Once again, Favre Fever is sweeping the NFL nation except this time no one has caught the Viking virus. We have symptoms of a possible attack, but no diagnosis yet.

All we know is that Jared Allen, Steve Hutchinson, and Ryan Longwell traveled to Mississippi (or Mississipi if you’re an Alabama Crimson Tide) to meet with Brett Favre. But let’s be honest here, you don’t send a placekicker to a meeting unless you want your business taken care of. So naturally, Ryan Longwell did his thing, and Favre responded by boarding a plane to Minnesota.

Yippee! This news is about as exciting as Cher announcing another Farewell Tour.

C’mon, we all saw this move coming. We saw right through the alleged text message retirement, and as soon as Brad Childress denied the rumors, we knew that the 40-year-old gunslinger would be back; back in the headlines that is.

Whether he is leading his team to a championship, or single-handedly ruining their season, Brett Favre is synonymous with headlines. So it should come to no surprise that Wednesday August 18^th marks the one-year to the date anniversary of Favre’s 2009 return. It’s like a fairy tale coming to life!

Just picture it: Brett Favre comes in after rehabbing his ankle to save the Minnesota Vikings. Oh wait, the Vikings don’t need to be saved. They arguably have the best running back in the game and one of the fastest rising stars in Percy Harvin. Not to mention one of the best defensive cores in the league.

Most any quarterback can be successful in that situation but we’re not talking about any old quarterback here; we’re talking about the old quarterback. The same QB who turned on one franchise (Google Green Bay Packers). The same QB who seems to feed off stealing the spotlight from his teammates showing little regard towards their careers, (Google Tarvaris Jackson).

But none of that seems to matter anymore. What Brett Favre wants, Brett Favre gets.

If he wants to skip training camp and toss the ball around a high school field, then he will do it. If he wants to retire and come back umpteen times, then he will do it. If he wants to play cat and mouse with his coaching staff… well you get the idea.

Something tells us that Favre didn’t need too much convincing from his fellow teammates to come back to the Vikings. Between Longwell’s persuasive skills (Google professional swift kick in the ass) and a potential cool $20 million offer, how could Favre say no? Let’s just forget the fact that he hasn’t shown his face to the rookies this year.

After all of this nonsense, it seems clear that #4 only thinks about being #1, regardless of what he may portray in the conference rooms.

Brett Favre may be a record holder but his lack of sportsmanship towards his teams and teammates will forever be remembered. As will the helicopter video shots following his vehicle along the road, reminiscent of a famous car chase we are all familiar with from the past. Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe Tweeted, “Helicopters acting like they are following O.J., Where is the bronco.”

Yes, it was a circus scene. But then again it’s the NFL preseason and what else should we expect when it comes to Brett Favre.

Used with permission of the author.

Logan Rhoades is a Los Angeles-based writer and contributor to Sports Climax. With an extensive knowledge of ESPN topics and celebrity gossip, he is known for mixing sports and pop culture to entertain his readers. Follow him on Twitter @loganrhoades.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

NFL nicknames. . . . so what’s involved with creating one?

Look at this recent Twitter tweet from ESPN analyst Adam Shefter:

“The two Panthers scheduled to visit our bus today are Smash and Dash, RBs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.”

This ingenious nickname derives from the power and strength of Jonathan Stewart matched with the speed and agility of DeAngelo Williams, thus giving us ‘Smash’ and ‘Dash’. However, as with any great nickname, there is some controversy involved.

According to legend, the nickname ‘Smash and Dash’ was originally created by LenDale White and Chris Johnson. Not wanting to give up the rights to the name, White renamed the two Panthers RB’s, ‘Identity’ and ‘Theft’. Obviously, Stewart and Williams did not approve of this new name and arguments ensued.

Are you kidding me? Are these four players seriously fighting over this nickname? ‘Smash and Dash’ sounds like something the ambiguously gay duo would come up with. I honestly would not be surprised if Ace and Gary went out on a mission as Smash and Dash.

Between ‘Batman and Robin’ and ‘Smash and Dash’, the NFL is starting to sound like a comic book. What happened to the good ole days when football nicknames were original?

A time when ‘Sweetness’ had nothing to do with your taste buds, when ‘The Refrigerator’ was more than a kitchen appliance and when there was nobody closer to the sky than Ed ‘Too Tall’ Jones. A time when NFL nicknames were pertinent.

During the 1970’s, we were introduced to ‘The Steel Curtain’. This name not only represented the Pittsburgh Steelers fierce defensive style, but it sent a message to all others in the league; if you try to get past us, you will fail.

The in the mid 80’s along came ‘The Monsters of the Midway’. This nickname also struck fear into the hearts of opponents and led the Chicago Bears to one of the most impressive wins in Super Bowl history.

But now it seems like that tradition is long gone. Today’s nicknames are generic and maintain no significance whatsoever.

For instance, let’s investigate NFL wideouts Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco. These are two of the most stubborn wide receivers in the league, both notorious for complaining about teammates (unless it’s Tony Romo). They have exactly zero experience playing together and as far as we know, neither live in Gotham City. So, how exactly does that qualify them to be named after the most dynamic duo ever, Batman and Robin?

The answer is simple; it doesn’t.

These two situations just prove that NFL nicknames are about as relevant as Nicholas Cage. I think it’s time that we revoke player’s rights to nickname one another, and we just start again from scratch. 

Unfortunately, Chad Ochocinco found a loophole…

RELATED: 

Tebow May Pack Mile High Stadium with Religious Sect – Sports Climax

Is Tebow Hazing Haircut Worst in NFL History – Sports Climax

NFL Dynamic Duo Batman & Robin Debut in Cincy – Sports Climax

Used with permission of the author.

Logan Rhoades is a Los Angeles-based writer and contributor to Sports Climax. With an extensive knowledge of ESPN topics and celebrity gossip, he is known for mixing sports and pop culture to entertain his readers. Follow him on Twitter @loganrhoades.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

Brandon Marshall is already looking ahead to next year even though the NFL is only a few games into their 2010 preseason. With the controversial wide receiver talking NFL lockout and the NBA while his bags are barely unpacked in Miami, he earns our Bitch-Slap-of-the-Week.  

Should the fans in South Beach give up on the season and throw out Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross’ prediction that his ‘Fins would make it to the Super Bowl this year? Making it to the big game seems like a mighty hard task when your star receiver is pursuing an NBA Championship and Chad Henne is your starting quarterback… or on your roster.

Okay, so technically Brandon Marshall said that he’ll consider a career in the NBA only if there is a lockout on the 2011 NFL season. Does that mean Mr. Marshall has already checked out this year?

Maybe so since he hasn’t laced his spikes up for a single game this season yet he’s already talking about next year, or maybe it’s simply because he is Brandon Marshall. My guess is the latter.

Marshall is a 6-ft 4-in 230 lb. wide receiver that has a history of issues to say the least. He has never played college basketball and basically has been injured most every year since he was drafted in 2006. He may be considered one of the toughest guys to tackle, but even an overweight out-of-shape Shaq would dominate the so-called ‘Beast’ in the paint.

During the regular season, each NBA team plays 82 games. That means there are 82 chances for Brandon ‘The Beast’ to re-injure his torn PCL, aggravated hip, strained groin, and pulled quadriceps.

God forbid that there be a McDonalds bag lying around the court for him to ‘slip’ on again. No joke, this guy cut his arm and needed stitches because he allegedly slipped on a McDonalds bag. We’re not making that up, have to wonder if he did though.

Brandon, just because you’re a good athlete it does not mean you can play any sport you please.

Take a look at Michael Jordan, arguably the most talented basketball player to ever live. He thought playing MLB looked easy but was about as good at hitting a baseball as Dina Lohan is at being a mother.

Do you seriously think that just because you played varsity basketball a decade ago, that you can drain a three on Kobe?

You may be above average height for your position in the NFL but 6-ft. 4-in. is really short on an NBA court.  Your height and minimal basketball experience makes you about as useful as any flat-footed player in the NBA.

And for all you “Brandon to the NBA” fans out there I say this. Based on his ability to up and quit on teams, I think we would have another LeBron James on our hands and with his notorious practice regimen; Brandon might even have a bit of Allen Iverson in him.

Regardless what B.M. says he wants to do next NFL season during any lockout or strike, my professional experience tells me that he has about as good a chance to play in the NBA as the Nets do. And for causing the distraction in the Dolphins locker room and assuming the NBA is so easy to step into, he receives the Bitch-Slap-of-the-Week.

Used with permission of the author.

Logan Rhoades is a Los Angeles-based writer and contributor to Sports Climax. With an extensive knowledge of ESPN topics and celebrity gossip, he is known for mixing sports and pop culture to entertain his readers. Follow him on Twitter @loganrhoades.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

Congratulations Alabama! You have finally lived up to your expectations. You are officially dumb.

Your ‘University’ may have the No. 1 spot in the pre-season football polls, but misspelling Mississippi on your tickets has put you back in the second grade. The good news is that all of your students can now have that recess time they have been asking for. The bad news is that it is tough to recruit during Man on Sand.

Let’s be real, we all kind of expected it, but this recent ‘slip’ has just cemented our feelings that Alabama is only good for one thing: Entertainment. And I’m not talking about the football games.

Alabama is always the go-to-state when we think of rednecks and people kissing cousins.

Sure, it’s comical to poke fun at Alabama, but now it has just become clear that even the most educated people in that state still belong in elementary school.

Mississippi is the only state that I can spell without thinking. Mi-ss-iss-ippi. I can bust that thing out in 1.78 seconds. Why? Because I have been spelling it ever since I could tie my own shoes. And I am confident that this is the same case for everyone else, besides residents of Alabama. I will admit that spelling can be tricky sometimes, but this is just pathetic.

Mississippi has been a neighbor of Alabama for literally hundreds of years. Is it possible that no one in that school knows how to spell correctly? Did all 28,000 students and more than 1,000 faculty members all look at that ticket and not see anything wrong with it?

I know its summer time, but computers still do have spell check. Unless these tickets were completed on a typewriter, there is no excuse for this.

Well Crimson Tide, you may have the reigning Heisman trophy winner back, but I leave you with some words of advice, spell check the name on his jersey.

Used with permission of the author.

Logan Rhoades is a Los Angeles-based writer and contributor to Sports Climax. With an extensive knowledge of ESPN topics and celebrity gossip, he is known for mixing sports and pop culture to entertain his readers. Follow him on Twitter @loganrhoades.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC