Bye bye birdie

WEEK 8
Bye week. No Patriots game. A time to reflect. A time to enjoy a quiet fall Sunday. A time to look at the wins and losses already in the books and look ahead to the games (and tailgates) ahead. And a time to deep fry a turkey and drink some bourbon. Bye week was officially dubbed "Bourbon and Bird" day at my house. Might be a tradition in the making.

The bye week is also the time to watch as much football as possible. No Patriots? No problem. That's the thing about the NFL. It's the only sport where you will settle in for a day of watching other teams play. Vikings vs. Packers. Colts vs. Niners. Eagles vs. Giants. Jets vs. Dolphins. All games I wanted to see. That's why the NFL is king.

The enjoyment of the bye week depends a great deal on how good your team is. The week off is a drag when it's lousy. You spend the day watching other teams play real football. Each game a reminder of just how bad yours is. The only time your team is mentioned is usually as the punch line to a bad joke by the announcers. But when you have a contender, the bye week is a lot of fun. You can watch the pregame shows and hear your team in the discussion about which ones can win it all. You can watch the other games and see how yours measures up. And since your team is off they can't lose! A great weekend.

The story of Week 7 was ... drum roll please ... Brett Favre. The man whose name is synonymous with every virtue you can think of returned to Lambeau Field. The frozen tundra. The turf where he built his legend. It was a Favre moment worthy of all the attention. Finally. Favre's Minnesota resurrection has gone much better than did his brief stop with the Jets. Although some might remember that in Week 11 Favre and the Jets were sitting at 8-3 and looking like one of the best teams. Five weeks later the Jets -- and Favre -- were down and out of the playoffs. Vikings fans should keep that in mind as they celebrate their team's 7-1 record. Favre's first game in front of the Packers fans that hailed him for so many years was very entertaining right from the start. There were boos as he came onto the field. Lots of them. And it a gave me a chuckle.

It also made me think what would happen if Tom Brady retired (we're talking years from now) then came out of retirement and played for the Rams and then retired again only to return a second time -- this time for the Jets. I would be pretty unhappy. But Bobby Orr didn't finish his career as a Bruin. Carlton Fisk didn't finish his career as a Red Sox. Hell, Adam Vinatieri won a Super Bowl kicking for the Colts! If fans aren't used to seeing their players in the team colors of their opponents yet then they never will be. I know I am used to it. But Favre, like Brady, is different. He was the Packers. While he annoyed the rest of the football world (except everyone who sits at an ESPN anchor desk), he was worshipped in Green Bay. Like Brady here. If Brady returned to Gillette in Gang Green I wouldn't boo. How the hell could any Pats fan boo Brady? I wouldn't give him an ovation. Save that for his Hall of Fame induction ceremony and I don't mean the Pats Hall of Fame. But you don't cheer for Jets QBs. Ever. Except when they are sacked.

Favre and the Vikes beat the Packers to take control of the NFC North. If Favre and the Vikings blow their lead and miss the playoffs then Favre should retire and stay retired this time. The Vikes (along with the Colts and Saints) continue to play solid football heading to the halfway mark. The same thing can't be said for a few other teams. Things sure change quickly in the NFL these days.

The Giants were knocked around by the Eagles for their third straight loss while the Cowboys put up their third straight win. The Giants are now in third in the NFC East. I didn't see that coming. The Ravens, after stumbling badly, rose up and handed the Broncos their first loss. The Colts beat San Fran, sending the once-surprising Niners to its third straight defeat. And the Miami Wildcats went into the Meadowlands and beat the Jets. After their Week 2 win against the Patriots the Jets seemed on the verge of a big season under new coach Rex Ryan. Just a few weeks later and the NYJ are fading fast at 4-4 and only 1-3 in the division. The Jets come to Gillette in two weeks. The Pats can pretty much knock them out of division contention with a win. But first they have to handle the Wildcats.

The bird and bourbon are done. At least till Sunday's tailgate.