What a weekend

Although there's still a month to go before the 2008 NFL season kicks off, there's been plenty of news coming out of camps to whet fans' appetites over the past few days. For those who spent their weekend getting away from it all, here's just some of what you may have missed:

First there was Friday's well-documented skirmish between Carolina Panthers teammates Steve Smith and Ken Lucas and the subsequent team-issued two-game suspension levied to Smith for instigating the fracas. As Tony previously mentioned, the Panthers' hard-line stance and harsh edict caught just about all of us observers off guard. I wouldn't expect any lasting repercussions from the incident, however, and don't count on Carolina getting rid of its most dynamic offensive player as a result. Sure, Smith's volatile personality can be a drain on his coaches and teammates, but the wideout's production and playmaking ability far outweigh whatever headaches he may cause.

Saturday was Hall of Fame day, with former Washington Redskin greats Darrell Green and Art Monk headlining the six new entrants into pro football's shrine of immortality. Neither the ceremony nor Sunday's preseason opener between the Redskins and Indianapolis Colts had much to offer the TV viewer, although Jason Campbell's brief performance under center did make an impression on me. The fourth-year quarterback looked sharp and comfortable running the new offense installed by Washington head coach Jim Zorn, which has some similarities to the system Campbell excelled in as a collegian at Auburn. If the Redskins are going to be a factor in the heavy-duty NFC East, they're going to need a big year out of their young signal-caller.

By the way, the 'Skins released safety Stuart Schweigert on Monday, one day after the former Raiders starter was toasted for a long touchdown by Colts' fourth-string receiver Onrea Jones in the Hall of Fame Game. If anything, the move lends some support to my hunch that Washington will take a hard look at the recently-released John Lynch relatively soon.

The Green Bay Packers managed to solve one lingering problem over the weekend, as the club came to terms with holdout running back Ryan Grant on a four-year contract extension. Of course, this bit of info was overshadowed by Sunday's arrival of a certain veteran quarterback to Packers camp.

As for the Favre saga, there are at least two things that are finally beginning to come clear. One is the likelihood that the franchise icon will not be playing football for the Green Bay Packers come September. Don't believe the reports of the forthcoming "open competition" between Favre and the star-crossed Aaron Rodgers during camp -- if the Pack had any real desire of having No. 4 back as their starting quarterback, they would have welcomed him into the fold weeks ago.

What's also becoming evident is that the Packers have backed themselves into a no-win situation from a PR standpoint. The organization took a major hit with the revelation of the reported $20 million dollar offer it gave Favre to remain retired, and the inevitable ridding of one of the most idolized players in team history clearly is not going to sit well with Green Bay's ultra-loyal fan base. Now if Favre does indeed wind up on another team this fall and stinks up the joint like he did in 2005, or if Rodgers shines in his long-awaited opportunity and leads the Pack on a deep playoff run, GM Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy will have at least some measure of vindication in the public eye.

All I know is, with each passing day in this never-ending soap opera, the odds grow stronger that the Waffle King will eventually get what he really wants out of this scenario -- the chance to further his bloated legacy by humiliating his soon-to-be former employers on the playing field in an enemy uniform.