Brett Favre is the golden boy of pro football, so it’s strange to see him getting blasted on national television. Last night on The Best Damn Sports Show Period the gang went off on Favre after showing clips of an interview with Javon Walker. Walker blew out his knee and is out for the season, but he’s pissed off at Favre for making comments earlier this year when Walker was threatening a holout. Favre made it clear in the press that he felt Walker should be in camp, and Walker claims these comments destroyed his negotiating position with the Packers. Now he has a season-ending ACL tear, and he’ll have to fight hard next year to earn the big contract he felt he deserved.

John Salley in particular ripped Favre, saying Brett could sit comfortably with his millions while Walker just lost his best chance at a big payday. Salley argued that holdouts and threatened holdouts were part of the negotiation process, and Favre should not interfere in another player’s business. The rest of the panel agreed, with Rodney Peete saying that Favre should be ashamed of himself. Some also made a distinction between this case and the T.O. saga, since T.O. had already received the big contract, while Walker had not.

I’m not sure how I come out on this one. In today’s sports world this situation highlights the tension between team loyalty and the big paydays available to star players. It is interesting, however, to see Favre dragged into this controversy while struggling through a losing season. This probably isn’t what he had in mind when he decided to return for another season.

Last week’s picks:

START

QB – Brian Griese – 139 pass yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT
RB – Willis McGahee – 140 rush yards, 1 TD
WR – Daunte Stallworth – zero catches

BENCH

QB – Michael Vick – 167 pass yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 64 rush yards
RB – Ahman Green – 85 total yds, 0 TDs
WR – Robert Ferguson – 4 catches, 68 yds, 1 TD

What we learned: While Griese’s yardage numbers weren’t overly impressive, the two TDs made for a good day. McGahee is officially back and should be a weekly start against all but the top rush defenses, even though the Bills have no passing game. Stallworth was a big disappointment after a huge day against the Giants and playing from behind all day against the Vikings. He’s far too inconsistent to be counted on. Vick performed well with a bad hammy. Ferguson looks like an every week start, no matter whom Green Bay faces.

This week’s picks:

START

QB – Jake Delhomme, CAR
Delhomme is coming off a huge day against the Dolphins, throwing for 285 yards and three touchdowns. This week, he faces a vulnerable Packers defense on Monday night. There’s no one in the secondary that can cover Steve Smith, so the duo should have a big outing.

RB – Kevan Barlow, SF
It’s hard to get very excited about the 49er running game, but if there is a good matchup on the team’s schedule, this week is it. The Cardinals are giving up 131 yards per game on the ground, which is the fifth worst in the league. Barlow should be good for 85-100 total yards and a TD.

WR – Kevin Curtis, STL
With Isaac Bruce listed as doubtful and a questionable Giants pass defense (285 pass yards per game) on tap, Kevin Curtis should have a big day. Unless you have a very solid #2 WR, Curtis is worth a start.

BENCH

QB – Jake Plummer, DEN
This week, the Broncos go on the road to play a stingy Jacksonville defense at sea level. The Jaguars are only allowing 142 pass yards per game, good for second best in the league, so odds are against Plummer having a big day.

RB – Kevin Jones, DET
I’m a KJ owner myself, so I know how impatient his owners are getting with his recent performance. He faces Tampa Bay this week and Baltimore next, so if you have any other decent options, you may want to utilize them. I think he’ll eventually get it going, but it probably won’t happen until Week 6 when Detroit faces Carolina.

WR – Derrick Mason, BAL
Even with a week off, I don’t think the Ravens’ passing game is going to fare well against a pretty stingy Jets pass defense (176 pass yards allowed per game). Mason may catch some of the underneath stuff, but I don’t think he’ll find the endzone this week.

KEY INJURIES

Arnaz Battle – P
Bubba Franks – Q
Carnell Williams – P
Chad Pennington – O
Courtney Anderson – P
David Akers – O
Donald Driver – P
Donovan McNabb – P
Isaac Bruce – D
Jason Hanson – Q
Joe Horn – Q
John Hall Q
Kurt Warner – O
Kyle Boller – O
Marc Bulger – P
Nate Burleson – O
Rod Smith – P
Rudi Johnson – P
Tatum Bell – P
Terrell Owens – P
Tom Brady – P

Charlie Weis? Gone.

Romeo Crennel? Gone.

Tedy Bruschi? Gone.

Ted Johnson? Gone.

Rodney Harrison? Gone.

Todd Light? Gone for most, if not all, of the season.

Kevin Faulk? Gone, reportedly for eight weeks with a leg injury.

I tell you what — if the Patriots win the Super Bowl this year after all the losses they’ve been faced with, Canton should welcome Bill Belichick and Tom Brady right after the game. The AFC East may not be the best division in football, and the Jets and Bills have their own injury concerns, but at this point, would it surprise anyone to see the Patriots miss out on the playoffs?

On the other hand, would it really surprise anyone to see New England overcome the odds and obstacles and wind up in position to win another Super Bowl? Not after what we’ve seen from Belichick, Brady and Co. the past few years.

We’re about to learn just how great this team really is. Most teams couldn’t withstand the loss of their starting left tackle, but along with losing Light, the Pats are trying to overcome the losses of their offensive and defensive coordinators, a starting linebacker, a third-down back, and two team leaders (and excellent players) in Harrison and Bruschi.

Maybe my preseason prediction of the Pats being overrated was accurate after all. Then again, maybe they’ll make me look foolish for ever doubting them.

In 1998, when Mike Holmgren demanded a head coaching job that also included complete control over all personnel decisions, it was obvious that he was going to have to find that job at a franchise other than the Green Bay Packers. The team was on the heels of two consecutive Super Bowl appearances and GM Ron Wolf was regarded as one of the best of the business and was deservedly given much of the credit. It was clear that the Packers weren’t going to fire him to appease Holmgren’s misguided career aspirations – back-to-back Super Bowl appearances weren’t enough? Many thought that Holmgren would land in San Francisco, a franchise that was familiar with the coach’s work and was at the time somewhat unhappy with their coach, Steve Mariucci, a Holmgren disciple. Oddly enough, the two teams faced each other in the playoffs that year and the futures of both coaches may have been altered by a blown call in that game. During San Francisco’s final drive (with the Packers leading 27-23), Jerry Rice fumbled after a catch. The Packers recovered, but the referee watching the play called Rice “down by contact” and the 49ers kept possession. The drive ultimately resulted in a last second touchdown pass from Steve Young to a then up-and-coming Terrell Owens, which gave San Francisco the win, 30-27. Had that fumble call gone the other way, Mariucci would have likely been fired for losing a first round playoff game at home and Holmgren would have been the favorite to take his place. The win bought Mariucci some time in San Francisco and forced Holmgren to look for complete control elsewhere. He ultimately signed with Seattle, where he has had mixed success in seven seasons and has recently had to relinquish his GM duties. Oh, the irony!

After Holmgren’s departure, the Packers were left scrambling to fill the head coaching vacancy. Most of Holmgren’s disciples had already been poached by other teams – Mariucci by San Francisco in 1997, John Gruden by Oakland in 1998, Andy Reid by Philadelphia in 1999. Hindsight being 20/20, the Packers should have locked in one of these young talents by promising him the top job in Green Bay once Holmgren flew the coop. Instead, the team hired Ray Rhodes, who was coming off a 3-13 season as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Rhodes was the defensive coordinator for Green Bay in 1992-93 and had fashioned the second ranked defense before taking the head coaching job with the Eagles. Rhodes was never cut out to be the top guy and was quickly dismissed after an 8-8 season leading the Packers. The team then surprised many by hiring Mike Sherman, who had 21 years of coaching experience but zero as the head guy. His main selling point was that he coached under Holmgren for several years in Green Bay and apparently blew Wolf away in his interview. In his second year as the head coach, Wolf retired and Sherman was given GM duties as well, the dual role that Holmgren wanted so desperately. Over Sherman’s first five years with the team, he led the Packers to an average of 10.6 wins a season. Unfortunately, that winning way hasn’t translated to the playoffs where the team is 2-4 under his leadership, and a very disappointing 2-2 at home.

As a long time Packer fan, I get the sense that Sherman is a very hard worker and a reasonably good coach. His teams generally start the season off poorly (usually reeling from free agency losses and/or decimated by injuries) but seem to finish strong, only to flame out in an ugly playoff loss. He is definitely a better coach than he is a GM, where he has made several questionable investments – signing duds Joe Johnson and Cletidus Hunt to huge contracts, which created a financial situation that forced the Packers to let guards Mike Wahle and Marco Rivera go this past offseason. While he did trade up to land a talented Javon Walker in 2002, his overall draft history isn’t very impressive – he was involved in the selection of Jamal Reynolds in the first round of the 2001 draft (Wolf’s last draft), and in the 2004 draft, passed on Chris Gamble in favor of Ahmad Carroll and traded up to the third round to take punter B.J. Sander. Maybe his most costly GM mistake was the handling of the defensive coordinator position after the disastrous “4th and 26” defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2003 playoffs. He fired very capable Ed Donatell as a scapegoat, when it was actually his recent first round draft pick, rookie LB Nick Barnett, who was in the wrong position on the play. Sherman promoted Bob Slowik to defensive coordinator, which for some reason pissed off CB Mike McKenzie to no end, and ultimately forced the Packers to trade McKenzie to New Orleans. This move also resulted in the Packers having to spend the aforementioned first round pick on Carroll to replace McKenzie, when the pick would have put to much better use strengthening the defensive front seven, had McKenzie still been in the lineup.

As time goes on, I grow more and more frustrated with his offensive playcalling. With Holmgren, the opening drive was run with such ruthless efficiency and unpredictability that Green Bay was almost always starting the game with a seven-point lead. Under Sherman, I’m just hoping for a first down before we have to punt. He calls running plays on running downs and calls passing plays on passing downs, with very little deviation. In other words, he’s way too predictable. He has made a few poor replay decisions, mostly by hesitating too long and not challenging the play in time. As an example, the Packers were already down by a touchdown (of course) against the Falcons in the 2002 playoffs, when they turned the ball over on a muffed punt return, but the replay showed that the ball had actually hit a Falcon first and that it should be Green Bay ball. Sherman hesitated too long and Atlanta took possession and immediately scored another touchdown, putting the Packers in a 14-0 hole from which they would never recover. His instant replay ineptitude reared its ugly head again this past Sunday. In the third quarter with the Packers trailing Tampa Bay 17-13, Brett Favre threw a third down pass to rookie WR Terrance Murphy, which was ruled incomplete, but appeared on the replay to be a catch. Had it been challenged and overturned, it would not have given the Packers a first down, but it would have left them with a fourth and inches on the Tampa Bay 16-yard line. Sherman chose to attempt a field goal (after his special teams had already failed on an extra point try) and PK Ryan Longwell’s attempt was wide left. The Packers went on to lose the game 17-16, and are now winless in three games.

This would just be another story about whether a certain coach is right for a franchise in the midst of rebuilding – if not for the presence of Brett Favre. The window is certainly closing on his career, but he’s still performing at a high level and with the proper supporting cast, he could lead the Packers to another Super Bowl. Unfortunately, the personnel missteps of the past few years have left the defense a shell of what it once was, and it doesn’t appear that the turnaround can happen quickly enough to get Green Bay back to the promised land before Favre retires. With the parity in the NFL (and especially in the NFC), it is possible over the next two years for the new GM (Ted Thompson) and new defensive coordinator (Jim Bates) to put together a top 10 defense once again. If this happens, the Packers could be poised for another Super Bowl run. But one thing’s for sure – it isn’t in the cards this year.

The history behind Holmgren’s departure and Sherman’s ascension makes one wonder what would have happened had Holmgren stuck it out in Green Bay for two more seasons. Once Wolf retired, he would have been given the control he needed so badly and maybe he and Favre would now have another Super Bowl ring to show for their hard work. Instead, Holmgren is mired in mediocrity and has been stripped of his GM duties in Seattle and Favre is wasting away on a winless team, no doubt wondering if the Packers will be able to turn the defense around before he hangs ‘em up.

“Fast” Willie finally had a bad game and LT2 finally caught a pass. Kurt Warner and Chad Pennington are out with injuries. What does this mean for your fantasy squad?

Post all of your Week 4 roster questions here.

This weekend is going to be the most exciting weekend of regular season baseball in ages.

The Red Sox, Yankees and Indians all have the same record, 92-64, with six games left to play. Each team is playing the first three games, curiously, against the bottom three teams in the AL East. Cleveland faces off against the Devil Rays (who swept the Tribe when they came to the Jake in August), the Yankees play the Orioles, and the Red Sox play the Blue Jays, starting the series off with a win earlier today. Cleveland then hosts the White Sox to finish the season, while Boston hosts the Yankees. Don’t be surprised if neither division is clinched until Sunday afternoon.

If these teams are smart, they will not look past their games tonight. Misery loves company, and teams that have been eliminated from playoff contention love taking other teams down with them (witness Detroit’s glee in beating the White Sox last night, which pulled the Indians to within two games of first in the AL Central). These first three games may look like pushovers, but they are anything but, and if the Sox, Yanks or Tribe lose two out of the next three, they put themselves in serious trouble.

And let’s not forget the NL West, where the Giants are staging a massive comeback on the sluggish Padres. The Giants have won 10 of 14 since Barry Bonds returned (say what you want about the guy, but no one impacts a game the way he does), while the Padres look gassed. The Giants could very easily take that division over. Meanwhile, the Phillies haven’t given up on the wild card, a game and a half down to Houston and playing the Mets and Nats. The ‘Stros, meanwhile, have to go through division arch rivals St. Louis and the Cubs, and those games will not be taken lightly.

Still, the real story here is the Sox/Yanks/Tribe scenario. Two of those three are going to the playoffs, and it’s entirely possible that all three of them could wind up going, depending on what the White Sox do. No matter how you slice it, this is gonna be fun to watch.

RUNNING BACKS

Mewelde Moore, MIN – It’s highly doubtful Moore still on your waiver wire, but he’s now the starting running back for the Vikings and you should snatch him up immediately if he’s still available.

Marcel Shipp, ARI – J.J. Arrington has been a disappointment thus far and HC Dennis Green seems to have more confidence in Shipp at the moment. Marcel is a must-add if you already drafted Arrington.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Terry Glenn, DAL – I’m not a huge believer in Glenn, mostly due to his history of injury, but he’s caught 14 balls for 336 yards and a TD over the first three games. Those are good numbers no matter what league you’re in.

Travis Taylor, MIN – With Nate Burleson out with an injury, Taylor moved into the spotlight on Sunday catching three passes for 40 yards and two scores. He should continue to thrive with Burleson out and the offense improving.

Kevin Curtis, STL – If teammate Isaac Bruce misses any more time with his toe injury, Curtis’ value will skyrocket. With Bruce missing most of this week’s game, Curtis caught five passes for 56 yards and a score.

Greg Lewis, PHI – Over the first three weeks, Lewis has caught 15 balls for 153 yards and a touchdown, making him worth a roster spot in deeper leagues that reward receivers with 1 point per reception. He should continue to take advantage of the single coverage he receives when Terrell Owens and Brian Westbrook are on the field.

Reggie Williams, JAX – His numbers so far this season are not overly impressive (13 catches for 133 yards and zero TDs), but he’s consistently targeted and should continue to improve as the season wears on. Jimmy Smith is no spring chicken, so Reggie’s value is growing as time goes on, especially in dynasty leagues.

Bobby Engram, SEA – I talked about him last week, but he deserves another mention. In the first three games, he’s caught 18 passes for 210 yards. If your league gives one point per reception, Engram is worth having.

The Bills lost linebacker Takeo Spikes for the year with a torn achilles.

The Patriots lost safety and team leader Rodney Harrison for the season with a torn ACL. Meanwhile, starting left tackle Matt Light could miss most of the season with what is reportedly a broken bone below his right knee.

The Jets lost quarterback Chad Pennington for the season with a torn right rotator cuff. To make matters worse for the Jets, backup QB Jay Fiedler went down the very next quarter with a partially torn labrum and is expected to miss at least six weeks.

So which team had a worse day?

The Bills were in trouble anyway, and until Kelly Holcomb replaces J.P. Losman, their offense will continue to sputter. Losing Spikes means they’ll give up more points but it won’t substantially affect the final outcome of their season.

Harrison is probably the best player of this bunch and, with New England’s already depleted secondary, losing him could be crucial. Then again, the Patriots have proven that they can handle just about any amount of adversity thrown their way, so maybe they rebound from this. Don’t, however, discount the Light injury. Losing your starting left tackle for an extended period is a huge blow. I don’t care what team you are.

Of course, the Patriots will probably figure out a way to still make the playoffs, or at least stay in contention until the bitter end. The Jets, on the other hand, are toast. The Pennington injury was bad enough but losing Fiedler in the same game is downright crippling. Hello…Brooks Bollinger? The guy’s played in exactly one NFL game during his three-year career, attempted a total of nine passes, and completed five.

So who do the Jets call first, Vinny Testaverde or Jeff George?

Did I really just see Clay Aiken doling out advice to Brett Favre on Monday Night Football’s halftime show?

I mean, I’d swear Aiken and Jimmy Kimmel were just analyzing Favre’s slump and reviewing proper throwing mechanics.

And then I watched Aiken throw the ball like my wife. On national TV.

No, I had to be hallucinating…. Right?

Heading into the season, there were some who insisted that Peyton Manning should be the top overall choice in fantasy football. Coming off his record-setting 49-TD performance, that argument certainly carried at least some validity. Even if Manning failed to match last season’s remarkable numbers, 40-45 touchdowns seemed like a virtual lock.

Fast forward to week three of the NFL season and, if you happened to choose Manning over LaDainian Tomlinson or even Shaun Alexander in your draft, you’re likely looking for the nearest ledge to jump from. Going up against a Cleveland defense that allowed Brett Favre to throw for 342 yards and three touchdowns a week after Carson Palmer totaled 280 yards and two scores, Manning failed to throw for a TD for the second game in a row this week. In comparison, Manning threw for at least two touchdowns in all but two games last season: a week 15 win against Baltimore (one TD), and a 33-14 loss to Denver in the final game of the year, in which Manning only attempted two passes before resting up for the playoffs.

So is it time to panic? In a word, no. Manning could still lead the league in touchdown passes by the end of the year, after ripping off a few five-TD performances in the next 13 games. But while there was little chance of him repeating his record-breaking campaign from last season, the 40-45 TDs that just a month ago seemed like a virtual lock now appear to be a long shot. Manning would have to average 2.92 TDs per game going forward to hit 40 by the end of the year, which would nearly match his 3.06 per-game output from last season. When you consider he threw for 26, 27 and 29 TDs in the three years leading up to last season, Manning now looks destined for 30-35 touchdowns, which are still good numbers but hardly worthy of the top pick in the draft, or even a selection in the top-five.

HEADLINERS

Daunte Culpepper: 300 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT; 36 rushing yards
Speaking of ledges, all Culpepper owners can now step down from theirs. The best part about Culpepper’s line against the Saints is the absence of any turnovers. The loss of Nate Burleson, who may be out for another week or two with a knee injury, certainly is cause for concern but the best news for Culpepper this week may have been the emergence of RB Mewelde Moore, who started for the ineffective Michael Bennett and ran for 101 yards on 23 carries. If Moore, an excellent runner and receiver out of the backfield, continues to start and produce, the Vikings offense, and Culpepper, should rebound nicely.
ALSO: Drew Bledsoe (363 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT; 1 rushing TD), Donovan McNabb (365 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT), Kerry Collins (345 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT)

Shaun Alexander: 22 carries, 140 yards, 4 TD
LaDainian Tomlinson: 21 carries, 192 yards, 3 TD; 6 catches, 28 yards; 1 passing TD
Remember when Alexander only ran for 73 yards in the opener against the Jaguars? Nervous owners nationwide were wondering if they should deal the Seattle back. I wish someone would’ve offered Alexander to me after that week-one performance, especially in the leagues that Alexander single-handedly beat me this week. Coming off a great performance last season and playing in a contract year, Alexander should be the second-best back in fantasy land this season, and may challenge LaDainian Tomlinson for the overall title by the end of the year.

Then again, maybe not. Football fans across the country wondered what the Chargers were thinking. After their miraculous playoff run last season, the Bolts were 0-2 and their star back had only gotten 19 carries in each of those two losses, topping out at 72 rushing yards in week one. Even more puzzling, Tomlinson failed to record a single reception in either game, and we’re talking about a guy who caught 100 balls just two years ago. Then the Chargers beat up on the Giants on national TV Sunday night and LT got off, ripping off a 62-yarder to cap off his night. All apparently is right in San Diego again.
ALSO: Brian Westbrook (13 carries, 68 yards, 1 TD; 6 catches, 140 yards, 1 TD), Willis McGahee (27 carries, 140 yards, 1 TD), Ronnie Brown (23 carries, 132 yards, 1 TD), Cadillac Williams (37 carries, 158 yards, 0 TD)

Steve Smith: 11 catches, 170 yards, 3 TD
Any questions about Smith’s ability to return from last year’s season-ending injury? Smith tied franchise records with his 11 catches and three touchdown receptions and should continue to produce like a quality #1 fantasy receiver this season, especially if Carolina keeps falling behind early.
ALSO: Brandon Lloyd (4 catches, 142 yards, 2 TD), Torry Holt (9 catches, 163 TD, 1 TD), Hines Ward (4 catches, 110 yards, 2 TD)

FLATLINERS

Matt Hasselbeck: 242 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Hasselbeck’s numbers weren’t ugly (check out Chad Pennington’s line below for that), and the Seahawks aren’t complaining after thumping the Cardinals 37-12, but fantasy owners (like me) expected big things from the Seattle quarterback against a weak Arizona team. Instead, Hasselbeck moved the ball effectively (20 for 31) but Shaun Alexander got all the scoring glory.
ALSO: Chad Pennington (76 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT), Aaron Brooks (199 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT), Brett Favre (195 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT), Kyle Orton (149 yards, 0 TD, 5 INT)

Willie Parker: 17 carries, 55 yards, 0 TD
Somebody finally slowed Fast Willie down. The general feeling coming out of last week’s solid performance was Parker had become a must-start in most situations, depending on who your other backs were, but this outing against the Patriots proves that Parker still isn’t a sure thing, at least not against top defenses. The return of Duce Staley should have Parker owners somewhat concerned, even if Staley didn’t log a single carry Sunday. Still, Jerome Bettis may be back after Pittsburgh’s bye next week, which would leave the Steelers backfield looking awfully crowded. If you’re nervous, now may not be a bad time to start shopping Parker while his value is sky high. Just be warned that the Steelers may very well stick with the younger, faster and fresher Parker for the rest of the season.
ALSO: Stephen Davis (16 carries, 36 yards, 0 TD), Steven Jackson (12 carries, 48 yards, 0 TD), Ahman Green (19 carries, 58 yards, 0 TD)

Joe Horn: 1 catch, 11 yards
Donte Stallworth: 0 catches
Horn’s poor showing is nothing to be concerned about and should be attributed more to Aaron Brooks’ struggles against the Vikings than anything else. Stallworth’s donut, on the other hand, is certainly noteworthy coming off his monster eight-catch, 141-yard performance against the Giants last week. Criticized for his maddening inconsistency and spurned by most fantasy owners for the same reason despite his undeniable talent, Stallworth looked like he may have turned the corner last week in the second game of his fourth NFL season. Instead, he now looks like the same guy: a risky fantasy option who can’t be counted on for anything more than the occasional tease game.
ALSO: T.J. Houshmandzadeh (2 catches, 13 yards), Laveranues Coles (4 catches, 17 yards), Larry Fitzgerald (3 catches, 41 yards), Jerry Porter (5 catches, 40 yards)

Last week’s picks:

START

Carson Palmer – 337 yards passing, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Ahman Green – 99 total yards
Eddie Kennison – 4 rec., 52 yards

BENCH

Chad Pennington – 190 yards passing, 2 TDs
Carnell Williams – 128 yards, 1 TD
Eric Moulds – 1 catch, 8 yards
Lee Evans – 2 catches, 12 yards

Palmer and Williams are looking like every week starters, unless you have tremendous QB or RB depth. Kennison seems like a questionable start (in a 2 WR lineup) until the KC passing game gets back on track. Moulds and Evans should be benched when they face a strong defense.

On to this week’s picks:

START

QB – Brian Griese
Unless you have a stud at this position, Griese should be a nice play this week. He faces a weak Green Bay pass defense that yielded 336 yards and 3 TDs to the Browns.

RB – Willis McGahee
Owners may be shying away from starting McGahee, who had awful numbers against a stout Tampa Bay defense last week. This week, he faces a looser Atlanta defense that gave up 144 yards rushing to Shaun Alexander last week.

WR – Donte Stallworth
Stallworth had an excellent game against the Giants on Monday night and this week he faces a porous Vikings defense. The questionable Saints defense is just what the doctor ordered for Culpepper, so this one should be a high scoring affair, leading to more opportunities for Stallworth.

BENCH

QB – Michael Vick
He’s already listed as questionable, but Vick should be benched this week if you have any other decent options at QB. Atlanta plays Buffalo, so it should be a tough game for the Atlanta offense.

RB – Ahman Green
The Packer offense looks bad and Green, while running pretty well, hasn’t been a huge part of the team’s game plan. This week, the Packers face the Buccaneers, who are playing some of the best defense in the league.

WR – Robert Ferguson
Over the course of a season, Ferguson should step into the #2 WR role in GB and put up solid fantasy numbers, but it would be a good idea to bench him this week against Tampa Bay.

KEY INJURIES

Brandon Lloyd – P
Bubba Franks – Q
Byron Leftwich – Q
Chris Brown – Q
Curtis Martin – Q
David Akers – Q
Donovan McNabb – Q
Drew Bennett – Q
Duce Staley – Q
Eric Johnson – D
Greg Lewis – P
Jay Feely – Q
Jerome Bettis – D
Lee Suggs – Q
Michael Vick – Q
Mike Anderson – P
Nate Burleson – D
Ronald Curry – O
Stephen Davis – Q
Tatum Bell – Q
Terrell Owens – P
Tom Brady – P

Rafael Palmeiro doesn’t know it, but he just ended his baseball career.

During a conversation with an arbitration panel, Palmeiro fingered a teammate as the source of a substance that may have triggered his positive test for steroids. I can’t even begin to explain what a bad idea this was. If this were the Mafia, Raffy the Rat would get whacked.

There is no question that Palmeiro is embarrassed, and likely harbors resentment for the teammate who let him down. But you don’t break the code, man. If you get caught cheating, you do your time and keep your mouth shut. Raffy, of all people, should know this. After all, his Cub teammates kept their mouths shut while he was banging Ryne Sandberg’s wife, so the story goes.

While he didn’t go out and say that the substance he obtained is directly responsible for his positive steroid test, he’s clearly trying to lay the groundwork for his defense that he’s an honest guy who trusted a dishonest person. But it’s a little late for that story. Had he kept his mouth shut, and taken his lumps, he would still have been accepted by the other players in the clubhouse, if not by the fans. By ratting out one of his teammates, he guaranteed that no one will ever want to play with him again.

Perhaps the most curious part of all is: who is this mysterious teammate? Conventional wisdom would suggest Sammy Sosa, but I honestly can’t imagine that Sosa would ever risk getting caught with any of that stuff, not after already suffering through a corked bat scandal, which many speculate was a result of no longer using steroids. So who is it, then? Is it a starter? What would the ramifications be if it turned out to be a stud like Miguel Tejada? Just how deep, and how widespread, is the steroids issue?

There was talk that Palmeiro planned to play the final week of the season. To that I say, Raffy, do yourself and the rest of the Orioles organization a huge favor and stay home. You don’t even want to know what’s waiting for you, and quite frankly, your teammates, even the one who gave you the juice, deserve better than that. And based on recent developments, the interim skipper for the O’s agrees. It’s sage advice, Raffy. I’d consider it.

I wrote a column for Bullz-Eye.com in April of 2004 defending Archie Manning’s decision to tell the San Diego Chargers to not draft his son Eli with the first overall pick in the draft:

“Coming out of Ole Miss, Archie Manning was destined for superstardom. But because the Saints failed to surround him with quality talent, he fell well short of those early expectations. Playing in the NFL is a dream come true for anybody who actually makes it, but looking back on his career you can bet Manning recognizes everything that those years in New Orleans cost him.

It’s simple: In San Diego, Eli could’ve become the next Archie Manning; in New York, he could be the next Peyton Manning.”

Man, did I take a beating from Chargers fans. Not right after I wrote the column, though. No, San Diego fans decided to bombard my inbox with hate mail after the Chargers made the playoffs. They cleverly called Manning “She-li” and asked if I thought Archie would rather have his son playing in San Diego now. And then they called me names. A whole bunch of names. None of them as witty as She-li, but they came up with some doosies.

My response at the time was, let’s see where the Chargers and Giants are in a couple of years. The Bolts were coming off a Cinderella season that ended with them making a surprise appearance in the playoffs. Of course, the way these San Diego fans made it sound, they all expected Drew Brees to lead their team to the postseason whereas everyone else expected a repeat of 2003’s 4-12 performance. And obviously, they expected continued success for their team and sustained failure for Eli and the Giants.

I originally said to wait a couple of years before comparing the progress of Eli to that of the Chargers franchise, but maybe we only had to wait a few months. The Giants travel to San Diego this Sunday, a game that’ll be televised nationwide on ESPN at 8:30. Chargers fans are going to be all over Eli. It’s gonna be ugly. And he, rightfully so, expects it to be. This is the moment Bolts fans have been waiting for since last year’s draft, the chance to prove to the prima-donna She-li and his cry-baby daddy that they made a mistake.

The only problem is, the Giants are 2-0 and the Chargers are 0-2.

Plus, while Manning is still developing as a QB, the Giants look to have one of the better teams in the NFC. Tiki Barber has picked up right where he left off last year, the defense looks solid, Manning has been finding Jeremy Shockey and newcomer Plaxico Burress downfield, and they’re well-coached by Tom Coughlin. As for the Chargers, they lost two tough games to the Cowboys and Broncos by a total of seven points, they haven’t found a groove offensively, and you can bet they liked their 4-12 schedule more than their 12-4 schedule — the Patriots, Steelers, Raiders, Eagles, Chiefs, Jets and Bills await in the seven games following Sunday’s match-up with the G-men.

It still may be too early to predict how this one will end up, but from the looks of things right now, I’d say I won’t be getting any hate mail from Chargers fans anytime soon.

Well, it was good while it lasted, wasn’t it? Great, actually.

.301 - 35 HR - 92 RBI

And with that, in just 128 games, 491 at-bats, Ken Griffey Jr. proved to the baseball world that he still matters. The Reds may not, but Junior certainly does. Griffey’s rejuvenation came to an end on September 4, when he sprained his foot while running the bases against Atlanta. The injury wasn’t believed to be serious, and in truth it may not be, but with the Reds out of contention (were they really ever in contention?), the team decided to let Junior rest for the remainder of the season while also sending him in for surgery to clean out his left knee and the scar tissue surrounding his right hamstring.

The 128 games are the most Griffey’s played since 2000, his first season with the Reds. Not so coincindentally, the 35 homers and 92 RBI also mark his highest end-of-year totals since 2000, while Junior hadn’t hit above .300 since his MVP campaign in 1997.

Of course, just because Griffey was healthy for the majority of the season doesn’t mean he’ll be healthy next year or the year after that. But his production this year does prove that, as long as he’s out there, he’s still dangerous. His .576 slugging percentage ranked fifth in the NL, behind Carlos Delgado and MVP candidates Derrek Lee, Albert Pujols and Andruw Jones, and his .946 OPS (on-base + slugging) ranked seventh in the league. He may not run anymore (0-1 in stolen base attempts) and he’s certainly not the picture of health, but he’s still got that picture-perfect swing and when he’s out there, he can still mash.

Let’s also not forget that now Junior is tied with Mickey Mantle for 12th on the all-time home run list with 536 career dingers. Two more seasons like this one (he’s still just 34), and Junior would sit behind just Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714), Barry Bonds (707, as of today) and Willie Mays (660) on the sport’s most revered list. Take into account his 12 All-Star games, 10 Gold Gloves (might another be on its way?) and his MVP award, and you wonder how anybody can argue that Ken Griffey Jr. is not a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Lance Armstrong made an emergency trip to a Colorado-area hospital recently.

Oh wait, it was Colorado State University’s veterinary hospital, and the patient was Armstrong’s nine-month-old puppy, Rex, who needed open-heart surgery to replace a defective valve.

Whew…glad that crisis is over.

Is this really what it’s come to? Do we really need to see stories on ESPN about athletes’ pets? Better yet, does Lance Armstrong really need to have a story like this show up on newswires across the country? What a joke. Why does this have to be reported? Who gives a crap? Are we really so star-struck that we need to be fed stories about celebrity pets?

This may seem like a petty, pointless rant, but I’m so fed up with the outrageous attention devoted to celebrities these days. Lance proposes to Sheryl Crow and it’s all over the news. Lance goes on a bike ride and everyone’s writing about a possible return at next year’s Tour. And now, Lance takes his dog to the vet and some hack from the AP writes about it. Even worse, ESPN picks up the damn story.

Oh, and I know you’re worried about Rex’s condition. I was too. But the surgery was a success, and thank God ESPN and the AP were there to give us the story.

Daunte Culpepper looks like crap and Trent Dilfer looks like Superman - so do you bench the Viking for the Brown or do you stick to your guns and start your stud?

Post all of your Week 3 roster questions here.

QUARTERBACKS

Trent Dilfer, CLE - Dilfer tore up a weak Packer secondary for 336 yards and three touchdowns. Don’t expect numbers like this every week, but with a talented group of receivers, he could be a good backup this season.

RUNNING BACKS

Travis Henry, TEN - If Henry is somehow available in your league, now would be the time to pick him up. Chris Brown sat out the second half with a concussion and his status for Week 3 is uncertain.

Mewelde Moore, MIN - Another guy probably not on your waiver wire, but make sure. With Michael Bennett getting benched after two fumbles, this might be the opportunity Moore and his owners have been waiting for.

Derrick Blaylock, NYJ - It appears that Curtis Martin might miss next week’s game with a knee injury, so if you have room on your roster and need RB help, Blaylock would be a nice addition with good upside.

Ron Dayne, DEN - Dayne carried the ball eight times for 44 yards, backing up starter Mike Anderson. The bigger story is that Tatum Bell didn’t get any work. Is Dayne rising on the depth chart? Only HC Mike Shanahan knows for sure, but Dayne’s value would skyrocket if he were to get 15-20 carries a game.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Travis Taylor, MIN - Minnesota’s passing game has yet to get on track, but Taylor shined Sunday with seven catches for 75 yards. He might be available in 10-team leagues and is worth a roster spot.

Bobby Engram, SEA - In his second straight solid outing, Engram caught five balls for 77 yards and is especially valuable in leagues that reward one point per reception.

Samie Parker, KC - The Chiefs’ #2 WR has caught five passes for 109 yards in the first two games and is worth a look for owners in deeper leagues (12+ teams) looking for WR help.

TIGHT ENDS

Steve Heiden, CLE - QB Trent Dilfer seemed very comfortable with Heiden on Sunday as the duo hooked up six times for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Heiden would make a good backup for a fantasy squad looking for TE depth.

As part of the NFL Hurricane Relief Weekend, there are two overlapping games this evening. The Saints / Giants game is set to start at 7:30 pm ET on ABC, with the New York and New Orleans markets seeing that game in its entirety. For the rest of the country, this game will move over to ESPN at 9:00 pm ET when the Cowboys / Redskins kickoff on ABC. Both games will reportedly be broadcast in HDTV.

When the Vikings dealt Randy Moss to the Raiders, many thought Daunte Culpepper’s numbers would fall. Coming off a monster 39-TD performance last season, a repeat performance with Moss now in Oaklnad seemed unlikely. Still, nobody could’ve expected what’s happened to C-Pep and the Vikings through two games. After throwing three picks and fumbling twice in a week-one loss to the Bucs, Culpepper tossed five interceptions in an ugly 37-8 loss to the Bengals this week. Of course, Culpepper’s atrocious start hasn’t hurt as much in leagues that don’t count interceptions, but the Minnesota QB has yet to throw for a touchdown (he did run for one against the Bengals) and his complete inability to get new #1 receiver Nate Burleson involved in the offense (6 catches, 93 yards through two weeks) has Culpepper and Burleson owners sweating bullets. (And rightfully so, according to G, who says the Vikings suck.)

Not to be outdone, Detroit QB Joey Harrington matched Culpepper’s pick party by throwing five interceptions of his own while leading the Lions to an embarrassing 38-6 loss to the Bears Sunday. The Lions as a team looked pathetic in Chicago, with RB Kevin Jones managing just 22 yards on 8 carries. Roy Williams hauled in an early 51-yard touchdown pass but that was Detroit’s lone highlight. When Jeff Garcia went down with a broken leg during the preseason, many tabbed Harrington as a potential sleeper as the unchallenged starter in Detroit’s high-octane offense. Through two games, though, Harrington looks like waiver-wire fodder and the Lions look overrated.

HEADLINERS

Donovan McNabb: 342 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT
While Culpepper and Harrington were busy throwing five interceptions, McNabb, whose status was up in the air all week following last Sunday’s chest injury, hit paydirt five times en route to a 42-3 pasting of the 49ers. McNabb was extremely efficient, completing 23 of 29 passes while connecting with TE L.J. Smith nine times and Terrell Owens five more.
ALSO: Trent Dilfer (336 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT), Carson Palmer (337 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT)

Thomas Jones: 20 carries, 139 yards, 2 TD; 2 catches, 19 yards
Rookie Cedric Benson got 16 carries, but most of his work came after the Bears had opened up a big lead over the Lions. If Jones keeps running like this, Benson won’t be starting in Chicago anytime soon. As the situation currently stands, Jones looks like a solid #2 back, with his next three games coming against the Bengals, Browns and Vikings.
ALSO: Stephen Davis (25 carries, 77 yards, 3 TD), Cadillac Williams (24 carries, 128 yards, 1 TD), Willie Parker (25 carries, 111 yards, 1 TD)

Terrell Owens: 5 catches, 143 yards, 2 TD
McNabb’s favorite target was L.J. Smith but T.O. was electric Sunday, scoring first on a 68-yard play and later on a 42-yarder. Nobody’s talking about Owens’ holdout anymore and he looks ready to once again challenge Randy Moss as the top receiver in football. Still worried about McNabb and T.O.’s on-field chemistry?
ALSO: Steve Heiden (6 catches, 104 yards, 2 TD), Chad Johnson (7 catches, 139 yards, 1 TD)

FLATLINERS

Jake Delhomme: 154 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Of course, no quarterback looked worse than Culpepper or Harrington this week, but Delhomme didn’t look much better. The Panthers beat the Patriots 27-17 but Stephen Davis deserves the credit. Delhomme’s looked rather ineffective the last two weeks, making him a shaky play at this point.
ALSO: Peyton Manning (122 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT), Drew Brees (175 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT), Culpepper, Harrington

Michael Bennett: 3 carries, 36 yards
Bennett looked good early, ripping off a 23-yard run in the first quarter, but then he lost two fumbles and was benched for the second half. This could be the opportunity Mewelde Moore owners were waiting for. The Vikings were down early so they didn’t run the ball all that much but Moore still got eight carries on the day compared to Bennett’s three and one for Moe Williams. Stay tuned.
ALSO: Jamal Lewis (10 carries, 9 yards; 4 catches, 32 yards), Corey Dillon (14 carries, 36 yards), Ronnie Brown (12 carries, 35 yards), Kevin Jones

Lee Evans (2 catches, 12 yards) and Eric Moulds (1 catch, 8 yards)
The Bills faced a tough Tampa defense so the low numbers aren’t all that surprising, but Sunday’s performance by Evans and Moulds proves just how unreliable all Bills receivers will be this year as long as J.P. Losman is throwing them the ball. Losman completed just 12 of his 29 attempts for 113 yards and actually sat out a fourth-quarter series in favor of backup Kelly Holcomb. Losman returned to finish the game but unless (until?) Holcomb takes over full time, Buffalo’s receivers are all marginal plays.
ALSO: Joey Galloway (0 catches), Andre Johnson (4 catches, 20 yards), Michael Jenkins (1 catch, 22 yards)

As usual, the first couple of weeks of the NFL season are producing lots of surprises, but the collapse of the Minnesota Vikings has to rank near the top of the list. How pathetic. After losing Randy Moss, some “experts” thought they would be a better team. What a joke. Losing Moss has changed the whole offense, and not they see what it’s like trying to win NFL games without a difference maker.

Yet even with the loss of Moss, did anyone think that they would be THIS bad? Dante Culpepper now looks like a stiff.

Minnesota fans can’t be happy. They probably were looking forward to football season after the Twins collapsed, and now they have to deal with this.

UPDATE - ESPN’s John Clayton might be a good reporter because of his connections, but he often sounds like an idiot when trying to analyze the NFL. He demonstrated that again yesterday on ESPN Radio. First he acknowledged that he had picked the Vikings to go to the Super Bowl, so you can include him in the group of “experts” who discounted the value of Randy Moss. Next, he makes one of the dumbest statements I ever heard, saying that he has Dante Culpepper rated as the second best quarterback in football behind Peyton Manning. Now, he wasn’t referring to fantasy value. Culpepper has always been a turnover machine even when he had Randy Moss. How can Clayton think that Culpepper is better than three-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady? How can he rate him over Donovan McNabb? Now it’s even more clear that Culpepper is overrated, but that still doesn’t absolve Clayton. He should stick to straight reporting.