Green Bay’s favorite son dried his retirement announcement tears and had the itch again. He wanted to suit up and be an NFL quarterback once again. But the problem was that the plan to go with Aaron Rodgers had already been put in place.

The former first round draft choice had played the good soldier and bided his time. If Thompson would have brought Favre back, Rodgers’s attitude would most likely have changed drastically. To back-up a legend for three years and remain quiet was one thing, but to go through an entire offseason as the named starter to only have that ripped away as the preseason was about to commence was another.

Head coach Mike McCarthy was in Rodgers’ corner, so that made it easier that they were all in agreement that it was time to move on. Thompson had Favre in his control and eventually traded him to the New York Jets for a conditional draft pick, one that turned out to be a third rounder in 2009 that they packaged to move up and select linebacker Clay Matthews. Not a bad deal at all.

There were a number of critics who had a field day bashing Thompson, but he did what he felt was right for the franchise and it turned out to be the right move. Favre had an inconsistent season with the Jets and then played the retirement/out-of-retirement game again to sign with the Minnesota Vikings, the team he wanted to play for all along when he changed his mind the first time.

Rodgers seem to take a little stab at Favre in a roundabout way when he commented, “The whole organization stood by me and they told the truth, and I told the truth, and we moved on together.”

While Rodgers was eclipsing 4,000 passing yards in each of the three seasons since Favre left Wisconsin, Favre had one amazing season (2009) and one this past year that was injury filled and not nearly as effective. It appears that he has finally played his last game while Rodgers led his team to the Super Bowl.

It would have been easy for Thompson to welcome Fare back and deal with Rodgers later. The heir apparent was still under contract in 2008 but it would have been a tough sell to convince him to stick around after that. The way everything turned out, Rodgers and Matthews became integral parts on both sides of the ball that propelled Green Bay to the level they are at today.

“In some ways sitting for three years and then playing is helpful,” Thompson said of his quarterback. “That’s the way it was back in the day. You always brought quarterbacks in and you developed them for about two or three years before you actually played them  - that’s hard to do anymore.”

As Favre finally rides into the sunset, Rodgers hasn’t even hit his prime years yet as an NFL quarterback. Second guessing? Not in the least bit for Ted Thompson.

Photo by Bill Menzel

The third Sunday in the young NFL season commenced last night with a thrilling affair that resulted in the New York Jets barely hanging on to beat the Dolphins, 31-23, in Miami. Quarterback Mark Sanchez threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns, two to tight end Dustin Keller and one to wideout Braylon Edwards.

By winning their second consecutive game, the Jets now sit atop the AFC East in a three-way tie with the ‘Fins and New England Patriots, all at 2-1. If Miami had won, they would have been 2 1/2 games ahead of New York with the tie breaker. The Jets did themselves a big favor by beating another divisional opponent, something that may come into play later in the year for postseason berths.

PATRIOTS – 38, Bills – 30

New England won a shootout at home against the Buffalo Bills, 38-30, who also released Trent Edwards today. He had started the first two games of the season at quarterback for the Bills before being benched in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick and now the team is reeling and winless after three games. Perhaps new head coach Chan Gailey set the precedent for a bad season by chastising fans at training camp for booing the team. The situation is a mess up in western New York.

Colts – 27, BRONCOS – 13

Another division looking tight is the AFC South, with Houston, Indianapolis and Tennessee all at 2-1. The Colts left Denver 1-2 after a convincing 27-13 win over the Broncos. The Horseshoes are clicking on a  cylinders the past two weeks and will be a factor all year long.

Titans – 29, GIANTS – 10

The Titans went into the Meadowlands Stadium and embarrassed the Giants, 29-10. Chris Johnson ran for 125 yards while Big Blue shot themselves in the foot with three turnovers (two inside the Tennessee 6-yard line), committed five personal fouls and missed two field goal attempts. The Titans imporved to 2-1 while New York fell to 1-2.

That makes it two ugly loses in a row for Tom Coughlin’s bunch and the wheels could be coming off really soon for the G-Men. Brandon Jacobs followed up the helmet throwing incident in Indy last Sunday night with 17 yards on 4 carries and starting OT Kareem McKenzie was benched after committing two of the personal fouls.

Cowboys – 27, TEXANS – 13

Two teams that had been winless broke into the column on the left with season-salvaging victories. The Dallas Cowboys (1-2) showed up in Houston and took down their interstate rival Texans, 27-13, while Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings picked on the hapless Detroit Lions and won going away, 24-10. No telling what would have been the headlines had either one or both of these 2009 playoff teams started off 0-3.

Quarterback Tony Romo had three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) to silence the 71,000-plus in attendance. The Texans fell to 2-1 and need to shake this one off as a loss to a non-divisional opponent, regardless of where they play.

VIKINGS – 24, Lions – 10

With a passing attack slowed down by injuries and the age of the quarterback, Minnesota got off the schneid by hnding the ball to Adrian Peterson, who rushed for 160 yards and two scores. For Detroit (0-3), Shaun Hill went 29-for-43, 237 yards and one touchdown in place of the injured Matthew Stafford.

Falcons – 27, SAINTS – 24 (OT)

The defending Super Bowl champions appear as if they may be suffering from a Super Bowl hangover after all. They looked shaky in their opening win versus Minnesota and now lost a divisional game against their rival. A missed 29-yard field goal attempt by Garret Hartley in the extra session spurned on the Falcons, who drove down the field and won it when Matt Bryant connected from 46 yards out with under two minutes to go before a tie would have been declared. Both teams are now 2-1.

Bengals – 20, PANTHERS – 7

Jimmy Clausen got his first NFL start at quarterback for Carolina but could not get them in the win column. The former Notre Dame star threw for 188 yards and no scores while Cincy QB Carson Palmer sealed the game with a fourth quarter toss to Credric Benson.

At 0-3, the John Fox watch may be on in Charlotte. The Bengals improved to 2-1.

Steelers – 38, BUCCANEERS – 13

Using their third different starting quarterback since the pre-season while awaiting Ben Roethlisberger’s four-game suspension to run out, one would figure that Pittsburgh would be in big trouble. But exactly the opposite is true as they won again to start off 3-0.

Byron Leftwich was hurt in the summer, so Dennis Dixon took over. But he, too, became injured last week so enter Charlie Batch. The veteran had not started a game in nearly three years but led the way with three touchdown passes.

For Tampa Bay (1-2), their struggles continue as Josh Freeman gains some valuable experience in his first season as the starting quarterback.

RAVENS – 24, Browns – 17

Eric Mangini must be nervous every time his telephone rings after another poor performance by the Browns. Head honcho Mike Holmgren cannot have liked what he saw, especially with Anquan Boldin catching three strikes from Joey Flacco for scores.

Baltimore upped their record to 2-1 and bounced back after a bad game last week in Cincinnati.

CHIEFS – 31, 49ers – 10

Two of the season’s early surprises met yesterday at Arrowhead Stadium and followed suit. Kansas City is now 3-0 and San Fran still winless following the lopsided outcome. No one expected Kaycee to contend and many expected the Niners to challenge for the NC West, but that’s why they play the games.

Matt Cassel caught the 49ers off guard on a fake end around and threw a 45-yard strike to Dwayne Bowe for one of three scores on the day for the former Patriot quarterback.

RAMS – 30, Redskins – 16

Snapping a 14-game losing streak is not an easy task, but St. Louis made it look that way by dismissing Washington at the RCA Dome. Overall number one draft pick Sam Bradford threw for 235 yards and a touchdown while back-up running back Kenneth Darby put the Rams (1-2) ahead for good in the third quarter after starter Steven Jackson was injured.

Washington (1-2) has lost two straight after beating Dallas in the opening Sunday night game of the season.

Eagles – 28, JAGUARS – 3

The resurgence of Michael Vick continued as the former Falcon franchise player had four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) in a blowout win over  hapless Jacksonville. Philadelphia (2-1) won for the second straight time with Vick under center and apparently do not miss Donovan McNabb one bit.

David Garrard had a miserable day for the 1-2 Jags by going 13-for-30, 105 yards, no touchdowns and a pick. This team will be picking high in next year’s draft.

CARDINALS – 24, Raiders – 23

Arizona escaped with a narrow one-point win over Oakland when Sebastian Janokowski was wide left on the last play of the game from 32 yards out. The kicker also missed two other attempts during the game and his team dropped to 1-2. Things are not well in northern California and head coach Tom Cable may be in trouble if the Silver and Black do not turn it around soon.

For the 2-1 Cards, Derek Anderson had two touchdown passes and LaRod Stephens – Howling had a 102-yard opening kickoff return. Although they played sloppy at times, Arizona walks away with a win when a loss would have been a tough pill to swallow at home versus a sub par opponent.

SEAHAWKS – 27, Chargers – 20

Little Leon Washington came up big yesterday in the Pacific north west with two kickoff returns for touchdowns. The former Jet special teams standout took the opening kick of the third quarter 101 yards and Seattle was on their way, leading 17-0 at that point.

But San Diego came back and tied the game 20-20 with 6:39 remaining in the contest. But Washington took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards to the house to put the ‘Hawks in front for good and improve their record to 2-1.

At 1-2, the Chargers are a bit of a disappointment so far, having also lost to divisional foe Kansas City in the matinee on the Monday night affair in Week One.

Photo by William J. Hauser

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Let’s assume that old man river makes it official once training camp ends and has another effective campaign running the show in Minny. Favre is better than anything else the Vikings have on their roster and anyone who feels that Tavaris Jackson can get the job done is clearly dreaming. The NFL is better with Favre still running around and he should have enough left in the tank to get his team to the second round of the playoffs.

PREDICTION: 11-5 (12-4 in 2009)

GREEN BAY PACKERS

Aaron Rodgers took some big steps as a quarterback last season but still has a ways to go. He should get better and better, which will bode well for fans at the Frozen Tundra. A tough break in the playoff overtime loss at Arizona notwithstanding, he showed that he can light it up in big spots. Depending on the Favre situation, the Pack can finish as high as first or as low as third.

PREDICTION: 10-6 (11-5 in 2009)

CHICAGO BEARS

What should have been a big season in ’09 in the Windy City came to a crashing halt in the season opening loss to the Packers. LB Brian Urlacher was lost for the year and new QB Jay Cutler began what was an interception filled winter of discontent. They should bounce back enough to contend for a wild card spot.

PREDICTION: 10-6 (7-9 in 2009)

DETROIT LIONS

HC Jim Schwartz won two games in his rookie year, two more than the Lions did in 2008. So if he can double that again, they will still finish in their usual spot in the cellar. Getting first round draft pick DT Ndamukong Suh signed and in camp was important and the Lions will slowly grow as these high draft picks mature.

PREDICTION: 5-11 (2-14 in 2009)

Photo by Bill Menzel

The NFL owner’s meetings begin on Sunday in Orlando and one of the things on the table is a proposal to alter the overtime rules for the playoffs. The new format would state that a team would win the game with a touchdown scored, but the opponent would get a possession if they only gave up a field goal. In the event that both teams made field goals, the sudden-death rule would then apply.

Got that? It’s a bit confusing but makes total sense. (Remember that this does not apply to regular season overtime games.) A high-powered offense such as the Vikings never had an opportunity to see the field and had to watch the game – and their championship dreams – kicked away.

24 of the 32 owners need to vote ‘yes’ for this to pass and you have to figure that most of the contending teams would be willing to have a second chance for a win if they give up a field goal following four quarters of playoff battle. But then again, some of the older owners may not be apt to go for such a drastic change in the game they love. Traditionalists tend to hold their ground, even when it is a detriment to the progress of the sport. A likely scenario is that the vote gets close this year and passes in 2011.

In the 2009 playoffs, two games were decided in overtime: the aforementioned Saints win and the Arizona Cardinals defeating the Green Bay Packers, 51-45, in the NFC Divisional Round on a defensive touchdown.

Since the overtime rule was adopted by the NFL during the regular season in 1974, there have been 445 games, with 312 of them being decided by a field goal (70.1%).

Photo by Bill Menzel

Injuries and the salary cap sealed LT’s fate out west and he now finds himself on the opposite coast looking to extend a career that started coming off the rails last season. He was being wooed by the Minnesota Vikings as well as the Jets but ultimately decided on Gang Green. “I think the major decision that it came down to was having to learn a new offense versus playing in an offense that I already know and (playing for) someone I already know in (Jets offensive coordinator) Brian Schottenheimer,” Tomlinson said in a conference call.

A similar situation existed with the Jets that happened with the Chargers. Thomas Jones led the team in rushing and had over 1,400 yards, but was released because he was due a large bonus and became a salary cap casualty. The 10-year vet also had 14 touchdowns and averaged over four yards per carry. He went on to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jets were in the market for a veteran to mentor Shonn Greene, who became the feature back in the playoffs and was very effective in that role.

Enter Tomlinson, who will inherit the privilege of working behind arguably the most effective offense line in the NFL for a team committed to pounding the ball. “I’ll just say, this is my type of football,” he said. “I’ve always had an aggressive style and taken pride in running the football and wearing people down.” 2009 was the first time that Tomlinson failed to rush for over 1,000 yards in nine NFL campaigns. His best year came in 2006, when LT ran for 1,815 yards and 28 touchdowns and was named the Associated Press NFL MVP.

General manager Mike Tannenbaum had to make the tough decision to cut Jones, a favorite in the locker room. “We feel like (he) did a great job for us the last three years,” he said. “He did a lot of things obviously on the field as well as off, but when we looked at all the factors and what we thought was in the best interests of our team, taking all factors into account, we’re really excited about LaDanian.”

Now the Jets have a deep backfield that not only includes Greene and LT, but also Leon Washington, who will be coming back from a gruesome broken leg injury and is an effective change-of-pace back. The bulk of the carries will initially go to Green, but Tomlinson is one heck of a fall back option. Being the veteran in this mix, LT is coming into the situation with an open mind about his role, one which he is going to welcome.

“People are going to look at the old tapes and see what he did on the field, but the greatest thing you can have in this league is a legacy and teaching young guys that carry on the tradition of running the football,” he commented. “To me, I embrace that role of mentoring the young running backs, including Shonn Greene.”

Photo by Bill Menzel

In the AFC Championship Game, the upstart New York Jets were able to contain the 2009 NFL MVP, albeit for one quarter. The league’s number one defense actually sacked Manning on consecutive offensive plays over two series and at one point in the second quarter, the Jets led 17-6. Answering a Jay Feeley field goal, Manning sliced through Gang Green’s secondary to cut into the deficit at the half to four points.

While Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez (17 for 30, 257 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception) played extremely well, the offense could not get going and went scoreless in the second half. At the same time, the Colts controlled the pace and Manning had his way. He threw for 377 yards and three scores to three different receivers in Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon and Dallas Clark en route to the 30-17 victory.

The Superdome hosted the NFC Championship Game and what was expected to be a close shootout between two offensive juggernauts in the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings did not disappoint. Brett Favre came out slinging as expected, as did Drew Brees. At half time, the score was even at 14 and although they had four turnovers, the Vikes were very much in the game and actually were in position to win the game in the waning seconds. But a penalty for too many men in the huddle set them back five yards, setting up a third down. Instead of calling a conservative run to set up a long field goal attempt, Minnesota elected to throw.

Favre rolled to his right out of the pocket and threw into double coverage across his body. On cue, the ball was picked off and we were headed into the extra stanza. For all the great things that Favre (28 for 46, 310 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions) has done in 19 NFL seasons, he has a tendency to make a terrible decision at the worst time. It happened in the playoffs before, against the Giants and Eagles.

The Saints won the coin toss and went on a drive that seemed to go on forever due to three booth reviews. Garrett Hartley nailed a 40-yard field goal and there was happiness in the bayou with the scoreboard showing a 31-28 win for the home squad.

Super Bowl XLIV will be an interesting affair, one that will pit an old dog that has been there/done that in Manning and a bunch of wide-eyed Saints. Expect a lot of offense in this one, so take the over.

Photo by William J. Hauser

On Saturday, the New Orleans Saints rebounded after a lackluster end of the regular season with a convincing 45-14 knockout of the Arizona Cardinals. last season’s NFC representative in the Super Bowl. Reggie Bush scored two touchdowns as the Superdome rocked and rolled. Not much of a surprise there, as the Saints were expected to dispel of a team that may have still been showing the affects of an exhausting overtime win against Green Bay the week before.

That evening, the Baltimore Ravens were ousted by Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, 20-3. They took a two-touchdown lead at half time and coasted the rest of the way. Three turnovers did the Ravens in, setting up Indy to play host next weekend one game away from Super Bowl XLIV. Although they played extremely well in taking out the Patriots in the Wild Card round, Baltimore was clearly outclassed versus a well-rested Colts squad.

On Sunday, Brett Favre turned back the clock and led his new team to the conference championship. The 40-year-old former Packer and Jet threw for four touchdowns (three to Sidney Rice) to lead the Minnesota Vikings to the 34-3 victory over Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys. Jerry Jones’ boys may have exorcised some December (and early January) demons by winning their division and then dispatching the Eagles, but were never even competitive in the dome.

Saving the best for last, the game of the weekend came in San Diego pitting the Chargers against the upstart New York Jets. Given no chance to move on, the Jets came out and played the 11-win Bolts tooth-and nail. They trailed by a mere seven points heading into the locker room and were clearly the team ‘hanging around’ against a formidable opponent.

Jay Feeley hit a 46-yard field goal to cut into the lead during the third quarter. Then the turning point in the game occurred towards the end of the quarter. The Jets downed a punt deep in the Chargers zone and a few plays later, Philip Rivers was intercepted by Jim Leonhard. A Chargers personal foul moved the ball inside the 10 at the start of the final stanza, which set up Mark Sanchez’s two-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dustin Keller and a 10-7 advantage.

Sanchez is not the only Jet rookie to be making a name for himself in the postseason, as running back Shonn Greene had another 100-yard performance and a long run for a score. He scampered 53 yards to give the Jets a 10-point lead with 7:26 left in the game. San Diego scored with 2:14 left when Rivers dove in from a yard out, but Kerry Rhodes recovered Nate Keading’s onside kick. The game wasn’t decided until Thomas Jones moved the chains on fourth and one with 1:09 left in the contest.

Keading, the AFC’s Pro Bowl representative, had a forgettable day with three missed field goals (36, 57 and 40 yards), which opened the door that the Jets kicked in on their way to Indianapolis for their first appearance in the AFC Championship Game since 1998.

Say what you want about the Jets and their outspoken rookie head coach, but Rex Ryan will have another week in the spotlight to psyche up his charges. The strategy has clearly worked and this team is going into Indy believing in themselves.

When the two teams met up in Week 16, Colts head coach Jim Caldwell pulled Manning in the third quarter with a 15-10 lead. The Jets rallied against back-up quarterback Lance Painter and that began their ascent towards where they are today. Once again, the Jets will be heavy underdogs and that is exactly the way they like it.

Photo by Bill Menzel

Each team will play at more than one home venue and the list includes Giants Stadium (New Jersey), James Schuart Stadium at Hofstra University (Long Island,New York), AT&T Park (San Francisco), the Citrus Bowl (Orlando), Home Depot Center (Los Angeles), Rentschler Field (Hartford), Sam Boyd Stadium (Las Vegas) and Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg).

As of this week, Florida was leading the way with a 3-0 record. Las Vegas (1-1), California (1-2) and New York (0-2) round out the rest of the league.

Griffith, 5’11″ and 197 pounds, is a San Diego State alum and was voted to Sporting News 1st Team All-NFL and Associated Press 2nd Team All-NFL in 1998. A year later, he was recognized again by the Associated Press as a 2ns Team All-NFL player.

ROBERT GRIFFITH NFL PLAYER STATS

MuscleSport Radio can be heard live every Tuesday from 1:00 to 2:00 PM Eastern time on www.blogtalkradio.com and all episodes are archived on Blog Talk Radio, MuscleSport Mag and iTunes.

Please feel free to join us and give us your opinion, ask a question or make a comment. Our call-in number is 347-884-8157.

UPCOMING GUESTS:

Tuesday, December 15 – IFBB pro bodybuilder and 2009 Ms. Olympia runner-up Heather Armbrust.

MuscleSport Radio has enjoyed a steady flow of special guests since launching, with famous names in the bodybuilding and sports industry such as Samir Bannout, Bill Grant, Boyer Coe, Troy Brown, Ronnie Coleman, Gunter Schlierkamp, Leo Ingram, Heather Mae French, Cathy LeFrancois, Colette Nelson, Cathy LeFrancois, Dena Westerfield, Bill Romanowski, Tony Mandarich, “Leapin’” Lanny Poffo, Taylor Boyd, Steve Michalik, Dan Lurie, Emy Silvagni, Rae Holitt, Tom Terwilliger, Dan “The Beast” Severn, Kevin Levrone, Layne Norton, Randy Roach, Debi Laszewski and more.

Contest History:

Colorado Mountain States Bodybuilding and Figure Championships (2008)

Northern Kentucky Bodybuilding and figure Championships (2008)

U.S.A Championships (2008)

National Championships (2008)

Arnold Classic Amateur Invitational (2009)

WBFF World Championships (2009)

MuscleSport Radio can be heard live every Tuesday from 1:00 to 2:00 PM Eastern time on www.blogtalkradio.com and all episodes are archived on Blog Talk Radio, MuscleSport Mag and iTunes.

Please feel free to join us and give us your opinion, ask a question or make a comment. Our call-in number is 347-884-8157.

UPCOMING GUESTS:

Tuesday, October 27 – Robert Griffith, California Redwoods (UFL) defensive assistant coach and former NFL safety for three teams (Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals).

Tuesday, November 3 – FAME World Tour/BodyProud athletes Amy Barnes and Honnor Moore

MuscleSport Radio has enjoyed a steady flow of special guests since launching, with famous names in the bodybuilding and sports industry such as Samir Bannout, Bill Grant, Boyer Coe, Troy Brown, Ronnie Coleman, Gunter Schlierkamp, Leo Ingram, Heather Mae French, Cathy LeFrancois, Colette Nelson, Cathy LeFrancois, Dena Westerfield, Bill Romanowski, Tony Mandarich, “Leapin’” Lanny Poffo, Taylor Boyd, Steve Michalik, Dan Lurie, Emy Silvagni, Rae Holitt, Tom Terwilliger, Dan “The Beast” Severn, Kevin Levrone, Layne Norton, Randy Roach, Debi Laszewski and more.

Photo by John Velasques

Woodson, who starred for four franchises as a cornerback and safety but is mostly remembered as a Pittsburgh Steeler, was humbled by the entire experience. “I didn’t start playing football because I wanted to be in the Hall of Fame,” he said. “I started playing because my brothers played it.”

Still the NFL’s career sack leader with 200, Smith spent the majority of his 19-year career in Buffalo. The ex-defensive end spoke of what his former head coach Marv Levy told him before he approached the podium. “He said to me, ‘You have cause to celebrate tonight and there’s no curfew.’”

A special announcement followed Wilson’s name being called with this year’s Hall of Fame Game on August 8 to feature the Bills taking on the Tennessee Titans, who – along with Buffalo – were one of the original American Football League teams when they were still known as the Houston Oilers. This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the formation of the “rival league.”

Unable to attend was Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Randall McDaniel, but via telephone he gave credit to the two most important people in his life. “I’ve got to thank my folks for raising me the right way.”

Representing Thomas was Kansas City Chiefs Chairman Clark Hunt, who remembered more than just the linebacker’s talent on the gridiron, speaking of his annual Thanksgiving food drives and Third and Long Foundation.

“He was an incredible player and an incredible person,” Hunt said. “Derrick Thomas was the cornerstone of the modern era of the Kansas City Chiefs.” Thomas died nine years ago in an automobile accident while he was an active player.

Lucille Hester, the sister of Hayes, read a note that he had left for her to read for him “in case this day ever came.” When she finished, there was not a hush in the overcrowded auditorium at the Tampa Convention Center. The former Dallas wide receiver died in 2002 at the age of 51 after suffering liver ailments, prostate cancer and kidney failure.