Brett Favre Watch: Will He or Won't He? Day 3

Signs are now pointing to Brett Favre preparing to play this weekend.

Favre chatted with the media on Thursday, showing some optimism that he could play this Sunday against the Patriots.

He is out of his walking boot and has been getting daily treatment.  "I would love to play, for no other reason but I'm in this, committed to this team," Favre said. "I'd love to get this back on track and be a part of it, and more than anything function at a level that gives us a chance to win. That's basically it."

I still think Favre would have to practice some on Friday for Brad Childress to have confidence in his veteran QB.

Brett Favre Watch: Will He or Won't He? Day 2

Day 2 of the Brett Favre hostage crisis.  Will he, or won't he play against New England.

 Favre told reporters Wednesday he would love to play in Sunday's game but isn't sure if he will.

"I would love to be able to try and do it," Favre told reporters.

"Sunday I'm still going to have a broken foot."

He will continue to receive treatment throughout the week, and will make the trip to New England.  it may be a gametime decision by Favre and Coach Brad Childress whether he will take the field.

Favre is wearing a walking boot, will not practice Wednesday.  After being battered and beaten against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Favre currently has  two fractures in his surgically repaired left ankle.

Week 8: Fantasy Football Buy or Sell

Week 7 brought surprises galore. The Raiders killed the Broncos, the Browns beat the Saints, and Tony Romo goes down with a devastating injury. Such is life in the ever-changing world of Fantasy Football. Here's how you might be able to help yourself this week.

Buy:

Chad Henne, QB Dolphins - Against a solid Steelers D he went 23-36, for 257 yards and 1 TD. Yes he does throw an interception each game, but in his last four games, his worst performance has been 231 yards with two games of over 300 yards and seven touchdowns over that span. Not bad if you need a quarterback for the 2nd half of the season.

LaGarrette Blount, RB Buccaneers - He is getting more and more carries and might be ready to take over for Carnell Williams as the lead back for the Buccaneers. Against the Rams, he got 11 carries for 72 yards, which averages to 6.5 yards per carry.

Kenny Britt, WR Titans - He is the engine that makes the Titans go. He was benched for the first quarter and a half of the game, yet absolutely exploded for seven catches, 225 yards and three touchdowns. He is coming into his own.

Jordan Shipley, WR Bengal's - A nice wideout to have in your stable. He had six catches for 131 yards and a touchdown on a day where Carson Palmer threw the ball 50 times for 412 yards. if the Bengal's keep throwing, he'll keep catching.

Aaron Hernandez, TE Patriots - He keeps getting more and more balls thrown his way. He's averaging 4.2 receptions and 64.0 receiving yards over his last four games, he hasn't reached the end zone yet, but he should against Minnesota.

Darren McFadden, RD Raiders - Fantasy owners have been waiting for years for McFadden to break out, well he did on Sunday. With 165 yds rushing and 31 receiving to go along with his four TD's, he a must start now.

Sell:

Brett Favre, QB Vikings - He doesn't appear to have much left at this point, and his surgically repaired ankle was hurt again. Don't count him totally out, but don't count on him either.

Jay Cutler, QB Bears - If you started Cutler, Ouch! He's not even a mixed bag, when he's bad he's awful.

Jerramy Stevens, TE Buccaneers - The Bus have cut Stevens following his drug arrest over the weekend.

Denver Broncos Defense - How many points did they just give up to the Raiders? Answer: 59.

Tony Romo, QB Cowboys - He was my Fantasy starting QB. He's out now, possibly for the entire season with a broken collarbone. Jon Kitna in at QB.

Vikings vs. Packers: Chidress Upset, Favre Old and Hurting

If you are a Green Bay Packer's fan, there is good news and bad news this Monday morning.

The bad news is the Packers still have issues and injury problems, although some players may be getting closer to coming back.  The good news is the Minnesota Vikings have many more problems than the Packers do, on and off the field.

Actually this story begins after the Sunday Night game where Green Bay defeated Minnesota 28-24.

After the game, Vikings coach Brad Childress undressed the officiating crew and his quarterback.  

In fact, before going to the podium Childress really let his feelings be known during an interview with Vikings flagship station KFAN.  That’s the worst officiated game I’ve seen," said Childress, whose team fell to 2-4 after losing four games in the entire 2009 regular season. "That referee came over and apologized to me for not calling a hold on the scramble by (Packers quarterback Aaron) Rodgers. And I’ll tell you what, that’s his job. Protect the quarterback and look at the left tackle. Look at the left tackle hold his tail off."

Childress was livid about Green’s reversal of a second-quarter 17-yard touchdown pass that tight end Visanthe Shiancoe thought he had possession of as he made a diving catch. The drive stalled and the Vikings ended with a field goal that took valuable points off the board.

Childress was clearly not happy either with Favre’s decision making. He threw three interceptions in the second half after not throwing one in 72 attempts against his former team in two-plus games.

The A.J. Hawk interception led to Greg Jennings 14-yard touchdown catch from Aaron Rodgers that gave the Packers a 21-17 lead in the fourth quarter. On the Vikings’ next series, Favre’s pass for Randy Moss was picked by linebacker Desmond Bishop and returned for a 32-yard touchdown. That no doubt delighted many in the announced crowd of 71,107 who had seen Favre’s decision-making cost their team on occasions during his 16 years with the Packers.

"It still goes back to taking care of the football," Childress said. "You can’t throw it to them. You’ve got to play within the confines of our system. Sometimes it’s OK to punt the football and you can’t give seven points going the other way. Not in a game like this. Not with a high-powered team."

Childress also said he considered pulling Favre after he was injured following the Hawk interception but did not make it clear if he had approached the veteran. That was the issue last season during a loss at Carolina when Childress suggested to Favre that he might remove him and the quarterback made it clear he wasn’t going to come out.

Favre did not disagree with Childress’ assessment of his play after Sunday’s loss. He also knows the Vikings are in a tough spot.

Favre also talked about his ailing ankle which he injured in the game.  "We’ll see. I’m no spring chicken anymore. I don’t heal as quickly. I know the heart’s in the right place though. I know I left it on the field. It’s just disappointing it didn’t work our way."

Everything's Just "Ducky" at Oregon

Fresh off its 60-13 win over UCLA last Thursday night, Oregon remained the top team in the new Associated Press Top 25 poll released Sunday.

Meanwhile, Auburn moved up two spots to No. 3 after its win over LSU Saturday. Boise State remained at No. 2 after having this past weekend off. Auburn does hold a slight lead in the BCS standings but that can and will change on a weekly basis.

The big move in the poll came from Missouri, which jumped 11 spots to No. 7 after the Tigers knocked off Oklahoma in Columbia.

Oregon received 44 first-place votes, Boise State had 11.

How the BCS sees the Ducks could be another story. The six BCS computers haven't been very impressed with the quality of Oregon's competition through the first seven games of the season. The Ducks' computer ranking -- which is one-third of the formula the BCS uses to determine its standings -- stood at eighth last week.

Pounding a weak UCLA team probably isn't going to impress the computers. The Bruins have lost four Pacific-10 Conference games, three by four touchdowns or more. Their one marquee win, a 34-12 victory at Texas, looks a little less impressive every week Iowa State beat those same Longhorns on Saturday.

Auburn, which knocked off previously unbeaten LSU, is going to be a factor. Auburn does have difficult games with Georgia and Alabama remaining as well as a possible SEC Championship game.

Oregon's strength of schedule picks up as the second half of the season continues. If the Ducks keep winning, they should be sitting pretty.

The next five games will be a mixed bag. Beginning with Saturday against USC in the Los Angeles Coliseum. Arizona and Cal both signaled they are going to be tough hurdles with one-sided victories yesterday, and winning at Oregon State in the Civil War won't be easy.

I like Oregon's chances and the way they go about their business.