Jack Black's character in "High Fidelity" asked John Cusack's "Is it, in fact, unfair to criticize a formerly great artist for his latter day sins?" While the question was about Stevie Wonder, it translates very well to athletes, especially Brett Favre.
Favre was pretty much loved around the league 10 years ago. The only people who didn't like him were Bears, Vikings and Lions fans. Fast forward 10 years, multiple retirements, a potential sexting scandal (still waiting for that penis lineup) and miserable final season, and there seem to be a lot more haters than lovers out there.
The best example of a Favre critic is Swan. We were having a pizza a Burgh's when he said, "I hope his career ends with him being suspended. I hate him." He even went as far as to say the team is better with Tavaris Jackson at quarterback, which seems absurd, but is a legit argument with how terrible Favre has been this season.
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| Packers fans hate him now, but they'll be retiring his number in the near future. |
I already knew that Swan was sick of Favre and disliked him for all of the career waffling he did. But hearing him make such a statement with sincerity still caught me off guard.
Up until the whole Jenn Sterger controversy, I was a Favre fan. I forgave him for the whole retirement charades because I thought the media and Vikings were just as much to blame as him. And 5 years from now, I will remember Favre for the way he played the game. It's like the way I play "Madden". Like my little avatar in "Madden", Favre throws ill-advised passes, goes for broke and has a good time. Sometimes it cost his team the game and made him look terrible, other times it made him a hero. I appreciate that style and enjoy watching it.
He also seemed to have fun playing the game, which every professional athlete should. It pissed me off to no end when Jeff Kent told reporters that baseball wasn't fun, it was just his job. The man is getting paid millions to play a game, if that's not fun he must be the most miserable man alive.
I'll also remember Favre as the guy who played in 297 consecutive regular season games. Sure, he probably should have sat out quite a few in that time, but I respect the toughness it takes to keep getting back up and earning your paycheck.
And as good as the Packers were for the majority of Favre's career, how many Hall of Fame receivers was he throwing to as he lit the league on fire? Any?
My point is that I'll remember Favre for all the great plays he made and how much fun he was to watch. I won't remember the interception in last year's NFC Championship game. Well, at least not before I remember how terrible his line played and how many fumbles his teammates had. I probably won't remember that he may have sent pictures of his junk to a woman. Especially when you consider that the story leaked a little before a Playboy issue featuring Sterger was being released. And while I'll remember that he retired several times and took the Vikings hostage this year, it will be more of an afterthought.
So how will you remember Favre when he maybe retires for good at the end of this season?
The Hooters - Nervous Night
i still don't quite fully understand the justification behind those whose opinions of favre have soured in the last few years.
ReplyDeletecan you really be angry at, or fault someone who just cannot stop playing the game he loves? are we going to hold it against him because once the finality of never playing football again set in on him, he changed his mind a few times and wanted to play longer?
i get that we like things to be clean. definitive. that indecisiveness and second-guessing (when it comes to our beloved franchises) is not something that we like to see. but when does it go from "you're calling it quits? bummer, but that's okay. thanks for the memories" to "what, now you want to come back? make up your mind.."
we want a barry sanders like retirement.
but isn't that about us?
favre put up good numbers with the jets until the injury finally caught up to him at the end of the season. last year was one of his best years to date with minnesota. this year? not brett (entirely.) a feud between the head coach and players, finally a realization that favre's body is too old for this and a vikings team that just has far too many weaknesses (which a healthy and on-fire favre was able to mask last season.)
the sterger text? c'mon.. yes, it was dumb. yes, he's married. yes, he should never have done that.
but..
yes, she's hot. yes, he probably has more potential ass handed to him on a silver platter a year than we would have scrounged through the garbage for in our lifetime. doesn't excuse it, but it was a mistake.
if we can forgive michael vick for running a dogfighting ring (and i think a lot of us have).. we can surely excuse favre's sexting and an extreme reluctance to give up the game he loves.
favre will be remembered exactly for that love of the game and for those plays that only favre could have made.
Moody rarely speaks, but when he does it's right on. Agree with it all. Well, I haven't really forgiven Vick, but he paid for his crimes and I was satisfied with the punishment.
ReplyDeleteI will remember Favre through this immortal quote from my father; "Sometimes you gotta know when to hang 'em up...Not hang it out."
ReplyDeleteYes, Bret loves the game. I get that, and I respect it. Imagine if we all had Bret's enthusiasm at our jobs...assuming our jobs don't involve training camp or something similar.
Great player, not going to hold the picture text thing against him. I'd just respect him more he had bowed out gracefully after last season.
Please don't compare this situation to Vick. They aren't comparable other than both guys are QBs in the NFL.
I think it would be incredibly hard to "bow out gracefully" after having a career-year and falling short of the Super Bowl by basically one play. Wouldn't the "We were so close!" feeling nag at you all offseason and urge you to try again?
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with him playing as long as he wants. It's the nature at which he leaves his team wondering about what he's going to do all the way through August that annoys me because it comes off as selfish.
it definitely is frustrating that the off season dilemma does drag out so long with him. i could be wrong, but i doubt it's for attention. i think every time he retires, he thinks he is retiring. but if he still has that desire when he would normally be starting to get in football mode again and a team is still open to have him come back so late.. it only reinforces that hesitant, last-minute decision behavior.
ReplyDeleteand i agree with the difficulty especially after this season. yeah, the preseason was a mess for the vikes as a result.. but who didn't think they could return to close to that same nfc championship caliber this year before the season started.
and yeah, i realize the vick comparison is extreme. no matter how brilliant his second chance career may or may not turn out.. that will be his legacy. just saying that it seems much of the anti-vick sentiment has at least become a more "that was unforgivable, but you've paid your debt to society" attitude. opinions can change pretty quickly.
I will remember those hilarious quotes from when he was miced up with the Packers. Asking the ball boy for a "left handed football." Mumbling about not eating so he could be ready for the Crimson tide. Clearly the dude could party, which, I obviously respect.
ReplyDeleteI dont really care about the retiring thing either because I think that is all ESPN. I do wish his last throw was the INT in the NFC title game because that is what I think of when I think of Farve. Just absurd plays, both good and bad. One thing you have to say about Favre is that he was entertaining. If he was my QB he would drive me nuts (we already have one of those, just get rid of the ball ben) but at least when he saw the moment he went for it. Most people don't.
I just rewatched clips from 24/7, im all jacked up on Mountain Dew, wooooooooooo. Go Pirates.