For once, I’ve gotta give the Atlanta Falcons some credit. When they dealt egomaniac problem child cornerback DeAngelo Hall to the Oakland Raiders, they got the best of both worlds. Not only did they get the Raiders 2nd round pick (the 2nd pick in the second round), they sent Hall to dwell in the quagmire that is the Raiders franchise under Al Davis.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz said it best on his blog yesterday when he wrote:

“When Hall gets his money, it will sooth his ego for a time. The problem is, he’s a great player on a good team but a divisive player on a bad team. He will alienate teammates and drive his coach and owner crazy (although in the Raiders’ case, he probably can’t do Al Davis any further harm). It is unfortunate that the Falcons have to say goodbye to their best player. The problem is, Hall’s not a leader. He is immature, egomaniacal and petulant. The ego part isn’t unusual for a great cornerback. But the other aspects of his personality make him a bad fit for the Falcons, Raiders or any bad or rebuilding team.”

My problem with DeAngelo Hall has always been that he think he’s a much better player than he actually is. He is as flashy, attention-starved, and loud as Deion Sanders with about half the talent. It’s hard to argue that the Falcons are better off without a player of Hall’s ability but as they try to rebuild this franchise, they just might be.

Multiple sources are reporting that Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre has informed the team of his decision to retire after 17 seasons.

Though I’ve been highly critical of Favre’s reckless style of play toward the latter end of his career, Brett Favre is the first superstar quarterback of my youth to retire. I’ve seen the entire breadth of Favre’s career unfold before me and now to see it come to an end today is a little surreal for me. Sure, I was a football fan when Montana retired and ditto for Jim Kelly, Dan Marina and John Elway but I didn’t see their ascent from rookie to NFL legend. I remember Favre throwing touchdown passes to Robert Brooks, Antonio Freeman and Mark Chumura. I remember Favre running down the field in The Superdome with his helmet off after throwing his first touchdown pass against the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. That moment will be forever be his legacy and will serve as a snapshot, indicative of how Favre played this game for 17 years.

But Favre was hardly Superman and as fans, we were reminded more than once that number 4 was mortal. In 1996, he entered rehab to treat an addiction to vicodin. In 2003, Brett’s father, Irvin, was died of a heart attack while behind the wheel in Kiln, Mississippi. The following day Brett played on Monday night football, threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns. In 2004, Favre lost his brother-in-law in an ATV accident and shortly thereafter learned that his wife, Deanna had breast cancer. The following year Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, destroying the home of Favre’s parents in Mississippi. Favre played every down in 2005. Never has there been a more tragic, at the same time more inspirational sports star than Brett Favre and the sports world will miss him dearly but is profoundly better having had him for almost 20 years.

I honesty sit here stunned. After having a resurgence and leading his team all the way to the NFC Championship, a game away from the Super Bowl, many, myself included, believed that he would be back given that most of a team that finished with the second best record in the NFC would return in 2008. Instead, Favre has decided, finally, to walk away and return to Kiln, Mississippi.

We wish him luck. God knows, he finally deserves some.

Coming off a year in which he threw a career best 32 touchdowns (and 11 interceptions), the Pittsburgh Steelers made Ben Roethlisberger the highest paid player in the history of the franchise, inking him to a 8-year deal worth $102 million, $36 million in guaranteed money. Mark my words, the Steelers will end up regretting this deal.

Make no mistake, Ben Roethlisberger was at the right place at the right time when he left Miami of Ohio a year early and was taken with the 11th pick in the first round of

2004’s draft. He came onto a team that had most of the pieces already in place. They had veteran leadership in Jerome Bettis and Hines Ward, playmakers on the outside with Plaxico Burress and Antwaan Randle-El and a veteran offensive line. He came onto a team that was halfway there anyway. His only task was to not screw it up and his rookie season, he managed not to and they won the Super Bowl.

Since then, reviews have been mixed on Big Ben. He’s struggled with injuries and is interception prone at times but for the most part is an efficient, reliable starting quarterback in the league. He’s not Peyton Manning, he’s not Tom Brady, he’s not Carson Palmer but the Steelers sure are paying him like he is.

If  you’re a Steelers fan, you have to wonder how this will ultimately effect the rest of your team. The team has been very firm on how it pays veterans and has shown that it’s not afraid to let a beloved veteran walk (see: Joey Porter). But what does this mean for players like Troy Polamalu and Willie Parker and Santonio Holmes and Heath Miller when it’s time for them to re-sign? And perhaps most intriguing of all, what happens when it’s time to re-sign Hines Ward? The money they’re funneling into Big Ben will have long term consequences for this team as division rivals Cleveland and Baltimore continue to try to upgrade their teams through free agency. Meanwhile, this off season, all the Steelers have done is re-signed Big Ben through 2016 and let Alan Faneca leave.

What will 2008 hold for the Steelers and their new $102 million quarterback? Will it be another 32 and 11 year or will we see 2006 redux where Roethlisberger went 18 and 23? Steelers fans have 102 million reasons to be very concerned about the future of their franchise.

Steeler fans, apparently, are none too sure that this is a good deal for their team either. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a poll on their site that shows that nearly a third of the 1,100 people that have taken the poll believe the Steelers gave the quarterback too much.

You’d think, being an NFL draft fiend, that I’d love everything and anything draft-related and the prospect of college football’s best players being tested, interviewed, poked and prodded by NFL execs and coaches would be right up my alley. And the event takes places annually in Indiana? You’d think I’d love this stuff, right? Soaking up each and every 40, bench press and broad jump. Well, you’d be dead wrong.

I hate the NFL combine.

Quick, think of any player that had a great combine that turned out to be a great NFL player. Pretty tough, huh? It’s because there aren’t any. The combine is a test of a player’s football abilities while somehow managing to have very little to do with actually playing football.

As a fan, I have absolutely no interest in how my team’s potential first round pick (and I pray it’s not an offensive or defensive lineman) looks in a tight-fitting t-shirts and a pair of shorts. What interests me is the player’s college career, how he looks on films, how he plays and how he practices.

Throughout history, there has been very little correlation between a player having a great combine and being a great player. In fact, it more often than not works in the inverse. Players like Mike Mamula and Matt Jones were workout warriors and NFL flame-outs (at least Mamula was, Jones is on his way there).

And then the NFL is arrogant enough to think that the whole of the football-crazy public wants to watch Early Doucet run a 40 inside the RCA Dome? As someone who has watched 20 minutes of combine coverage live, I can tell you that if you’re not watching it, you’re not missing a thing. The stuff is really dry. Think one of those woodworking shows on PBS on Sunday mornings. It’s awful to watch.

So if you’re expecting takes and opinions on what happens in Indianapolis this week, you may want to go elsewhere. Fanhouse is doing great things with their combine coverage.

Wanna watch Tom Brady’s high school recruiting video?

Hello everyone, my name’s Patrick and I’m a draft freak.

I’ve heard the first step to overcoming addiction is admitting that you have a problem so here I am. I love the NFL draft. I love the meaningless 40 times, shuttle runs, bench press numbers and critiques of throwing motions all of which are a scientific way to analyze something that has proved to be nothing if unscientific.

That being said, I am a huge fan of the mock draft if, for no other reason, than to see how badly my Philadelphia Eagles will disappoint me by selecting yet another offensive or defensive linemen when they are other glaring inadequacies but I digress. I should add that last year’s decision to trade out of the first round (with divisional rival Dallas) and then take Houston QB Kevin Kolb with the team’s first pick of the draft in the second round was enough to make me pause for a moment, in stunned silence, before yelling at the television.

That said, I was parousing Scout Inc.’s Todd McShay’s (a guy who bears an uncanny resemblance to Destin Beach Safety Patrol Chief Joe D’Agostino) mock draft and was disappointed that he had my team taking Miami defensive end Calais Campbell. I mean why wouldn’t the Eagles take a defensive end from the U when Jerome McDougle worked out so well with the 15th pick in 2003.

That said, looking over this first round mock, there are a couple prospects I’d be very leery about drafting. For the record, one of them is NOT Indiana’s James Hardy, who McShay has going to San Fransisco with the 29th pick the team received from the Indianapolis Colts. Hardy’s size and speed at the wide receiver position makes him a unique talent though he needs a little work on his route running and needs to become more physical against press coverage.

Darren McFadden, Arkansas. I would be very, very careful about drafting Run DMC because he reminds me of another great college running back who has been something of a dud in the NFL: Reggie Bush. To be successful in the NFL, McFadden will have to quickly learn something that Bush has yet to learn in his first two seasons, you can’t outrun everybody in the NFL. McFadden’s east-to-west style of running would be a concern for me, though he is a terrific pass catcher out of the backfield. What makes Adrian Peterson such a great college and NFL running back is that he is great in space but can also run between the tackles and be an every down back. I’ve yet to see both of those qualities in McFadden.

Early Doucet, LSU. McShay has the LSU senior going to Jacksonville late in the first round and I can’t stress enough how awful this pick would be for Jacksonville who has other holes to fill and have wasted first round picks on receivers in recent years (the underwhelming Reggie Williams and combine hero Matt Jones, who is looking to play himself out of the league). By his own admission, McShay says Doucet will be a good number 2 receiver. I don’t know about you but I’m not paying millions of dollars in guaranteed money to a number 2 receiver unless his name is Wes Welker. Doucet is undersized but fast, could be a good return guy as he tries to find his bearings as an NFL receiver.

First of all, let me start this by commenting on the photo above. Look to the bottom left of the hand corner, you see someone holding a cue card for Eli Manning that reads “I’m going to Disney World.” I know Eli Manning seems a little dim but does he really need a cue card to remember those four words?

But what a night for football! I think this is the first time in recent memory that I remember hearing people talk about what a good game it was, not the halftime show, not the commercials but the game. And what a game it was.

Hats off to Eli Manning, who had his Elway moment last night on that final drive, showing more steely resolve and clutch than I’ve ever seen exhibited by his more famous — and frankly, better — brother, Peyton. That 3rd down when he somehow managed to escape that rush and chucked the ball downfield to David Tyree (who made one of the greatest catches I’ve ever seen) is the defining moment of his career. You really can’t say enough about the job he did last night, particularly in the fourth quarter where his offensive line looked completely gassed and wasn’t providing a whole lot of protection, Manning managed the game beautifully.

Giants fans should remember how much they’ve enjoyed having Steve Spagnuolo on the sideline as defensive coordinator because this is likely the last year they will have that experience. My guess is that Spagnulo and Patriots assistant Josh McDaniels will quickly become frontrunners for the coaching vacancy in Washington. Daniel Snyder is looking to bring in a big game and Jim Fassel and Gregg Williams aren’t big names. I mean if Snyder wanted either one of them, wouldn’t he have hired them already? Coaching moves aside, the Giants defense did exactly what they needed to do last night to give them a chance to win. They punished Tom Brady snap after snap and gave him little time to find open receivers.

I have to take umbrage with something Fox color guy Troy Aikman did last night, part of a two-man team with Joe Buck, both of which I think do an excellent job. When discussing injured tight end (and preening loudmouth) Jeremy Shockey, Aikman said that there was no way the Giants were a better team with Shockey on crutches. How can that possibly be true? They won the Super Bowl without him. Not only are they a better team without him but they were the best team in football without him. The proof doesn’t get more definitive than that. It’s bad enough that Eli Manning has to put up with Plaxico Burress but the development that Manning has shown over the course of the year, plus the growing confidence he seems to have in rookies Kevin Boss and Steve Smith, will be drastically stunted if Shockey and his relentless “look at me” antics (not to mention his horrifically cheesy tattoos) return to New York. Make no mistake, the New York Giants are a better TEAM without Shockey. And Eli Manning is a better quarterback without having to worry about getting Shockey AND Plaxico Burress their touches every week.

Don’t hate on the shortest month in the calendar year, there’s lots of reasons to be excited about February.  I’ll give you a few.

•The continuation of the newest season of Lost. The season premiere was last night and though I will have to go back and watch it again to really get everything, I’m glad it’s back.

•The Super Bowl. The biggest spectacle in American sports. Whether you’re watching the game as a fan or just watching for the commercials, which are on the whole disappointing and not funny, the Super Bowl is essentially a civic holiday.

•In Bruges. This film comes out in limited release on Feb. 8. I saw the trailer before Michael Clayton and it looks like a hilariously fun, kind of heist film in the same vein as Snatch and Lock, Stock… It features a pretty fantastic cast including a pair of Harry Potter alums (Brandon Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes) and the normally regrettable Colin Farrell, who could actually be quite good in this movie. The film is directed and written by first-timer Martin McDonagh, who won an Oscar in 2005 for his live-action short, Six Shooter. The film opens in limited release and hopefully goes nation in short order.  Let us hope this movie proves to me more Snatch and less Shoot ‘Em Up.

•The New Nada Surf record. If you stopped listening to this band after their huge hit, Popular, you’ve missed quite a bit. This is a band who has quietly been putting out some of the best rock records of recent memory. Their last studio record, The Weight is a Gift, is one of my favorite albums of all-time and their newest offering, Lucky, hits stores on Tuesday.

•Great DVD releases.  Some of the year’s best films come out on DVD this month and my Netflix queue is the better for it. Just to give you an idea: American Gangster, Redacted, Rendition, The Assassination of Jesse James by The Coward Robert Ford, Michael Clayton, and Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

•Jumper. This is a movie that I haven’t been too excited about, having seen the trailers many, many times and the prospect of a movie that stars both Hayden Christensen and Samuel L Jackson in some sort of weird white wig doesn’t make me horribly optimistic but the film’s director has me slightly optimistic. Doug Liman, director of The Bourne Identity, returns to direct this sci-fi action flick about a guy who can teleport himself anywhere, anytime. Think Nightcrawler from X-Men. It could be one of those movies that’s just good, mindless fun. It could also be dreadful.

•The New Mike Doughty record.  The former Soul Coughing frontman releases, Golden Delicious, on Feb. 19. Hopefully not an album about produce, I’ve seen Doughty live and I really enjoyed his latest album, Haughty Melodic, which featured a somewhat forgettable duet with Dave Matthews on Tremendous Brunettes, a song I enjoy much more sans Matthews. What Doughty does incredible well are earnest, funky love songs like Unsingable Name and Madeline at Nine. Let’s hope Golden Delicious has a couple.

•Vantage Point.  This is the most-highly anticipated movie of the month for me. I’ve seen the trailer a bunch of times and the cast is great (Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, Matthew Fox, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver). The film is basically about the assassination of the president told through five different story arcs. It could be great beyond words (kind of wish it wasn’t PG-13) and it could easily be a muddy disaster. Guess, we’ll find out on Feb. 22 when the film opens.

Just in time for the Super Bowl is this great commercial with Eli and Peyton Manning (and their parents). 

Let me preface this by saying that I don’t think they’re going to. As a fan of football (and not commercials or halftime shows featuring old white guys chosen because they have virtually no chance of getting undressed on national television), I hope this game is closer than it has the potential to be. I wouldn’t read too much into the last game of the year when the Giants came three points from beating the Patriots. This game has the potential to be a rout.

To win the game, the Giants will have to do a couple of things really well. The first is rush the passer. The teams that have faired the best against New England have been able to get in Brady’s face and not give him time to find any of their 6,000 receivers. You certainly don’t beat the Patriots by rushing four. New York defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is going to have to roll the dice, bring a variety of blitz packages and bet that his pass rushers can get to Brady before he can find a receiver. If you give Brady time, you’ll end up losing by 35 points.

Secondly, the Giants have to find their rushing game, meaning that Brandon Jacobs can’t be the non-factor he was in the NFC Championship game. The Patriots aren’t terribly strong up the middle and the linebacking corps is just younger than John McCain so it is a unit that can definitely been had.

Last but not least, Plaxico Burress cannot, at any point in the game, do his Pre-Patriots Randy Moss impression and pout when he’s not getting the ball and not finish routes. Without a mentally stable Burress, the Giants have no chance.