Granted, we would all like to see a few more scintillating exhibition games, but no such luck. August is in the rearview mirror and the real games have arrived in the NFL.
One last time, Brett Favre. You sure you want to do this?
It’s too late for Favre to retire again. He’s going to be under center today when the New York Jets play at Miami, where anything less than a 13-game losing streak to open the season would be an improvement.
Not that Broadway Brett is the only megastar megastory out there. Bill Belichick doesn’t want you to know it, but Tom Brady’s foot appears healthy enough for him to start against Kansas City. Peyton Manning? He missed the entire preseason, just as Brady did, but he’s also good to go.
Favre’s challenge is simple enough. To be considered a success, all he has to do is take to the playoffs a team that finished 4-12 last season. Before you flip your eyes, stranger things have happened in the Not For Long. In fact, they happen every year in this crazy, mixed-up league.
Fact: Six teams made the playoffs in 2007 after missing the postseason in ’06. The list: Green Bay, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Tennessee and Washington. It will happen again. A handful of teams that stunk up the stadium last season will come up smelling like roses this year.
So it’s official. Gentlemen, start your seasons.
