Welcome to News From Around the Nation, where it's all SportsBlog Nation, some of the time. If you'd like to see what's going on in the NFC South with our awful, tax-evading, drunken rivals division mates, keep reading after the jump.
NFC South:
Carolina Panthers: From Cat Scratch Reader, we have our first of many reports about Brett Favre going someplace. Will he end up in Carolina or Tampa Bay, or will he join the New England Patriots as a strong safety? Golly! I'm practically wetting my pants in anticipation! What does CSR think?
My wife for one would love this move (She loves Brett). The rest of us are like “Why in the world would the Panthers be interested in Brett Favre?” Forget asking why he might even consider coming here, but it just doesn’t fit the Panther philosophy or 2008 game plan at all. I’m positive they are content with Jake’s rehab and expect him to perform at a high level in 2008.
No offense to my good buddy Jaxon over at CSR, but I'd rather have Favre than a possibly decrepit Jake Delhomme and Matt Moore, which I'm pretty sure is a stage name. Then again, once you factor in the fact that Favre has become an almost guaranteed source of three months of angry, lunacy-inspiring offseason hell, I'm not sure it's such a great idea either.
I think the Panthers will be a lot better next season, too, if for no other reason than that they jettisoned the walking corpse of DeShaun Foster. It doesn't make a lot of sense to roll the dice on an expensive, aging QB if you're reasonably confident in what you have, especially when your division could be one of the weakest in the NFL. That said, if Favre really wants to go, I think the NFL will shove him down John Fox's throat.
New Orleans Saints: Nobody runs longer news posts than Saintsational over at Canal Street Chronicles. He's like the Homer of SBN, except for the fact that he is not blind or Greek. Still, once you've nodded off several times (the Saints are boring), there's some quality information in here. For example, there's speculation on whether or not the team will cut Jason Craft. If they do, they're getting rid of the Jason Webster of their team, which can only improve their chances of having a competent secondary by about ten times.
There's also virtually no Reggie Bush news in the last few days, which makes me very happy. I got sick of him about three seconds after he was drafted.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Before I even get into the news, I'm going to attack JScott of Buc 'Em for calling NCAA Football the greatest football game ever. This is an epic load of horsecrap that deeply insults my Tecmo Super Bowl roots. If you think NCAA Football is the best football game of all time, be sure to tell me in the comments section so we can engage in fisticuffs.
Aside from that, JScott bids a fond farewell to Trent Dilfer, also known as one of the most mediocre quarterbacks ever to win a Super Bowl. JScott takes a close look at what Dilfer was like during his time in Tampa Bay, and he finds--surprise!--that he wasn't all that great:
I remember him being a tease, a guy who would keep you in the game, but (like clockwork) would give up a big interception and that was it; over and over again. I hated Trent Dilfer (although he was strong and resilient) at times along with Tony Dungy. It seemed as if they went out there week after week with the exact same game plan. Were it not for the defense, the Bucs would have continued to be a laughing stock in the league.
I think I speak for all of us when I say "please, let the Bucs be a laughingstock of the league again. Thanks.
Any thoughts on the NFC South roundup?