"Jeff, man, you know how this Favre dance goes by now. I love the guy, and I love you, too."

Expect the New York papers to ignite the rumor mill in a matter of days. It makes too much sense, right? Brett Favre is coming to Tampa Bay for the 2009 season.

Favre’s New York teammates are blasting him, reports ESPN.com, including 1300-yard rusher Thomas Jones. And the Jets have no coach; Eric Mangini, who named his infant son for Favre, was fired Monday.

Jon Gruden is probably begging Bruce Allen to pick up the phone and call the Jets to ask if Favre is available for a fifth-round pick. After all, Gruden loves quarterbacks, and Jeff Garcia’s a free agent. Heck, Chucky, seemed happy and ready to have both of them on the Bucs roster last summer.

Maybe the Bucs offer a conditional draft pick, much like the Jets did when they traded with Green Bay for Favre.

If Chucky stays on as coach, there’s every reason in the world to believe the Bucs will go after Favre — early and relentlessly — similar to how Gruden blames injuries for his teams’ struggles.