Tonight's "Monday Night Football" matchup between two popular preseason Super Bowl picks, the Vikings and the Jets, was already pretty compelling on paper. Throw in the tabloid fodder provided by Vikings quarterback Brett Favre and his new wide receiver Randy Moss, acquired last week from the Patriots, and millions of Americans will be treated to a primetime drama overload.
And believe it or not, Jets coach Rex Ryan isn't even a factor in the pre-game hype.
Favre finds himself in quite the controversy after a report came out this weekend alleging that the legendary waffler sent scandalous cellphone pictures to Versus host Jenn Sterger when she was a sideline reporter for the Jets. The fallout reached as far as Baltimore, where I had to explain to my girlfriend that I was late picking her up for a dinner date because I was looking at Internet photos of Favre's "old gunslinger."
Needless to say, she wasn't all that understanding.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will soon have to decide if Favre should be punished. Considering the wiggle room he gave himself in the past when enforcing the NFL's conduct policy, you have to figure that Goodell will be forced to slap Favre with a hefty fine or a suspension. It would be hypocritical if he didn't.
Then there's Moss, who grumbled his way out of New England and into the Minnesota huddle. There were reports that Moss got in a verbal confrontation with a Patriots coach after a Week 4 win over the Dolphins, which Patriots coach Bill Belichick wouldn't confirm.
Then it was reported Sunday that Moss and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady got in a heated argument two weeks ago in which Brady made fun of the receiver's Unibomber beard and that Moss bashed the quarterback for his Bieber bangs, allegedly telling Brady that he looked like a girl. Unfortunately, it appears that report was untrue. Bummer. It's believable, though, because everyone knows that bearded men are prideful men, and somebody needed to call out Brady for his questionable hairstyle choice.
Anyway, the focus on Favre and Moss adds to an already-dramatic scene in New Jersey, with the embattled quarterback, his new deep threat and the desperate Vikings playing Favre's former team. As Sports Illustrated's Peter King pointed out in his Monday column, Favre shines amid controversy, and we saw what a change of scenery did for Moss in New England. Throw in Adrian Peterson, that vicious Jets defense and a little Rex, and you've got must-see TV.
ESPN really lucked out on this one.
