Four Downs while who will be the first to manufacture the first Favre-might-come-back rumor eight months from now ...

FIRST DOWN:

Brett Favre says, "I'm done, I'm done" when asked about his playing plans beyond this season.

No need to repeat yourself to some of us, Brett. We know, we know.

While I have no doubt Favre could continue playing better than the Derek Andersons and Jon Kitnas of the world, his contract is up and he can no longer play well enough to justify a gigantic contract and the freedom to show up whenever he wants. Therefore, he's done, he's done.

Favre is playing better than his stats suggest, I think, but, still, they don't give $20 million and roll out the red carpet for guys on pace to throw 25 picks and 15 touchdowns.

The Vikings aren't going to go through another Favre offseason, so that means he'd have to find another team taylor-made for him to step right in. There's only one other place like that, and it's Green Bay. Even if Aaron Rodgers got hurt, I doubt Green Bay would sign Favre even to a one-day contract so he could retire a Packer.

Also, Favre looks done and sounds done. He's taken a tremendous beating, particularly the last two years, and he's arrived at a point where the pain has to be unbearable. Fans and even reporters forget just how much this game hurts for those who play it.

And, finally, if Favre keeps playing, the Jenn Sterger story keeps unfolding in public view.

SECOND DOWN:

When the Vikings' season comes to a merciful ending, let's not blame Favre for the implosion. I don't remember too many people saying he shouldn't come back after having what he called the best season of his career last year.

And the team did literally beg him to return, sending three teammates to retrieve him during training camp.

In hindsight, remembering back to Favre's first press conference this year, he practically told all of us in veiled comments that this was the likely scenario, that last year was last year and this year could be much different.

When I covered the Gophers, Glen Mason used to say all the time that "You're either getting better or you're getting worse." I'm sure others said that, too. But he's right. You don't stay the same. The Vikings tried to stay the same and repeat last season. It just doesn't work that way. I thought it would, but should have known it wouldn't.

The biggest surprise to me, however, wasn't that Favre didn't play as well. The biggest surprise was the way the defense crumbled against the run and in rushing the passer.

THIRD DOWN:

Helmets off to Steelers receiver Hines Ward. With the NFL ramping up the fines for illegal hits and harping about player safety, Ward had the perfect comeback when he blasted the league for fining teammate James Harrison about $25,000.

"[The league] doesn't care about the safety of the game," he said. "If the league was so concerned about the safety, why [is it] adding two more games?"

Ward believes the league has toughened its stance only because it wants to make a smooth transition to the 18-game schedule.

FOURTH DOWN:

Once the new CBA is in place, the season will be expanded. Or "enhanced" as the league wants you to believe.

It's a terrible idea and will hurt the quality of the playoffs and the late regular-season games. The players hate the idea, and the fans would too if they weren't more interested in Fantasy Football, gambling or whining about paying for preseason games,

Here's what happens if you eliminate two preseason games and add two regular season games:

You save on the cost of one preseason game (there will still be one home preseason game for each team). And the cost of that savings is:

. More injuries, which means more star players not making it to the post-season. Do we want the post-season rosters to resemble UFL rosters?

. More opportunities for coaches to rest star players in season-ending regular-season games. Do you want a month of meaningless preseason games in August, or the potential of guys like Peyton Manning sitting out the month of December?