(Originally posted at seahawkaddicts.com)

Gonzo's Highly-Improbably-Yet-Too-Good-to-Ignore Scenario for the 2008 NFL Season:

Brett Favre leads a massively-revitalized Jets team into the Super Bowl against the stalwart Seahawks and Mike Holmgren's final year of coaching.

Would there be any better or more appropriate way to end this season? And try to engage your suspension of disbelief here with me for just a second while I lay this one out, and why it's at least halfway possible. (Though realistically, it's about as likely as Kellen Clemens making the Pro Bowl.)



The Jets had arguably one of the best drafts in the NFL this year. Eric Mangini got exactly what he needed - on paper, anyway - with Dustin Keller and Vernon Gholston. Outside of the draft, the offensive line got a huge boost with the addition of Alan Faneca, and Thomas Jones will be able to take a breather once in a while with Jesse Chatman running the ball with solid backup Leon Washington. The defense also got a breath of life with Calvin Pace joining the ranks, which should make the Jets' front seven more formidable than it was last year. (Which isn't saying much, I know.)

All the Jets needed after all these key pickups was a consistent guy at quarterback. They needed an experienced, rock-solid passer who could actually benefit from the beefed-up offensive line and not crumble under the pressure when things turned hairy.

And now, they've got him.

Recently-emerged drama queen that he is, Brett Favre proved last season - his supposed last year in football that was followed with what none of us should really be surprised was a faux retirement plan - that he still has the edge that made him a star for 17 years in Green Bay. Coming to a team like the Jets means Favre takes everything he learned from Holmgren and even McCarthy and puts it to the ultimate test in an altogether foreign environment. Kind of like Sylvester Stallone and Pele' during the last scene of "Victory." Or Trey Parker and Matt Stone in "BASEketball." You get the point.

So with his new home in New York, Favre now gets to throw to Laverneus Coles and Jericho Cotchery, thereby increasing each of their fantasy value by roughly 800 percent. (Speaking of which, I'm sure both receivers are thrilled that they'll now be able to actually run a full route without suddenly turning around to see the ball hit the ground 15 yards behind them. Just sayin'.)

The Jets now have all the weapons they need to go somewhere this year and not have another 4-12 letdown and increase the suicide rate in New York by 12,000. They could at least hope for one of those surprising-as-hell 10-6 seasons they've had in recent years, because since 2004, those are the two records the Jets have finished with: 4-12 one year, followed by 10-6 the next. Did I mention the Jets were 4-12 last year?

So meanwhile, while Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens are busy at home throwing their resumes on Monster.com, the Seahawks also have things brewing. (That's just in case you've been living under a rock for the past six months or suddenly realized you're not reading a blog about the Rams.) The offense, to contradict what most experts have been yelling about lately, is going to be just fine. The offensive line health remains a question mark, but that's the only obstacle I see right now with this team in South Alaska. (Catering to the writers again. You understand of course.) The receivers look sharp, and I know this because I watched them for two hours last weekend. Hasselbeck is in his prime, and the running game is once again a threat with Julius Jones, TJ Duckett and possible "surprise, Mom, I made the roster" potential Justin Forsett.

In short?

There is absolutely no reason why these two teams can't outperform the living crap out of everyone else in their conferences and eventually meet in Tampa in February for an epic era-defining showdown between mentor and student. The weapons are on the table now, and it's all going to come down to a matter of who has become the true master of his craft.

And I know - it probably won't happen. The number of variables for this to even come close to taking place is nothing short of absurd. There's the Patriots in AFC, incumbent champ Giants in the NFC, and a number of revamped rivals that could come out of nowhere and stomp the unholy snot out of teams left and right.

But this entire scenario is way too much fun for me not to think about. (And a hell of a great reason to avoid work until lunch.)

As you probably have figured out, seahawkaddicts.com has become my new top priority in terms of Seahawks blogging, but I'll continue to keep this one breathing as I see necessary.

But enough of that. The Seahawks' opening exhibition game in Minnesota on Friday night went as well as it ever could've -- a few expected mistakes carrying the intention of working out the kinks in the system, but largely a commanding and convincing performance.

Cause for applause:

-Seneca Wallace's outstanding performance at quarterback. This was the best I've ever seen the kid play, and he showed the fans why he's being regarded as one of the top backup QBs in the league right now. He channeled some Tom Brady in the way that he spread the ball around, hooking up with unknowns Trent Shelton and Joel Filani for touchdown receptions. Seneca was also a top reason why 15 Seahawks caught passes Friday night.

-The defense. Overall, the entire unit looked damn impressive, with standout plays being made by David Hawthorne, Howard Green and Jamar Adams. Know what I love most about these names? A year ago at this time, nobody knew anything about any of them. At least, not in Seattle. But Friday night proved they're here to make an impact - literally. Just ask Maurice Hicks, the Vikings' new running back acquired from San Fran and the Seattle defense's preferred pinata of the evening. And nevermind the comparatively weak showing by the first unit - Marcus Trufant, etc. They knew they'd only be in for a few series and weren't out to hurt themselves catching anyone. Yet.

-Maurice Morris and the offensive line. Not only did MoMo have 62 yards on nine carries, but - brace yourselves, fans - he had actual holes to run through! The beefed-up offensive line, thanks largely in part to free agent pickup Mike Wahle and veterans Sean Locklear and Walter Jones, created rifts in the defense that looked like the Grand Canyon compared to last year's efforts. The truly scary part - Julius Jones didn't even have to get in on more than three or four carries for the offense to get into the red zone.

Cause for pause:

-TJ Duckett. The other member opposite Jones in the Shaun Alexander replacement crew didn't make much of a case for himself, as he fumbled the ball twice. Granted, once was due for a face mask and the other was ruled down before the ball popped out, but still. Holmgren can't be comfortable with a short yardage back who fumbles the ball a lot. Hopefully TJ won't have that problem Saturday.

-Injuries. Not the ones that happened during this game, as the worst of them were dealt out to the Vikings, but the rather long list of walking wounded currently on Seattle's roster. The total, according to a report this morning on KIRO 710, is 22.

Don't be alarmed at this, however. Most of them include guys who just need a day or two of rest, such as Hasselbeck (sore back) and Tatupu (knees.) Others, such as Logan Payne, are just going to need to let their ailments run their course and hope for the best. Cracked ribs just need time, unfortunately, but let's hope the timetable lets the guy see some action before Week 1. I want him on the roster, badly.

Overall, I like the way things are building with this team. The preseason hype has been endless, it seems, but it's always good to see the Seahawks walk the walk. Friday, I think, bodes well for things to come. 

It's finally official -

The Seahawks' training camp begins Thursday (July 25) at 9:15 a.m. at the Kirkland team headquarters.

Unfortunately, practices there aren't open for public viewing, but the team's annual public scrimmage will be held Aug. 2 at 11 a.m at none other than Qwest Field. Gates open at 9 a.m. that day, and tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for youth (ages 5-17.) Kids under 5 get in free. 

Personally, I'll be there as the doors open, and I can't wait to catch my first glimpse of Logan Payne, Red Bryant, John Carlson and Owen Schmitt all giving their first public performance on the team, ever.  

Is it September yet? God dammit. July 18? Really? I think I may hibernate if it wasn't for the beautiful days we're having up here lately.

In the meantime, enjoy the fast-approaching countdown for the start of training camp, and you can definitely expect a hell of a lot more updates right here on this blog, folks. Catch more of me and my cronies at http://www.seahawkaddicts.com.  

Well, it happened. It was bound to, and it did.

A certain rival team of the Green Bay Packers - whose name starts with "V" and ends in "lame quarterback" - has allegedly made contact with Brett Favre just a week after his announcement of unconditional release from the team he'd called home for the past 17 seasons. 

Apparently initiated by Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, the contact has been deemed "inappropriate" by the Packers, who have since filed a complaint with the NFL on the grounds of tampering. 

And since ESPN caught wind of the story , the Vikings have suddenly sunk back into playing the fool and refusing to discuss the issue altogether.

Hmm. Let's think about this one for a second. Bevell is a personal friend of Favre's, and the Vikings are in somewhat dire need of a quarterback with some semblance of confidence and competence during gametime. Because, let's face it, Tavaris Jackson might be young, but he arguably has the most dominant and intimidating offensive line in football. Stats like the ones he threw up in '07 aren't the greatest; weak receiving corps aside. Two names automatically help Jackson out to the nth degree - Steve Hutchinson and Adrian Peterson. 

With a bit more thought, it's not hard to imagine why the Vikings drooling to the point of drowning themselves in it when they think of a guy like Favre under center for them.  It's even more hilarious that the Vikings just happen to be the Packers' sworn enemies/division rivals, and I even made a joke about this situation happening last week in seahawkaddicts.com. 

But, as they say, truth is stranger than fiction. And Favre playing for any team but the Packers would look pretty goddamned strange.

In the meantime, we get some nice pre-training camp drama for ESPN to milk the unholy crap out of until we see players actually hit the field, and that's always nice. I'm predicting this fiasco unfolds a lot like the average episode of "Big Brother" - a lot of hype, an inexorable amount of media coverage and a lot of stupid people saying stupid things; and after two weeks the American public wants everyone on the show dead.  

But it's like a pileup on the interstate....you just can't look away.  

Lofa changed his original plea of not guilty to guilty in Monday's court appearance for his May 10 DUI arrest. He will pay fines of $1,255 and spend a day in jail.

He handled this incident to the best of his ability, and because he cooperated and accepted responsibility for what he did, I think it shows even more good character traits about the guy. He screwed up, held himself totally accountable and didn't make any excuses. Lofa's the kind of player any team should be damn proud to have. 

After this, I hope the media shifts their focus to what he does on the field, as opposed to one small mishap that took place during the offseason. Chances are they will, because it's not like he went into a strip club and started a riot. Cough.  

According to espn.com, the Seahawks have the lowest personal foul totals in the NFL since 2001. Read the blurb on this here, posted by good ol' Mike Sando.

It seems Ruskell's decision-making about recruiting solid citizens on AND off the field has paid off, especially with Jerramy Shithead out of the picture. Hell, I'd be willing to place a substantial bet on the possibility that at least 41 of those fouls since 2001 were because of that lumbering jackass. He was a worthless acquisition, and apparently caused his neighbors in Bellevue just as much grief as he caused the team. 

But enough about that. The Seahawks are full of players who are actually decent human beings, having spoken to a few of them in various run-ins during my run with the Seattle Times. And the numbers, as they say, don't lie. 

It appears the Seahawks have signed long snapper Tyler Schmitt to a 4-year deal, according to Jose Romero at the Seattle Times. 

This dissuades rumors that Schmitt underperformed at the minicamps earlier this month, and proves the coaching staff believes that they're not about to sign another Boone Stutz (which is a separate post all by itself.)

Schmitt joins RB Justin Forsett as the second Seahawk draft pick to be signed this offseason. An official announcement is expected today or tomorrow.  

Lofa's court date has tentatively been scheduled for July 7, well before the start of training camp.

His plea of not guilty hasn't changed, which I think is a risky move because his blood-alcohol content was already so far over the legal limit. The refusal of a breathalizer test at the time of being pulled over doesn't exactly help anything either, but the most important part is I'm just glad nobody was hurt.  It could've been a hell of a lot worse.

The only public comment about the arrest from Lofa is still his statement issued May 13.  

After a disappointing season in San Francisco and subsequently being cut by the team, Darrell Jackson looks like he's found a good fit with the Denver Broncos.

According to a Denver Post story recounted by Clare Farnsworth of the PI, Jackson was apparently staying after practice on a few occasions, and seemed very content to be doing so.

Maybe he'll emerge as Jay Cutler's new No.2 guy behind Brandon Marshall, and I assume that's the goal Shanahan has in mind. But who knows, really? Cutler is almost as inconsistent as Drew Brees (last year, anyway) and that exact issue ended up being the problem in San Francisco with Jackson catching passes from Alex Smith, the man who epitomizes the term "draft bust."

Now I'm hoping the Seahawks' slew of untested blood feels as comfortable here as Jackson apparently does in Denver, because Hasselbeck's trust is a key component in receiving touchdowns. But so far, so good.

There's a lot to catch up on in the past couple days, but here's a brief rundown:

-Lofa is probably going to plead not guilty, according to sources at the Times and PI. Not much else is being said for now, but his June 17 arraignment is still a go.

-Longtime Seahawks coach Tom Catlin died a couple days ago from complications of Parkinson's disease. He's survived by his wife and two children.

-Holmgren missed another day of workouts yesterday because the same minor medical procedure he underwent Monday. I hope this is nothing too serious, but the use of the word "minor" is encouraging of course.

-Mack Strong made a return to practice Tuesday, but just to watch, of course. He wanted to make an appearance to hang out with the players and talk to the media, and I'm sure his presence was another morale boost for the team. Maybe he taught Owen Schmitt a couple things? I liked Michael Steffes' crack about face-mask crushing. 

-And I'm still going mildly nuts in anticipation for the 2008 season. Hell, I'm going nuts just waiting for training camp.