Tuesday Potpurri

Also known as "I'm too lazy to come up with an original topic, so I'll clear out some of the old stories I've had bookmarked for a while."

* Ah, Daunte Culpepper. You've been so much fun to read about, at least since you fired your agent back in 2006 and chose to represent yourself. Since that incredible 2004 season with the Vikings, you've had major knee surgery and thrown 13 touchdowns and 20 interceptions with three different teams (Vikings, Dolphins, and Raiders). Your greatest accomplishment in that time? Setting the high score in the Madden two-minute drill.

Meanwhile, this offseason, you received offers from both the Packers and Steelers to be a backup quarterback. Your response? "I just was not willing to take the vet minimum and no guaranteed roster spot."

Guess what? You don't have a roster spot, guaranteed or otherwise right now. You're 5-17 as a starter since 2004. (I know, I know, starting QBs' winning record and all that, but this is one case where I'd rather have Tarvaris Jackson and his awesome 8-4 record as a starter in 2007.) In 2006, the Dolphins might have thought you had enough left in the tank; in 2007, the Raiders might have thought you'd rekindle some of that 2004 magic.

It's 2008 now. Take what you can get.

* Speaking of Jackson, he might play this week against Dallas. Or he might not. *yawn* Someone wake me up when the real season starts.

(Don't miss the last line of that article: "Metrodome workers used a device to "aerate" the FieldTurf in an effort to make the surface softer or fluffier for the preseason game last Saturday."

"Fluffy"? Coming in 2008 to the Metrodome: PillowTurf^tm!)

* I think Matthew Berry, ESPN.com's fantasy football "guru," is questionable in his expertise and likes to make wild predictions for little to no reason. So, I'm going to track his list in this column -- or at least the ones I can verify (i.e., not #17 or #22) -- and see how many he gets right at the end of the season. Sadly, I think #25 is one of his less "out there" notions.

* Robert Smith as the new head of the NFLPA? He's undoubtedly a smart guy, but I think the other options just have more experience in such matters, so he's probably a long shot.

* Maybe it's a little harder to say after he saved the last two games of a four-game series against the Twins, but Francisco Rodriguez is probably the most overrated player in the majors -- and most likely to get a bloated contract in the offseason that his new team will regret. Don't believe me? Read this, this, and especially this, which indicates that he's really no better than any other closer.

* Finally, if you're looking for more good blogs about Minnesota sports, look no further than this page, which compiles the best of the web -- and my site -- for Twins, Vikings, Wild, and Gophers talk. It also has a list of Timberwolves links, but can anything good really be said about them?