You may disagree with Favre’s theatrics but I am here to agree with his notion that training camps are completely useless for veterans.

As I sat in the shadows of Candle Stick Park right in the ghetto of San Francisco, I saw Favre get sacked, and not just sacked, but annihilated, by Patrick Willis and witnessed the 49ers fans erupt in cheers and laughter. These players are the greatest athletes, are the greatest on Earth, and don’t need training camp.

Sure you might say that Favre was sacked due to rustiness and you might have an argument that the rust would have been worn off if he would have gone to training camp but I think after a few more practices he will back to last year’s form.

The NFL is a job and veterans should know that it is a 365-day job and they need to stay in incredible shape all year long.

Also the front office is football all the time and already has plenty of tape on all their players to have a pretty good idea of what they can bring.

There is rookie camp to help get the teams newest player familiar with their team’s schemes and then if it all goes how the owners want it to go there will be two preseason games to give the unsigned and new players a chance to prove their worth. That gives you two weeks of regular practice to get your team ready for the regular season which should be fine for a bunch of adults who have played this sport their whole lives.

Don’t laugh too hard, I know it is strange to travel 3 hours one way to go watch a pre season game where the most notable player, Favre, played one-four play series where he completed one pass and got sacked; especially because I didn’t even have a horse in the race.

I have always found preseason a snoozer on TV and it isn’t much better live but you do get to experience some true fans, strangest of which is the fact that a group of guys can wear an Aaron Rodgers and AJ Hawk jersey to a game Green Bay isn’t even in just because number 4 was in the house Walsh built.

I also witnessed that it is preseason for the refs who made little mistakes throughout the game and the Gold Rush, the appropriately named 49ers’ cheer team, were off the entire game. Cheerleaders are usually great entertainment because of their ability to screw up the simplest of routines and let’s face it the Gold Rush did not disappoint there.

The greatest thing that Brad Childress has done and will ever do is bow at the feet of the Mississippi gunslinger because he knows that without him his team is at best an 8-8 team but with him they are a legit Super Bowl contender. I am not a huge fan of Childress by any means but I have no problems with him basically begging for the services of Favre.

One last thing before I let you go and ponder the thoughts, opinions and straight out statements I have mentioned in this article. If the only true reason to keep training camp alive is to keep the personal fan experience alive, then we need to squash it right now. The truth is I love seeing kids getting autographs from players that are larger than life because I have been there. My dad took me to Dove Valley to experience Denver Broncos training camp when I was around 13 and that was one of the greatest days of my life, but teams can create a few practices that would do that exact same thing and keep that amazing moment for young fans alive, they don’t need training camp just for that.

Public announcement: There is no longer any need for NFL training camp, it had its purpose when players in the offseason had to go work in a grocery story or some other secondary job to make ends meet when athletes were paid lousy. But now that it is the player’s only job to stay in great shape there is no need for veterans in training camp, also with technology and the ability to acquire game tape from all the university’s coaches and front office staff, they don’t need as much time to evaluate players. So let’s still do rookie camps and then another sort of classroom type camp to get them familiar with the team’s language, then have the two weeks of preseason games and practices to set your team’s roster.

In a perfect world it would show the public that the NFL is trying to be on the right side of the law, but when the NFL punishes its troubled employees it has almost the reverse affect because it creates a bigger news story than it would have if they would have let it slide by.

I understand that you have to punish players that break the law, but a fine and whatever punishment the court system sends their way would have the same effect instead of putting more fuel on a story that puts the NFL in the same light as assault weapons, bar fights, dog fights and rape.

The NFL would do itself a great favor if it separated itself from the small percentage of losers that decide that having millions of dollars means they walk on water and are above the law. Silly, that a rule that is supposed to help weed out the bad people actually links the NFL to them and hurts their product.

Also Goodell, even though his intentions are good, might be over stepping his boundaries. In the United States we pride ourselves on how great our court system is. I am not defending Ben Roethlisberger but I don’t think the NFL has the right to take away someone’s pay when they haven’t done anything wrong legally under the rules of our fine country.

I am not angry that the NFL wants to be a league of respectable citizens but punishing people that the law enforcement couldn’t is not a good way of going about it.   The NFL is the biggest league in the US and they have a product that they need to protect but when they help push their problem players to the front page of the sports section they fuel the problem and the perception of the players they have in their league.

Did the Big 12 officials really get that offended by this statement? It seems like a logical scenario to me. Isn’t he just stating the obvious? And last I knew, the very first thing listed in the Bill of rights is freedom of speech. I think the Big 12’s scolding will either get the school to make Tommy shut up, or it will push him even further.

Tommy just doesn’t want to coach at a school that cares more about what another school (Texas) wants than what their own program wants. First Texas takes all the money, then they tell everyone else to be quiet and not complain. That sounds like a classic case of communism. If you ask me, I think the Red Raiders should make a move to the Mountain West. That would be a fun move.  In fact, I have a whole new scenario for you. Texas Tech goes to the Mountain West. Either the Kansas schools or the Oklahoma schools follow. The remaining 7 schools, along with Memphis, join up with the Big East. The Mountain West gets their BCS chance, the Big east becomes relevant, and the Big 12 turmoil is settled… for now. I know, I know. I just can’t get enough of conference realignment.

Well, even without all of that moving around, I do agree with coach Tuberville.  The conference just cannot work cohesively in their current situation. Texas is just a bully and a drain on the other schools.

The nature of American Football creates extreme stress on the bodies and the head of the people playing it, no secret there.

Then why in the hell are we acting like it is? With the huge news that the late Chris Henry who died in a traffic accident last year had chronic traumatic encephalopathy – a form of degenerative brain damage caused by multiple hits to the head, it has created a since of confusion.

Henry only played in 55 games over 5 years and in that little time his job put enough stress on his brain for him to have CTE, that makes you wonder about 12 year veterans.

The game is viscous and I know that (they know that), I even have a little bit of sympathy for retired players with health problems that stem from playing football but they knew the risks just like an underground miner knows the risks of their occupation, thus need to except the consequences.

The NYT has a blog written by Toni Monkovic “ Head Trauma as a Possible Reason for Bad Behavior in the N.F.L” REALLY!

Whenever we hear about antisocial behavior among football players, we tend to make judgments about their morality, about the perils of celebrity and entitlement, about their upbringings.

I still do. There is no reason to jump to conclusions because Henry is the only active player to have died with trauma-induced brain damaged while still active in the NFL.

Head injuries need to be a cause for concern for life after football not a get out of jail free card. The NFL knows they need to protect their assets but that could take time and rule changes that could affect the play on the field and like everything else that could harm the excitement in their sport thus hurting profit.

He has turned Chris Carpenter into a Cy Young Award winner, Adam Wainwright into a Cy Young contender and turned around the careers of pitchers Darryl Kile and Kyle Lohse.  But now Duncan has another tough task midway through the 2010 season: turning around Jeff Suppan.

The Milwaukee Brewers released Suppan this week after he was sporting an ERA of 7.84.  Suppan played for the Cardinals for two seasons, one of which was a championship year in 2006.  Suppan pitched well in his first start, pitching four innings and getting the victory.

Regardless, Suppan will be a challenge.  The 16-year veteran has not pitched well since his first stint with the Cardinals a few years ago.  But this is Duncan, the best pitching coach in all of baseball.  Can he turn Suppan’s season around?  It’s possible considering the Cardinals are not expecting Suppan to carry the load like Milwaukee did.

Duncan has a challenge ahead of him, but it isn’t the first time.  Expect Duncan and the Cardinals to make Suppan better, at least for the rest of the season.

Martelus Bennett in a tweet says everything that needs to be said about Young’s situation

“Mann I dunno wat 2 say abt VY that was childish & very unprofessional u cant do shit like that when u play qb. He needs better ppl round him.”

Other then the fact he says you can’t do that when you play QB I would like to up the ante; you can’t do that no matter the position or occupation.

Young has been cited by the police for an assault on a man inside a strip club where he was at this morning at 3:30. Okay I don’t care who you are but nothing good can come out of being at a strip club that early in the morning.

Young of course is sorry for his mistake but Young needs to stop living up to his name and stop putting himself in these places where mistakes can happen.

This has happened time after time with players in the NFL. Their agents, families and teams need to preach to these young millionaires stay out of sketch situations so that you have to way to be a target.

When you mix booze, boobs and idiots wanting their time with a celebrity it never ends well for the famous person.

“I pray to God that Roger Goodell doesn’t come down hard on me, because I definitely want to be here for my teammates,” Young said.

I don’t feel sorry for Young because he has the target on his back and he needs to act responsible.

He is a quarterback who is a leadership position and he hasn’t shown much of that since he has come into the league and this doesn’t help his case.

You have to think about the hype the Tennessee Titans bought into when Young was draft has resulted in some wins but also some headaches.

At least Big Ben has given the Steelers some championships with his headaches. Until Young brings the Lombardi Trophy to Nashville he won’t be looked as a good player and the only way to have success is to sort your priorities and that starts with growing up.

What’s even worse is the fact that most mornings if you turn the TV on in the bedroom it will also be on ESPN from watching Sports Center from L.A. the night before.

But after the Jim Joyce error during the Detroit Tigers game that cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game, it made me think about our priorities as a nation.

Stop calling errors in sports tragedies; a tragedy is the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the fact that our government is looking more incompetent by the day.

Don’t let sports ruin your day, if I have learned one thing in my young life it is that the players on your favorite team go on living their lives after a big loss and so should you.

Like your teams, don’t love them; you should love your parents, siblings, significant others, the rest of your family and of course your family pets, but not your favorite team.

Your team will never love you back, you could die today (yes morbid but useful for making my point) and your team would still go on like nothing happened.

Stop making them top priority when you are not even close to theirs. This doesn’t mean you should take the fun out of it, actually quite the opposite. When your team wins jump up and down with excitement and if they lose sit down, breathe and go on living your life.

The funny thing is that we as sports fans, remember fan is short for fanatics, love to hate as well.

Are sports a way to escape reality? Probably for most people, they wish they could have the talent or, if they aren’t that lucky, the money a professional athlete makes.

Truth be told most kids shooting hoops in their drive way at some point pretended that the game is tied with 3 seconds to go and the play is going to them for a jump shot and the win.

You make the shot with nobody watching but just the role-play makes you get goose bumps because you just won the game for your imaginary team.

Same with real sports, just like a movie you get a thrill from excitement in a game. Water cooler talk tends to move toward current events like the oil spill or how Boise State football gets no respect.

Why do we love sports? I think the real selling point is the fact that there is a clear winner by the end of the game and there is always the next game, week or season.

Everyone you ask will have a different reason why they love sports. For a lot of people the need for social activity is a must and sports can give you that.  All you need is your buddies, beer or refreshment of choice and a television for a great time.

Maybe sports bring you and your father closer together. Most of your favorite sports teams come from those your father loved.

There is nothing like watching the 1998 Super Bowl: Denver Broncos vs. Green Bay Packers where John Elway helicopter dives into the end zone. Why is this significant you ask?

Because when my dad and I watch the replay of this special sports moment we both get goose bumps, it is so strange how much sports give me goose bumps.

So sports are a getaway, a memory holder, a social event, a replacement and most of all a great source of entertainment.

Sports have a concrete definition: Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.

But only you as a fan of sports can give it a true definition.

The sports world in the nation’s capital is feeling a buzz in the air.  The Wizards have the number one pick in this years NBA draft, the Redskins have legitimate quarterback in Donovan McNabb and the Nationals have a legitimate ace.

Stephen Strasburg lived up to the hype plus more.  The 21-year-old made his major league pitching debut Tuesday, and looked fantastic.  He picked up with win by pitching seven innings and fanned 14 Pittsburgh Pirates along the way.

The number one overall draft pick of 2009 is going to be very good, very soon.  Unlike most young pitchers, Strasburg has composure that is undeniable.  After giving up a two-run home run, he pitched better.  He didn’t melt down and looked like a veteran on the mound.

Strasburg will continue to shine and is even making an impact on attendance on road games.   Expect this guy to be right up there with Roy Halladay, Felix Hernandez and Tim Lincecum in one to two years.

All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis is one of the new up incoming stars at the cornerback position, but he has been holding out of OTA’s hoping to gain a new contract.  But as of today Revis  has returned to practice with the New York Jets .

Revis  wants to be the highest-paid player at his position, but was initially scheduled to make just $1 million in the fourth season of his six-year rookie deal.  Nnamdi Asomugha is the highest-paid cornerback in the National Football League after signing a three-year, $45.3 million extension last offseason, but Asomugha deserved it he is the only corner in the league in which quarterbacks just refuse to throw the ball his way.  Revis had one good solid year lets see if he can keep up the good work in the 2010 season.

The St. Louis Rams announced Monday that they have acquired  four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Isaac Bruce from the San Fransisco 49ers in advance of a retirement news conference coming Wednesday. The  trade didn’t include an exchange of players or draft picks, according to Rams spokesman Casey Pearce.

Bruce holds the Rams franchise records for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Along with Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk and Torry Holt, Bruce was the part of the high-scoring “Greatest Show on Turf” team that went to two Super Bowls. He caught the winning touchdown pass from Warner in the 23-16 victory over the Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000.

Bruce is second all-time in the NFL in receiving yards (15,208), fifth in receptions (1,024) and ninth in receiving touchdowns (91).

The Chargers have drawn a line in the sand with restricted free agents Vincent Jackson and Marcus McNeill, warning them that their 2010 salaries will be cut deeply if they do not decide to sign their tenders by June 15 .  To me Vincent Jackson is one of their better wideouts on the team and he deserves more money, but this is why I am not a GM.

Jackson, 27, made the Pro Bowl for the first time in 2009 after totaling 1,167 receiving yards and a career-high nine touchdowns. McNeill, 26, is a two-time Pro Bowl selection.

In New England all eyes are not on Tom Brady, but all on Wes Welker who went down last season with a knee injury.  Welker seems to be right on track participating in the Patriots OTA’s and making cuts with out hesitation and pain.

Might the Patriots star wide receiver defy forecasts and actually be able to return for the season opener?

Even Welker was surprised by the optimistic, almost giddy, reaction to last Wednesday’s workout, where he did agility drills, ran routes and caught passes from Brady precisely four months after having surgery on a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

Welker had this to say according to nfl.com:

“I didn’t think it’d be that big a deal,” Welker said after a similar session Monday during the Patriots’ organized team activities. “I’ve been pushing it and trying to get ready and get out there with my teammates, get a few reps and try and get better as much as we can.”

The NFL is always in solid motion and I can not wait to get back into the season in September.  Next week i will spin you around the league and keep you posted on all news in the NFL.

It might seem that I am anti-player but actually it’s quite the contrary I am anti-owner when it comes to contracts in the NFL.

It’s strange that I would agree with a player that is line of work deserves multimillion contracts, but they do.

I don’t agree with all player’s cases for new contracts, for example Andre Johnson is a 28-year-old who is currently is playing under a 8-year/ $60 million contract that he renewed 3 years ago.

He has become one of the best wide receivers in the game; by leading the league in receptions for the pas two seasons.

I wonder why $60 million isn’t enough for Johnson? Should contracts work by giving the best player at his position the most money?  Probably, but that would make teams have to renegotiate with players and their agents every year.

But players who out perform their rookie contracts deserve to get a big contract before a play ends their career and their stuck with very little compensation and all the liability.

Chris Johnson probably the best back in the NFL isn’t getting paid what he is worth but unlike Andre Johnson he is on his first contract and deserves an increased salary.

He has 3 years left on the 5 year /$12 million contract that he signed in 2008 and guaranteed him about $7 million.

He has a scheduled $550,000 salary for 2010, that’s terrible and I understand his contract was front loaded but one of the most explosive players in the league deserves more than half a million.

So I am for players making their millions because of the beat down that they acquire during the NFL season. But should they tattle on their respective teams, I am not for running towards the players union to complain about your teams practice.

The Ravens were forced to cancel their final week of OTAs because they were in violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement’s offseason workout rules, The Baltimore Sun reports but that’s not the story, the story is who issued the complaint.

It was determined that the Ravens violated the rules concerning the intensity and tempo of drills well as the length of time spent by players.

A complaint was received by the NFL Players Association, but it is unknown who issued it. The Ravens were scheduled to have a special teams camp on June 15-16.

Here is the joint statement from the NFL and the union:

“It was determined that the Ravens violated the rules concerning the intensity and tempo of drills conducted on the Club’s organized team activity days (’OTA days’) and the length of time spent by players at the Club’s facility on such days.

“As a result, the Ravens will forfeit the final week of their off-season program (June 14-18, 2010). Ravens’ players are not permitted to be at the facility on those days, but will be paid for the sessions. The Club cannot reschedule the canceled days.”

This is all coming up after the owners decided to opt out of the CBA because they are losing money, or allege that they are losing money.

I would argue that not having a rookie pay scale is the real reason that owners have lost money in bad picks.  This is the main thing that has to happen send more money towards veterans and less towards rookies.

If the rookie contracts are shorter then through performance a player will get a new larger contract. It is fine that players want what they deserve but for the sake of their jobs and wealth they both have to agree on a new agreement so both parties can keep making money.