Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers at the 2013 NFL Honors awards. (AP)

Before you run screaming into the streets, we should make clear that this headline is not meant to infer that Brett Favre is trying to un-retire again. No, it's simply that after years of bad feelings and unnecessary drama, the Green Bay Packers are ready to make nice with Brett Favre in an official way.

During the team's recent Tailgate Tour, an opportunity for fans to interact with players in an informal setting, Packers president Mark Murphy said that it's time to welcome Favre back into the fold as one of the team's all-time great players.

“I think each year it’s lessened a little bit,” Murphy said on Tuesday about the questions regarding Favre. “My first year was 2008, so we actually thought we might see Brett along the tour.”

Of course (and we'll keep this summary mercifully short), 2008 was Favre's first year away from Green Bay since 1992, when then-general manager Ron Wolf traded a first-round pick to the Atlanta Falcons that February for his future quarterback. Safe to say, that was a fairly one-sided deal. Favre threw for 61,655 yards and 442 touchdowns in 16 seasons for the Pack, but he was traded to the New York Jets in August, 2008 -- a few months after he retired, unretired, asked current general manager Ted Thompson to return to the team, and was rebuffed. After one iffy year with the Jets, Favre played two more seasons with the Minnesota Vikings -- a brilliant one in 2009, and an injury-plagued finale in 2010, before he finally hung 'em up for good in 2011.

There were bad feelings on both sides, and between Favre and successor Aaron Rodgers for a time, but the appearance by Favre and Rodgers on stage together at the 2013 NFL Honors show during Super Bowl week seemed to indicate that there had been some patching up along the way. Their dialogue in the show was pretty funny:

Rodgers: We’re here to present the award for best comeback player.
Favre: You know Aaron, everyone loves it when a great player makes a comeback.
Rodgers: (smirking) Yeah, well, not always. Some people wish great players would just retire and stay retired.
Favre: Good to see you, too, Aaron.
Rodgers: You too, man.
(Handshake, followed by awkward, possibly scripted quasi-hug)
Rodgers: That was awkward.

Peyton Manning, who won that award, riffed right off the Favre-Rodgers meeting.

Titus Young's May 10 mug shot. (AP)

The saga of former Detroit Lions receiver Titus Young rolls unmerrily along. Young, who participated in several criminal acts over the last few days, is currently on medical hold at the Central Men’s Jail in Santa Ana, Calif., pleaded not guilty to a total of eight criminal charges at a video arraignment on Tuesday. On May 5, Young was arrested for a DUI, and was arrested again later that day for trying to steal his car from the impound lot. And on May 10, he was charged with burglary, assaulting a police officer, and resisting arrest after he tried to break into a San Clemente, Calif. home and fought with police during a chase.

In addition, the Detroit Free Press reports, Young is being charged with two additional felonies for a May 4 incident in which he stole candy, bottled water, and cigars from a Chevron station in Orange County. Farrah Emami, a spokesperson for the Orange County prosecutor’s office, said that Young first stole the candy and water, then returned to pilfer the cigars. He was not arrested at the time, but was identified at the scene. Emani said that each entrance into the store carries its own charge because he entered a commercial property with the intent to steal.

According to the Free Press, Young faces a possible sentence of 7 1/2 years in prison, or more, if he is convicted of all charges. He could still face additional counts of DUI and felony burglary for the May 5 incidents. Recently, his bail was reduced from $75,000 to $25,000, and according to USA Today, Young's family is considering whether to put up that money.

Based on Young's recent past, he might be better off in jail -- it's perfectly clear at this point that he has no ability to take care of himself.

(AP)

Former Detroit Lions receiver Titus Young had a questionable history even before he was drafted in 2011, but the recent behavior that caused Young to be arrested three times in less than a week has his family wondering just who Titus Young is anymore. Young was first arrested twice on May 5 -- first for a DUI, and second, for trying to steal his own car from the impound lot. Then, he was charged with burglary, assaulting a police officer, and resisting arrest last Friday after he tried to break into a San Clemente, Calif. home and fought with police during a chase.

[Related: Titus Young pleads not guilty, could face over seven years in prison]

On the same day Young was arrested for the third time, he had breakfast with his father, Richard, and Young's father says that there was no indication his son was about to continue his crime spree.

“We were really talking, and so I was loving it,” Richard Young told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press on Monday. “We get home, and he said, ‘Daddy, I left my phone in the car. Can I get my phone?’ ’Cause usually I give my wife the key to hold the key, ’cause he’s not supposed to be driving. And I gave him the key, he sat in the car for a minute, and he took off and we ain’t seen him since.”

Richard Young told the Free Press that his son had recently sought psychiatric treatment in Texas and California, and that he was planning to enter a facility to deal with his problems. Now, he's in the medical ward of the Central Men’s Jail in Santa Ana, and Richard Young is left to wonder just who his son has become.

“I hope they just forgive Titus because this ain’t none of Titus, it wasn’t none of his fault. I look at my son right now, I don’t see my son. That’s not my son. I know my son. Titus is not the boy I really raised, I’m saying the way he acts, the way he intermix[es] in society right now. He shut down, he look[s] through you, it’s like he’s depressed. He don’t like to watch TV, he don’t like to get involved with music that much. And these are the things that you’ve got to know what’s going on in the world. Cause we in the world, you’ve got to have a relationship with the world. You’ve got to deal with people. I don’t know, but we’ve been trying to get him help.”

In truth, Young has had a complicated relationship with the world for a while.

Tim Tebow and Ron Jaworski at the 2008 Maxwell Awards. (Getty Images)

While the hullabaloo surrounding Tim Tebow's continued football unemployment seems to far exceed his actual NFL prospects at this point (we pretty much stopped paying attention when the Omaha Beef became involved), there's now one possible opportunity for the former first-round pick of the Denver Broncos and recent New York Jets cast-off. Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski, who does the "NFL Matchup" show with our good buddy Greg Cosell, also co-owns the Philadelphia Soul Arena League team. And Jaws has reached out to Tebow with an interesting offer: Come play for my team, get your mechanics in order, and see where you can go from there.

"If Tim Tebow decides he wants to play in the Arena Football League, I'd love to have him on the Philadelphia Soul," Jaworski told Philly.com. "I haven't heard back from him and I'm not going to push it. If he decides he wants to play Arena Football, we'll make a spot for him."

Most people in sub-leagues want Tebow for the name recognition alone, but Jaworski is far more serious about the football aspects of a Tebow signing, if such a thing could happen. Jaws and Soul head coach Clint Dolezel went to the trouble of sending Tebow a list of plays in which he could be featured. Most were red zone plays, and at this point in time, Dan Raudabaugh would be the team's starting quarterback.

But Jaws, who has forgotten more about quarterback play than most of us will ever know, is serious about the faster-paced arena game working wonders with Tebow's iffy passing mechanics.

Colin Kaepernick and Chris Ault in 2010. (USAT Sports Images)

The Pistol formation -- that backfield concept which has the quarterback lined up about four yards behind center and the halfback another three yards behind him -- took the NFL by storm in 2012. Between Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson, and Colin Kaepernick, more quarterbacks were running Pistol more effectively than ever before. That formation was invented by former Nevada head coach Chris Ault in 2005, and forwarded by Ault with Kaepernick as his quarterback from 2007 through 2010. In the NFL, we first saw the Pistol in 2008, when Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Chan Gailey reacted to the loss of his starting and backup quarterbacks (Damon Huard and Brodie Croyle, respectively) by inserting third-stringer Tyler Thigpen in the lineup and running Pistol to a high degree of effectiveness for a few weeks.

It took the rest of the league a while to catch up, but a handful of teams finally did. And now, the man responsible for that concept is also in the NFL. Ault, who retired from his position at Nevada in December of last year, has agreed to become an offensive consultant with the Kansas City Chiefs. Bob LaMonte, Ault's agent, confirmed the news to Dan Hinxman of RGJ.com.

“I’m excited to have an opportunity like this,” the 66-year-old Ault said on Monday. "It’s an opportunity to get a feel for the NFL. [Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has] hired an experienced staff. The timing is exciting. I’m going to learn an awful lot about the NFL.”

When asked whether he would be making more than the estimated $500,000 per season he was making at Nevada after 28 years there, Ault laughed and said that it wasn't about the money.

“I told Coach Reid, ‘Whatever I can do to help you win a Super Bowl, I’ll do it.’”

The Ault hire is interesting on a number of levels.

Tavon Austin is learning that there's more to this NFL life than he imagined. (Getty Images)

The adjustment process when one moves from high-caliber college player to NFL prospect trying to fit in is generally a tough one. With a few notable exceptions, even the best collegiate players need a settling-in period, and that has as much to do with the off-field stuff as it does with what Mr. Hot Shot will bring to his NFL team on game day.

Former West Virginia receiver Tavon Austin, perhaps the NCAA's most dynamic offensive player in 2012, is learning that the NFL brings a few interesting realities to light. Specifically, the fact that money brings problems in the form of people wanting money ... and we're not talking about agents and the IRS.

“Everybody expects a lot of things from you as far as money." Austin recently told the Rams' official website. "Everybody wants to be around you. My phone doesn’t stop ringing now. It feels like they’re counting my bank account now. So that’s probably the hardest thing for me right now, just people.

[Also: Former Lions receiver Titus Young arrested for third time in a week]

“I’ve got a lot of cousins now. The whole [city of] Baltimore is my cousin now. We’re going to just try to keep focused and let my mother and all of them handle it.”

Si.com's Peter King spent draft weekend in the Rams' war room, and he reported in his latest Monday Morning Quarterback that while Austin was admired for bypassing the temptations he encountered on the mean streets of Baltimore, there was some concern in NFL circles that Austin's past, in the form of "hangers-on," might follow him to the pros, and even increase their presence once the money started to roll in. That's not a knock on Austin, who is a great kid by all accounts -- it's a simple truth for young NFL players. Once the cash piles up, you're going to receive "heartfelt" communiqués from people you hardly know.

Andy Reid in 2012, modeling those 5XL sideline pants. (Getty Images)

If Andy Reid ever goes back to the Philadelphia Eagles for any reason, he's going to have to buy his swag all over again. Reid, who coached the Eagles from 1999 through 2012 and now does the same for the Kansas City Chiefs, held a memorabilia sale at Harriton High School in Rosemont, Penn., on Sunday. The sale was to benefit the school's football team and also Laurel House, a local anti-domestic violence agency.

"We've got anything that we wore or collected over the last 14 seasons of Eagles gear," Reid's wife Tammy told Angelo Cataldi of WIP-AM. "You know, jackets, shorts, pants, tops, sweatpants, my rain boots, my cowboy boots that have Eagles on 'em. Everything's autographed and ready to go.

"I had to sell all the green and silver and black stuff, you know? You gotta, 'Out with the old, in with the new.' Now, I'm red and gold."

Indeed. And in case you missed the sale and would like to know what was on the blocks, we have some interesting pics after the jump, courtesy of WIP Promotions Director Chris Johnson.

Jack Butler at his 2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction. (Getty Images)

If you've ever watched college football tape with an analytical eye, written a scouting report, opined on the future prospects of a collegiate star, or spent any time in the throes in the ever-burgeoning draft analysis industry, you owe Jack Butler a debt of thanks. The former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back and longtime BLESTO director died on Saturday after a lengthy battle with a staph infection.

Butler was inducted into the Hall in the 2012 class, based on a career with the Steelers that lasted from 1951 through 1959. He intercepted 52 passes in his career, and returned them for 827 yards and four touchdowns. All these years later, Butler's career total still ranks 26th all time.

But it's what Butler did after a severe leg injury ended his career that really made his name as an NFL all-timer. He was the formative person behind the establishment of BLESTO (Bears, Lions, Eagles, Steelers Talent Organization), which was the first collective scouting service in the NFL, in 1963. Over time, BLESTO expanded to include many more teams, and when the pooling of scouting reports became more commonplace and a scouting combine was established to further analyze college players, Butler ran that as well. From 1963 through 2007, when he retired, Butler was the only Pittsburgh representative besides Josephine Harding, his secretary of 32 years.

Butler would oversee Pittsburgh's scouting, hire scouts, train them in his method, and send them out to do their jobs and develop their acumen in their own ways. He was a key figure behind the incredible series of drafts that started in head coach Chuck Noll's first season of 1969 (with the selection of small-school defensive tackle Joe Greene) and ended in 1974 with what most people consider to be the finest single-team selction process in NFL history -- four Hall-of-Famers (Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, and Mike Webster) in one draft.