Favre's Done, the 'Dream Team' Is Toast

Adrian Peterson will have a sophomore slump.

All Peterson did last season as a rookie is rush for 1,300 yards, set a single-game rushing record, earn a Pro Bowl selection and take home Rookie of the Year honors. Minnesota Vikings fans are understandably excited to see what he can do his second year in the league, but I wouldn't be shocked to see Peterson fall off a bit.

Splitting time with Chestor Taylor won't cause any noticeable production drop-off, especially since that's how things were last year as well. The addition of WR Bernard Berrian and the emergence of Sidney Rice as a red-zone threat will put more emphasis on the passing attack, though, and could take some carries away from Peterson.

Most crucial, however, is Peterson's well-documented injury history. In just one professional season he's already missed a month with a knee injury -- and because of his running style and workload, it wouldn't be surprising if he went down with another one even earlier this season.

The Beijing Olympics will be the lowest-rated ever.

Things have been stacking up against the 2008 Summer Olympics ever since China was announced as the host -- and now, on the day everything is set to kick off, the focus is still more on the problems that persist rather than the Games themselves. My bet is that a good many Americans just don't care that much this time and the viewership ratings will prove it.

That's assuming there can even be significant viewership, what with China doing everything in their power to limit broadcasting rights and block access to everything from certain Web sites to live interviews during specific times.

Add to that the fact that there's still more concern over air pollution and security threats than there is about the events, not to mention a new steroid scandal just about every day. With the U.S. basketball team being less-than-stellar the past eight years, the gymnastics team suffering the loss of two athletes already and Michael Phelps having already captured the world's attention in 2004, American viewers could be tuning out in droves this time around.