Dear Brett,

Hi! First off, lemme just say that I'm one of your biggest fans. And I want to thank you. I started watching football because of you. I love the way you play and how excited you were after every TD you throw. It makes everyone watching you feel like a 10 year old again. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be so awesome at discussing and writing about football. I accredit my awesomeness to you, Mr. Favre.



Okay, enough of the mushy stuff. Let's get to the real reason why I'm writing you. I was watching NFL Total Access last night, and I noticed they mentioned, the Jets officially released you from the reserve-retired list. This now makes you a free agent. In the very next breath, the hosts came up with some scenario that you may come out of retirement again and possibly play for the Vikings.

For The Love Of Ray J, I beg you.. PLEASE STAY RETIRED!!!! Seriously... I love you as a player and your career speaks volumes. But it's time to hang up the shoulder pads and cleats for good. I watched you fight the Green Bay Packers about coming back AFTER you retired following the 2007 season. I watched you get reinstated and traded to the Jets as a last ditch attempt to have them push for the playoffs. I watched you go 8-3, and beating the then-undefeated Titans during that span. I then watched your team fizzle out like day old Coca Cola at the end of the season, going 1-4 in your last five games. I watched you ultimately go 9-7 and no playoff run.




I watched the legendary Brett Favre turn into a tired, inaccurate and injured QB. To be quite frank, you looked..... OLD. It was sad to me. Now, I've seen you go through your highest of highs and lowest of lows. I watched you during your prime, when you won 3 NFL MVP Awards in a row, the only QB to ever do so. I watched you when you won the Super Bowl, convincingly, over the Patriots. I also watched when you checked your self into rehab and when you lost the Super Bowl to the Broncos. But even through the tough times, watching you go through that was much less painful than watching you at the end of last season.




If the Vikings do call you, please ignore them. Ignore them, and anyone else that pulls at you to come back. We all know you love football dearly, and there will always be a spark for the sport inside you. But ignore them. Coming back was not a good look for you, and I can't imagine what another year of a possible comeback will look like.

Please save your legacy. Save the memories that I have of you. Please don't create new memories that are horrible. Don't make a mockery of your former self. The haters would love nothing more than to see you fall flat on your face while attempting yet another comeback.




Don't give them the satisfaction of laughing at you. Making fun of you. That will lead me to defend you and then possibly get into a bar brawl. And I'm sorry Brett, but I don't want to chip my nails or mess up my hair in order to defend your honor... mmkay?!

In my final words to you, let me say this in the only way I can. *sigh* I didn't want to do it like this.. but I have no choice.


Brett.... I love you but.... go sitcho azz down somewhere!!! And I say that with all of the NFL love I have for you, with the best intentions. Your NFL chapter has been written. It's time to start a new chapter in your life.


Sincerely,


The NFL Chick

Okay guys and gals.... time for the #1 player on the Frivolous Five list ci. 2000. Because there are enough busts to go around, I chose the new millennium to focus on, mainly because they had enough busts of their own. Joey Harrington ring a bell??? Freddie Mitchell aka "Fred Ex"... HA! There were plenty to discuss in this decade alone... so with that said let's go to our #1 draft bust ci. 2000.





#1 Charles Rogers- WR, Michigan State
#2 Overall Pick b Detroit Lions, 2003



Remember when Charles Rogers was coming out of Michigan State, and folks compared him to Randy Moss with his athletic talent? Somewhere right now, Randy Moss is either laughing it up or highly offended. Rogers wishes right now that he had the same ability as Moss's pinkie finger.

Rogers did start off strong, with 243 yards and 3 TD in his first 5 games in 2003. But then he broke his collarbone during a practice drill and was placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season.

The following year, his collarbone broke AGAIN, during Week 1 of the 2004 season. He was out for yet another season.

In 2005, Rogers was suspended for 4 games under the NFL's substance abuse policy (his 3rd violation). Guess someone didn't tell him that the NFL isn't NCAA football, and he gets tested random and often in the big leagues. All of a sudden, the Lions snapped. After not making any contributions on the field, they filed a grievance asking for $10 million back, that he received in bonuses. But the Lions aren't off the hook. Reports later came out that Rogers failed drug tests every year at Michigan St. Ummmm... please explain to me, how you draft a player from your own backyard, yet not know that he failed drug tests every year in college. Stupid is as stupid does, I guess.....

Let's take a look at his short career stats. He has 36 receptions for 440 yds and 4 TDs total. Nothing to write home about. Actually it's something more to be ashamed of, especially as the #2 overall pick. Dismal is too kind of a word for his career numbers. They are flat out awful.


In 2006, Rogers was finally released by the Lions. While he did try to get work elsewhere, no one wanted him. Rogers was uninspiring. He had gained weight, and slowed down. Two things a WR shouldn't do. Since then, he fell off the face of the NFL earth. Rogers has recently been jailed for violating probation in a domestic violence case. Rogers chose to be locked up with credit for 15 days served, instead of staying in an intensive drug program. So sad.

Since 2000, Charles Rogers is the biggest bust in the history of the NFL. Never was a player so hyped for greatness, only to succumb to injury and failed drug tests like him. The sad thing is, Detroit basically didn't learn much from their mistakes, drafting WR Mike Williams in 2004 and WR Roy Williams in 2005.


Mike Williams was traded to the Raiders in 2007 and Roy Williams was traded to the Cowboys in 2008. Guess they didn't learn the first time.......

Okay, so Brown and Carr were #5 and #4 on my list. But they could go either way with some, because of injuries and a poor offensive line. Let's see who else is mentioned. Back to the list, shall we????


#3 Adam "Pacman" Jones- CB, West Virginia
#6 Overall Pick by Tennessee Titans, 2005



Wow... so many reasons why Pacman makes this list. Had Public Enemy made "Don't Believe The Hype" in the late after 2005 I would be convinced that it was made especially for Jones. To be quite frank if I may, Jones is a word that I don't like to use.. but let's just say it rhymes with mouchebag. Anyone remember the Real Sports interview with Bryant Gumbel????

From the very beginning trouble brewed with this guy. Not long after the 2005 draft, Jones was linked to a few incidents, including a fight which led to probation. Then there was the taunting of fellow teammate Keith Bullock. Bullock spoke out about Jones skipping camp because of a contract dispute and Pacman responded by reminding Bullock that he wasn't even a 1st round pick himself. So he had no right to respond to his situation. Oh...okay

Before I get into his long off-the-field record, let's look at his football career. He's had 4 INTs TOTAL, in his NFL career. Four..... Cuatro... He also has one sack in his pro career as well. Impressive, right?! WRONG! He did excel as a punt and kick returner, averaging 12.9 yds in 2006 (he led the league that year). He also had 3 punt returns for TDs, which tied an NFL record at the time. His sophomore season was pretty good for him.

But it all went downhill from there. Jones was suspended for the entire 2007 for numerous off-the-field issues. The most memorable was the Las Vegas strip club shooting, in which a man became paralyzed from the incident. When he vowed to stay away from strip clubs and trouble, he was spotted at an NYC strip club the night before he was to meet with Commissioner Goodell the following morning, regarding reinstatement. The strip club was a few block down from the NFL's headquarters, go figure.

When he was finally reinstated, he was traded to the Cowboys, where he basically did nothing and earned a paycheck in the process. He was released following the 2008 season. As of right now he's jobless. With all of the potential Jones had, he couldn't stay out of trouble. Not everyone can adapt to the responsibilities of being in the NFL... Jones was one of them.



#2 Kyle Boller- QB, California
#19 Overall Pick by Baltimore Ravens


Everyone knows that Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome is one of the best GMs in the business. He's drafted Ray Lewis, Jonathon Ogden, and Ed Reed. He's a great evaluator at talent. But drafting Kyle Boller was one pick I'm sure he'd like to have back.

The big hype about Boller coming out of college was, he could throw a football 60 yards while kneelingon one knee. Former HC Brian Billick was enamored by this info and wanted Boller to be the QB of the Ravens' future. Never mind the fact that he only had one good year at Cal during his tenure. Noo... Billick wanted this guy... and had Newsome trade back in the 1st round to get him.

Boller never really got comfortable in the Ravens offense. He always looked like a deer in headlights when he stepped out of the huddle. His number aren't very impressive either, with a 56.9% career completion pct, 45 TDs and 44 INTs. The most memorable game I have of him is against the Colts on a Sunday Night game. Boller went down with a toe injury and some of the fans in the stadium start cheering. The most classless thing I had ever seen, but it just showed the frustrations fans had with waiting for Boller to become a real QB.

Boller was the great enigma. He would have a week where he would show up and do great. Folks would start thinking, he's turning the corner, he's getting it now. This is it, finally, what we've waited for. And then the following week would come and he would bomb... HARD!. It was almost like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and you wondered which one was going to come out and play.

No matter what happened, Boller was always a class act. He never took the blame off of him, he never pointed fingers and always knew what to say. He was known for being a stand up guy when it came to criticism from the media and fans. Too bad it didn't continue on the football field.



#1 will be revealed tomorrow! See ya then......

Since Draft Day is only a few days away, let's take a look back at the draft picks from 2000-2008. I decided to give my Frivolous Five, players who were the worst picks during that time period. The ones that made the least significant impact during their tenure with the team that thought so highly of them that they drafted them in the first round. This can be debatable of course, because going through the drafts, there were quite a few busts which surprised me a little. So who made the list??? Let's take a look at numbers 5 and 4 from my Frivolous Five, shall we.

#5- Courtney Brown, DE Penn State
#1 overall pick by Cleveland Browns, 2000



I felt a certain way about putting Brown on this list. Mainly because it wasn't his play that puts him on this list, but injuries. Coming out of Penn State, Brown was regarded highly by a lot of GMs. When Cleveland picked Brown #1 overall in the 2000 draft, they were looking to get a cornerstone to their defensive scheme, which was only in their second year after the Browns returned to the NFL the year before.

Brown started off solid, with 70 tackles and 4 1/2 sacks during his rookie season. In his second season, Brown had 4 1/2 sacks in just 5 games, but was sidelined with injuries for the rest of the year. Then it all went downhill from there. He was never 100% from his 2nd year, on out, totaling 19 sacks in his NFL career. Ouch!

Brown went to the Denver Broncos in 2005 as a back up, and even contributed to the Broncos making the playoffs. But during the 2006 preseason, Brown tore his anterior cruciate ligament (aka, the ACL) in his knee and was out for the entire season. That's the last we've heard of Brown.

The guy had so much potential to be special, but injuries plagued him from becoming more. While I can understand why some may think he shouldn't be on this list, the hype is what got him to #5. You would've thought Brown was the second coming of the late Reggie White, with all of the praise he received. He didn't live up to it.



#4- David Carr, QB Fresno State
#1 overall pick by Houston Texans, 2002



When the Texans picked Carr out of Fresno St., the notion was that Carr was going to help the expansion Texans by having their QB of the present and future. Well...... they were wrong... real wrong.

I actually felt bad for him. He played with the worst offensive line I have ever seen in the history of football. He was sacked 76 times, a single season record, and they went 4-12 their first year. He never was able to get over the shell shock of not having anyone that could stop a pass rush. He had his moments, but Carr never emerged as the QB the Texans thought he would be.

In 2006, he had a career high completion pct at 68.9%, but that wasn't enough to keep him in Houston. The Texans finally parted ways with Carr at the end of the season. He then went to play for the Carolina Panthers as a backup. When QB Jake Delhomme went down with an elbow injury in 2007, Carr was named the starter. But he didn't do much there either, and by the 5th game of the season, Carr was dealing with injuries himself. He saw limited action throughout the rest of that season.

Carr is now with the NY Giants, backing up Eli Manning and earning a paycheck. He went from being the face of an expansion franchise, to backing up Peyton's baby brother. Had Carr gotten a little more help from his offensive line in the early years, who knows how this would have worked out. But they didn't... and he never recovered. Poor Carr.



Numbers 3 and 2 are coming up tomorrow... stay tuned!

I hope you guys enjoyed the list. We've made it down to our #1 in the Fave Five Football Players to watch... and I'm sure most of you already have an idea who it is. If you didn't think of this guy to be in YOUR fave five, then you're a hater, straight up! I'm calling you out... you drink Haterade and you are from Haiti if you don't even think of him when you think of exciting football.


#1- Ed Reed- S, Baltimore Ravens



Okay, I already know what you guys and gals are going to say. That I'm being completely biased in my decision to put Reed as #1 on my list. You know that I hail the purple and black and think that, if it weren't for Reed being a Raven, he wouldn't even be on this list.... But you'd be wrong.. as wrong as you could ever be.

Reed could have played on any team... and he'd still get my #1 vote. If he was a Steeler (*gasping*) or even a Redskin (*gag*), he's my # 1 guy. The fact that he just so happens to play for my team doesn't mean I'm biased at all... It simply means I get to see his greatness much more than any other player I mentioned so far. Ed Reed is a living highlight.

If you want me to get technical and bring up stats to support my choice... okay done! Reed lead the league with 9 interceptions in 2008. He had 265 interception yards, which was 2nd in the league last year. His 107 yd INT for a TD is an NFL record.


The previous record he broke?? His own, which was a 106 yd INT in 2004. Reed is 6th all time in interception return yards with 1, 144. Reed only needs 344 yds to pass Rod Woodson for the number 1 spot. And that is just what he did this year!!! There's no doubt about it, Ed Reed can ball.

Reed isn't as vocal a leader like Ray Lewis on the Ravens D. But he is their emotional leader. The defense feeds off of his energy and determination, which speaks volumes. Reed has nursed a nerve injury in his neck and shoulder all of last season. He was told that, if he had surgery on it now, it could possibly end his career in the NFL. Reed basically practiced with a red jersey (meaning no contact) for the majority of the season, yet still came out to make plays each and every Sunday. One word.... Wow!


Even if you hate the Ravens, you have a soft spot for Ed Reed. He's one of the most exciting players out there, and will probably go down as one of the greatest safeties ever to play the game. Even Ronnie Lott has given Reed props on how good he is, and Reed isn't nearly the hard hitter that Lott was. My son changed his number to 20 before the start of his football season, after a kid who previously had the number, left the team. The reason why he did it? "Because I want to have the same number as my favorite player ever.. Ed Reed".


In addition to being an exciting player, Reed is one of the nicest guys you'll meet. Every year during training camp, Reed signs every last paper, football, hat.. anything fans put out for signing. He's always the last in line, and tries not to miss one item.

My #1 player goes to one that is deserving as anyone I know... Ed Reed is the real deal, and I cannot wait until the 2009 season to see what new tricks he has up his sleeve... but I know I won't be disappointed. ESPN and NFL Network, getcha highlight packages ready!


Disclaimer: Sorry about the "theme songs" but these are really good highlights of Reed

The NFL Chick will bring you Number #2 of her Fave Five Football Players To Watch tomorrow. But we must advise that news have gotten out.......




John Madden has officially retired from broadcasting!!!!!


Now, I know some of you are sooo happy he's retiring for a number of reasons, mainly because you no longer have to hear the Brett Favre love fest that John Madden has going on. You probably are praising the football gods for blessing you with such Good News



But there are some that will be sad about his departure. You might find some old school Raiders fan out there, at his job right now, sobbing at his desk...silently weeping.. Because he knows the "commitment to excellence" has been gone since Madden left the organization decades ago.

It's okay old school Raiders fan... shed a tear... we understand...

Personally, I'll miss Madden.. I'll miss him drawing circles on players that moved out of that spot 3 seconds ago. Or when he brings up the "Turducken" conversation during the holiday season... Or talk about how great Brett Favre was/is (yeah I know I already mentioned him. But if Madden can be redundant, then dammit, so can I!). Who's gonna hold Al Michaels down in the booth now??? I feel the same way I felt when Whitney and Bobby broke up. The broadcasting booth will never be the same again.

Thank you John Madden, for your presence in the world of football and all of the memories. But most of all, thank you for creating that wonderful game you have. Thank you for giving me the power to shut my house down if I ever took that game away. So long Madden...... whether you were loved or hated, you will be missed........






In Other News...........
My fellow bloggers have some great new blogs worth the read.

Check out what Chris Cooley has been doing for the community this off season. Pigskinlovinglady has the scoop.

MKRob needs your helping to decide which QB in this year's Draft will have the bast Pro career. Find out what who the candidates are on his blog





Now Back To Your Regularly Scheduled Program................