After two weeks of tragic celebrity deaths, I guess there was bound to be one in the sporting world, and Saturday, we unfortunately got our shocker: Former Titans and Ravens quarterback Steve McNair was found shot to death. He was only 36.

I wrote about McNair after he retired last year, commending him on a decent career. Football is a young man’s game; players get as much of a career as they can, then depart and go on with the rest of their lives. McNair’s playing days were over; it’s sad the rest of his life was so short.

It’s July, and vacation is over folks. Though NFL news has been mostly lacking, it’s just 10 weeks until the first game of the season. I’ve been full-throttle reading fantasy magazines, and here is the first review of those publications, which are a key element to preparation for the season.

FANTASY SPORTS

Fantasy Sports is the venerable stalwart of the magazine market, proudly declaring itself on its cover: “The first magazine devoted exclusively to rotisserie and fantasy sports.” Fantasy Sports is a true periodical — another football issue will be published before the season begins.

Pros: Fantasy sports is thorough in its individual descriptions of players. For example, I picked a random position and random number — 18th-ranked tight end — and read about 100 words on Brett Celek. Its team-by-team depth charts are concise, with every team within about 10 pages. Oh, and it will be updated with the next issue, so you can get a jump on your research, then get an updated magazine a month later.

Cons: If you want an updated magazine, you have to buy the next issue. (If you play fantasy baseball, might I suggest a suggest a subscription?). Fantasy Sports isn’t as graphically flashy as many of the other magazines out there, and isn’t in full color for the whole magazine. Though it reads as a true fantasy insider magazine, it is a bit self-serving with its promotion of its own national drafts. No IDPs in the August issue, but don’t be shocked if the September issue (probably out soon) includes them

Bottom line: Though it may not have the bells and whistles of other fantasy magazines, Fantasy Sports is a workhorse. After a couple decades, the magazine knows what it’s doing. It’s inexpensive at $5.99, yet will deliver value on draft day.

Last week, Adrian Peterson, when asked about the prospect of the Vikings bringing Brett Favre on board, said all the right things praising the future Hall-of-Famer. Then, he said this: “I know our coach [Brad Childress] is going to do his job, and at the end of the day his job is having the best team possible to win games. That’s his job, so I’m going to let him handle his job and I’m going to do my job.”

Is it just me, or does that not sound like a very ringing endorsement of the situation? Could Peterson have doubts about adding Favre, whose late-season play possibly singlehandedly kept the Jets out of the playoffs last year? Peterson is the focus of the Vikings’ offense, and if Favre is throwing interceptions, AP isn’t getting carries. And as he becomes leader of this team (a role he might not like to share if Favre arrives), he’s standing up for his current quarterbacks. The Vikes brought in Sage Rosenfels to upgrade their QB stituation; maybe AP believes they made the right move then.

And one other thing on the “trust” issue: When Peterson wanted to bulk up in the offseason, Childress was hesitant. Why would he suddenly trust his coach’s opinion on Favre now? Because maybe he doesn’t, but as a the team’s leader, he has to say the right things.

It’s another slow period for NFL news — nothing is new on the Brandon Marshall front (gee, after Jay Cutler left Denver, did you think Marshall would be far behind?); LeRoi Glover retired today; and I still hope Brett Favre doesn’t return. But an annual rite of June has occurred: The first slew of fantasy football magazines are on sale.

I already have three (and I’ll be reviewing them soon), but it’s tough to achieve any meaningful research from them this early, partly we’re a month away from training camp, and partly because it’s such a rush that these first ones came out that I can’t stay focused on one section at a time. The latter quandary will pass, but in the meantime, I’m looking forward to the next batch of magazines to be published. Happy reading!

Browns receiver Donte Stallworth is going to jail for 30 days after pleading out to DUI manslaughter for killing a pedestrian. His exile from the NFL is likely to last longer.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Stallworth indefinitely Thursday. Whether you agree with Stallworth’s off-the-field punishment, Goodell had to act. The NFL is serious about protecting its image, and not suspending Stallworth would have undermined that effort.

When should Stallworth come back? Hopefully, Goodell sits him for the season. Yes, that might be harsher punishment than the courts gave him, but should he be allowed to earn good money while on house arrest? Not in 2009. If Goodell was really serious, it wouldn’t be for 2010, either.

After 15 solid yet injury-filled seasons, quarterback Trent Green retired Friday.

Green’s legacy might not be for his play on the field — he had a few decent seasons with the Chiefs — but the knee injury he suffered in 1999. Had he not gotten hurt that preseason, the world may never had known who Kurt Warner was. But Warner stepped in and began a possible Hall of Fame career, while Green slipped into the second tier of NFL quarterbacks.

It’s interesting to postulate what Green might have done in 1999 had he been healthy. He retires with a Super Bowl ring and 162 career touchdown passes — not too shabby. Unlike many other what-if QBs, Green is leaving the game after a successful career.

I’m somewhat sticking to my moratorium on not blogging on Brett Favre, and have resisted through the latest rumors and reports that he had shoulder surgery and that the Vikings might be backing off. But this was too silly not skip: Favre’s family reportedly has booked up to 30 rooms at a Green Bay hotel for the weekend the Packers host the Vikes.

This story was first reported by a Green Bay newspaper, just reconfirming how obsessed Wisconsin still is over Brett Favre. And the fact these rooms were reportedly booked two months ago leads me to believe Favre had this in mind all along, since February when he “retired” again. I say it again: Brett, retire, just let it go.

Let the Vince Young trade rumors begin.

The Tennessee quarterback said Monday that he wants to start again, but if he’s not, maybe it’s time to move on.

You had to figure this was coming at some point. Yes, Young’s had his problems, but he’s got too much potential to be on the bench behind Kerry Collins. And with him saying it out loud, you can tell that maybe he’s getting restless.

If you were Jeff Fisher, would you be tempted to give Young another shot to start the season and have the confidence that the Titans’ defense and running game could pull you through if Young struggles? Because Collins is not the Titans’ quarterback of the future; they better not find themselves without that QB when he retires or gets injured.

With so little NFL news right now, I decided to give spring team rankings a try. This wasn’t easy — it was difficult balancing potential for next season with last year’s results. And my conclusion was surprising: The Patriots are going to be the best team in the NFL again. Not only are they getting Tom Brady back, but they also improved in the offseason. I’ll update these rankings before Week 1.

1. Patriots
2. Steelers
3. Titans
4. Giants
5. Colts
6. Falcons
7. Cardinals
8. Saints
9. Chargers
10. Panthers
11. Ravens
12. Cowboys
13. Eagles
14. Vikings
15. Dolphins
16. Texans
17. Broncos
18. Bears
19. Redskins
20. Packers
21. Bills
22. Jaguars
23. Buccaneers
24. Jets
25. 49ers
26. Browns
27. Bengals
28. Seahawks
29. Rams
30. Chiefs
31. Raiders
32. Lions