Posted by Will Brinson

Tarvaris Jackson is Pete Carroll's new "guy" in Seattle.

As such, it's not surprising to hear him defend Jackson and the quarterback's struggles in Minnesota. But it is surprising to hear him basically rip the Vikings front office and coaching staff for their way of handling Jackson.

“He has not been in a good situation," Carroll told Yahoo! Sports' Mike Silver. "He’s been jerked around. We wanted to put him in a stable situation."

Boom. Roasted. But wait -- Carroll's comment wasn't even the spiciest one in Silver's article. Seahawks GM John Schneider kept things straight real when discussing Jackson's situation.

"He's 28 years old, and quite frankly was [expletive] on for four years," Schneider said.

Look, I'll give Schneider and Carroll credit for having a point here, because Jackson's been pushed back on the depth chart by a different crusty veteran nearly every single year since the Vikings drafted him in the first round. Brad Johnson, Gus Frerotte, and Brett Favre all started ahead of Jackson at one point, and obviously a situation involving Favre is going to play out like a yo-yo.

But having said all that, if Jackson was truly good enough to flourish and/or a clear-cut, starter-level quarterback at the NFL level, would the Vikings have been going out and chasing veteran quarterbacks in the first place? Or would they have simply allowed Jackson to walk after 2010 even though they were desperate enough for a quarterback that they a) reached for Christian Ponder in the first round and b) traded for Donovan McNabb?

It sure seems unlikely.

So it'll be quite interesting to see whether or not Carroll is more patient in Seattle if Jackson struggles to produce in the same offense that he was running in Minnesota. Seattle sure does appear to be a good situation for him, because he's got the same offensive coordinator (Darrell Bevell) and top offensive weapon (Sidney Rice).

And the Seahawks not only put their confidence firmly behind him, having named him the starter already, but they went out and got him a nice little bonus weapon in tight end Zach Miller.

So Jackson can succeed. Or he can struggle, again.

If it's the latter, however, we'll probably have to add Charlie Whitehurst's name to an already unassuming list of veterans who have hopped Jackson on the depth chart.

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Posted by Ryan Wilson

It's been 24 hours since we last spoke about Brett Favre so, naturally, it's time for an update. Days after Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne had to endure "We want Orton!" chants from the hometown fans, head coach Tony Sparano, tongue planted firmly in cheek (we think), was asked about Favre joining the Dolphins.

"I can't rule anything out...I'm giving you the only answer I can give you," Sparano told reporters, per Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

We know, we know. Sparano could've diffused the situation by just saying "I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer." Instead, he was vague, which sent the media (us included, clearly) into a Favre frenzy and prompted the ol' gunslinger's agent, Bus Cook to later observe, "Brett Favre's retired, that's all I can say. He's like Elvis now. People just won't let go."

For real.

On Friday, Jeff Darlington of the Miami Herald happened to be in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. As long as he was in the area, he figured he might as well ask Favre about his professional football hopes and dreams.

“I haven’t heard anything, and I don’t have any interest,” Favre snapped, quickly retreating into a pickup truck. “No.”

Favre then posed a question that at one time or another has been on the lips of every NFL fan. “You’re from Miami?” Favre asked, when introduced to a reporter from the Miami Herald. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”

Fair question. Then again this is what happens when you make a habit of un-retiring every offseason.

Two sources told Darlington that Favre hasn't been working out at the local high school field, as he had done in the past, but instead "spent a good chuck of time vacationing in Wyoming."

We'd like to think that this will end any "Favre's returning!?" talk but we know better. In the meantime, the Dolphins have signed QB Kevin O'Connell, the Patriots 2008 third-round pick who also spent time with the Lions and the Jets.

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Posted by Ryan Wilson

Finally, some happy news to report out of Dolphins training camp. After a week that included "We want Orton!" chants from fans (during a fan appreciation event, no less), and the inevitable Brett Favre un-retirement discussions, Miami starting quarterback Chad Henne can take heart in knowing that he has supporters in South Beach.

Unless they were being ironical.

We like to assume the best in people so we're going with the former. Either way, the Palm Beach Post's Ben Volin reports that a group of fans chanted "We want Henne!" prior to Thursday's practice and -- lo and behold -- Henne had one of his best performances of training camp.

While Henne has been in the public crosshairs recently, he's not guaranteed the starting gig -- although Sparano admitted Thursday that "He is the starter right now." But Sparano also said "We always have our eyes open. But the players that are here right now, we're preparing to go into the New England Patriot game and play with."

Yes, Kyle Orton would have been an upgrade, but let's not confuse him for Dan Marino. (If you need a quick reminder of the Dolphins QBs since Marino retired in 1999, here you go. We hope you're sitting down.) So for now, Henne's only competition is Matt Moore, formerly of the Panthers.

At various points during the lockout, there was speculation that the Dolphins could be interested in Vince Young (though they admitted to having some concerns about his maturity), Marc Bulger (he retired this week), and even Carson Palmer (still "retired" as of this writing). And in June, Sparano only offered up a "we'll see" when asked if the job was Henne's for 2011.

Here's to hoping this is the year Henne puts it all together. He seems like a swell guy and, frankly, it makes us uncomfortable to read quotes like this.

"Deep down inside, it does hurt," Henne said of the "We want Orton!" chants. "Obviously you want the respect of the fans and you want them to have your back. If you're a Miami Dolphins fan, hopefully you're cheering for the Miami Dolphins and the players out there, not somebody that's not here."

And for a night that's what happened. How long it lasts depends on how well Henne plays, obviously. This is the NFL, after all.

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Posted by Will Brinson



UPDATE (4:00 p.m.): Bus Cook, Favre's agent, likened Favre to Elvis (no, really) in an attempt to downplay the rumors.

"Brett Favre's retired, that's all I can say," Cook told ESPN. "He's like Elvis now. People just won't let go."

------

The Brett Favre watch isn't dead, we're sorry to inform you. We thought it was dead when his agent Bus Cook told the press that Favre is "retired, period."

But then Tony Sparano, who's dealing with some major quarterbacking drama down in Miami, had to go and refuse to say he wouldn't look at Favre for the Dolphins.

"I can't rule anything out...I'm giving you the only answer I can give you," Sparano told reporters when asked about Favre, per Omar Kelly of the Miami Sun-Sentinel.

But all the fault isn't on Sparano -- Dave Hyde, a Sun-Sentinel columnist definitely poured a couple gallons of gasoline on the proverbial fire when he decided to write a column Thursday titled, "Why shouldn't the Dolphins call Brett Favre?"

His list of five specific reasons why the 'Fins should sign Favre are, actually, not that suspect, outside of the part about turning "the Dolphins from a team no one's talking about to one everyone is."

That's just silly, in my opinion. And not because all the publicity surrounding Favre with the Jets and Vikings the last two years has been terrible either. It's because the goal is to win football games, not "get attention." 

But, yeah, I'll recognize that Favre might sell more tickets than incumbent Chad Henne. And jerseys. And ... well, maybe that one works too, dammit.

Still, couldn't we at least just let the initial overtures on Favre begin in a way that doesn't require me to delete a bunch of comments telling me that "this isn't news"? Please?

Didn't think so -- and so we beat on, boat in the past and whatnot.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

So, who wants to take a chance on Redskins QB Donovan McNabb, the guy who was beaten up and benched last year in Washington?

How ‘bout the team who just got finished employing Brett Favre? Yep, it’s the Vikings.

That’s according to CBSSports.com's Mike Freeman, who reports that the Vikings and Redskins have had "intense" conversations about possibly trading McNabb.

McNabb's destination

Mike Shanahan: ‘I love Donovan McNabb’ Redskins shouldn't expect much for McNabb McNabb: 2011 will be special season

With rookie Christian Ponder and the inexperienced Joe Webb as the only legit starting QBs on the roster right now – you might have heard that the Seahawks will sign away Tarvaris Jackson from Minnesota – it stands to reason that the Vikings are in need of an experienced signal-caller to help with Ponder’s transition to the NFL.

But considering McNabb is due to make $12.5 million this season, the terms of McNabb’s contract would have to be restructured in order for the Vikings to accept the deal. Especially since, at one point last season, Washington coach Mike Shanahan thought Rex Grossman should be in the game to lead a last-minute drive instead of McNabb.

So, why do it? Well, as ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert writes, the deal only makes sense if McNabb comes into Minnesota with the understanding that he’d be Ponder’s backup. Otherwise, Seifert writes, “if Ponder isn't ready in Week 1, you wonder if someone like Joe Webb or Tyler Thigpen couldn't hold down the fort until he is. Isn't that a smarter long-term move than trading for a declining player who can't start for a team that plans to have Rex Grossman and John Beck compete for the job this summer? The Vikings drafted Ponder to end their cycle of Band-Aid solutions at quarterback, not to extend it.”

Considering the Redskins gave up two draft picks to get McNabb from the Eagles before the 2010 season, McNabb’s decline in value is pretty startling.

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Posted by Will Brinson

For whatever unholy reason, even the amazing news of a brand-new CBA can't go through without the rumors of Brett Favre possibly returning to the NFL.

Thankfully, Bus Cook is here to let us know that Favre's not coming back. We think. Probably. Period? Yes, period.

"Brett Favre retired in January," Cook told the Clarion Ledger. "He has not talked to any teams, including Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles, the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks. He has not talked to anyone about playing football.

"He's retired, period."

So, there you have it: Brett Favre is not walking through that door.

Of course, this is the NFL and this is Brett Favre we're talking about. Which means that until he is actually no longer on the field and there is actually football taking place, there will be rumors about him playing somewhere.

Most of these rumors -- the Panthers and Eagles for example -- don't make any sense whatsoever, primarily because of Favre's age and the drama he brings.

On the other hand, if the catch-22 to getting football back is wading through Favre rumors, well, it's still worth it.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

On Saturday, CBSSports.com’s Ryan Wilson stirred the masses by writing about how the Eagles apparently were showing interest in everybody’s favorite retiree, Brett Favre.

Wilson pointed out that the source he was citing came from a Philadelphia talk radio host who isn’t always exactly … um … right.

Turns out the radio host’s report this time also was incorrect.

Although Eagles QB Michael Vick tweeted Sunday morning that he would welcome Favre as his backup (that update has mysteriously disappeared off his Twitter account), Foxsports.com’s Jay Glazer reports that two Eagles sources emphatically told him the rumors are false.

“(Favre is) not the option they are on,” Glazer wrote.

Which is bad news for those of you who like to gnash their teeth whenever Favre-related matters are mentioned. But probably good news for the rest of us. Including, most importantly, Favre himself.

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Posted by Ryan Wilson

You know, maybe Brett Favre's not the problem. Yes, he's made a mockery of the notion of a retirement press conference, and yes, he's brought a lot of this on himself by subsequent un-retirement press conferences. But when if finally seems as if he and his Wrangler jeans have moseyed off into the sunset, the media refuse to let him go.

The latest silliness: Howard Eskin of Philadelphia WIP, reported Saturday night that the "Eagles have some interest in Favre once they trade [Kevin] Kolb. Sources told me it's possible. Not sure what Favre thinks."

We don't know what Favre thinks either, but here's what he said last month about the prospects of returning to the NFL: “I don’t want to put my body through that anymore. I’ve been beat up enough.”

Favre has been known to say one thing and do another, but Favre's brother, Scott, has also weighed in on the matter, telling the Biloxi Sun Herald's Al Jones, "I would say there's less than a 1% chance (he would return). He is retired."

A few weeks ago, NFL.com's Gil Brandt, without speaking to Favre or anyone in Favre's camp, suggested that Favre still wants to play, in part because Favre offered to work with Cam Newton. (Yes, we're confused, too.)

We'll repeat what we said at the time: "We actually believe Favre when he said he's been beaten up enough. And if he gets a hankerin' for a comeback, we'd encourage him to watch these." 


It's also worth pointing out that one of Eskin's sources told him in June that Ravens coach John Harbaugh didn't want the team to draft cornerback Jimmy Smith. To quote Peter King: "That story about John Harbaugh not wanting Jimmy Smith? Wrong. Totally wrong."

Just something to keep in mind here as well.

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