Happy Thursday!

Happy Thursday everyone! Here’s some stories we’re keeping track of in preparation for Week 9!

Aaron Rodgers still has a chip on his shoulder from the 2005 draft when he was selected as the 24th pick in the draft. … Dude it’s 2011 and you’ve won a Super Bowl. Last season as a matter of fact. And… the Packers are 7-0! Come on!

According to Packers.com:

“I still have a great memory,” Rodgers said. “The goals I set for myself change every year a little bit. I try to improve on the previous year and learn from the mistakes I made. When I got drafted, I had a chip on my shoulder, and I’ve still got it there. There’s a lot of motivation left in that chip.”

Rodgers has been tremendously successful since taking over the Packers QB reins from Brett Favre. Old-Washed-Up-Has-Been Favre hasn’t exactly made things easy on Rodgers. So, I will say it’s nice to see a stellar athlete strive to better himself. … I don’t think Favre would do what Rodgers has done!

NEXT!

Dropped passes are nothing T.J. Houshmandzadeh wants to think about as he gets a fresh start with the Oakland Raiders.

Raiders new QB Carson Palmer recruited his former Bengals teammate to consider joining the Raiders, whom he did sign with this week.  “The talent on this team is unbelievable. It’s unbelievable,” Houshmandzadeh said Wednesday on “Around the League” on NFL Network. “So I expect great things.”

We’ll see!

NEXT!

Would you say the Madden Curse is continuing this season for Cleveland Browns RB Peyton Hillis? Check out this story from NFL.com.

Yup, he disappointed several kids this week as he didn’t show up to a Halloween Party. His excuse? It was a miscommunication. Sure, it happens. But to the same guy that since being on the cover of the Madden video game has missed the past two games with injury and even left a game after sustaining a hamstring injury. He suffered a set back last week and failed to play in last weekend’s game against San Francisco. He hasn’t practiced this week.

Someone needs to get this bad Madden curse joo-joo off of him. Stat!

NEXT!

Guess what?

Philip Rivers is a whiny little thing. He says the cameras were lying when they caught him saying that he was having the worst day or game EVER. Ugh! Get your tiny violins ready and check this story out!

Miranda Remaklus is senior reporter for Aerys Offsides. She’s also a contributor to Aaron Miles’ Fastball in the MLB section. Follow her on Twitter, @missmiranda.