It's quite possible that no athlete in American history has received more press for doing and saying absolutely nothing than one Brett Lorenzo Favre. Wednesday, we were regaled with the story of Favre's indecision on his ankle surgery. Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress was front page news when he told the media that his erstwhile quarterback/non-quarterback was still undecided about the ankle surgery that would reportedly be required for his return in 2010. That's not new — before the 2009 season, there was an episode of "Total Access", the NFL Network's hour-long news program, which spent a good 45 minutes analyzing the gripping news that Favre had still not decided whether or not to retire. It's a symbiotic relationship — Favre plays the attention-grabbing retirement game every season when we all know he's coming back, and a willing media lapdogs along for the ride.

Well, woof woof — here we go again. The latest in what will certainly be an infinite barrage of "Will he or

Editor's note: Yahoo! Sports will examine the biggest weakness of the 2009 season for every team and explain how the franchise can address the issue. The series continues with the Buccaneers, who finished fourth in the NFC North (3-13).

Biggest problem in 2009: A vulnerable inside run defense

DT Gerald McCoy(notes) during the Buccaneers rookie minicamp.
(Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)

For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the days of the front sevens led by Warren Sapp(notes) and Derrick Brooks(notes) might as well be a million miles away. Far from a Super Bowl-caliber defense, the 2009 Bucs allowed opposing running backs to gain league highs of 4.8 yards per carry, 158.2 yards per game, and 25 rushing plays of 20 yards or more. Led by tackles Chris Hovan(notes) and Ryan Sims(notes), the Bucs were especially soft up the middle – no team allowed a higher yards-per-play average between the offensive

The generation gap between ex- and current players is about as old as — well, the arrival of a second generation of athletes in any sport. While there's a great deal to learn from warriors past, one does run the risk of hearing, ad infinitum, about the good ol' days, when the "real" [insert sport here] players had to practice in sub-zero temperatures (even in summer!), played through amputations and death, had off-season jobs in Malaysian garment factories, and were paid only in chawin' tobacco. For the love of the game, y'see. These consarned kids today, with their billion-dollar bonuses and fancy haircuts, wouldn't know of such things.

These days, you might hear such vitriol from the likes of Hall of Fame running backs Gale Sayers and Thurman Thomas. Sayers, the Chicago Bears legend whose old NFL Films highlight clips are among the best in league history, took a series of shots at the new version of his old team in an early May media blast.

"Cutler hasn't done the job," Sayers

The Washington Redskins are seemingly always involved in some sort of drama. But the latest news to come down the Beltway has a more insidious tone to it, and it could affect the team's 2010 season.

According to the Washington Post, receiver Santana Moss(notes) was one of several athletes receiving treatment from Dr. Anthony Galea, a Canadian physician with no authority to practice medicine in the United States. First reported by Dan Herbeck of the Buffalo News, the Moss story came out through a criminal complaint filed in Buffalo on Tuesday, accusing Galea of drug smuggling, conspiracy, lying to federal agents, unlawful distribution of human growth hormone and introducing an unapproved drug into interstate commerce. A court document then revealed that Galea made several trips to the U.S., all paid for by his clients, for specific meetings with pro athletes.

Among those athletes, according to Galea attorney Mark J. Mahoney, were Alex Rodriguez and Tiger Woods, each of whom has either

Rookie Sam Bradford(notes) during minicamp in April.
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Editor's note: Yahoo! Sports will examine the biggest weakness of the 2009 season for every team and explain how the franchise can address the issue. The series continues with the Rams, who finished fourth in the NFC West (1-15).

The St. Louis Rams have won just six games in the past three years, with their win total declining every season – from three, to two, to one. Second-year head coach Steve Spagnuolo has tried to implement a culture of hope and accountability to this formerly moribund franchise, but it's tough to do when players get used to losing almost by default. The good news is that the team has put together many of the winning ingredients in their past two drafts. The bad news is that from an offensive perspective, there's such a long way to go.

Biggest problem in 2009: An anemic offense under any

Ah, sweet athletic delusions of grandeur, where would we sportswriters be without them?We'd certainly be lacking many opportunities for comedic fodder, that's for sure.

Last November, we detailed the delusions of Dallas Cowboys receiver Roy Williams, who petulantly insisted that despite his status as a No. 1 receiver (ahem!), alleged No. 2 Miles Austin(notes) was eating his lunch because "things are just going No. 2's way ... [Austin] gets the ball thrown correctly his way. I'm stretching and falling and doing everything. Everybody [else] who's been here's balls are there. Our footballs [from Romo to Williams] are everywhere right now."

That must have been why the 'Boys were misguided in drafting Oklahoma State receiver Dez Bryant(notes) in the first round this year -- after all, Williams' pathetic 44 percent catch rate (86 targets, 38 catches) had to be Tony Romo's(notes) fault. Austin's 65 percent catch rate on 124 targets must have been a statistical anomaly.

So, it could be

It was bad enough for the Houston Texans when they were dealing with Brian Cushing, the ramifications of what he did or did not take, and the resulting four-game suspension that will kick off Cushing's 2010 season. Now, receiver Andre Johnson(notes), the team's best player, is making noise about his contract. He's not happy about an eight-year, $60 million contract extension that he signed in March of 2007 that will pay him a base salary of $5.8 million this season. That base jumps to $6.8 million in 2011 and $7.3 million in 2012, narrows off to $7 million in 2013, and goes back up to $7.3 million in 2014. Add in $15 million in guaranteed money, and it sounds like a lot of scratch ... until you compare Johnson's contract with other recent receiver deals.

Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald(notes) signed a new deal in March of 2008, a four-year, $40 million contract that gave him $30 million guaranteed and $12.1 million in option and roster bonuses alone in 2009. Fitzgerald's base is $6.3

Editor's note: Yahoo! Sports will examine the biggest weakness of the 2009 season for every team and explain how the franchise can address the issue. The series begins with the Lions, who finished fourth in the NFC North (2-14).

Biggest problem in 2009: Pass defense

Suh, the first of two Lions first-round picks, goes through drills during rookie minicamp in April.
(Leon Halip-US Presswire)

When Jim Schwartz was hired as the Detroit Lions head coach before the 2009 season, he knew that it would take more than a tub of roster Spackle to undo years of franchise mismanagement under former general manager Matt Millen. One of the primary reasons the Lions became the first team to lose all their games in a 16-game season in 2008 was a defense for which the term “pathetic” would be charitable. Despite Schwartz's experience as a top-notch defensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans, there was only so