After a real-life-issues hiatus, it's time to get this show back on the road. There's various issues to catch up on, so let's kick off with a bit of love for a guy who gave us a hand last summer, gaining us fans across America: Brett Favre.Incredibly, according to ESPN, Favre will meet with Brad Childress to discuss the possibility of playing for the Vikings in 2009. This despite his latest claim of retirement just 4 months ago after a mediocre season with the New York Jets appeared to be the final nugget of crap atop Favre's otherwise fairly impressive cherry pie of a career.
I said that Favre shouldn't 'un-retire' last year, and unfortunately, Favre proved that ultimately that may have been a better choice. His legacy now will always be that of the guy who just wanted to play for literally anyone, rather than a player who busted a gut for the Packers over 17 long years.
So why is Favre pushing for a return? Well, for one thing, he obviously feels that he can still play, and perhaps, as ESPN reported, he does feel that he wants to pay Green Bay G.M. Ted Thompson back for the seemingly wise choice of moving forward without him once he announced that he would never play the game again. This dagger to Favre's heart is made all the more baffling as he was then offered $20m to become a marketing figurehead for the organisation, something that clearly was meant as a bribe, but in the end seemed a little desperate.
But what did we learn about #4 in 2008? Well, for one thing, he isn't the same Brett Favre who won a Superbowl, hell, he isn't the same Brett Favre from 2007. His shoulder is a problem, and his refusal to have surgery in the wake of his retirement may now be one of the deciding factors in him physically being able to return to the game. Assuming that the Vikings want him, they would not be guaranteed the same kind of player that dominated the NFC two seasons ago, in fact they would be getting an ageing, injured QB who has never been the player to keep a coach in his job with consistency. He'll turn the ball over, that you know, but what struck me about his performances in 2008 was simply the lack of power in his throws. Consider that Favre himself admitted as much, and I think we're looking at a recipe for disaster in Minnesota.
But the one thing that Brett Favre should consider is this: If he retired and never came back, would he regret it? You can understand his feelings last season, after a great 2007 season, and narrowly missing the Superbowl, about his desire to prove that he still had 'it', that there was still gas in the tank. When the Packers refused, it was obvious that he really, REALLY wanted that chance, and so it was hard not to feel some relief when the whole thing ended with the Jets.
The situation this year is different. Is there still mileage left? Realistically, the answer is no. His desire to prove to Green Bay fans that he could still have been their Quarterback last season may look a bit silly if Favre continues his decline. Not only that, but his legacy is now forever tainted by the knowledge that he wants to play against the team that he is synonymous with, the Packers. Make no mistake, the Vikings are the team that give Favre the opportunity to hurt Thompson more than any, even the Bears, who's fans would not accept him.
Will it backfire? I think so. I don't believe if you asked most Green Bay fans today that they would swap Aaron Rodgers for Brett Favre. I don't even think they'd swap him for Cutler or Stafford, such is their belief in him. Not only that, but Favre risks being humiliated twice by the team who's fans held a lot of respect for him until now. What then, will be Favre's legacy? A guy who just couldn't walk away? A 40yr old still thinking he's got the arm?
It'll be a tragic end, and come December, my money would be on Brett Favre admitting, as he did last season, that maybe, just maybe, he can't do it at the NFL level anymore.
