Go to www.fanschoice.com to vote for the 2010 Hall of Fame class today!

[Ed. note: As I bragged about informed you yesterday, I had the wonderful opportunity to interview three NFL Hall of Famers before Sunday's game at Lambeau Field. The interview group consisted of about 10-12 media members. Of course in my case, I use the term "media member" in the loosest sense possible--I'll be the first to admit that I was just a lucky blogger with a new digital voice recorder. We split up into smaller groups on stage before the public event and had a chance to rotate around to each Hall of Famer to ask some questions. Not all of the questions below were asked by me, but I did ask most of them listed for each interview. Here's the final interview with Packer legend Bart Starr:]

This event marks the first time the fans have a say in Hall of Fame voting. Is this a good thing in your opinion?

I think it's great that the fans get a chance to vote and show up on occasions like this. Obviously they're not the selection committee, but I don't know if there's a sport out there right now that brings in the fans like this. It's good to give the fans a way to make a contribution and have at least a bit of a say in it.

The big news of the day is obviously the Brett Favre thing--what do you think is going through his mind getting ready to run out there?

Well I don't know, and I'm not trying to avoid your question, but I'm purposely not going to get into that today. One, I think it's too late--this has been going on for well before this week around here! (Laughs) I'm just happy to be here today and I hope it's a good game and we can have a lot of fun.

So a quick follow up then, do you think that's what's going through Brett's head today--just ignore it?

I have no idea. He has to focus on the game and what he's been trained to do all week and what he's supposed to do for this Packer game, so that's his focal point.

How have you seen the Green Bay/Minnesota rivalry evolve since your playing days? Obviously the Favre situation has escalated things this year, but has the intensity always been there?

It's been a big rivalry. I think it's great because being in the same division and having something that is that strong is good for the league, it's good for that division obviously, it's just great for everybody. And in this latitude of the country, I just think it's wonderful. My wife and I of course have been living in Green Bay for 31 years, so this will always be our adopted home. When you can be a part of something like that well after you've retired, it's just a great experience.

How do you think Packers fans should welcome Brett back when he comes out of the tunnel? Should they boo him? Should they cheer?

(Laughs) I think that's up to the individual. As I said to the question before, it's not my place to say. It's for him, it's for the fans here to do their thing, and that's exactly what everybody should be doing.

How unique of an experience is this with someone that played here so long coming back playing for a rival?

Well it is definitely unique and I can't comment on it because I've never been there, but it's going to be an interesting day.

What was it like to be a member of the Green Bay Packers so long and be such a big part of this franchise as a player then a coach?

It was a great experience. In hindsight maybe I shouldn't have coached right away because I wasn't quite in the position I wanted to be. We had a some talented players on those teams and it was a great learning experience, and from that perspective I don't regret it. But more important to me was to always cherish the great years we had here with the wonderful people of Green Bay, and all the wonderful people around here that enabled us to win five championships in seven years.

How important is it to you to be a part of the Hall of Fame event and the game today?

It's really special. I really love all the Hall of Fame people. If you haven't looked closely at it in a number of years, you'll see some remarkable stages of improvement. I think when they can have something like this available to the fans it can only help. Now the fans here may not necessarily get to bring anyone in, but to hear their opinions, I think it's great for everybody. And I like coming to every game here, it's very special. By the time this season's over, my wife and I will have been to at least five of the ball games here in Green Bay and we're very proud of that.

Thanks Bart.

Have a great day gentlemen.

Go to www.fanschoice.com to vote for the 2010 Hall of Fame class today!

[Ed. note: As I bragged about informed you yesterday, I had the wonderful opportunity to interview three NFL Hall of Famers before Sunday's game at Lambeau Field. The interview group consisted of about 10-12 media members. Of course in my case, I use the term "media member" in the loosest sense possible--I'll be the first to admit that I was just a lucky blogger with a new digital voice recorder. We split up into smaller groups on stage before the public event and had a chance to rotate around to each Hall of Famer to ask some questions. Not all of the questions below were asked by me, but I did ask most of them listed for each interview. Here's the second interview with former Viking great Paul Krause:]

What do you think about the fans getting involved in the Hall of Fame vote?

Well first of all, they've never been involved. And I think Van Heusen is doing something that's very good for our sport of football. You have to keep the fans involved in this stuff because they're the ones that are paying the salaries, they're the ones that are supporting everything. So I think it's very important that the fan has a say in who goes into the Hall of Fame. I also think it's about time that the players who are in the Hall of Fame have a say about who's going to go in. It's a program that has just started but I think it's very important for the NFL.

Do you think including the fans in the voting will improve the accuracy of voting to reflect who truly deserves to get in?

That's hard to tell; I really don't know. I'm not saying that anybody in the Hall of Fame right now doesn't deserve to be in there, and I don't know how many should go in every year. In my case, I was out of football for twelve years before I got in. Being the all-time interceptions leader for a career and the record is not even close to being broken, what in the world does it take for some of those sports writers to vote somebody in? You never know what they're thinking.

This is obviously a big game on a lot of levels. With all the emotions on both sides of the ball, how do you see things playing out today?

Well it's definitely a big game for both teams. On one side, you have Aaron Rodgers, who I think is doing a great job at quarterback. I think a big factor will be how well his offensive line can protect against the big pass rush of the Vikings. On the other side of the ball, you have Brett Favre, and I mean, the guy is living the dream right now! He's still playing, and he's getting a lot of criticism for coming back, but he's doing something that every other 40 year old would love to do. So I don't criticize him, I think it's great.

What do you think will be going through Brett's mind as he comes out of the tunnel today?

I think he's going to have fun with it. Every 40 year old ex-football player wishes he was in Favre's position. If he can do it, why not do it? He can still play. He's a great quarterback. I was traded from the Redskins to the Vikings, and when I played the Redskins for the first time, it was fun. I had a great time. I think he's just gonna let it hang out and go with it. I don't think there are going to be any ill feelings one way or the other.

Do you think the debate going on here in the Lambeau parking lot about whether or not Favre's return was a good thing is healthy?

Sure it is! That's what football's all about. That's what sports are all about. You get the fans talking...this is a good thing. This is a great thing for the game of football today. You've got a great day out here, you've got two great football teams. Both of them can win today, and both of them can get beat. The team that probably plays with the least mistakes is gonna win. They both played a great game on Monday night [in Week 4], but I don't know if both teams can do that today. It could be a blowout either way.

Do you think the Green Bay fans will boo Brett? Do you think they should if they do?

I don't think they should boo him. I mean my goodness, he made Green Bay what they are today, along with Bart Starr and everybody else. Why boo a guy? It's not going to affect the guy's way of playing. He's going to come out and do his very best for the Vikings just like he did for the Packers. So what if he's here now for the Vikings. He spent a lot of time here. He won a lot of hearts, broke a lot of hearts, both with the Vikings and Packers fans. So I don't think they should boo him.

You spent a lot of years dominating the defensive backfield in the NFL. Is there anyone currently in the NFL that plays in the defensive backfield that catches your eye as Hall of Fame worthy?

Well, I don't know...I think Darren Sharper is probably the closest player that's playing today to my record, and I think he's about 20 [interceptions] behind me. I don't know if he's going to play long enough to break the record or anything, but I know Darren and I've talked to him several times. He's a good football player. So we'll just wait and see. Some of the younger guys are having good years, but you have to have good years 10, 12, 13, 14 years in a row to get in the Hall of Fame. It takes a while to get in the Hall of Fame.

Thank you very much Mr. Krause.

No problem.

Go to www.fanschoice.com to vote for the 2010 Hall of Fame class today!

[Ed. note: As I bragged about informed you yesterday, I had the wonderful opportunity to interview three NFL Hall of Famers before Sunday's game at Lambeau Field. The interview group consisted of about 10-12 media members. Of course in my case, I use the term "media member" in the loosest sense possible--I'll be the first to admit that I was just a lucky blogger with a new digital voice recorder. We split up into smaller groups on stage before the public event and had a chance to rotate around to each Hall of Famer to ask some questions. Not all of the questions below were asked by me, but I did ask most of them listed for each interview. Here's the first interview with ex-Packer and ex-Viking kicker Jan Stenerud:]

How have you seen the effect of Brett Favre's return in Green Bay this week? Do you think it's good for football?

JS: I think it is. I live in Colorado so I don't see all the local press, but I did see the articles like in the USA Today. I thought it was pretty neat except for a couple things. I think people can go a little too far at times, but overall I think it's great for the game. But you know once the ball is kicked off all of that stuff is forgotten. Brett Favre is surrounded by his teammates and he can handle it.

Now you went through this too, going from the Packers to the Vikings right? What was the experience like the first time you ran out of the visitors' tunnel?

JS: Well yes but on a lot lower level. (Laughs) I spent three and a half seasons in Green Bay and then went to Minnesota. Of course we came back and there were some mixed feelings, but nothing on this level. It was strange not to be in a Packer uniform obviously. Actually the first time I came back the game was in Milwaukee, which was very different than playing here. But still, you are a hired gun when you play pro football and you do the best for the employee you have at the time. It wasn't that big of a deal then, but hardly anything is as big as [Favre's return] when it comes to a player going from one team to another.

Can you talk a little bit as to why you're here today?

JS: Certainly. For the first time, the fans have a chance to vote for the 2010 Hall of Fame class. It's to get the fans more involved and more interested about the Hall of Fame vote, and it'll go on from now on obviously. I know there are several Packers on the list such as Sterling Sharpe and Jerry Kramer, so it's kind of fun to get the fans involved, and Van Heusen and JCPenney have made this possible.

How important do you think the fan's opinion is for the Hall of Fame? Do you think it will influence how the usual Hall of Fame voters cast their ballot?

JS: I don't know how important it's going to be, but if you're a selector and you see the fans make a really great case for a player, you can make the selectors take a real close look at them. If you look at all the players on the list, I think there are 130 or so, they're all really great players. So I guess what you're looking for is making the selectors really dig in as much as possible to make the best choices. I think it's good to get the fans involved.

You're one of only three kickers in the Hall of Fame, and you're the only one that solely kicked throughout your career. George Blanda and Lou Groza played other positions in their career. Do you see any current NFL kickers that have a shot at the Hall of Fame?

JS: Well I was the only one that only kicked because I couldn't do anything else! (Laughs) There will always be a lot less kickers in the Hall of Fame than other positions, I do know that. Twenty years from know do I know how many kickers there will be? I couldn't tell you. But there will be a few, I'm sure of that. Morten Andersen and Gary Anderson were great kickers. I think Gary is eligible this year--I don't know what's going to happen, but he has some great stats. Vinatieri has made two game-winning kicks on the biggest stage of all of pro football. He's off to a great start and he'd be a strong candidate. Ray Guy is probably the best punter of all time. He was drafted in the first round. Oakland, with their championship teams, thought the punter was that important to draft him in the first round. And he lived up to all the expectations, and you know that field position is very important in football. You would think he would get consideration but he's never really made it to the final round of voting. Maybe this year.

Thanks for your time Jan.

JS: My pleasure.

Yeah, sure, why not?

The game thread will be up at around 1:45 Central or so. . .you'll know it by the big, fancy table at the top of the post.  In the meantime, we can discuss some of the less important games. . .i.e. "all of them". . .that will be kicking off at noon.  NFC North matchups will feature the Bears hosting the Cleveland Browns and the Lions hosting the St. Louis Rams in what Jimmy Johnson called the "skim milk game" (since it's only available in 2% of the country).

So, talk about the early games here, and the official Game Thread should be up in just about two hours.

Oh, and amazingly. . .every Fox pre-game analyst with the exception of Frank Caliendo (who isn't really an analyst) has picked the Vikings to beat the Packers this afternoon.  I'm not sure if this is a sign of the apocalypse or not.

Alright, if you've been on the site in the past couple of days. . .and judging from the fact that you're reading this, you're here right now, in fact. . .you've probably noticed another poll on the right-hand side of the page here.  It's for the JcPenney/van Heusen "Fan's Choice" voting for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Now, this vote won't have any actual impact on the Hall of Fame voting, but this is the first time ever that the National Football League has ever so much as acknowledged any sort of fan desire in the vote for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Right now, the Vikings' own Cris Carter ranks #3 in the voting, behind Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith.  We know that Cris Carter should already be in the Hall of Fame, and this is your opportunity to cast a vote to let the folks that actually select the Hall of Fame Class of 2010 know as much.  However, there are many other former Vikings that are a part of the list.  If you want to be a total homer. . .and, hey, for something like this, why wouldn't you. . .then here are some of the other names on the list that you could cast your ballot for:

QB Randall Cunningham (currently ranked #10) - One of the most electrifying quarterbacks of his era.  Compiled 29,979 passing yards and 207 TDs during his 16-season career.  Also rushed for 35 scores.

DT John Randle (currently ranked #20) - Fierce interior lineman who totaled 137.5 career sacks.  Led NFL with 15.5 in 1997. Named to seven Pro Bowls (1994-99, 2002) during 14-season career.

DE Chris Doleman (currently ranked #72) - Ranks fourth all time with 150.5 career sacks.  Named NFC Devensive Player of the Year (1992) and to eight Pro Bowls.

S Joey Browner (currently ranked #87) - Selected to six consecutive Pro Bowls (1986-91) and recorded 37 career interceptions.

OT Korey Stringer (currently ranked #112) - Outstanding tackle who started 91 of 93 games from 1995-2000.

And there are many other players that spent some of their career with the Vikings that you can vote for as well.

So, head on over to the site at JCP.com and check out the voting today!  Again, while the votes here won't actually have any real sway on who gets into the Hall this year, the results will be announced just before the real HoF results are announced.

Since the only game that matters this week doesn't kick off until 7:30 pm Central tomorrow, here's a place for everyone to discuss the rest of the games that will be played in the National Football League today.  The only other game of concern to the NFC North will be in the Windy City, as the Chicago Bears will host the Detroit Lions.

And, as mentioned earlier, don't forget to check out Twinkie Town for the best discussion of the final day of baseball's regular season.  There will be plenty of scoreboard watching being done this afternoon, as the Twins try to make some magic on the day of the Metrodome's final regular season Major League Baseball game by beating the Kansas City Royals.  If the Twins can win today, they'll either win the American League Central (if Detroit finishes their collapse by losing to the Chicago White Sox) or host the Tigers on Tuesday afternoon in a one-game playoff to determine who will face the New York Yankees in the first round of the American League Playoffs.

Yes, the cuts should be rolling in throughout the day, as all NFL teams have to reduce their rosters from 75 to 53 by 5 PM Central time this afternoon.  Feel free to discuss all of the activity, including that of the Beloved Purple, in this thread here.

Also, if you have the NFL Network, they'll actually be airing a "Final Cuts" edition of NFL Total Access at 6 PM Central in which they'll be discussing today's activities.  And as long as you'll be watching NFLN anyway, you can catch a replay of last night's game at noon Central time if you so desire.

So there you go. . .discuss away, folks!

Is Troy Williamson, perennial offseason MVP, finally ready to have a breakout season?  I've long forgotten to keep track of him since he was traded to Jacksonville, but our pals over at Big Cat Country have been raving about his performance this preseason.  From their recap of the Jacksonville-Tampa game on Saturday:

Troy Williamson looked every bit a top NFL receiver tonight. The deep ball was caught so naturally you couldn't believe it. The second was a diving adjustment to a bad throw from David and the third was deep in traffic. Well here is the catch and run. I honestly can't believe this is the same guy as last year. I know I am way over the top on this next statement, but what I saw tonight I would rather have Troy than Santonio Holmes.

His stat line from Saturday night: Three receptions, 147 yards, and a touchdown.  In fact, the very first offensive play of the game was a 74-yard touchdown from David Garrard to Williamson.

Impressive, no doubt.  But we've seen this before from Williamson: Perform well in every situation besides a regular season game, then have an absolute meltdown when it counts the most.  I certainly hope he finally gets his act together this season, because he still has the raw athleticism to succeed.  Still, though, he has a lot to prove.  We'll have to wait and see how he performs on Sunday afternoons this fall -- when the games actually matter.