The following quotes are passed along from Dan Steinberg's DC Sports Bog, your online home for postgame quotes that somehow find a way to further humiliate the Redskins. The Redskins needlessly burned two timeouts in the second half. Here's Jim Zorn explaining the first one:

"Well, shoot," he said. "Yeah. We got caught on a clock, and I really don't know how it happened, because I felt like we got the play in, I felt like we were out of the huddle, and we were down to :01 [on the clock] before we knew it. Absolutely have no idea how that happened. Because we were moving in and out of the huddle pretty well then.

And here's Jim Zorn explaining the second one.

"And then on the second timeout, that use of timeout, that was just so frustrating to me. We hurt Jason on that play. I hurt him, because I didn't have the needed call, and we got caught on time again, where we had a shift and a motion and I had to call timeout because it wasn't gonna be [snapped in time]. It was just totally mine, totally on me. I screwed us out of that timeout. I did everything I could just to maintain my composure, and then it absolutely had an issue at the end of this football game, so it's just on me."

I think we're about two Redskins losses away from Jim Zorn sitting in front of the mic at postgame press conferences, pulling out an acoustic guitar and singing a song he wrote called, "If You Had Any Shred of Mercy in Your Soul, You'd Fire Me Right Now."

Cleveland Browns. You've got absolutely nothing to be ashamed about this week, Browns. Any bad team can be boring. But you and the Lions went out there and made a hell of a football game out of something that should've only drained our collective will to live. That is a contribution. I'm absolutely serious about that. Thank you, Cleveland Browns, for what you did today.

Buffalo Bills. I have no Bills or Jaguars on my fantasy team, I had nothing else riding on the game, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even have noticed if CBS decided not to send a camera crew down to Jacksonville for this one. I realize that that's unfair since the Jags are 6-4 and a playoff contender, but I think on a subconscious level I see that no one in Jacksonville even cares, so that makes me not care myself.

Seattle Seahawks. Brett Favre(notes) completed 22-of-25 passes for an 89% completion rate to go with his four touchdowns. Is that it, Seattle? You're going to let him leave town with just that? What about his hot oil rubdown, or the personal one-on-one concert from Sir Mix-a-Lot?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Josh Freeman(notes) is playing, learning, making mistakes and hopefully learning from these mistakes. That's the good news, slight as it may be.

St. Louis Rams. Way to hang around in the second half and threaten to make a comeback, Rams. Late in that game, you didn't like look like a 1-9 team to me. Somewhere around 3-7, maybe.

Denver Broncos. That makes four losses in a row, and if Kyle Orton's(notes) ankle doesn't get healthy soon, I feel pretty confident that it'll become five on Thanksgiving night. Chris Simms(notes) is a loooooong way away from his 2005 "prime," which wasn't that great to begin with. Orton wasn't himself, either, with the bum ankle. If that doesn't get fixed, a 6-0 start is going to be wasted.

Pittsburgh Steelers. I think Mike Tomlin called Marvin Lewis after last week's game and said, "Listen, that game was tough on both of us. We can keep fighting it out for the division after Thanksgiving, but what do you say we both just take this weekend off?" An agreement was made, and there was joy in Kansas City and Oakland.

Cincinnati Bengals. Honest question: When Bruce Gradkowski(notes) stepped in and won his first game as a starter, do you think JaMarcus Russell(notes) said to himself, "Wow, I've really got a lot to learn" or, "If it had been me in there, we'd have won by 30"?

A Wisconsin National Guard unit charged with keeping watch over detainees in Baghdad decided to put up Packers colors and logos all around the camp. The prisoners noticed, started asking questions and suddenly, Favre became an unwitting ally.

From 620WTMJ's Jay Sorgi (subbing in for the injured Waylon Manning):

"They know Favre by name," said First Lieutenant Tim Boehnen, who is from New Richmond, Wis.

"One of the big words they know now is shenanigan.  They'll constantly talk about 'Favre shenanigans,' 'He's so good for the Vikings,' and 'The Packers have got to really feel bad about that one.'  "

[...] "They obviously then started up the conversations, and started talking about Brett Favre. They soon learned about Favre going to the Vikings, and things just started going downhill from there."

In retaliation, I think our troops should make the detainees watch ESPN's Week 4 Monday Night Football contest between the Vikings and Packers, including pre- and post-game shows. They'll never want to mention Favre again.

Shutdown Corner presents the weekly quarterback power rankings. They're just as arbitrarily decided as normal power rankings, except they rank quarterbacks, not whole teams. Rankings are based on play this year alone and meant to represent who is playing the best football at the current moment.

1. Peyton Manning(notes), Indianapolis Colts
		If he had been facing, for example, the number eight quarterback on this list, Bill Belichick may have punted on that 4th and 2 Sunday night. He wasn't, though. He was facing the number one quarterback, and he knew that guy was going to score from anywhere on the field.
2. Brett Favre(notes), Minnesota Vikings
		This week, Favre became your NFL leader in quarterback rating. In a year where we're blessed with five different quarterbacks with a rating of 100 or better, Favre stands at the top. He's thrown 285 passes, and just three of them have been intercepted. Favre might be asked to do a little bit less than most guys on this list (he's 16th in the league in pass attempts), and he might be in the most quarterback-friendly situation in the league, but he's been close to perfect. Wrangler sales are even up.
3. Tom Brady(notes), New England Patriots
		Brady made some tremendous throws in a losing effort on Sunday night. He didn't get the win, but he did play well enough to continue his rise towards the top of these rankings, where he belongs. He's been over 300 yards in his last four games, which isn't something he hadn't done since Week 1.
4. Drew Brees(notes), New Orleans Saints
		Saints fans are going to be mad at me, but I'm afraid it had to be done. Through his first five games, Drew Brees threw for 13 touchdowns and two interceptions. Over his last four games, Brees has six touchdowns and seven interceptions. That's not good, and I'm afraid it mandates a slide in the rankings. His yardage totals and completion percentages have still been awesome, but to stay in the top two, I'm afraid we need a better TD-to-INT ratio.
5. Matt Schaub(notes), Houston Texans
		Schaub rises a spot, even on his bye week, because it wasn't a particularly great week for the best quarterbacks in the league. But now, after everyone's had their bye week, let's check and see where Schaub ranks in some key statistical categories. He's third in yards passing (behind Manning and Brady) and tied for fifth in touchdowns (behind Manning, Brady, Brees and Kurt Warner(notes)). Not at all shabby.
6. Ben Roethlisberger(notes), Pittsburgh Steelers
		A brutal week drops Benjamin a few spots: He was 20-of-40 for 174 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception. In a huge game for the Steelers, he came up with a quarterback rating (51.5) fewer than 10 points away from JaMarcus Russell's(notes) (43.6). That's not what you're looking for.
7. Philip Rivers(notes), San Diego Chargers
		It was a very solid week for Rivers, who faced an Eagles defense that ranks fifth in the league in opposing quarterback rating. He went 20-of-25 for 231 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. This will be the fourth straight week where Rivers checks in at number seven.
8. Aaron Rodgers(notes), Green Bay Packers
		A good, but not great effort from Rodgers against the Cowboys: 25-of-36, one touchdown, no picks, and just 189 yards. Not good enough to move him up the list, but not bad enough to move him down. He's been sacked 12 more times than anyone else in the league, and more than Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees combined. Dallas got him four times.
9. Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals
		Welcome, Kurt! I'd still like to see more consistency from you, but two consecutive phenomenal weeks will get you in the mix. Over his last two weeks, Warner's thrown seven touchdowns against zero interceptions. If he has another good game this week, it'll mark the first time all year he's strung three quality games together. He's playing the Rams, too, so it's not exactly a tall order.
10. Donovan McNabb(notes), Philadelphia Eagles
		The 450 yards against San Diego were really nice, but would have been nicer if a few more of them had come in the red zone. Again, I'd like to see some more consistency. Really, it was a three-way toss-up here between McNabb, Romo and Palmer, so I thought I'd go with the guy coming off the best week. I'd consider McNabb's grip on the 10th spot very, very tenuous.
Noses pressed against the glass: Carson Palmer(notes), Cincinnati Bengals Tony Romo(notes), Dallas Cowboys

Jon Gruden signed a "long-term" extension today with ESPN that will keep him on Monday Night Football and other network broadcasts for the "forseeable future". In Washington, Cleveland, South Bend, Louisville and all other football towns that will have possible coaching vacancies this off-season, there was much fretting that Gruden's new deal means he won't be available to take over those teams. In the words of another ESPN personality, "not so fast, my friend."

Here's part of Gruden's statement, which was released via ESPN this afternoon:

"Working with Mike, [Ron Jaworski] and our entire Monday Night Football team is the most fun I have had in years, and I am fired up to make this long-term commitment to ESPN. Monday Night Football is special and I look forward to remaining a part of it and continuing to call these great games."

That comment is more telling for what it doesn't say than what it does say. Gruden never addresses whether he's fully committed to the MNF booth for 2010, let alone "long-term", he never says he won't listen to offers and he never says he won't someday go back to coaching. All he says is that he's made a "long-term commitment". The lack of specifics is telling.

Bob Glauber of Newsday reports that industry sources say Gruden told ESPN he's definitely in for 2010, if not 2011, and I have no doubt that Gruden said that. I also have no doubt that he's being totally honest about his intentions. But Brett Favre(notes) thought he'd stay retired both times too, you know? People change their minds. It's human nature.

You don't think if Dan Snyder or Jerry Jones or Notre Dame boosters offer Gruden $10 million per year and the chance to resurrect some of the most historic teams in football history that he's not at least going to listen? He's a football coach without any good reason (that we know of) not to coach football. The comparison to John Madden is thrown around a lot, but Madden stayed out of coaching for a very specific reason: He hated to fly. 

I don't know what's going on in Gruden's mind. Maybe he loves the life of a broadcaster, who knows. But nothing he's done in his decade in the spotlight has indicated he's the type of guy who will be content to sit in production meetings with Eli Manning(notes) on Fridays instead of game-planning for an upcoming opponent.

Today's developments do nothing to shake my belief that Gruden will be back on the sidelines by 2011, at the latest. Although maybe I'm just projecting my hope that he does because, as I wrote last month, as a broadcaster, Gruden is a great ex-coach.

First, there were his May, 2009 comments on 790 the Zone in Atlanta about serial retiree Brett Favre(notes). When asked about Favre's continued dalliances with the NFL, Tarkenton was more than succinct.

"I think it's despicable. What he put the Packers through last year was not good. Here's an organization that was loyal to him for 17, 18 years, provided stability of organization, provided players. It just wasn't about Brett Favre. In this day and time, we have glorified the Brett Favres of the world so much, they think it's about them ... I kind of hope (Favre's unretirement) happens, so he can fail."

Well, bah, humbug! Of course, Favre put us all through a few months of media torture in his current comeback to the Vikings, but he's certainly isn't failing. As he acclimates to Minnesota's offense, he's lighting it up at an age when most quarterbacks only wish they could. Having swung and missed on Favre, Tarkenton has now taken aim at another NFC Norris quarterback -- one Jay Cutler(notes), fresh from his five-pick disaster against the 49ers last Thursday. Back on the radio went Fran, and back went the mouth into overdrive, on Chicago's "Waddle and Silvy Show" (no, really):

"I really question whether he can play. Quarterbacks need to make their team better. If it's a bad team, they can even make a bad team better. Somebody may say well, even Peyton Manning(notes) couldn't help the Bears. Yes, he could. Tom Brady(notes) could, too. They might not win the championship or get to the playoffs, but they would make that team better. Those wide receivers who are struggling would be better because they would make them better."

Tarkenton then went on to say that the best way for Cutler to prove him wrong was to march into offensive coordinator Ron Turner's office and "tell that coach [expletive]." Tarkenton related a story in which he told the young Dan Fouts to tell his offensive coordinator to kiss off. Of course, one of the guys responsible for Fouts' development was Bill Walsh, San Diego's offensive coordinator in 1976, and I sincerely question the professional future of any quarterback dumb enough to pop off to Walsh.

If he can take it as he dishes it out, I think the best advice for Tarkenton could be taken from that noted military philosopher, Sgt. Hulka: "Lighten up, Francis." The pressure on these guys is bad enough, even when it's self-imposed, without former greats copping headlines with their "Grumpy Old Men" routines at the worst possible time. Telling guys like Favre and Cutler to "get off my lawn!" just stings Tarkenton's own legacy, and that's a shame.

Not that it was the most painful loss of all-time or anything, but it was certainly unique in how it was painful. Most of us will never see our hero, arguably the best player in the history of our franchise, come back in the colors of our arch-rival and then destroy us, cementing the fact that his new football team is now clearly better than his old one.

That just doesn't happen. Not on this level, with a player of that magnitude, between rivals so bitter.

I feel bad for Packers fans. Not because of who I blame for anything that's happened -- blame doesn't really matter anymore. Blame Brett Favre(notes), Ted Thompson, global warming or Emmanual Lewis if you really want to. No matter who's at fault, Packers fans just suffered a loss that packed some serious sting. Forty-five% say it's the toughest loss Packers fans have ever had to deal with.

Karma failed us. After everything that's happened, all the breathless media reports, all the spin, all the lies, all the hurt feelings ... Brett Favre gets to come out on top, both times? This time, in your own front yard? That is not right. That is not just.

Packers fans deserved to win at least one of those games, and it seems cruel that they didn't get to. All they got was to see Favre leaving their field, with his hands raised high in victory.

I guess "deserve" is a concept that doesn't apply here, though. Things happened the way they did because Minnesota has a better football team. They have a better defense and a better running attack. In this case, that means they win. It sucks, but that's how it works.

The reaction in Green Bay today seems surprisingly pragmatic, though. The Packers blogs are worried about things like their head coach, Aaron Rodgers, Johnny Jolly, and Dom Capers (naughty language alert for that last one). Like pretty much every other team out there. The newspapers are a little more Favre-y, but there's just as much focus on things like Cullen Jenkins roasting Dom Capers, and the differences in the rest of the Green Bay and Minnesota rosters.

I'm sure there's a lot of frustration and anger behind all that, too. You have my sympathies, Packer fans. No group of fans should have to go through that, and then get denied satisfaction twice.

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But Green Bay scored the next 17 points unanswered, as adjustments were made to the protection schemes in order to keep Rodgers upright, and the defense got stronger, and Rodgers started hitting his targets. Greg Jennings(notes) and Donald Driver(notes) combined for 14 catches and 147 yards, and the Pack got within five points late in the fourth quarter, 31-26, after missing a two-point conversion. Favre's Vikings went six-and-out on their next drive, and Green Bay had a chance to pull it out. Didn't happen, Even when Rodgers completed a long pass to Donald Driver under extreme duress and was gifted with an extra 15 yards courtesy of Ray Edwards'(notes) roughing-the-passer penalty with 7:33 left in the game, the home team couldn't capitalize. A sack, an incomplete pass, and a missed field goal followed.

Then, the Vikings proved that they simply had more talent on their roster with their final scoring drive. A quick screen to Adrian Peterson netted 44 yards, down to the Green Bay 15, as no Packers defender had an answer for Peterson's downfield motion. Two plays later, Favre hit Bernard Berrian(notes) for the touchdown that put the game out of reach at 38-26. Rodgers followed with a series of desperate incompletions, and it was over.

Quite simply, the Packers aren't in the Vikings' league. They have major issues along their offensive line, they are incapable of putting together a consistent running game, and their defense, while occasionally dynamic, can be burned by speed and sheer physical talent in a way that elite defenses aren't. It may not seem faithful to the Green Bay faithful that Favre could manipulate the situation and wind up on a ready-made team, but there are more important things to worry about. The Packers have some work to do through the season, and into the offseason, before they can challenge this Vikings team.

Brett Favre(notes) was welcomed back to Green Bay today with open arms ... which were then used to figuratively smack him upside the head.

The Packers legend was roundly booed by fans in his first return to Lambeau Field since the acrimonious split he had with the team (and its fans) last year. While some in the crowd politely applauded Favre when he came out for warm-ups, went to midfield for the coin toss and took his first snaps from under center, the vast majority of fans showered Favre with boos. This only continued, as Favre and his new team, the Minnesota Vikings, jumped out to a 24-3 early in the third quarter. 

Among the best anti-Favre items seen at the game were the Fedro-Favre sign (at right), a t-shirts with "True Legends Don't Wear Purple" written in green, a poster that said "We'll Never Forget You, Brent" and a banner flying behind a plane reading "Retire 4 Good". 

Some fans were conflicted about the return. One told the Associated Press that he was a diehard Packers fan, but wanted Favre to do well. More seemed to be of the thinking that Favre was a traitor ("personally I'm booing while I'm crying").

But other Green Bay fans were being more level-headed about the return:

“It’s like going into church on Sunday and the priest says, `Everybody go home, Jesus has now sided with the devil,”’ [Packers fan Mark Fields, who was wearing a Favre jersey with "JUDAS" written on the back] said.

As long as we're keeping things in perspective, I guess.

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Last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers -- owners of another 3-4 defense with great talent -- did to Favre what they do to just about every quarterback they face: Bring pressure from the perimeter and force the quarterback to adjust. Favre was sacked four times, completed only 33 passes in 50 attempts, threw no touchdowns and a pick, lost a fumble, and looked very much like a quarterback who could be flustered by pressure.

The Packers have only 12 sacks on the season -- compare that to Minnesota's league-leading 25 -- but they're fourth in quarterback rating allowed (64.7) and second in Pass Defense DVOA (first overall in Defensive DVOA). Green Bay doesn't have to back the dogs off Favre in an attempt to focus on Peterson, who gained 55 yards on 25 carries in the last meeting. Perhaps it's more about using their defenders differently. Rookie linebacker Clay Matthews(notes) is still adjusting to his role as an edge-rusher in a 3-4, but he has unusual speed and agility for a guy his size. Why not put Matthews over the middle and have him spy Peterson, and drop back in some zone blitzes, instead of being negated off the edge? When these two teams last played, Matthews caused a second-quarter Peterson fumble, which he then returned for a 42-yard touchdown.

There's no defensive scheme that Favre hasn't seen in his career, but that doesn't mean he can't be upended by a few interesting looks. Emotions will obviously be high in Lambeau, and ol' #4 has a history of using emotion to his advantage. The Packers must upend Favre's reunion tour if they hope to avoid a season sweep.

There are only three reasons it ever happens: 1) A moment of silence for a recent tragic event; 2) An injury that looks to be really, really serious; or 3) An unlikely catastrophe at the end of the game that costs the home team the win, and likely something more, like a chance at a championship.

None of the three feel good. The default setting for a packed stadium is noisy, and when it gets quiet, it's weird. No one likes it.

But it would be, as suggested by JSOnline's Michael Hunt (that link requires a subscription, unfortunately), a tremendous way for Green Bay fans to treat Brett Favre(notes). Here's a snippet:

But there is another way to acknowledge Favre, a middle road, if you will. We're talking about a wholly unrealistic, literally in-a-vacuum welcome back for No. 4, yet a response that would be completely appropriate for the occasion.

And that would be dead and utter silence. [...]

In a sophisticated way, a small town that is not exactly viewed as such by the outside world could emphatically say that the game to follow is bigger than one player.

It might also freak him out.

He's expecting to be booed, and maybe hear some cheers, too: basically, nothing he hasn't heard before in his career. Anything that stays within the boundaries of normal stadium behavior will have no effect on Favre. He's a professional.

He's also sort of disrespecting Packers fans by saying that the game is nothing special to him, there's nothing special about playing in Lambeau, and he won't be the least bit sentimental. Doesn't that make you angry, Packers fans? That Favre sees nothing special at all about his return to Lambeau as a Viking?

If you want to get to him, it's going to take the unexpected. I see only two ways to accomplish this. First would be the usual hate, taken to an ugly, extreme, violent level. I'm talking about throwing things, things that might hurt a man if they hit him, threats, the most boorish, personal and hateful of signs, etc. Obviously, we can't have this, as it's illegal, dangerous and wrong.

The dead silence, though, I think would be equally effective. There's no way that wouldn't jar Favre and everyone else. It would be unlike anything he's experienced in his career, and it would produce a chilling effect in the stadium and on television.

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1. Michael Turner(notes), Running Back, Atlanta Falcons

2. Matt Cassel(notes), Quarterback, Kansas City Chiefs. Cassel was really bad against the Chargers, but honestly, the bigger question here is how Cassell has managed to not have more games like that. The Kansas City offensive line is brutal. Even after yesterday's performance (10-of-25, 97 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions) against a thus-far weak San Diego defense, Cassel still has an 8-to-5 touchdown to interception ratio on the year. That's actually kind of incredible.

3. Chad Henne(notes), Quarterback, Miami Dolphins. Doug pointed out that the Dolphins got a little pass-happy at odd times in the game yesterday. Whether or not that was a bad decision (and it was), it was still incumbent on Chad Henne to make some throws, and he didn't. The Saints were stacking the line and absolutely daring the Dolphins to throw, and it turned out to be a great strategy. Yes, Ted Ginn not coming up with that ball that turned into an interception by Darren Sharper(notes) hurt the cause, but still, Henne didn't do his job. He went 11-for-26 in the second half, with two interceptions. If he's even decent in the second half, the Fish win that game.

4. Kenny Moore, Wide Receiver, Carolina Panthers. Kenny Moore is the guy who muffed the punt that erased any chance the Panthers had of coming back against the Bills yesterday, but let's be honest: Even if Moore fields it cleanly, the ball eventually ends up in the hands of Jake Delhomme(notes), and he was probably going to turn it over anyway. Don't beat yourself up over it, Kenny Moore.

5. William Gay(notes), cornerback, Pittsburgh Steelers. Gay was a winner yesterday, even though Brett Favre(notes) did abuse him a couple of times. Still, the main purpose of his inclusion here is to show the following video. Ka. Boom.