You may remember former Alabama running back Glen Coffee running over the Clemson defense two years ago. Or Auburn at the end of the season, before it all went pear-shaped in the final two games of the year. Given the chance to leave early, he did, and appeared to be doing a decent job as the backup to San Francisco 49ers starter Frank Gore. But the man’s had it with the gridiron and is headed back to Tuscaloosa to complete his degree and then reassess his plans for the future.

“A lot of people aren’t going to understand and realize because they don’t have the wisdom to understand,” Coffee said. “Their eyes aren’t open like mine are open. True happiness is glorifying God and glorifying Christ. That’s what true happiness is. … And for me, that wasn’t the NFL. That wasn’t where I needed to be.”

A religious calling — or non-calling, as the situation may be — aside, it looks a little flaky. Evidently, there was a lot going on behind the scenes that no one knew about, or, since he was second-string behind one of the best backs in the league, no one was looking for. The reporters who were closer to Coffee when he was a star player seem to think, though, that it really is coming down do his faith.

People in Alabama also understood something about Coffee that people in San Francisco may have missed. He’d found religion in college.

In a December, 2008, article in Sharing the Victory – a Fellowship of Christian Athletes publication – Coffee wrote about growing up outside the church, about getting to Alabama and having some initial success but still feeling empty.

“Like nothing I did would amount to anything,” he wrote. “I never felt true joy. It was like, ‘Is this all the world has to offer?’”

He found something more and became a Christian. Didn’t stop him from playing football. Didn’t stop him from leading Alabama in rushing as a junior and becoming a third-round draft choice of the 49ers.

Good luck to him. It’s no use to stretch out time in the NFL chasing the dollar and giving up your body to harsh punishment when your heart isn’t in it.

Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath has been upping his Internet profile as of late, what with Facebook and Twitter and his new site, BroadwayJoe.tv. And naturally, we were only aware of this because of Wolfe père‘s Facebook activity — got to get your news about aging football greats from somewhere. One of the things Namath’s doing is posting videos with his pearls of wisdom regarding the New York Jets and Alabama. It just goes to show that when a player gets to that point in his life where he’s a fan (that is, a fan with an absurd amount of access), he’s got the same analysis we all have.

For instance, his discussion of the Tide’s chances this year comes down to:
1. The new starters on defense need to step up.
2. The players’ mindset needs to be right.
3. The offensive line needs to be solid.

You got it, Joe.

The WR fantasy football team, the Columbia Hacks, is returning this year to defend its league title, but without the team’s saving grace from 2009. Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew has evaded our grasp, leaving the Hacks with a strange five-pack of runners who may or may not be any good. Even with the Chargers’ Darren Sproles taking over for the departed LaDanian Tomlinson, the San Diego offense is going to be geared to the passing attack (hence the Philip Rivers decision), so Sproles might not get LT-level yards and scores.

Even though every fantasy nerd will tell you to ignore kickers, they can be proper good luck charms. We’re fans of Arizona Cardinals kicker Neil Rackers. He gets points, he’s consistent, and he’s helped save more than one matchup. But Minnesota better do something with its passing game, what with the tandem of Harvin and Rice.

COLUMBIA HACKS
QB: Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
QB: Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions
RB: Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons
RB: Ryan Grant, Green Bay Packers
RB: Darren Sproles, San Diego Chargers
RB: Tim Hightower, Arizona Cardinals
RB: Montario Hardesty, Cleveland Browns
WR: Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints
WR: Sidney Rice, Minnesota Vikings
WR: Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles
WR: Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
WR: Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings
TE: Greg Olsen, Chicago Bears
TE: Owen Daniels, Houston Texans
D/ST: Philadelphia Eagles
K: Neil Rackers, Arizona Cardinals

Now all that’s left is the guys in Tyler Jones’ league that we started not screwing up our draft plan for the Blossom Brawlers next month. And gentlemen — Rackers is off-limits. That lawn gnome is ours.

JerryDome. Cowboys Stadium, the new Texas Stadium, which led to the irrelevance of the old Dallas Cowboys venue and the movement of the Cotton Bowl from the actual Cotton Bowl to the massive stadium outside of Dallas. It’s quite a place. Something built by a man with a shit-ton of money who loves both professional and college football. Because the second the building went up, there were all sorts of interesting games being played out under the massive high-definition screen.

So, let’s go. In this situation, “2012″ isn’t a movie, it’s just two seasons from September. Word broke out on a blog we used to read (like, in 2005) before the proprietor became the foulest of Big Ten stereotypes, the douchebag, Brian Cook of MGoBlog.com. He said he had some hot-as-shit source telling him that Alabama and Michigan would be playing an opening season game at the JerryDome in 2012.

But apparently it is happening. The contract is being signed Monday. Which is tomorrow.

The following details are unconfirmed but of interest since they come from an established source:

• Game is happening because a desperate Jerry Jones “overpaid.”
• Michigan will be the nominal home team (important mostly for TV rights) and receive more money.
• There’s no additional game scheduled and there may not be.
• Jones might be well-positioned to provide some advice on HD scoreboards.

This comes with a set of crazy conflicting emotions. Hurray awesome nonconference game, boo that it’s in fricking Dallas in a corporate death star of an NFL stadium and not a home-and-home in Ann Arbor and Tuscaloosa. I guess that’s what it takes for a lot of actual nonconference games to get done these days, but awesomeness of trip to Dallas to see M play ‘Bama <<<<<< awesomeness of M-Bama home-and-home. On the other hand, awesomeness of M-Bama Dallas >>>>>>> awesomeness of M-BGSU anywhere.

[Note on sourcing: in this case I am going with one source, but he is a very established one.]

Yeah. Not so sure about that. Crimson Tide athletic director Mal Moore, who just recently received a contract extension, puts the situation as a “maybe.” Perhaps the Wolverines are so hungry to get into the Southeastern Conference and Big XII Conference recruiting sphere that they want it to look better than it does. Yet, there’s just as good of a chance that Bama might play an opening season game in two years in Jacksonville.

So will Alabama open its 2012 college football season with a game against Michigan at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

“We’ve talked about several teams,” Alabama athletics director Mal Moore said this morning, “but nothing’s done.”

That was all he had to say about reports that a deal to match the two traditional powers at a neutral site was in the works.

Oh, it had to be Jenn Sterger. You may remember her most famously for parlaying fake breasts and a cowboy hat during the 2005 Florida State-Miami game into a career in the lighter side of sports journalism. Actually, her getting tuns at Sports Illustrated and Versus is quite likely the epitome of the Maxim-zation of sports. Take football, young woman generously implanted who likes football, add television cameras, mix. It was her turn with the New York Jets as the organization’s sideline reporter that put that mix in dangerous proximity to Brett Favre.

He did what we thought he did. Athlete dong strikes again.

Sterger claimed she spurned Favre’s advances because he was married, but also because she was working for the Jets at the time she didn’t think it was the best idea to start a torrid affair with the team’s highest profile player (the Jets have not responded to a question about any knowledge of the Favre/Sterger saga at this time). Plus, if she went forward with how aggressive he was and how skeeved out she was to some of her superiors, she suspected she might lose her job. The interactions were flirty and strange but she didn’t think there wasn’t anything that made her too uncomfortable. But then, one night, Sterger received a picture on her phone which was so shocking that she just tossed it across the room. It was his dick. Brett Favre’s dick. And it happened multiple times. In fact, Sterger claims that, in one of the photos Favre allegedly sent her, he’s masturbating — while wearing a pair of Crocs. In another photo, Favre is holding his penis while wearing the wristwatch he wore during his first teary-eyed retirement press conference.

First, who started this phenomenon? How many people really think it’s a good idea to take pictures of their naughty bits and send them to the object of their affection? Second, why so many athletes? As said on a recent prominent sports podcast, we already had a good idea that LeBron James was well-endowed without the cell phone pic going viral. Third — Favre, come on. Like this wouldn’t get out.

And Deadspin had been sitting on this thing for months, mostly because Sterger didn’t want to be involved.

“AND NOT A WORD OF THAT SHIT TO ANYONE.
I like ya AJ… and if there is a way to expose this dude for the creepy douche he is WITHOUT me being attached to it in any way that is fine. I just want to make it clear I never met him, saw him, etc… because I don’t roll that way. That way meaning old.. or married. Some big boobed hoes have morals and souls believe it or not..”

But here’s the thing — Sterger and Deadspin editor A.J. Daulerio didn’t meet up before today (minor scheduling snafu?) so they don’t have anything beyond several recorded emails and Sterger’s saying that it’s true, but there’s the chance that since this story broke that someone else, or someones, also have saved pictured of Favre displaying his goods and aren’t as reticent of releasing them. We’re thinking TMZ is getting a phone call or two today.

Brett Favre’s gimpy ankle may be the least of his troubles as it appears he won’t be returning to the Minnesota Vikings this season. Deadspin appears to have received something, and it’s the sort of something that needed careful writing and lawyerly vetting. And it seems to have something to do with Favre, some pictures and an unidentified woman. People of all types, and famous people especially, have go quit doing naughty things with their phones.

Here’s somewhat of a [sic'd] clue:

PS, when the texts/pics/calls started… [Redacted] asked Peter King about the phone number.. and King said he didn’t have that number for him. So this is a completely separate bat phone that no one including his best friends knows about. He’d ask me to send him video again.. or some shit every once in a while.. like I “did before’.. (and I never did) which means, this scum bag prolly was doing this to multiple women…

I don’t want to get famous for this.. or have anything to do with this.. but.. I hate the fact that every one loves on this guy when I can’t even stand to watch his wranglers commercials.

He’s a pro.

To make this even more interesting — the person on the receiving end of Favre’s clumsy overtures is someone you’re probably familiar with as well.

So, what’s the action like in Hattiesburg? Cue up the Rachel Nichols jokes.

Southeastern Conference football fans typically do not have an all-time favorite pro team, being that college football in the South captured the irrational devotion of the populace before the NFL was a gleam in George Halas‘ eye. Most people end up with tepid support of the most local team, or historically, where the latest stud(s) has been drafted. The jorts-clothed, Trans Am-driving north-central Florida denizens are not unlike everyone else, and have said in a unified voice to former quarterback Tim Tebow, “We can’t quit you.”

Tebow has left. No more stories about circumcising Filipino boys and Bible verses on eye black on “College GameDay.” Or so we hope. He’s gone off to Denver as the latest rookie signal caller in the Mile High City. But it just ain’t over. Florida fans, support your Tebow. A heady Broncos fan has started up TebowTees.com, which can be pretty creative when it comes to T-shirt designs. We’re angling for this one:

Former LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell‘s descent from highly-touted player to total flameout hit that spot when it was revealed on Monday that he was arrested in Mobile for sipping on the drank. Purple drank. Barr. Whatever you call it, it’s the cough syrup with codeine — illegal without a prescription — which is known for catching fire in south Houston a while back and being quite popular in the hip-hop community that spawned Academy Award winners Three 6 Mafia. The group’s 2000 single provoked even NPR to do a story on the trend, though apparently ESPN only discovered it recently (way to keep up, Bristol!).

Maybe the Mothership knew something we didn’t, though, since Russell’s arrest will allow it to refer to its own report pretty regularly for the next few days.

Former Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell was arrested today and accused of possession of a controlled substance, according to the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office.

The substance was codeine syrup, spokeswoman Lori Myles said.

Myles said Russell was arrested at his home early this afternoon during an undercover investigation. He was booked into Mobile Metro Jail at 4:22 p.m. Russell was released minutes later after making $2,500 bail, according to online records.

Needless to say, his roll has been slowed.

Being that the longest part of the football offseason is in effect, let’s enjoy a little speculation. We’d be saying something here about college football, but it’s about as predictable as flipping a coin. Just ask Phil Steele, who actually thought Arkansas had a serious chance to win the SEC West last year. So, let’s take a gander at the NFL.

Unfortunately, some of the problems afflicting offseason analysis of the college game goes the same for the pros. There’s a lot of workouts and training. You don’t know how the rookies/second-year guys will impact. A star player might get injured. And as a result, the people we go for good advice — gamblers, who actually back up their opinions with greenbacks — are going the default route.

Yeah, the NFL odds for who are going to be in the Super Bowl this season are the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts. Eh. But here’s how it all shakes out as far as the current moneyline goes.

NFC East
1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Philadelphia Eagles
3. New York Giants
4. Washington Redskins

NFC North
1. Green Bay Packers
2. Minnesota Vikings
3. Chicago Bears
4. Detroit Lions

NFC South
1. New Orleans Saints
2. Atlanta Falcons
3. Carolina Panthers
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFC West
1. San Francisco 49ers
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. Seattle Seahawks
4. St. Louis Rams

NFC Champion: New Orleans Saints

AFC East
1. New England Patriots
2. New York Jets
3. Miami Dolphins
4. Buffalo Bills

AFC North
1. Baltimore Ravens
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Cincinnati Bengals
4. Cleveland Browns

AFC South
1. Indianapolis Colts
T2. Houston Texans
T2. Tennessee Titans
4. Jacksonville Jaguars

AFC West
1. San Diego Chargers
2. Denver Broncos
3. Kansas City Chiefs
4. Oakland Raiders

AFC Champion: Indianapolis Colts

Super Bowl Champion: Indianapolis Colts

We’d expect the lines to start moving as it gets closer to the opening weekend, so the smart money may be on picking the Cowboys or the Ravens to win it all this year.

While we wait on the latest off-field bullshit with Brett Favre, The Onion beat us to the greatest story of the NFL offseason. That is, of the Green Bay Packers fan that isn’t going to give up his hops. Choice quote, “The Packers are my life, and drinking is my life. I think I have another couple thousand beers left in me.”