Unusually busy 2009 NFL preseason

Whenever anyone talks about an NFL preseason game, normally the response is, "Who cares? It's only preseason." Not this year.

So far since preseason has begun, Favre came out of retirement (again), Michael Vick has supposedly put his dog-fighting days behind him, and the Dallas Cowboys' billion dollar new stadium already has a flaw. Not to mention Plaxico is going to prison.

This past Friday, Brett Favre made his Vikings debut against the Kansas City Chiefs. His stats? An enormous 1-4 for 4 yards, granted it he only played two series. Brett said himself he didn't expect much from the game and it's a good thing. It's not like his three incompletions were dropped passes or just off the finger tips of the receiver. Two of them were clear miscommunications.

This is the problem with Favre coming back mid-preseason as opposed to the beginning of training camp. He doesn't know the Vikings' receivers well and they don't know him. Don't expect them all to be on the same page until a good four weeks into the regular season. That's not to say they won't win a couple of games before then. Their schedule is pretty easy as they play the Browns, Lions, 49ers, and the Packers.

On a different quarterback topic, Michael Vick is officially going to be playing this Thursday when the Eagles take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. This morning, Eagles' head coach Andy Reid said the starters would play the first three quarters and that Vick would get to play during those three quarters. Reid even said he may see playing time with Donovan McNabb on the field. That means we may even see how the Eagles actually plan to use Vick.

You may say to yourself that it's a crazy idea. I, myself, have said that. But the more I think about it, the less crazy it seems. It's one thing to try plays against the practice defense, it's another to use it against a different NFL team. It'll show Vick just how ready he is to be involved in this offense.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, Vick won't be playing with the entire starting offense no matter what. Shawn Andrews (back), Todd Herremans (foot), and Leonard Weaver (sprained MCL) are all out due to injuries. Brian Westbrook, however, will see his first action of the preseason, although it won't be all three quarters.

In the first NFL game ever at the Cowboys' new stadium, they realized the enormous television screen hanging about the field was too low. Although everything about the new stadium is completely legal according to NFL standards, Titans' rookie punter, A.J. Trapasso, hit the video board that hangs 90-feet above the field. Both Trapasso and Craig Hentrich, another Titans punter, were able to hit the video board during their warm-ups.

Cowboys' owner, Jerry Jones, doesn't believe there will be any changes made to the stadium or the board. Jones said that the only way a punter should hit the giant screen is if they're "trying to."

He's probably right. Although a punter would like the ball to get as much hang-time as possible, they ultimately need to get it down the field and towards one of the sidelines. In order to hit the video board, a punter would need to try to punt for height straight down the center of the field.

In all honesty, Trapasso probably did it to make headlines knowing that preseason games don't count towards the Titans' final record. He might also want to make a name for himself (other than his fake-punt TD on Hall of Fame night) in case he doesn't make the roster.

The cost to move the board would be $2 million.

Last week former NFL receiver Plaxico Burress plead guilty to a weapons charge and was sentenced to two years in prison. He will be officially sentenced on September 22, and will then begin his sentence. Even though commissioner Roger Goodell said Burress could sign with a new team after his release, his NFL career could be over as he will not be eligible for release until around June 2011. Plaxico recently turned 32, making him just shy of 34 after his release.

I wouldn't be surprised, however, to see a team take a chance on him and sign him to a one-year deal.

Many people wonder why a player like Donte Stallworth received only a 30-day jail sentence for killing a man, while Plaxico received a two-year sentence for injuring himself. Take a look at where the two crimes occured. New York, Manhattan specifically, is a bit stricter than Florida.