These are the Favres of Our Lives

First off, let me say Favre is one of my all time favorite football players. He is a great blue collar player who I have admired for years. However, he should have retired. He had a great year, made a conference championship appearance, and looked as great as he ever did. He retired with most of the passing records and the most consecutive starts. There was a good indication that Favre was not quite done when he agreed to be on the Madden cover. However, most put it aside and assumed he would be the one to break the Madden curse.

Then the curse struck and Favre got the itch. He wanted to comeback, but Green Bay had moved on. Green Bay was right to move on after Favre retired. They have other plans for their future and Favre was no longer among them. However, the Green Bay front office made the horrible decision of trying to hold on and get as much value as they could from him. Favre should have been released and allowed to pursue his career elsewhere. Now this whole mess has become a soap opera and most of America is burnt out on Favre. I think the worst casualty in all of this was the man who started it, Brett Favre. Favre seems to have lost his spirit and love of the game. Its that spirit that has carried Favre through 17 seasons. Maybe Favre does need a new environment to foster that love of the game. I hate to say this, but maybe the Deity of Wisconsin needs to move on.

In that spirit, I viewed an article EA did a few days ago in which the simulated how different teams would do with and without Brett Favre at the helm. I was fascinated by the article and decided to do my own analysis of how some teams would fare with Brett Favre at the helm. If you are curious how the simulation went here is the link to the article:
Favre Simulation

New York Jets

From Favre's standpoint this is not the worst place to end up. The Jets have a good offensive line weighed down by recently added Alan Faneca. Thomas Jones would certainly benefit from having Favre. Favre presence would take eight players out of the box and open up running lanes for the Jets. However, the receiver corp is nothing terribly spectacular. Although Coles can get open at will, the rest of the receiver corp is young. Before anyone frets though people were saying the same thing about the Packer's receivers last year. Given that the Jets are a year removed from a playoff run, New York would be an ideal place for Brett Favre to land and make a playoff run.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jon Gruden collects QBs so it is no surprise that Tampa Bay is in the running for Favre. Tampa Bay would be a nice fit for Favre. Having Joey Galloway to bomb the ball to all day would not be a bad thing in the least. Having Graham and Dunn running the ball, Tampa will go pass first and use the running game as a tool to keep the defense honest. Tampa Bay however does not seem to be terribly enthusiastic to acquire Favre given that they have a veteran in Garcia who helped them earn a playoff berth.

Minnesota Vikings

Although it is increasingly unlikely that Favre will be playing in the NFC North lets pretend shall we. Think about the headache defensive coordinators would have trying to stop the Minnesota offense. They could try and put people in the secondary to hold back Favre, but what about the young phenom Adrian Peterson? It would be a double edged sword no defense could hold back. The Vikings would be a nice landing spot for Favre, but it is highly unlikely.

Chicago Bears

Once again let's pretend that Favre would go to a NFC North team. The Bears would be an awful fit for any QB, much less Brett Favre. Hester is fast, but unproven as a receiver. The only other reciever worth mentioning is Brandon Lloyd who may be in for a career rebound, but is not the best go-to receiver. They have an old offensive line and a lackluster running game. Favre may not be enough for the Bears to pull themselves out of ruin.

So, if Favre and the Packers are really through where would I like to see him the most? Honestly, nothing would make me happier than to see Favre play the Patriots twice a year. For too long the Patriots have had a blank check to run the AFC East. With Favre behind the helm the Jets can stand a chance against the Patriots. With Buffalo's defense building up and Miami in repair mode, avre and the Jets can contend long enough to make the AFC an open competition as opposed to a one man show.

Madden 09: A Few Things to Change

Players are traded and added to rosters at the tail end of the off-season, but Madden is finalized before these moves occur. Thus, there are always minor adjustments to be made on Madden rosters to make the gae true to life, that is unless you didn't agree to that move. I've decided to address some of the moves that Madden will not have made adjustments for. These are not going to be all of them, but these will be the most prominent and significant moves to be made.

Jason Taylor
Madden location: ROLB Miami Dolphins
Actual location: DE Washington Redskins

If Madden has not brought back position changing a lot of Redskins fans will be upset. However, if he can be changed Redskins fans will definitely make the roster change as soon as the game is out of the box. Jason Taylor will provide the Skins with a phenom pass rusher. I have friends that played with the Skins and one of the comforts I had was that as long as I avoided Andre Carter I'd have al day to throw. Now the Skins will be pass rushing from both sides and I already feel Roethlisberger's pain...

Jeremy Shockey
Madden Location: TE New York Giants
Actual Location: TE New Orleans Saints

Giants fans may not be quick to make a roster update, but Saints fans will definitely welcome this change. Saints fans will now have a big target over the middle of the offense that will demand attention. The attention he will command will open up lanes for Reggie Bush and Deuce helping Saints fans establish a much smoother running game.

Kevin Jones
Madden Location: Free Agency
Actual Location: RB Chicago Bears

Given that his signing was a month ago there is a high probability that he will actually be on the Bears roster on Madden 09. Jones will provide the Bears with a decent caliber running back. However, as far as Madden goes, it will be a matter of preference as to whether Jones is properly utilized. If users pass to HB's a lot, Jones will be valuable, but otherwise they have a power back in Forte and a speed back in Wolfe. Jones will provide depth, but nothing game altering.

Brett Favre
Madden Location: NFL Greats List
Actual Location: New York Jets

Favre will be a topic of hot contention for online franchise modes. Die hard Packer fans will not want to let him go and Jets fans will insist on having him. How Favre is dealt out is not a concern of mine. However, or those of you curious on how to activate Favre I can tell you how. EA states that Favre is on their NFL Greats List. All that is required is that you activate Favre and he becomes available in the free agent pool. Once their assign him to the team you and yours have decided upon.

Chad Pennington
Madden location: New York Jets
Actual Location: Miami Dolphins

Pennington will be welcome to Dolphins fans. The other options at QB for iamiwere not nearely as promising. Pennington will provide stability until the user can pump up one of the younger QBs or Pennington can be trading bait used to get a better QB. Either way, Pennington has considerable value in Miami.

Daunte Culpepper & Byron Leftwich
Madden Location: Free Agency
Actual Location: Pittsbrugh Steelers
Many Steelers owners will not want these two with a healthy Charlie Batch on roster, but the shrewd owners will take on the two veterans and trade two of the four Steeler quarterbacks for picks and/or offensive lineman. Pending the ratings of all the QBs I plan on keeping Culpepper in reserve. Culpepper's strong arm and mobility will mean in the event Roethlisberger gets hurt, I won't have to change my offense very much. Culpepper can be a reliable backup to Reothlisberger and a welcome addition to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Free Agency: Real World and Madden

The Preseason has started and there are still some decent free agents out there. Its unfortunate for these players that they don't have a place to play football. However, the silver lining is that there is a wealth of players to choose from in Madden 09. Free agents can help bolster depth in a needy area, fill in for an injured player, be a stopgap to hold you over until the next off season, or provide your team with a valuable steal. I always try and add a free agent or two to my franchise at the beginning of the season. Here are a few that I will be interested to look at in this year's version of Madden.

Ty Law CB
Legendary shutdown corner Ty Law is surprisingly still on the free agent market. Law is notorious for asking for way too much money. However, at this point in the year and being at the tail end of his career Law might have to settle for a smaller pay check if he wants to play. The last time Ty Law was mentioned in the news it was Browns GM Phil Savage saying Ty Law's asking price was too high. Kansas City fired him, the Browns think he's not worth the high price, and the Patriots have made little effort to bring back their star corner. Unfortunately for Ty Law, if he doesn't act and soon, his career will be over.

Madden Analysis:
Ty Law's speed will probably be too low to be of great value to a team. However, if Madden has brought back position changes, Ty Law will be a great Safety. His abilities will help provide stability at the safety position or a year while another player is groomed or traded for.

Kendrell Bell LB
Kendrell Bell had a great career in Pittsburgh and then joined Kansas City and did very poorly. He did not fit in at all with the 4-3 defensive structure. What is surprising is that no 3-4 team has wanted to sign him as a veteran voice . He may get a look if injuries occur, but he should have been tried out on many different squads. Kendrell Bell still has some years left in him and could become very valuable to a 3-4 team.

Madden Analysis:
Kendrell Bell will not have a very high rating after an 8 tackle season. However, he can provide depth on linebacker needy teams.

LeCharles Bentley C/G
Bentley suffered a substantial knee injury on the first day of Browns training camp in 2006. Then, he got a staph infection which took him out another year. Finally the Browns released Bentley and he now reportedly has many different offers to join squads. However, most squads are concerned about his ability to come back and play after two years. If he can indeed comeback and play at a level he used to play at, Bentley could be a veritable steal for some franchise.

Madden Analysis:
Bentley's ratings will be hindered by him not being in the NFL for two years. Depending on how kind EA is towards Bentley, he will be a free agent steal or nothing more than a backup.

Daunte Culpepper
I have said enough about Culpepper in this blog for people to know I think he could be great for some team. However, no team seems to be interested in him. It's not surprising considering that most teams solved their QB problems in the draft. However, if an injury occurs and Brett Favre isn't available Culpepper could get looked at.

Madden Analysis:
Culpepper will have a strong arm in Madden. So for those of you in need of a Strong Armed QB, Culpepper could be a cheap solution.