their once-favorite son would return, and then gathered 'round to bear witness to his beating.

Of course, they are still waiting.

With the Green Bay faithful expecting their team to dole out justice, Favre instead showed no conscience and delivered rockets to wide-open Vikings all over the joint. While the Green Bay faithful waited for quarterback Aaron Rodgers to take his place as the second-coming, the Viking defense showed no mercy and unceremoniously planted him in the Lambeau sod.

When it was finally over, the scoreboard read: Vikings 38, Green Bay 26.

If the disillusioned Green Bay fans learned anything at all yesterday, it's this: If you are looking for justice you'd best try a court, because in the NFL, baby, might still makes right.


Now onto a sampling of what the nation's sportswriters and columnists are saying about their football teams across every NFL city, because in the Grill Room we love the newspaper business, even if it hates itself.


(4) Minnesota 38
(14) Green Bay 26

• Gambling Vikings now running the table thanks to draft picks.
• Packers can't corral Favre, and that takes talent.

(9) Baltimore 30
(6) Denver 7

• Ravens back where they belong by putting Broncos where they should be.
  
• Broncos forget to put on game-faces for Halloween.

(13) Houston 31
(22) Buffalo 10

• These Texans lasso victories not excuses.
• Bills offense is nothing to shout about.
  

(18) Chicago 30
(27) Cleveland 6

• Bears neither good nor bad against the ugly Browns.
• If anger were a tool maybe Browns could fix this mess.
  

(15) Dallas 38
(23) Seattle 17

• Cowboys season goes forward with a look back at Philly.
• After another frightful loss, Seattle goes mad.
  

(32) St. Louis 17
(29) Detroit 10

• Rams win! Enough said.
• Detroit reclaims title as biggest loser.
  

(2) Indianapolis 18
(17) San Francisco 14

• Addai, not Manning, throws 49ers for a loss.
• At least things are becoming clear under center for 49ers.
  

(7) Philadelphia 40
(12) N.Y. Giants 17

• Giants knocked cold thanks to all those punches the Eagles landed...
• ...and now this embarrassing team doesn't even remember what it used to be.
  

(19) Miami 30
(20) N.Y. Jets 25

• Dolphins hit Jets right where it hurts -- in their big mouths...
• ...while Ryan's big ego swallows all common sense.
  

(16) San Diego 24
(26) Oakland 16

• Chargers kill QB, then time, and hold on for win.
• Isn't it time Davis dumped his Cable?
  

(30) Tennessee 30
(21) Jacksonville 13

• With first win, Titans are finally feeling Young again.
• Jaguars still blowing hot and cold.
  

(24) Carolina 34
(8) Arizona 21

• Jake comes up with a game he can believe in.
• When did Cards' pass game become so offensive?
  

(*) denotes NFL 100-proof ranking

Favre returns, jury awaits

Even though Brett Favre's return to Green Bay Sunday mercifully puts an end to what seems like 107 weeks of uber-hype, aren't you at least a little curious to see how it all plays out?

Don't you wonder how the salt-of-the-earth folks in Wisconsin will treat the man they once crowned their prince and savior? Because for all the good Favre did in Green Bay during his 16-year reign, is it possible he undid all of it, with his embarrassing, stuttering departure two years ago?

Understand that Green Bay was an NFL wasteland after the glory days of Vince Lombardi in the '60s. Between 1969 and 1991 the Packers had exactly five winning seasons, and appeared in the playoffs only twice.

Really, growing up and watching the once-great team's demise was a crime -- even if you weren't an ardent Packer-backer. Green Bay was the iconic team during the NFL's sonic rise in the 1960s.

The Packers represented all that was good about the sport, what with Lombardi manning the sidelines in his grey trench coat and fedora, a quarterback named Starr in command under center, and a Golden Boy named Paul Hornung running in the wake of the vaunted Packers' sweep.

Of course, all of this took place on the hallowed frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, under the gaze of their hearty fans, who breathed steam from behind their woolen ski masks, while supporting their team through the ice and cold.

The team's protracted fall in the '70s and '80s was like an endless Wisconsin winter.

Then Brett Favre arrived on the scene in 1992, like some comet.
Green Bay promptly rolled to a 9-7 record that year, and was on its way to becoming one of the dominant teams of the '90s.

The Packers ascent back to the top of the football world was complete when they won Super Bowl XXXI over Bill Parcells' Patriots.
The team promptly returned to the big game the very next year, when John Elway's somersault finally eclipsed all of those Favre-led Lambeau leaps, and pretty much ended Green Bay's short-lived, but welcome dominance.

Really, credit for Green Bay's turnaround should probably go first to general manager Ron Wolf, who in 1992 had the good sense to hire Mike Holmgren to lead the team. Holmgren then had the good sense to acquire Favre to run his offense.
And all three of them had the good sense to lasso the menacing Minister of Defense, Reggie White, the very next year, to form the final cornerstone of their mini-dynasty.

But, make no mistake about it, Favre was the seminal figure in Green Bay during this period of prosperity. No. 4 brought Green Bay back from the depths and to their rightful place on top of the NFL's burgeoning landscape. He never missed a game under center, and never lost the importance of what it meant to be Title Town's chosen son.

And when he thought he just couldn't hold the throne any longer, tears were shed, and he stepped down.

Then he didn't, and that's when the trouble started.
Favre's well-chronicled transition out of Green Bay was neither quick, quiet, nor classy.

After a rotten year with the Jets, Favre did it again and retired. And then he undid it again this summer, when he decided to give it another try with Green Bay rival, Minnesota.

When Favre trots onto Lambeau Field in a Vikings jersey Sunday, we'll find out if his legacy in Green Bay has been damaged beyond repair.

It's only fair that the Green Bay faithful decide this. And hopefully once and for all.

Lions-Rams: That '70s Show

When the St. Louis Rams take their sorry, 0-7 act on the road to stumble up against the almost-as-sorry, 1-5 Lions on Sunday, nostalgia will run as thick as the soot in the Motor City air.

St. Louis and Detroit...playing a meaningless mid-season football game...Shout it from the rooftops, friends, the NFL as we used to know it is back! Parity is dead, and a rebirth of the '70s is upon us!

All this harks to a time when our kids weren't too fat and our celebrities too thin; back when we actually believed the sludge which is Coors was a premium brew, if only because their boss told us it had water from the Rockies in it; back when newspapers were king and blogs were...well, they weren't.

Light up a smoke, close your eyes, and try to take a deep breath. Now open 'em. Pro football never looked so good, eh?

Once again we can take great comfort in knowing that when the Rams (of St. Louis Cardinals vintage), and the Lions of dependable Detroit bump up against our squad, a win is in the offing!
And when they bump into each other, well, another chapter of those wonderful NFL Follies won't be far behind.

Oh, for a short time, St. Louis of the Rams escaped its losing ways when they were quarterbacked by a guy named Warner and coached by a guy named Vermeil. They even ran an offense known as the "Greatest Show on Turf."
Thankfully, that act is long since dead, and now is some weird footnote in the annals of football history.

In fact, the Rams are so bad these days, NFL historians and are looking back over those glory years, to see if they really happened. Mysteriously, their alleged victory in Super Bowl XXXIV has vanished from the NFL Films archives altogether.
No, the city of St. Louis is back to ruining NFL franchises. Recently it even showed the masterful ability to make a martyr out of Rush Limbaugh, just for good measure.

Detroit, like the cars it produces, has proven to be a dependable loser for almost five decades now.

When a coach named Wayne Fontes threatened to turn them into something resembling winners in the early-'90s, Michiganders took great offense, and their unions acted swiftly and inappropriately, giving the guy a time-share next to Jimmy Hoffa.
Really, what ever happened to that dude? Fontes, we're talking about.

Last year, of course, the team outdid even itself and lost every single game it played. That misery finally ended this year, when President Obama sent his football team up there to bail 'em out with a win.
But there will be no big winning in Detroit. Even Obama can't handle that much change.

No, certain things must spin certain ways on this planet of ours, though must we be subjected to the indigestion that comes with watching the Lions play each and every Thanksgiving?

Ah, no matter. Things are starting to feel right again. If only the Saints would knock off this sudden penchant for winning we could really take a load off...

Take your pick

For informational purposes only...some picks for Week 8 action around the NFL brought to you by folks who most likely know as much about the game as you do:
ESPN
YAHOO!
CBS Sports
CNN/SI
NBC
SportingNews
AP

College:
SportingNews
CBS Sports
NBC

This Week's Grill Room NFL 100-PROOF lock: Arizona over Carolina, minus-8.5:
Well, last week we got back to serving dependable winners around here, when we recommended the angry, heavy favorite. The, Eagles, coming off their humiliating loss to the Raiders, were the choice to go into Washington and win with ease. They did, and now you are believing in us again.
Tampa, Washington and Kansas City all have an undeserved Sunday off, making the pickings a little more limited this time 'round.
So, this week we are going to offer up a happy, home favorite. The Arizona Cardinals have found some swagger and a swarming defense, while rolling to three straight wins. They are playing a confused, quarterback-less Carolina team, that somehow lost to Buffalo at home last week.
The Panthers fill out the anger part of our selection, but lose heavily to a Cardinal team that is three TDs better, 34-13.
Enjoy!
(Season record: 4-3)

Tape it up

• To get the latest on all the aches and breaks around the NFL go here.
• You don't think NFL players are crazy-tough? Take a look at this.
  
• The No. 1 Saints take a major hit in backfield.
  

TV Time
If you can't stop by the Grill Room, here's the college and pro football fare that's cooking on the tube this weekend:
(For our U.S. military viewers and their families overseas the games American Forces Network will be showing are in bold.)

COLLEGE:
Friday, Oct. 30
West Virginia at South Florida, 8 p.m., ESPN2

Saturday, Oct. 31
Iowa at Indiana, Noon, ESPN
Purdue at Wisconsin, Noon, ESPN2
Mississippi at Auburn, Noon, SEC
New Mexico State at Ohio State, Noon, Big Ten Network
Cincinnati at Syracuse, Noon, ESPNU
Georgia vs. Florida at Jacksonville, Fla., 3:30 p.m., CBS
Miami at Wake Forest, 3:30 p.m., ABC
Kansas at Texas Tech, 3:30 p.m., ABC
Michigan at Illinois, 3:30 p.m., ABC
California at Arizona State, 3:30 p.m., ABC
Central Michigan at Boston College, 3:30 p.m., ESPNU
Temple at Navy, 3:30 p.m., CBS CSN
Air Force at Colorado State, 4 p.m., Mtn.
UNLV at TCU, 4 p.m., Versus
Penn State at Northwestern, 4:30 p.m., ESPN
Eastern Michigan at Arkansas, 7 p.m., ESPNU
Washington State vs. Notre Dame at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m., NBC
New Mexico at San Diego State, 7:30 p.m., CBS CSN
South Carolina at Tennessee, 7:45 p.m., ESPN
Texas at Oklahoma State, 8 p.m., ABC
USC at Oregon, 8 p.m., ABC
Michigan State at Minnesota, 8 p.m., Big Ten Network
Wyoming at Utah, 8 p.m., Mtn.

Sunday, Nov. 1
Marshall at Central Florida, 8:15 p.m., ESPN

NFL:
Sunday, Nov. 1
(Byes: Cincinnati, Kansas City, New England, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Washington)
Denver at Baltimore 1 p.m., CBS
Houston at Buffalo 1 p.m., CBS
Cleveland at Chicago 1 p.m., CBS
Seattle at Dallas 1 p.m., FOX
St. Louis at Detroit 1 p.m., FOX
Minnesota at Green Bay 1 p.m., FOX
San Francisco at Indianapolis 1 p.m.. FOX
N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia 1 p.m., FOX
Miami at N.Y. Jets 1 p.m., CBS
Oakland at San Diego 4:05 p.m., CBS
Jacksonville at Tennessee 4:05 p.m., CBS
Minnesota at Green Bay 4:15 p.m., FOX, FOX
Carolina at Arizona 4:15 p.m., FOX

Monday, Nov. 2
Atlanta at New Orleans 8:30 p.m., ESPN

(All times EST)

Favre No. 5, followed by Big Bird

Remember the Sesame Street song, "One of these things is not like the other?"
OK, relax a little, eh? Yeah, we are using a Sesame Street song to make a point here. This is sports we're typing about, man, not astrophysics.

Anyway, Harris, the company behind all those polls, just released a list of the "Greatest Sports Stars of All Time."

Frankly, I have no real issues with nine out of the top 11. These things are subjective, but most of the important names are on there starting with Michael Jordan at No. 1.
His Airness is followed by Tiger Woods, Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali, Brett Favre, Joe Montana, Wayne Gretzky, Peyton Manning, Ted Williams, and Hank Aaron and LeBron James, who tied for 10th.

Go ahead read over that again. -- Jordan, Woods, Ruth, Ali...Favre...

I know! Favre?! FAVRE?! Big Bird just passed out.

Again...Jordan, Woods, Ruth, Ali...Favre?! What are you frickin' kidding me?! This would be like rating the greatest presidents Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Jefferson, W. Bush, Adams, Truman...

This falls somewhere in the territory between sad and pathetic to me, because it speaks to the intelligence of the 2,293 dolts that participated in this online poll. Americans might be political neanderthals, and are not the sharpest blades in the box when it comes to all things outside the scope of their porch, but they generally are on top of it when it comes to sports.

How in the world is Brett Favre the fifth greatest at anything?! He's not even the fifth greatest football player of all time, much less all-time sports star, for crying out loud!

This survey, conducted over the course of one week in early October, also breaks down the greatest players in each individual sport.
Favre is the No. 1 football player followed by Jim Brown, Joe Montana, Walter Payton and Jerry Rice. Again, no arguing with the other four, though how Johnny Unitas didn't crack the top 5 is beyond me. It's also pretty bizarre that no defensive players rate top-5 status. Was there ever a better football player than Lawrence Taylor?

But back to our dull point...
Brett Favre is a talented, entertaining player, no doubt. Frankly, the guy has made some of the greatest plays I have ever seen on the football field, but he has also made some incredibly boneheaded plays, mostly because he too often throws into coverage.
He also has exactly one Super Bowl victory to his credit, so it's not as if these voters were able to make the case that he was a great winner in casting their ridiculous vote.

Montana, Unitas, Manning, and Dan Marino were/are hands down better quarterbacks than Favre ever was. I'd also gladly make the case for Tom Brady and Dan Fouts.

Further, Brett Favre has arguably never even been the greatest current quarterback at any point of his career. John Elway, and Steve Young were also chucking the ball during the height of Favre's NFL powers. You'd get no argument from me if you made the case that either of those guys were better than Favre.

No, any way you cut it, this one is a real head-scratcher.

It is clear that Favre's on-again, off-again retirement plans have not affected his legacy in a negative fashion, which is a surprise unto itself.

What's that saying about bad publicity being better than no publicity at all?
Who knows, maybe there's hope for W. yet? Nah...