Every report of this story that I’ve seen has been accompanied by the mention that this COULD be a sign that Favre has told those close to him that he is returning.

But what if it isn’t?  What if a really clever manager or bellhop just started the rumor to drum up some publicity for the Midway Motor Lodge?  Get some early reservations going, and hope that people don’t cancel in time, or decide to make the trip even if Favre stays retired?

Or, another possibility–what if Favre has actually decided NOT to come back, and he’s been in touch with the Packers, and that’s the weekend they’re finally going to retire #4?

OK, admittedly, neither of those scenarios seem real plausible–but neither does the idea that family & friends booking a block of rooms means he’s 100% coming back, if you ask me.

Until we finally hear something direct from Brad Childress or Favre himself, all of these reports–NFL Network, ESPN, etc–they are all 100% speculation, in my eyes.  And speculation that I could care less about.  After all, it’s only about two and a hlaf months until our first fantasy draft…

Foote reportedly has inked a one-year deal to become Detroit’s new middle linebacker just days after receiving his release from the Steel Town where he helped win two Lombardi trophies.

By joining the rebuilding Lions he goes from being the third or fourth best linebacker on one of the league’s top defenses year in and year out to a team where he likely becomes one of – if not THE – best player.

Now in Pittsburgh, Foote last year was replaced on many passing downs by Lawrence Timmons, an emerging youngster who will likely replace him as the starter. So, perhaps if Steelers coaches were giving him an indication his role would be further reduced in 2009, maybe that makes some sense.

And he is from Detroit, so that explains some of his desire to play for the Lions as well.

But this move has been rumored since around the time of the Super Bowl, according to a couple of media reports. And it got played up big time a week or so ago by ProFootballTalk.com.

“No question about it, that’s my top choice,” he told the Detroit News last week.

But he does realize the team went 0-16 last year, right? And he realizes he’s going to a team that took a quarterback with the top pick in the draft who might not even play for a year? And a team with less than stellar talent across the offensive and defensive lines? And he goes from a team with six Super Bowl wins in seven appearances going back to the mid-1970s to a team that has won one playoff game in half a century?

Maybe Foote knows exactly what he’s doing. Maybe entering his eighth season, with two rings already adorning his hands, the pressure is off and he wants to go see if he can help create a miracle in the struggling city of Detroit. He’s a solid player – he probably was somewhat underappreciated by just being “one of the guys” in Pittsburgh. If he helps pull off what looks now like a miracle reclamation project he can only help his reputation – and if the Lions continue to suck, well, he went back to the hometown and gave it his best shot.

But wow. This is a curious, curious move. Even if he wanted out of Pittsburgh, there have to be any number of teams that would have bid for his services. So a tip of the cap to Foote for keeping things interesting. I’ll be keeping an eye on this one to see how it plays out.

Obviously Favre retired, so at the current time, it’s not a problem for the Jets.  But what if Favre, conveniently after the Jets commit to Sanchez, decides to un-retire again?  He would quickly find himself in a situation similar to last season with the Packers–owed a big chunk of money by a team that didn’t want him, forcing them to release him or cut him, or likely be over the salary cap.

And earlier today, the Jets avoided any such scenario, by granting Favre his release.

While Favre currently maintains that he has no plans to return in 2010, the release means that he is free to sign with any team in the NFL, eliminating the clause the Packers included in last season’s trade that penalized the Jets if they turned around and traded him to the Vikings (where Favre reportedly wanted to go).

While Favre did file his retirement papers this time around, from what I’ve read, it is still just a matter of filing for reinstatement, if he were to change his mind again.

And with the Vikings seemingly set at nearly every spot EXCEPT quarterback, one has to wonder if coach Brad Childress might not call his old pal Favre, at least to see what his feelings really are as it related to his second retirement…

…

Bwahaha haha hahah haha

Sorry. Just flipped on ESPN and Sal Paolantonio reported that the Cleveland Browns are willing to trade butter-fingered wideout Braylon Edwards to the New York Giants – in exchange for defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka AND a first-round draft choice.

Yes, that’s correct – Cleveland wants a first-round pick AND a starting quality defensive end for a wide receiver that dropped as many passes as he caught last season.

Yes, the 2007 version of Edwards when he caught 80 passes for 16 touchdowns and nearly 1,300 yards was impressive. But it’s the only one of his four seasons in the NFL when he has justified the first rounder Cleveland spent on him in the first place.

Meanwhile, Kiwanuka is coming off of a 50 tackle, eight sack season, giving him 16.5 sacks in three seasons. He’s expendable – the Giants are incredibly deep on the defensive line – but it’s hard to blame New York for not being willing to part with him AND a first for the inconsistent and enigmatic wideout.

The Giants, who recently cut Plaxico Burress following his legal woes, have reportedly countered by offering a second and a fifth. Worst case scenario for them, they take one of the three or four receivers that are pegged for the bottom third of the first round.

Hopefully for the sake of Browns fans, Cleveland somehow jolts back into reality. It’s probably in their best interests to make a move with Edwards, as they did with Kellen Winslow, and start over with the new Eric Mangini regime.

But if they get stubborn and stick to ridiculous demands like these with the Giants or any other NFL team, they can count on Edwards being on the roster when training camp starts in a couple months.

Holt signed a three-year deal Monday with Jacksonville, making him the number one wide receiver on a team that in 2008 had … a decent quarterback being protected by a bad offensive line. The Jaguars have added William Tra Thomas, an aging left tackle whose better days are behind him.

Sound familiar?

I don’t think Torry Holt is completely out of gas. And in fairness, Jacksonville was hammered by injuries last season. And Thomas probably has more in the tank than Orlando Pace does at this point.

But don’t expect miracles from Holt either. He has lost a step. And the Rams actually have had better talent at wide receiver than the Jags – Isaac Bruce until last season and rookie Donnie Avery in 2008 were better counterparts for him than the guys Jacksonville has been lining up in recent years.

Reggie Williams?

Troy Williamson?

Matt Jones?

I’d expect more from Holt than his 796 yards and three touchdown output from 2008. Being surrounded by Maurice Jones-Drew in his first year as “the guy” should be good for some open looks.

But expecting Holt to get back to 93 catches (in both 2006 and 2007) and nearly 1,200 yards (1,188 and 1,189 respectively) is, in my opinion, far fetched.

And double-digit touchdowns? Eh. Not out of the question entirely – he immediately becomes the number one wideout. But I wouldn’t count on it, especially if the Jags add another similar or even better receiver between now and the end of the season, as I expect that they will.

Holt can be a fantasy factor in 2009. But I’d only take him as a potential third wide receiver – not as someone you want to anchor your team around.

The contract is a nice one for Harrison, a 31-year old OLB, and certainly not as ridiculous as handing a 320-pound (or more) defensive tackle with penchant for stomping on people’s faces with his cleats and possibly taking non-contract seasons off a record breaking $100+ million deal.

But, looking back at the Steelers history, one has to wonder if the extension for Harrison is sign of a new philosophy in Pittsburgh, in theory being driven by coach Mike Tomlin, who has a reputation as being more of a “Player’s Coach” than Bill Cowher or Chuck Noll ever were.

In the past, Pittsburgh has let several big name LBs leave in the middle of what would be considered my many their prime, or at the very worst just past their prime–seemingly always considering the system more important than the player.

Hardy Nickerson was just 27 years old and a six-year veteran when the Steelers let him leave for Tampa Bay, where he starred for 8 seasons, before finishing off with a couple years in Jacksonville and one in Green Bay.

Kevin Greene, who came into the league with the Rams, played for just three seasons with the Steelers from 1993-1995, but racked up 35.5 sakcs and a first team All-Pro election, before being allowed to move on to Carolina, where he posted 14.5 more sacks in his first season with the Panthers (and added 37.5 more in three seasons with the Panthers and 49ers after that).

Levon Kirkland left at age 31, after 9 years with the Steelers during which he was considered to be amongst the best ILB in the game–and in possibly the greatest indication that it was the system more than the player, only lasted two more years in the league (although his weight was a large part of that).

And most recently, Joey Porter was allowed to leave, after eight seasons with the club, which included 60 sacks, 3 Pro Bowls and an All-Pro season.  Of course, Porter also caused his fair share of headaches, and was given a large contract to join the Miami Dolphins–a contract which appeared to support the Steelers stance of system over player in the first year (just 5.5 sacks), but was justified in a resurgent 2008 (NFL leading 17.5 sacks).

So why now are the Steelers shelling out big bucks for a LB who is 31-years old?  Granted, he didn’t play a lot his first few seasons, so he doesn’t have the same wear and tear as other 31-year old LBs–but he also doesn’t have the same track record as many of the guys who were allowed to walk before him.

Only time will tell if the Steelers are staying one step ahead of the curve with this signing, or if they are taking the first step in the other direction…

First it was Drian Dawkins leaving for Denver.  Most recently it was Tra Thomas heading to Jacksonville.  In between they’ve lost or traded role players Correll Buckhalter, Lito Sheppard, Greg Lewis and Sean Considine.

Donovan McNabb wrote on his blog that he “will always regret not having the chance to win a championship with these guys.”  (Technically he did have a chance, but I think we get his point).

The Eagles are also likely without long time tackle Jon Runyan (a free agent recovering from knee surgery), have not re-signed starting TE LJ Smith (who may be supplanted by Brent Celek), and either missed out on or weren’t interested in TJ Houshmenzadeh (whom many Eagles fans on Yardbarker seemed to think they should get).

What have they brought in?  Stacy Andrews, a solid young right tackle to replace Runyan and pair with brother Shawn, who plays guard for the Eagles.  And safety Sean Jones, a three year starter for the Cleveland Browns who has also been solid but never starred.  Both players could improve with the Eagles, but are hardly sure things to replace the contributions Dawkins and Runyan–and that still leaves gaping holes at left tackle, and lesser holes at backup RB (for often injured Brian Westbrook) and at always important nickel back spot.

The Eagles have stocked up draft picks and cash.  There are rumors that they may use them to try to trade for established players, like Jason Peters.  But would the Bills move Peters, now that they’ve apparently decided to make a push for it with T.O.?    And would bringing in re-treads like Orlando Pace really make McNabb feel confident about his blind side?

So the question has to be thrown out there–with the draft picks and the cash reserve, should the Eagles think about dumping McNabb at this point, and use the picks they would get to re-load now, rather than later?

Realistically, given the lack of effort all along from the Eagles in re-signing Thomas, Dawkins and Runyan, they aren’t likely to change gears at this point and suddenly start shopping McNabb.

But I’m thinking adding the first round pick (probably plus more) they could probably get from a certain team that still needs a quarterback and happens to have a head coach that believes he mentored McNabb in his early years would help the Eagles be back in the Super Bowl hunt within 1-2 years, if they draft well–whereas with McNabb, they may continue to struggle to make the playoffs and face early exits until that chapter is closed.

Another player that could move up draft boards come August thanks to T.O. landing in Buffalo is Marshawn Lynch.  After bursting on the scene with 1,115 yards as a rookie in 2007, Lynch took a bit of a step back in 2008 with just 1,036 yards in 2008.  This was partially due to the emergence of Fred Jackson as a capable backup, and partially due to some injuries suffered–although Lynch appeared in 15 games.

Additionally, in 2008 he actually scored more touchdowns on the ground (8 vs 7), slightly improved his yards per carry numbers (4.1 from 4.0), and got himself more involved in the passing game (47 receptions for 300 yards and a TD, vs 18-184-0 in his rookie season).

While the Bills have been making some changes to the offensive line that could impact Lynch’s ability to find holes in 2009, the addition of Owens on the outside should help keep defenses a little more honest when it comes to moving a safety up in the box.

In fact, if James Hardy can show signs of improvement in his second season, Lynch could possibly even crack our 2009 draft board top 10.

The guy had a rough opening to the season, as he continued sharing time with 87-year-old Fred Taylor and the team’s offensive line fell victim to a ridiculous spate of injuries and mediocre play.

But as the season wore on, Jones-Drew got stronger and as he has done throughout his career, he continued to be a touchdown machine, scoring 15 in 2008 despite starting just one game and touching the gall just 212 times.

Jones-Drew was already likely to improve upon his numbers in 2009 just based on the likelihood that the offensive line would be more healthy (center Brad Meester missed time with a biceps injury and guards Vince Manuwai and Maurice Williams missed all but the season opener due to injuries and backup Richard Collier had his career ended by a gunshot wound shortly before the season started).

The back’s stock rose again before free agency when the Jags cut loose Fred Taylor. And then Monday it hit the wires that the Jaguars had inked former Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowl tackle William Tra Thomas, an 11-year veteran who rarely misses games (15 or more games played in 10 of 11 seasons) and who says he has several good years of football left in his body.

The Eagles have several young linemen in place to fill Thomas’ spot on the roster, but that doesn’t mean Eagles fans are thrilled to see him go.

Add that to the re-signing of Meester, who inked a four-year deal before the end of February, and the team appears to be solidifying for 2009 what was a weak spot in 2008.

Now, if I were the Jaguars, I would still either game plan Greg Jones into the mix or find another slightly bigger, change-of-pace back to take a handful or so carries away from the 5-foot-7 Jones-Drew, just to keep him fresh.

But I love what the fourth-year back could do as the full-time starter in Jacksonville, given what he’s done as a part-timer thus far.

In barely more than 175 carries per season he’s run for 2,533 yards and 34 touchdowns in three seasons. He’s added 148 catches for 1,408 yards and another four touchdowns through the air.

Jones-Drew was on the Dan Patrick radio show last week saying he deserved to be the highest-paid back in the NFL based on his first three seasons. I think that’s a bit of a stretch at this point. But if you add another 35 to 40 percent to those carries and catches, the sky is the limit on what this diminutive superstar could accomplish for the Jags in 2009.

If he’s not toward the top of your fantasy draft list you might want to think about finding another hobby.

But Owens’ history, admitted or not, of being a jagoff of a teammate makes me nervous that the youngster Edwards could get rattled and curl up in the fetal position on the 50 yard line.

Hopefully he’s stronger than that, but it leaves me with no idea yet how to look at the Buffalo Bills’ skill players heading into the middle of free agency. I’ll leave you with a link to ffchamps.com, where Anthony Maggio, whom we occasionally contact for insight and who also writes the blog Punting Baxter, wrote an extensive piece outlining his thoughts on Owens’ contributions.

One person in Dallas I think might be an overlooked beneficiary of Owens’ departure is little-known Miles Austin.

Austin joined the Cowboys three seasons ago as a free agent from Monmouth College in New Jersey. His stats have been underwhelming, for the most part. But he’s 6-3, he’s fast, and he reportedly was in the process of overtaking Patrick Crayton on the depth chart last year when he hurt his knee for the second time.

Despite his modest stats, there are signs he’s got the potential to be somebody. After missing the opener against Cleveland last season, he caught seven passes for two touchdowns in his next three games.

Against Green Bay in week three, he caught two passes for 115 yards – one a 63 yarder and the other a 52 yard scoring strike. He ended the season with 13 catches for 278 yards – a solid 21.4 yard per catch average.

His numbers slowed dramatically the last half of the season with the knee injury and Jerry Jones’ acquisition of Roy Williams from Detroit. But the Cowboys did like him enough to put a $1.545 million tender on him as a restricted free agent.

But the Cowboys remain intrigued by his speed and size and, while the team is likely to supplement Austin, Sam Hurd, Crayton and other unheralded returnees through free agency and the draft, Austin will get a chance to showcase himself.

“Obviously it’s an opportunity and I’m excited for the challenge,” he told the Dallas Morning News. “It gives me a shot to get more time and also show the coaches what I can do. But when it’s all said and done, you still have to perform when they call on you.”

Yes, you do have to perform when they call on you. He’s done that a little bit in limited opportunities. Now he gets a real chance to be one of those long-shot happy endings.