Enough of the Favre overkill

Brett Favre is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. There is no doubt about that. He is also a likable person because - unlike other superstar signal callers such as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning - Favre is an everyman. He's the kind of guy who is more at home eating chicken wings and drinking beer in a sports bar than savoring fine wine and an exquisite filet at a lavish restaurant.

That said, enough of the media coverage about Favre's retirement! Can you say "overkill," ESPN? Favre did not die, he retired. The seemingly non-stop coverage about Favre on Sportscenter and banter about the Packers great on ESPN's radio affiliates is already a tired act. It would be more interesting to debate about whether Green Bay will give the starting job to untested Aaron Rodgers or trade for a quarterback. The Packers are unlikely to get a franchise QB in the first round of the draft since they have the 30th pick. Of course, Favre was selected in the second round of the 1991 draft by Atlanta and then traded to Green Bay a season later, so the Packers could roll the dice with a quarterback at some point in the draft.

While Favre prepares for life after football, Ben Roethlisberger is enjoying his new status as the highest paid player in Pittsburgh Steelers history. The Steelers, who are known for pinching pennies, inked Big Ben to an eight-year, $102 million deal, including $33.2 million in guaranteed money and a $25.2 million signing bonus. Of course, now that Pittsburgh broke the bank with Roethlisberger, they now have no money to upgrade their offensive line (which lost Alan Faneca and was already suspect in the 2007 season). No doubt the Steelers will choose an offensive lineman with their first round pick.

We are entering one of my favorite times of the year for sports. March Madness is about to begin. Spring training is in full force. And the NBA is reaching the stretch run of its' regular season. There is little drama in the Eastern Conference, where Boston and Detroit are the clear favorites. In the Western Conference; however, Denver is currently 36-24. If the playoffs started today, the Nuggets would be left out. That shows the Western Conference's depth. If the playoffs started today, three sub-.500 teams in the Eastern Conference (Washington, Philadelphia and New Jersey) would make the post-season.