As I mentioned on Tuesday, this will be the last dropback of the summer. The seasons are here! 

Headlining tonight's slate: Wake Forest at Baylor, N.C. State at South Carolina and Oregon State at Stanford. Enjoy!

THE PROS

News and notes: Shawne Merriman, eschewing knee surgery, will play. ... Joe Horn a fit for the Browns? ... Jacksonville's Derrick Harvey is in camp. Holdouts are stupid, folks. ... Fantasy alert: Rudi Johnson expects to be traded, as Nick Seuberling pointed out this morning. ... Trouble for Erik Bell's boy Dennis Northcutt. ... Kind of funny: Daunte Culpepper is perplexed about his unemployment.

This is the second-to-last dropback of the summer, as we'll move on to bigger and better things once the season starts next week. We'll break down the new schedule over the weekend.

Also, don't forget to vote for us!

THE PROS

News and notes: The Giants and Michael Strahan are talking, but will he answer the call? ... Shawne Merriman is a bit of a nut, isn't he? ... Chad Johnson's shoulder injury is worse than originally thought.

Coming tomorrow: Do preseason games matter?

Coming next week: We unveil our picks for the college football season.

THE PROS

Wow: Gene Upshaw, the players' union head and a Hall of Fame player, dies.

The big news this week: The Rams' Steven Jackson ends his holdout, and fantasy owners and Rams fans exhale. ... Here are seven things to know about the agreement. ... Jackson's signing won't stop the Rams' downfall. 

Coming tomorrow: Nick, Joel and Erik pick their most indispensable NFL players, answer some college NFL e-mail and debate whether preseason polls should be eliminated. Be sure to tune in!

Also, Brian George takes a look at the second half of the Big Ten's all-time greatest players. (You can find part one here.)

THE PROS

News and notes: Cincinnati brings back Chris Henry (great lesson for all the kids!). ... Derek Anderson's concussion, suffered in Monday night's shellacking at the hands of the Giants, is "mild." ... Minnesota's Tarvaris Jackson is planning on playing on an injured knee. ... Kyle Orton is a starter. Good grief. ... WhatIfSports takes on the Bears QBs. ... Atlanta releases Joe Horn. ... Anquan Boldin is very, very unhappy.

Coming next week: We'll talk to a couple Eagles experts on all the news coming out of the City of Brotherly Love, plus we'll analyze whether Georgia can live up to the hype with arrests and injuries muddying up their forecast.

Stay tuned, and be sure to e-mail us your questions so we can use them on the show.

THE PROS

News and notes: Brett Favre's arm is fatigued. ... Adam Jones officially files for reinstatement. ... Minnesota's Madieu Williams will miss six weeks. ... The Falcons may start Matt Ryan in Week 1. 

ESPN.com's John Clayton talks Daunte Culpepper, Steven Jackson and more in his mailbag.

Coming tomorrow: We continue our two-part fantasy football preview, which should come in handy with draft season upon us. (I've got three next weekend alone.)

You can find part one here.

On to the links!

THE PROS

Indianapolis' Bill Polian is quite an influential man, and reveals a little of himself here.

I watched Aaron Rodgers last night, and yes, he looked good. His receivers didn't help but, as I expected, he performed well. Brandon Jackson also looked good, in Ryan Grant's absence. ... The Packers got down to business after The Trade. ... Was there a Favre-to-New York conspiracy? ... How FoxSports' Jay Glazer broke the story. ... Interesting: The Vikings are feeling a little frisky.

Next week, our shows will focus on fantasy football, a perfect time to introduce our fan interaction segment. In that segment, we'll answer questions from listeners and readers, so be sure to get them in! You can either e-mail us feedback by clicking here or e-mail any of the guys.

THE PROS

Mercifully, it's over: Brett Favre traded to the Jets late Wednesday night, and the Jets release Chad Pennington to make room. ... Favre lost in this showdown, says ESPN.com's John Clayton. ... The Packers were forced to move quickly. ... Are the Jets dangerous now? ... Top 10 Favre moments. ... Favre's legend rivals that of Broadway Joe, says SI.com's Peter King. ... Favre pushed Packers coach Mike McCarthy to his breaking point, writes Michael Silver. The Jets aren't that much better with Favre, writes Clark Judge.

(Quick aside: Should I put my framed Favre Sports Illustrated cover and the special retirement section from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on EBay?)

Coming tomorrow: We chat with five college football experts from across the country to get a better sense of which rivalry is tops in the sport; Nick, Erik and Joel also debate which is the NFL's better conference.

Be sure to tune in!

THE PROS

Obviously, Brett Favre's (still) the big story. The latest: The parties are closer to parting ways, according to FoxSports.com's Jay Glazer.

More Favre: The Packers- Vikings rivalry has been kicked up a notch, no? ... This sounds like Cleveland fans: Packer backers boo Aaron Rodgers during intrasquad scrimmage. ... His reputation is ruined, essentially. ... How did Favre's "retirement" affect the Packers' draft plan? ... Will it ever end? ... Five Favre scenarios.

Coming tomorrow: A summary of our July numbers, which are again up, and a look at five NFL teams on the cusp ... of something. 

Next week, we'll talk more about Brett Favre -- who's excited?! -- and delve deeper into the top rivalries in college football.

THE PROS

The Favre zone: The Packers offer him cash not to play, and now the team is considering a deal within the division. I'm souring on management's handling of this. ... Yes, the Vikings might be the only option. ... At least Packers defensive lineman Aaron Kampman is honest: He wants it to end.

Coming tomorrow: Dave Cariello from Canal Street Chronicles breaks down the Saints' improved defense, Reggie Bush's status and the Jeremy Shockey trade, while Brian and Joel debate some of college football's most storied rivalries.

Be sure to tune in!

THE PROS

The Augusta Greenjackets are using Brett Favre's indecision to their advantage.