Holy Cow

Amazing. Or is it? I think Brett Favre is back to QB the Packers, something that I have been saying makes so much sense it will never happen , but maybe it will happen.

Or, maybe, they will still trade him. Or, maybe they still are hoping he will give it up. The dumbest story is sports history might be just getting legs…

today’s report from GB …

The ball is back in Brett Favre's hands, and the country is waiting to see what he does with it.

Almost six weeks to the day after Favre told Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy that he was seriously considering ending his retirement, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that he was reinstating the legendary quarterback at noon today and ordered the Packers to make room for him on their 80-man roster.

And it appears not only will the Packers take Favre back, they will allow him to compete with Aaron Rodgers for the starting quarterback job. A source close to the Packers told the Journal Sentinel on Sunday afternoon that it was understood between both parties that Favre would have a chance to compete for a starting job.

Before that can happen, however, Favre must meet with McCarthy.

The Packers' coach wants to sit across from Favre and see if he really has the fire to play. Almost all of their conversations have been over the phone, and so McCarthy figures this will give him an opportunity to see whether Favre is serious about coming back and putting in the time it takes to be a starter.

Asked after the team's intrasquad scrimmage Sunday night if he was a hundred percent sure that Favre would be in uniform again for the Packers, McCarthy said:

"That's a great question. That's one of the topics of our conversation tomorrow. I think it's important for people to sit down face to face and answer all those type of questions. We'll do that tomorrow. I look forward to talking to him tomorrow night."

=====

It's unclear exactly why Thompson and McCarthy gave in and might allow Favre to compete for the spot, but there are several possible reasons:

• Goodell ordered them to, although a club source denied that was the case,

• The competition is a sham, and Rodgers will be given the job no matter how Favre performs,

• Once Favre shows he's back in shape and playing at a high level, he will be traded, possibly to an NFC North division rival,

• The two men think Rodgers will beat out Favre in the long run because Favre's not fully committed to coming back.

"We knew it was an eventuality (that he would show up)," Thompson said after doing all he could to get Favre to reconsider. "We're looking forward to seeing him and see how he's doing."

Peter King visits Oxnard …

Looking at the Schedule

September and December: brutal. October and November: manageable. Dallas opens at Cleveland, Philly at home, at Green Bay, Washington at home. The Cowboys finish at Pittsburgh, Giants and Ravens at home (both in prime time), at Philly. The only edge I see is favorable bye -- Nov. 9, between road tests at the Giants and 'Skins -- and the 10-day breather after the Thanksgiving Day game to prepare for the tough December slate.

Memorable Image from Camp

Felix Jones is going to be good. Maybe really good. He runs smoothly and with a fluid determination. You aren't going to see many backs cut with the quickness and decisiveness Jones runs with. Friday afternoon, in an 11-on-11 drill, Jones cut to the right, shot forward through a hole around right end, and, just as a safety came up to wrap him up, Jones planted his left foot, zigged to the right and shot forward, the defender left to grab air. I'm not saying he's Barry Sanders, but Jones is a talent. "I haven't played that much,'' Jones told me walking off the field afterward. "But I've been able to become a student of the game. I've watched a lot of film. I know how defenses want to play me.'' Remember this number: 129. Jones played three years in Darren McFadden's shadow at Arkansas, and that's how many carries he averaged per year. But the Cowboys all along loved the 6-foot, 212-pound Jones, and it could well turn out to be a big advantage that he carried it so sparingly. Maybe he'll have more tread on his tire when he's called on late in the fourth quarter at the Meadowlands if Marion Barber gets dinged. "We did a study before the draft on carries,'' said Cowboy scouting czar Tom Ciskowski. "That back at Central Florida [Kevin Smith] carried the ball more last year [450 times] than Felix did his entire career [386]. I think if he'd been the feature back at someplace like Memphis State or Oklahoma State, he'd never have been there for us.'' Dallas got him with the 22nd pick of the first round.

Parting Shots

• Terrell Owens might be the most media-friendly guy in camp.
• In the worst-kept secret in the history of pro football, Adam Jones will be reinstated by the commissioner as long as he has an uneventful next month.
• "I haven't thought about left tackle in years,'' Jerry Jones said after Friday's second practice, and he can sleep at night for good reason. Flozell Adams is one of the top three left tackles in the NFC, and at 33, looks in terrific shape.
• Patrick Crayton will be the second starting wide receiver -- with Sam Hurd and Miles Austin likely winning the third and fourth slots -- but I don't think he'll catch more than 50 balls. I think Jason Witten and Terrell Owens will both exceed 90. I asked Todd Archer of the Dallas Morning News what the odds were that the Cowboys will make a trade for a receiver before opening day, and he said: "10 percent.''
• Over-under on Felix Jones carries: 145.
• Don't know why exactly, but rookie TE Martellus Bennett does not impress me. He seems to sulk, and he's not particularly energetic.

2 Cowboys trying not to get cut …including my guy, Joe Berger. He is my guy because he goes to my church, so I might be biased…sue me.

1. Evan Oglesby, cornerback
Wade Phillips said the cornerback position will be one of the toughest cuts in camp. There are nine corners, and the Cowboys might keep six. Oglesby, 26, with three years of NFL experience, leads the team with six interceptions and continues to impress the coaches with his quickness.

Two interceptions have come in one-on-one drills where he sometimes has to jam a receiver off the line of scrimmage. Oglesby is good at using his long arms to deflect passes away on out routes. He's also good against the run, and he made a nice tackle on Felix Jones during an outside play last week.

"I knew what was at stake coming into camp," Oglesby said. The wide receivers "are the best in the league, and it's just helping me every day."

2. Joe Berger, offensive line
In 2005, then-Miami offensive line coach Hudson Houck told Berger what he needed to work on. Gaining weight and improving his techniques were the biggest things Houck wanted to see.

Now Berger is reunited with Houck and there is vast improvement.

Berger is 310 pounds, and Houck told Berger he's seen improvement in his technique.

"In Miami it was a struggle to get over 300," said Berger, a left guard, who joined the Cowboys last year after he was waived by the Dolphins. "It's mostly muscle now. He's noticed that my technical stuff is getting better like my hand placement and footwork."

Berger is competing for one of the backup spots on the offensive line. Houck has said he wants his linemen versatile to create depth.

Berger has practiced at both guard spots.

"In my three-year career, I'm learning if you're going to be a backup you have to be versatile to stay alive," he said. "Playing center is not too far away."

MB3 with a nice moment at camp …

For some reason, I am catching USA Basketball fever. I think it is this documentary series The Road to Redemption …Very cool..

USA Roster …


Email that mirrors my view on the Dark Knight:

Sports Sturm,

Disclaimer -- I am a Star Wars kid. Not a Marvel Comics. So this review is not based on anxious unattainable expectations, but just from going to see a movie that I hear is pretty good (and so I can get free AC in this heat).

For the most part, I thought it was a pretty good movie, and when the caught the Joker the first time, I was thinking "wow, this is pretty good". Then, we go back to the jail, and the Joker blows up the jail.

Then the Joker goes and blows up a hospital. Then the Joker threatens to blow up bridges and boats loaded with people because he is threatening to blow up bridges if they don't take boats. Then they catch the Joker again to stop the bombing. Then there is the whole Two-face conversion where there is another tense scene. Getting my point?

Am I alone in thinking the movie could have stopped a lot earlier than it did. All of the little twists that happened, starting with the jail scene, could have been really cool had their been a proportionate build-up for these events (i.e. another movie). Also, I know he has to try to sound tough, but the Batman voice sounded a little like one of the Baldwin brothers talking while trying to take a dump.

I gave it a B+. A lot of cool stuff, but I found it to be a little bit of cramming with all the stuff at the end. I also get tired of the lit cigarette being flicked on gasoline bit to start a fire. Pooled gasoline will most likely always extinguish the embers (http://www.intuitor.com/moviephysics/). Also, pooled gasoline doesn't typically explode. It burns.

P1 Movie Dork

Russ

Road to Redemption Pt 1