By: Kevin Cottrell Jr. 

Just A Thought...

CHEESE MELT…In case you’re fresh off a vacation to the moon the 40-year-old QB is back from the farm! Yes, a week after Mike Vick signed with a team, Brett Favre decided to steal his spotlight by finally signing with the Vikings. The deal is for 2 years worth $25 Million ($12M first year and $13M second). At 40, many wonder what does he have left in the tank? Is he the final piece to their Super Bowl hopes? And what does he even have left to prove? Then that’s when it hits you, the 3 time MVP (Super Bowl Champ) has all the records a QB can hold (including 464 TDs & 310 INTs) but he has yet to win a game against the Green Bay Packers. The Cheese Head Legend despises of the organization that told him his Cheese Melted! I think it’s worth pointing out Favre Interceptions ended the Jets season in ’08 and the Packers season the year before. While many are quick to point out his many accolades others tend to forget his shortcomings. So in life and in sports always remember that you’re as good as your last performance. Times change people don’t.

NBA News & Notes

*DAY 51: It’s Day 51 of Allen Iverson in Free Agency. Believe it or not A.I. is just as anxious as we are to obtain the “answer” of his final destination. Yesterday he tweeted “My people just informed me that we are getting close to a deal. I asked them to call me the when its done. I am so ready to know!”  He also stated that he assumed the call would come from the Knicks, Heat or Bobcats. But in my expert estimation 2 out of the 3 are not in the running and here’s why.

1. The KNICKS are still highly interested in Bucks G Ramon Sessions and would rather pay him for a year (than a future hall-of-famer).
2. As for the HEAT they recently traded for veteran G/F Quentin Richardson. The former 3-Point Shootout winner loves putting up shots and his $9 Million salary will allow him to do so. Q’s salary will further hinder the signing of A.I. at the full mid-level exception ($5+ million) that he desires.
3. Which leaves the BOBCATS. Charlotte is in need of a perimeter scorer as well as a player that could help sell tickets (DING-DING-DING) A.I. is the “Answer” to both. Also, Iverson ex-coach Larry Brown has been recently quoted as saying, “I want to help him, and it might be as his coach again. We’ll have to wait and see.” Hopefully we won’t have to wait much longer.

*WHITE CHOCOLATE: The Orlando Magic has seemingly completed the restructuring of their roster by signing veteran PG Jason Williams (white chocolate). J. Will helped the Heat win a ring in 2006 and the vet will compete with Anthony Johnson for the backup spot to Jameer Nelson.

*AMAR’EYE: Amar’e Stoudemire has begun individual workouts after months of recovering from eye surgery. This is good news for Suns fans and great news for fans of contending teams “one player away” from a title. Before you know it he’ll be scrimmaging again and rumors will begin to swirl that he’s back on the trading block.

NFL News & Notes 

*BIG DUMMY AWARD…Last fall Giants wideout Plaxico Burress shot himself inside a NYC nightclub, which led to his arrest for carrying an unlicensed weapon. After turning down an earlier plea deal that would have given Burress 3 months in prison (along with community service) Plaxico just caught a deal for 2 years in prison (serving roughly 20 months in prison) along with 2 years of probation. At 32, Burress who once caught the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl can kiss his career goodbye. Many will say, “Vick did 2 years and got signed”, but Vick was under 30 upon his release! Sorry Plax from one former WR to another, you’ve won the Big Dummy Award!

*ODD MAN OUT… Lost in all the Favre hoopla is the odd man out in the Vikings QB shuffle. Reports out of the Twin Cities state the team is attempting to trade or release former first rounder Tarvaris Jackson by Friday. This is quite shocking to some seeing as though he entered camp as the #1 QB this summer. Then again last season Favre’s arrival in New York prompted Chad Pennington’s departure. Like Chad eventual destination within the division reports are that the Lions are attempting to swing a deal for Jackson (merely for his knowledge of the Vikings playbook). The Favre domino effect is what that never seems to end. San Fran needs to jump in the sweepstakes right after immediately!

* NEW ‘FINS OWNERS…Reports out of South Florida state Venus & Serena Williams are close to finalizing a deal to become minority owners for the Miami Dolphins. The Palm Beach Gardens residents would join the likes of J. Lo & Marc Anthony along with Gloria Estefan. This move would be pretty big since there are ZERO African-American owners in the L. The move would definitely be the ultimate ace for the Williams’.

NFL DIVISION Breakdowns: Over the past three weeks I’ve broken-down two divisions (one representing each conference). Last week we featured the AFC/NFC South divisions. Now we’ll take a look at a division featuring the defending Champs and another that was previously known as the Black & Blue division and now it’s the QB division! Here’s a brief outlook and predicted finish.

AFC North (last season record)

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4): The defending champs managed to keep the bulk of their roster together after hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. Many teams see their main contributors get big paydays elsewhere but after winning their second ring in 4 seasons. Surprisingly they’ve managed to retain 15 players from both teams, mainly Big Ben and Troy Polamalu leaders on both sides of the ball. In their case it won’t come down to Xs and Os, it will simply be about health and experience.  Prediction: 12-4
2. Baltimore Ravens (11-5): After suffering heartbreak at the hands of their division rival in the AFC Conference Championship game, the Purple Birds are poised for one last run in the Ray Lewis era. The biggest loss this season will be LB Bart Scott (along w/Def. Coord. Rex Ryan) for a decade the pulse of this team has been defense and this year will be no different. Hopefully some youth inserted around Ray Lewis will help him get a bit younger. This team will be taken seriously so hopefully their Defense (and offense) can accept the challenge. Prediction: 10-6
3. Cleveland Browns (4-12) the adage goes if you have two quarterbacks then you don’t have one. The Browns are conducting one of the hottest QB Battles in the L as we speak, but we all know Brady Quinn will start the season off for the Browns. Question is will he finish it for them? Either way Cleveland has a long way to go before they are in the “Playoff” conversation. In fact, their Super Bowl will be whenever they play their Ohio counterparts in the Bengals. Prediction: 6-10
4. Cincinnati Bengals (4-11-1) it seems to truly be a HARD KNOCK life in Cincy. The first episode of the new HBO darlings featured their top 2 Tight Ends going down with serious injuries. Then episode two showed their prize in Carson Palmer injuring his ankle. Chris Henry still seems to not have it all up top and Chad is too busy tweeting to get on the same page with Palmer. Sorry to all Bengals fans but there isn’t much to analyze about your Cats so to anyone thinking Playoffs for the Bengals I’ve got two words for you…”Child Please!” Prediction: 5-11

NFC North

1. Minnesota Vikings (10-6) You’re not seeing double the Vikings are my early favorite to win the NFC North! Trust me this was not an easy decision but the team is solid (if not loaded) at every position. The Williams boys anchor a tough defense. Adrian Peterson scares opposing defenses and they have weapons outside in Berrian and Percy Harvin to stretch the safeties. Oh yea and they’ve even added Brett Favre. Hmmmm at first glance this team is a runaway favorite to win the North and possibly the NFC but if this team comes out the gate struggling fingers will quickly be pointed at the late addition of BF4! On paper they’re the favorites in my book but on turf things could change. Prediction: 11-5
2. Chicago Bears (9-7) My heart tells me this is my Bears year but my football mind says Chicago’s secondary couldn’t stop a Big 12 offense right now. Their lack of depth in the secondary will put more pressure on the front-7 to disrupt opposing QB’s. Speaking of QB’s the Bears pulled off the blockbuster move of the summer in acquiring Pro Bowler Jay Cutler. Only problem is the Monsters of the Midway are struggling to produce a true #1 WR. If this player emerges (not a Tight End or Running Back) then the Bears will truly be a force in the NFC playoff picture. Stay tuned. Prediction: 10-6
3. Green Bay Packers (6-10) The second year of the Aaron Rodgers experiment is currently underway. Last season wasn’t that bad considering whom he followed, the only problem was the defense. The black shirts have transformed from a 4-3 base to a 3-4 scheme, which they will still be learning on the fly. The Packers may suffer from this transformation and the pressure of Favre back in the North may cause a lot of knee jerk reactions. The Packers offense will keep them competitive but their defense may be the downfall. Prediction: 8-8
4. Detroit Lions (0-16) Look let’s keep this short. The Lions were 0-16 last season. They drafted QB Matthew Stafford out of Georgia #1 overall as their future and savior. Best-case scenario they win 3 games and they’ve tripled their win total from last season. I’m not going to waste anymore of your time on this one. Prediction: 3-13

III. SAY WHAT!!! (Tweets of the Week & My Thoughts J)

Terrellowens Hey hey heyyyy!! I’m back n good ol’ Buffalo! The toe is getting better 4 those tht wanna kno, I gotta b a 100% on Sept. 14^th!!. (My take: Seems like T.O. doesn’t want any part of the preseason like most vets. He’ll be fine Bills fans)

Jalenrose A pack of wild dogs killed an elderly couple in Georgia…tame your animals! (My take: Did their owners get 23 months in prison? Or lose $130M?)

OGOchoCinco Attention all athletes, build a bunker at home and stay there until your career is over, you want to party, bring the club to you!!!!!! (Plaxico’s Take: Gee Thanks, would’ve been great advice a year ago!)