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• Vote: Is Eric Mangini making a worse first impression that Josh McDaniels?

It's only fitting that the final hours of an NFL offseason short on action and long on headache-inducing drama come complete with a mad dash to the finish line.

Leading the way, of course, is Brett Favre, who is apparently a better bet to prolong his streak of headlines than consecutive starts. But since we've grown almost immune to his meanderings, the real fun starts with Eric Mangini, the coach who seems more willing to talk about his decision to keep starting Favre last season than who he will start when the Browns host Favre and the Vikings Sunday.

Then there's former Cowboys star Emmitt Smith effectively throwing Tony Romo under the bus, and Brandon Marshall, who seemed desperate to become a former Bronco, eyeing a contract extension.

Imagine tomorrow, when there's an actual game to talk about.

• 60 percent of SN says Broncos better off without Marshall; Colorado begs to differ.
• 72 percent of SN believes Brady Quinn is the right choice for the Browns.
• Only Minnesota, North Dakota predict 16 starts for Favre this season.
• Your Rankings: Emmitt Smith doesn't like Cowboys; where do you rank them?

“

this makes ZERO sense why would you pay a guy more for acting foolish and not giving a hoot for your team ????? denver broncos orginization = MESS

” -- rocketsandtitans

“

I find it funny that Mangini wants to keep his QB a secret, just because the QBs in question have roughly the same skill set, though Anderson has a stronger arm. Keeping the QB a mystery makes no difference....my Steelers seem to win, even though the rest of the league knows Big Ben's our starter....Mangini's a damn fool.

” -- DamnTheBCS

“

i don't like farve...i've lost respect for his leadership with all his flip-flops too; but you can't act like he can't ball. he was fire last year before he tore his biceps. his age increases his chances of injury, sure, but i'm not gonna bet against brett farve.

” -- jiro32

Josh McDaniels might be a play-calling and game-planning savant, but so far, when it comes to the all-important art of the ego massage, he might have some work to do.

Mere months after disagreements between McDaniels and Jay Cutler resulted in Cutler donning the raiments of a Chicago Bear, another key cog in the Broncos' offense might be on the outs. In a move that would have resulted in about a thousand laps for anyone who tried it in Pop Warner, Brandon Marshall was caught on video goofing off in practice. Marshall was suspended for, among other things, swatting away balls passed to him and sitting on his pads.

Fans believed Marshall would be on the bench when the season started, but these days, it looks like he'll be out of the Mile-High City for good. As Marshall is still an outsized talent, it could end up costing whichever team wants to pick him up (i.e., the Jets) dearly.

• Despite Marshall's so-called "insubordination" most of SportsNation would gladly welcome him on their favorite teams.
• SportsNation member scottfullercomm thinks the Broncos should cut their losses and let Marshall go
• Groups: The New York Jets | The New York Jets Fan Club | B. Marshall/T. Scheffler/E. Royal fans

“

Go ahead Jets bring in a defensive minded head coach and then trade away one of your good LB's for a diva WR. They should only do the trade if its for draft picks only.

” -- metalsiren00

Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd aren't wearing face paint for "SportsNation" TV. It's called makeup in the world of television.

Argue the hot topics of the day and vote on the biggest stories from the world of sports. The show airs on ESPNEWS at 4 p.m. and ESPN2 at midnight ET.

Note: Broadcast voting results as of this afternoon (ET).

Which gives you more of a competitive advantage in sports?
Lost in the fog of PED stories is another source of supernatural athletic prowess: Being a werewolf. Coming soon to an NBA roster near you.

What do you think of Boise State trying to organize fans?
The Broncos want their fans to sit in alternating blue, white and orange sections. Is this another gimmick like the blue turf or a true expression of fandom?

Would you ever forgive someone who threw a cup of beer at you?
Who hasn't been to a party where a little beer got thrown? So does it make a difference if it happens in the field of play or amongst your "closest" friends?

Would the addition of Brandon Marshall make the Jets a playoff lock?
N.Y. would like a receiving threat for QB Mark Sanchez. Of course, that's only a rumor because actual contact between the team and wide receiver would be tampering.

Which quarterback would you rather have on your fantasy team?
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers threw for 4,038 yards and 28 TDs last season. Cowboys QB Tony Romo had 3,448 yards and 26 TDs.

What is "SportsNation" TV, and how do you make your voice heard? Read about the new ESPN show that features fan opinions with calls, tweets, polls, rankers and more.

• Vote: Would you welcome Brandon Marshall to your favorite team?

Brandon Marshall claims he has "trust issues" with the Broncos, who already ran their supposed franchise quarterback out of town this summer. Todd Haley, who created as much drama as an assistant coach can hope to muster in Dallas and Arizona, is doing damage control after comments that seemed to suggest Matt Cassel might not be his guy. And we haven't even gotten to Tom Cable's purportedly taking a coach's responsibility to bust chops a tad too literally.

May you live in interesting times, AFC West fans.

Granted, the on-the-field action in the AFC West may leave a little something to be desired this season -- 73 percent of SportsNation predicts the Chargers will win, including voters in Colorado, Kansas and Missouri. But the off-field drama could fill the void.

For now, the hot spot appears to be in Denver, where a majority of SportsNation thinks the Broncos should trade Marshall as soon as possible (although fans in Colorado are more inclined to let him play out the season angry).

• 67 percent of SportsNation says Marshall is a bigger headache than his former QB.
• 91 percent of SportsNation is confident Cassel will be under center for Chiefs in Week 1.

“

Brandon Marshall will NEVER be happy playing for the Broncos. Nobody wants to play for that organization. They will be rebuilding for the next 5-7 years. They will have the worst record in the NFL for the next 3 seasons. They are a joke!

” -- mcbrink26

“

This is getting stupid. Marshall is jumping on anything to get away from Denver. What a baby. People like this need to realize the NFL is not a right but a privilege. Play out your contract like a man and see if you get 1,000 yards without Cutler and then you can talk about a new contract. We need more receivers like Calvin or Andre Johnson.

” -- ianreeves20

“

Capitalism, Communism, Socialism, Fuedalism or any other -ism you could think of, Marsall would be employed if there was a football team in the country. Don't let your bias or maybe jealousy of multi-million dollar athletes cloud you perspective. Brandon Marshall is not some bank teller that are a dime a dozen.

” -- pakoneoh

Sometimes we all need a little extra space to vent. ESPN profiles give fans space to post their own blog entries and go toe-to-toe with commenters.

• bwhite2006: An Angels fan gets it all out after the Dodgers beat up on their SoCal neighbor over the weekend, saying losing to them is worse than four-putting from 10 feet (Tiger Woods might argue).
• Mr. Almighty: If Josh McDaniels and Brandon Marshall can't make nice in Denver, one Ravens fan thinks he has the perfect landing spot for one of them (hint: not McDaniels).
• larssantini: In response to Bill Simmons' latest column pondering whether or not Kobe Bryant really changed that much this season, this blogger suggests change came at a more geologic pace.
• dfpsorts: Perhaps second only to the eternal quandary of how much wood a woodchuck would chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood is the one about how many games the Red Sox would win if they kept coming up with pitchers (hmm, not as fun to type).
• Robert Flores: The SportsCenter anchor links to an interesting take on the Daisuke Matsuzaka situation and an update on U.S. Soccer.

Sometimes we all need a little extra space to vent. ESPN profiles give fans space to post their own blog entries and go toe-to-toe with commenters.

• Fireballr7: Saying it's too early to praise or condemn MLB players for play thus far, this blogger proceeds to do the former for some early success stories.
• chargerdom21: In arguably the longest blog in SportsNation history, the case is laid out, in extended detail, for what to expect from Chris Johnson, Steve Slaton and Matt Forte in fantasy football this season.
• ghostcasino: Some saw Shaq's NBA Finals tweeting as sarcasm; this blogger think it an olive branch to pave the way for a Hollywood comeback.
• Dozaone00: Finally able to spend some quality work time blogging again (let freedom reign!), a Jets fan breaks down what may happen with Sanchez and without Favre.
• PADR321: And the honeymoon is over. Offering a Philadelphia perspective so perfect you have to wonder if it's satire, a Phillies fan says it's time to forget the World Series title and get back to booing the bums.
• 3-indagame: Even Ron Zook had a longer grace period than this. At least one Broncos fan is already calling for Josh McDaniels to be fired.
• Robert Flores: The SportsCenter anchor is officially on the soccer bandwagon, which is why he's calling US Soccer "doughy soft" after the debacle against Brazil.
• More blogs: Check out all the SportsNation blogs.

Sometimes we all need a little extra space to vent. ESPN profiles give fans space to post their own blog entries and go toe-to-toe with commenters.

• Ok-State34: It may not be raining in Baltimore, but it's raining at Bethpage (yes, that's two Counting Crows references). A blogger's take on a rainy opening round.
• buckifan927: The Cubs seem to be getting well against the White Sox, but one fan isn't satisfied. He's not asking for dirt-kicking pyrotechnics out of Lou Piniella, just a few tweaks to the lineup card.
• gator_330: Speaking of the Cubs and White Sox, one fan of the AL team has a quick take on watching his team head north that everyone should be able to identify with.
• AniD89: Perhaps there are worse fates than being cursed like Cleveland fans or downtrodden in Detroit. Like having no pro teams at all. A blogger runs through the top American cities in need of pro franchises.
• brijay103099: There's not a heck of a lot to get excited about in the Baltimore-D.C. beltway at the moment, but at least the Ravens could be good come fall.
• JSchnootz: Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. What do they have in common? They all posted really impressive numbers, and for this fan, that's the clincher in the argument about an era.
• SportsCenter: Robert Flores and Cindy Brunson are in on the blogging. Flores links to interesting takes on the Sammy Sosa situation and a reversal of fortune for the two MLB teams in Texas. Meanwhile, Brunson tackles the twin debates pitting Kobe Bryant against Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson against Red Auerbach.
• More blogs: Check out all the SportsNation blogs.

Brandon Marshall wants out of Denver, and the Bears could use another big-play receiver. Throw in that Chicago and Denver are both United hubs, and we could get this done by morning. All right, the Broncos may not be especially eager to trade their talented target, no matter how disgruntled he gets, but Scouts, Inc.'s Matt Williamson think it's a move that could transform the Bears' offense into a true juggernaut.

• Most of SportsNation would welcome Marshall to their team
• Fan groups: Chicago Bears FanGroup | Talk Chicago | Chicago Sports Nation.

Marc (Malden, MA)

Does Chicago trade for Marshall and reunite him with Cutler?

Scouts, Inc.'s Matt Williamson

Certainly thought of that one. Wow. That actually makes a lot of sense. Clearly Chicago is in a win-now mode and that move could be enough to put them right in the hunt ... unless Marshall goes and screws it up with some poor decision off the field, which is entirely possible. Still, Cutler handing it to Forte and throwing to Hester (who is going to break out, by the way), Olsen and Marshall? Now you are talking. Full transcript.