NFL FanHouse

Panthers GM on Favre-to-Carolina Rumors: 'I Don't Know Where These Things Come From'

Ryan Wilson — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 10:59:00 EST

Filed under: Packers, Panthers, NFL Fans, NFL Gossip

On Thursday, ProFootballTalk.com posted word that Brett Favre's agent, Bus Cook, was floating the idea that his client would love to play for the Panthers. The Rock Hill Herald's Darin Gantt had to take time out from his Fourth of July preparations to shoot down the rumor, because, no matter where Favre may or may not want to play in 2008, Carolina is very happy with their current quarterback, Jake Delhomme.

And yesterday, we heard from pithy Panthers general manager Marty Hurney: "I don't know where these things come from." This motivated PFT's Mike Florio to give an impromptu lesson in child development:

Well, Marty, here's how it works. Human beings have vocal cords. At a point roughly between 18 and 30 months of age, human beings begin using their vocal cords to articulate words. By the time we reach adulthood, we use them all the freakin' time.

In this case, "these things" came from Cook using those vocal cords to talk to other people about Favre's desire to play for the Panthers.

So there you have it.

I'm pretty sure Hurney understands how these things work. That he chose not to comment on them hardly seems surprising since, you know, honesty is the best policy except when you're an NFL general manager. Either way, whatever Hurney knows doesn't change the fact that Delhomme's still the Panthers' starting quarterback.

Panthers GM on Favre-to-Carolina Rumors: 'I Don't Know Where These Things Come From' originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 06 Jul 2008 10:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Every NFL Team Except the Packers Is Interested in Brett Favre

Ryan Wilson — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:28:00 EST

Filed under: Bears, Packers, Vikings, NFC North, NFL Fans, NFL Gossip

It only makes sense; word on the street is that Brett Favre is mulling a re-comeback, and even though he sorta denies it, speculation runs rampant. Not so much among the 32 NFL franchises and Aaron Rodgers, but the newspapers that cover each of these teams (and, of course, the blogs that follow the newspapers that cover these teams).

Earlier today, I mentioned that the Dolphins should Just Say No to Favre, even though, to my knowledge, there has never been any discussion about the future Hall of Famer heading to South Beach. But, then again, I thought Randy Moss would catch 10 passes last season in New England.

In addition to the Dolphins, writers from papers that cover two of Green Bay's NFC North division rivals have also gotten in on the mix. Yep, the Bears and Vikings are both teams in need of a 38-year-old wily veteran who just doesn't know what it means to quit. Ever.

First, Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Tribune:

If the Bears believe they're a quarterback away from competing for the division title, they should [try to get Favre].

If the Packers are crazy enough to let Favre go, let them. And let Favre enjoy extracting his revenge. Now what city would offer the most in the way of payback?

Well, the first eight words pretty much render the rest of Morrissey's point moot. Yes, the Bears need a quarterback, but they need a proven running back, some stability along the offensive line and a couple receivers, too. That said, it would kill Packers fans if Favre made his comeback in Chicago and then proceeded to stick it Green Bay twice a year.

And then there's the St. Paul Pioneer Press' Tom Powers:

...Your very own Minnesota Vikings are the perfect fit for Brett Favre, who would want to win immediately. No other team comes close, except the Packers, and they don't want him.

Imagine, the Vikings really would be Super Bowl favorites. Plus, Tarvaris Jackson could learn from the best for a year or two. And Zygi Wilf could rev up the bulldozers. He would be the area's man of the year for working so diligently toward bringing a championship to Minnesota.

Ah, yes, the "Tarvaris Jackson could learn by watching ... again" theory to winning football. I suppose if you're going to send him to the bench without a chance to lose the job, Favre's as good a reason as any. Until he has one of those four-pick performances, anyway.

And if you're wondering, Matt Millen, president of the other NFC North team, Detroit, said the Lions are only interested in Favre if he's willing to move to wide receiver.

Every NFL Team Except the Packers Is Interested in Brett Favre originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take Back the Television: NFL Blunders with its Precious Network

Tom Mantzouranis — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:46:00 EST

Filed under: NFL Fans, NFL Gossip, NFL Media Watch, NFL Network

NFL players are constantly and increasingly warned to beware the all-seeing eye of the Internet and its resourceful inhabitants. The league itself might want to heed that lesson a little bit, as well.

The league has taken a sorta progressive stance compared to other leagues on offering online video (although a package to watch games online might, you know, be a good idea), but they recently got caught with their guard down. NFL.com streamed the live NFL Network feed of Michael Strahan's retirement press conference on June 9th and then ... forgot to close the feed.

The result: some tubes nerd discovered that by visiting the URL for the Strahan conference, he/she could watch the NFL Network, for free, in glorious real time. Rampant message-boarding ensued. The stream remained for almost an entire month, until it was shut down yesterday. The error is significant, given the vigilance the league usually maintains over its content online, the NFL Network's treatment by the league as a precious commodity, and its struggles with cable over distribution. It also came at a bad time as each side continues to fight for leverage, with the NFL already losing more and more everyday.

I was tipped off to this a couple of weeks ago but kept quiet here because ~~my market is sans-NFLN and I was enjoying the taste while it lasted~~ I wanted to see how long before the league caught on on its own. With it no longer, I contacted the league for a response and it seemed they were still a little confused by it all. They did tell me, however, that they didn't think that the bootlegging was widespread (Google disagrees) and that they hope we "enjoyed the NFL Network freeview." Thank you, we did. I love stickin' it to the man.

Take Back the Television: NFL Blunders with its Precious Network originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Player Formerly Known as Pacman Takes New Nickname, Wants to Be Called Dig Dug Jones

Ryan Wilson — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:10:00 EST

Filed under: Cowboys, NFL Fans, NFL Gossip

We're still waiting for "Adam" Jones, upstanding citizen, to give way to the strip-club lovin' rain maker formerly known as Pacman. A rose by any other name and all that. So far, it hasn't happened, and as part of the new-and-improved him, "Adam" has decided to take another nickname. A symbol of his rebirth and whatnot.

He told the media last week that "Pacman" was out because "It's really just a lot of negativity behind it. It's time for a change." Which, obviously, is why, from this day forth, he will be known as Dig Dug. No, really:

"Pacman is a straight up p---- game compared to Dig Dug," said Jones. "Pacman just eats stuff. In Dig Dug you could blow people up or crush them with a rock. That's totally how I roll." ...

"People are doubting me, so I have to come stronger and harder than ever," said Jones. "I don't need people saying I'm some small, little yellow guy or cracking on me calling me 'Ms. Pacman.' No way. I mean, notice there was never any 'Ms. Dig Dug.' That's because Dig Dug would drop a rock on a b----."

Dig Dug makes a good point. And he seemingly gets the message that this could be his last stop before prison unless he changes. If part of that makeover includes a new nickname, I'm all for it. And Cowboys owner Jerry Jones agrees, apparently.

"This is a fine young man who made a few mistakes," Jones said. "And we are simply allowing him a chance to prove himself. I expect nothing but the best behavior from Dig Douglas."

But part of me wonders if Jones was too hasty to jump on the Dig Dug bandwagon. I mean, he could've gone with any number of other, more menacing 80s video games:

Double Dragon Jones
Asteroids Jones
Donkey Kong Jones
Galaga Jones
Missile Command Jones

I'm guessing you see the pattern here: any 80s video game + Jones = potentially awesome new nickname. While I applaud Jones for wanting a fresh start, no way is Dig Dug more bad-ass than Rush'n Attack. Seriously, nobody questions Rush'n Attack Jones for asking for his "makin' it rain" money back. Rush'n Attack Jones doesn't have to wait in line for his ride after a night at the club. And NOBODY steals Rush'n Attack Jones' wallet.

Still, Dig Douglas appears set on his new moniker:

"I don't know how many more chances I'll get," he said. "You can only hit the reset button so many times before all of your accomplishments are tainted. Dig Dug taught me that. And now the whole league is about to be taught that you don't f-k with Dig Dug Jones. And that goes for everyone - wide receivers, quarterbacks, red, glasses-wearing tomato-looking things, even fire-breathing green dragons. Dig Dug will mess you up."

Let's see: Dig Dug Jones inflates Pookas and Fygars and drops rocks; Rush'n Attack Jones wields flamethrowers, RPGs and hand grenades. It's a not even close.

Player Formerly Known as Pacman Takes New Nickname, Wants to Be Called Dig Dug Jones originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anheuser-Busch Sale Could Prove Costly to American Sports Leagues, Networks

Michael David Smith — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:29:00 EST

Filed under: NFL Gossip

The Belgian brewer InBev is attempting to complete a $46 billion purchase of Anheuser-Busch, and if the deal goes through, you can bet that American sports leagues and the networks that televise their games will not be happy about it.

The Business of Sports Illuminated has a great post about the ramifications of such a deal to the sports world, and suffice to say that Anheuser-Busch, which spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year on advertising related to sports, is unlikely to keep spending that kind of money if InBev buys it. From the post:

InBev has a very different philosophy about marketing, one which should make owners of professional sports franchises and athletic directors of U.S. colleges and universities quickly start campaigns to keep A-B an independent company. InBev's philosophy is to use those dollars to market based on price. It does not believe in spending ad dollars in a way that drowns out your competitor. As a result, it is not a major sports sponsor nor is its advertising budget more than a fraction of that spent by A-B.

Although none of the sports leagues have said anything publicly about this deal, you can bet that behind the scenes, they're nervous about losing one of their biggest cash cows.

Anheuser-Busch Sale Could Prove Costly to American Sports Leagues, Networks originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For Marcus Vick, Being Unemployed Isn't as Bad as You Might Think

Ryan Wilson — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 14:41:00 EST

Filed under: Dolphins, NFL Gossip, NFL Police Blotter

Getting busted for DUI by a cop on a bicycle sounds like the perfect end to a perfect evening. As MDS noted yesterday, New Mexico was arrested and charged with driving drunk after leaving a club with his girlfriend/model Delicia Cordon. The Daily Press has the moving pictures to prove it.

Perhaps the most amazing thing in all this is that when Mr. Investigative Reporter went to Marcus Vick's house the day after the arrest (shockingly, Vick didn't answer), we learn that he lives in a mansion (roughly 2:00 into the video).

I remember hearing rumors that Ron Mexico gave his younger brother $1 million as a birthday gift a few years ago, but I figured it was just the internets run amok. Maybe not. Unless, of course, guys recently out of college with no job prospects can afford such luxurious living as a former NFL practice-squad player.

Vicks Model Girlfriend

Quarterback Marcus Vick, left, was busted for DUI early Friday morning and charged with eluding police. But according to reports, the NFL bust is living it up in a mansion with girlfriend/model Delicia Cordon. Click through to see more pics of Vick's party-going lady friend.

AP / WireImage.com