No escape from Brett Favre comeback talk

The first time we saw today’s talk that Brett Favre wants to play in 2011, our first instinct was to ignore it.
By about the tenth time we saw it, we figured we at least had to mention it. So here goes.
On an NFL.com live chat today, Gil Brandt wrote that he thinks Favre would have an interest in playing in the NFL this season, but that there probably isn’t a team out there that shares Favre’s interest.
“I do think Favre would be interested in talking to a team about returning,” Brandt wrote. “But I don’t see a team out there right now that would bring him back as a starter.”
Everyone is sick of Favre comeback chatter, and everyone has been sick of Favre comeback chatter since about three Favre comebacks ago. But that doesn’t mean the chatter is going away, at least not until the regular season starts without a Favre comeback.
Which is one more reason to hope the regular season starts on time.

Would the Cincinnati Bengals Be Interested in Plaxico Burress?

We here at Cincy Jungle aren't big into starting rumors, but sometimes we like to consider different possibilities. For instance, we considered the possibility of the Bengals obtaining Ohio State running back "Boom" Herron via the supplemental draft earlier today. That doesn't mean it will happen, but it could.
Here's another possibility, for you to consider, and while it's far less likely to come true than the Herron thing, it's much more interesting.
Could the Bengals obtain Plaxico Burress for the 2011 season?

Here are the facts:

• Burress is about to be released from prison after spending just under two years behind bars for accidentally shooting himself in the leg in a New York night club.
• Many believe the Bengals will part ways with Chad Ochocinco before the 2011 season begins rather than pay him the $6 million they owe him for the single season.
• If they do release Ochocinco, Andre Caldwell would be the most experienced wide receiver on the team (he has less than 1,000 total receiving yards
• If they release Ochocinco, Jerome Simpson would likely be the No. 2 receiver, playing opposite of A.J. Green. However, he has only had two good games in his three-year career and could be a one-hit-wonder.
• The Bengals could likely sign Burress for a cheap price (at least cheaper than $6 million for a year), giving them at least one experienced and talented receiver for a year.

Burress hasn't played football since 2008, unless he's been running routes for Paul Crewe on a football team comprised of inmates playing against the guards (I love pop culture references), but in his eight year career, he's caught 505 passes for 7,845 yards and 55 touchdowns.
Had he not gone to prison, for shooting himself in the leg, he would be entering his 11th season as a wide receiver in the NFL and likely would be considering retirement within the next few years. That alone would lower his price, but the fact that he hasn't played NFL football since 2008 should make him even cheaper. That combined with his talent could make him a hot commodity for any NFL team that could use a wide receiver, despite his age and lack of NFL experience over the last two years.
If the Bengals decide to let Ochocinco leave Cincinnati, saving half of the $6 million they owe him, like many believe they will, they could still be a little weary of starting a rookie wide receiver and Simpson, who doesn't have much more experience, with a rookie quarterback. They may look to the free agent market for an experienced wide receiver to play alongside Simpson and Green for just a year to help Green, Simpson and Dalton get their feet wet in a new system.
If they decide to take that path, they may still be able to save enough money from releasing Ochocinco to attempt and re-sigin Cedric Benson or Johnathan Joseph.
I personally think that the odds of the Bengals signing Burress are extremely low. However, it doesn't really matter what I think. What do you think?

Plaxico Burress leaves prison after 20 months; ex-Giant sports Phillies cap hinting at Eagles move

Former Giants receiver Plaxico Burress strolled out of jail Monday wearing a Philadelphia Phillies cap and a big smile after 20 months behind bars on gun charges.
"It's a beautiful day," Burress said as he left the medium-security Oneida Correctional Facility in upstate Rome. "It's a beautiful day to be reunited with my family. I want to go home and spend some quality time with them."
Wearing shades, Burress thanked God and "all my fans all around the world for the thousands of letters, for their unwavering support."
Asked about a possible return to pro football, Burress answered, "If and when everything gets settled, when they get back on the field, I'll be ready."
Then Burress climbed into a black Range Rover and headed for a nearby casino to meet his wife, Tiffany, his son, Elijah, and a daughter, Giovanna, who was born while he was behind bars. They were expected to board a flight to his home outside Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. by 11 a.m.
"To miss two NFL seasons in the prime of your career, to not be with your family, most importantly, to lose out on millions and millions of dollars - these are things that have forced him certainly to evaluate his life," his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said.
Burress, 33, spent a lot of time running and doing strength exercise with an eye to returning to the NFL while doing time for a gun charge, Rosenhaus said.
"There are going to be multiple teams interested in signing him," Rosenhaus said. "I expect him to get a good contract. I expect him to absolutely be playing."
While Burress' best friends on the Giants, tailback Brandon Jacobs, said the team doesn't appear to be interested in the 6-foot-5 receiver, Rosenhaus did not nix a return to New York.
"I wouldn't rule out the Giants, I wouldn't rule out any club," he said.
Rosenhaus did not name any other teams that might be interested. But one of them is expected to be Giants' rival Philadelphia Eagles, which could explain why Burress was wearing a Phillies cap.
Any return to the gridiron depends on the resolution of the ongoing NFL labor dispute.
Burress derailed his own career just nine months after he who caught a 13-yard pass from Eli Manning that lifted the Giants to a shocking 17-14 upset victory over the heavily favored New England Patriots in the 2008 Super Bowl
While partying at a Manhattan night club called the Latin Quarter, Burress accidentally shot himself in the thigh with an unlicensed Glock and then high-tailed it to the emergency room of- New YorkPresbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
An outraged Mayor Bloomberg called on the court to throw the book at Burress and ripped the hospital for failing to report the shooting as required by law.
Burress agreed to a plea deal to lesser firearms charges and was sentenced to two years in prison. He was released three months and four days early for good behavior despite three minor disciplinary infractions for things like violating rules and abusing phone priviledges.
When Burress wasn't working out, he was mopping linoleum floors and mowing lawns at the prison some 250 miles north of New York City - and his past football glory.