Pete_Prisco

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio lit up defensive tackle John Henderson Tuesday after Henderson checked out of an OTA workout for the second consecutive day.

The reason he left?

Sore shoulder.

Here's the real reason: Lack of drive.

Henderson doesn't care enough to be a great player again. In 2006, he was as good as any defensive tackle in the game. The past two years he's been a major disappointment.

Some in the Jaguars' front office think he's been the most-overrated player on the roster the past two years.

I have to agree.

Henderson should be a force like former teammate Albert Haynesworth. But the past two seasons he's been a tall tackle who gets blocked a lot.

Del Rio simply tried to light a fire under him Tuesday by going public with his dissatisfaction with Henderson missing time.

"Back when I played, and even prior to that, I don't think anybody would have had to miss a snap for it," Del Rio said. "I think it's a minor bruise of sorts. I would think Lombardi is probably rolling over right now. It's not something that should keep anybody out of work. But John feels like he can't go, so we'll let him wait until he can."

Del Rio did tell me that he met with Henderson an hour after the comments and the two talked it out.

The Jaguars need Henderson in the worst way. Without him, they would have big troubles stopping the run. That had to be why Del Rio tried to motivate him.

Now we'll have to see if it works.

I wonder.

Five-game totals: Two touchdown passes, nine interceptions, no games with a passer rating over 61.4 and one game with a completion percentage over 60.

You want that guy?

I don't.

Add in the fact that he will turn 40 this October and it's a definite stay away. Those numbers belong to Brett Favre in his last five games of 2008 for the New York Jets.

Dreadful.

Yet the Minnesota Vikings are reportedly going to meet with Favre to discuss him possibly signing on to be their quarterback. Wasn't Fran Tarkenton available?

Favre is done. He can't throw the ball down the field anymore. The gunslinger has no bullets left. He shoots blanks.

Will Favre ever go away?

What this looks like to me is a desperate attempt by a coach who will likely be out if he doesn't win. Brad Childress needs to make the playoffs, or he's done. So he might think Favre is a better option than Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels? I don't and that's despite thinking the other two aren't very good.

If the Vikings sign Favre, he'd be the third-best starting quarterback in the division behind Chicago's Jay Cutler and Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers.

At this time last year, many thought the Packers were nuts to go with Rodgers and let Favre go elsewhere. Ted Thompson was right. Favre is done.

He's also not a great teammate. He's aloof. He's distant. He doesn't hang with the guys. He didn't even dress with them in Green Bay at the end.

You want that, Brad?

This screams desperation.  I know Favre said he had a bad throwing shoulder late last year, but is that any better now? Those last five games are telling. The Jets also went 1-4 in them to miss out on the playoffs.

Packers fans will say they'll hate seeing him wearing purple. Don't. It gives your team a better chance to win the division.

Favre to Minnesota improves the playoff chances of the Bears and Packers, not the Vikings.

 

The Atlanta Falcons filled a huge hole at tight end Thursday by trading for Tony Gonzalez.

But they paid a steep price. Too steep in my mind.

The Falcons gave up a second-round pick in next year's draft for Gonzalez, the veteran tight end they acquired from the Kansas City Chiefs. I still think Gonzalez has two or three good years, but at 33 his best football is behind him.

I'm not sure that's worth a second-round pick. Gonzalez did catch 96 passes last season on a bad team, so for at least the next couple of years he should still be able to play at a high level. The Falcons' tight ends combined to catch 19 passes last season, with Justin Peele leading the way with 15.

So you can see the need. The Falcons might have considered a tight end early in this draft, and that player would not have played to the level of Gonzalez in 2009. That's a fact. But down the road, who knows?

Age and wear and tear are the reason I think the price is high. But who am I to question Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff? Last year, I didn't like his signing of Michael Turner. Boy was I wrong. And I told him I was wrong. We laugh about it now.

This will probably work out that way as well. So far, everything Dimitroff has done has paid off big time.

One more thing: Good luck defending that offense next year with Gonzalez in the middle of the field.

We've heard a lot about who might be rising up team's boards. So who could be the fallers?

Here are two: Baylor tackle Jason Smith and USC linebacker Rey Maualuga. Scome scouts think Smith is soft. I watched him play a couple of games on tape and he wasn't as impressive as I expected. He really struggled against UConn.

It wouldn't be a shock to see him drop down as the third tackle behind Andre Smith.  As for Maualuga, he has balooned up in weight at times during his career and there are concerns that he will do it again. He also plays a position at inside/middle linebacker that isn't usually drafted at a premium. Ray Lewis was picked 26th in the first round of the 1996 draft.

Maualuga isn't an every-down linebacker, which means you'd be using a first-round pick on a player who would be a two-down player. Is that worth a first-round pick?