OK, so Brett Favre has come out of retirement again. This is after telling the world he was definitely not coming back. It's a story we've heard the past three or four seasons.
I have always loved Favre. He and Jerry Rice are my favorite non-Steelers in the history of the game. When the whole retirement issue arose, and many football fans were calling for Favre to pack it in, I said let the man play as long as he wants.
That's why it pains me to say he has finally got on my nerves. I guess I was naive to think that it wasn't the attention he craved. I thought the man was just torn, with his mind telling him he could keep playing, while his body was trying to say, "For the love of God, let me rest!" But this most recent signing with the Minnesota Vikings showed how wrong I was.
Do not say you are definitely retired, then a few weeks later sign a two-year deal. Two years? Why? The man has retired after the past two seasons. He has a small tear in his rotator cuff. He faded down the stretch and cost the Jets a playoff spot.
With all that being said, their are more people to blame for this soap opera. Vikings' coach Brad Childress tops the list. Three weeks ago he said that Favre was staying retired and that door was closed. Yet, here is Favre the day after training camp ends.
The Vikings as a whole should be blamed too. They gave him deadlines for decisions that meant nothing. If newspapers operated like that, they'd be going out of business. Well, faster than they already are. All they had to do was be honest. Tell the public and the media that as long as Favre wants to play, he will have a spot on your team.
Of course, maybe those players saw that either Sage Rosenfels or Tavaris Jackson was going to quarterback their team, and that was a scary thought. Favre is an upgrade, there is no question, but will it get the Vikings to the Super Bowl? Probably not.
The players should have tried to stop this. Every one else on that team, and trying to make that team, were at camp sweating and working their asses off. Two quarterbacks were promised a chance to win the starting job. Then Favre comes in and the job is his. The leaders of the Vikings should have walked into the coaches office and told him what a joke this all was and to put an end to it.
The media is responsible for this as well. All the media outlets complain and make fun of Favre's antics, yet they cover it 24/7. They're scared they will miss the boat when he eventually signs. They lead off all their television, radio shows and national sports pages with the future Hall of Famer.
It's a tough call for them, though. Their job is to get the news, and as much as we all say we are sick of Favre, every year we care if he signs or not. The coverage is over the top, but they're doing their job.
With all that being said. The Vikings are a lot more interesting now. I'm going to watch the Vikings-Packers games this season. I actually care about it and want to see what happens. And I don't think I'm alone. The media will blow the event out of proportion. We're talking Super Bowl-like hype, but you can always mute the TV and enjoy the game.
Peace Frog - The Doors
I agree with you that my feelings on Favre have changed a lot with this signing. It's not fair to the players who worked hard in training camp. I didn't like when Clemens was skipping half the season to get the most out of his arm, but at least there are 5 slots open in baseball so that pitcher probably deserved to be sent to the bullpen anyways. Rosenfels isn't Brett Favre, but I really thought the Vikings would make the playoffs without this signing. Now the whole Vikings team hangs on the hope of a 39-year-old arm with a torn rotator cuff.
ReplyDeleteAgree with Greg here. I thought Rosenfels would have been good or played mistake free football to make the playoffs. And lets be honest that is what the Vikings need with their running game and defense. They now have the biggest risk taker at quarterback who has a fragile arm.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I hate what Farve did. Being a Jets fan, I was excited when he went to them last year but at the same time hated what he did to Green Bay. This is entirely about revenge on Green Bay and it is going to blow up in his face. I'll say it right now, Green Bay wins that division. Rodgers got a much needed year of experience and proved he can do the job, Capers is a very good defensive coordinator and they finished 3rd in that division, last year, so they have a weaker schedule, but they do not have 3rd place talent.
How do you really feel, Boss? I am not sure Rosenfels plays mistake free football to get the Vikings to the playoffs. Do you remember the Indy game last year that he fumbled away?
ReplyDeleteThere is a clause in his contract that if he stinks, he only gets half of his salary this year. So maybe, just maybe, the Vikings will bench him if he pulls what he did down the stretch last year. Not only to have a better chance to win, but to save some money too.
When the Vikings quarterback got hurt, I think everyone saw this coming (Farve coming back). And I love him too. But not as much as I love you!
ReplyDeleteRemember when you used to write a blog?
ReplyDeleteVery harsh Mike. Rickel is probably studying for fantasy football and you know that he's not going to write about that on his blog.
ReplyDelete