For the first time in probably seven, eight years I am drinking the #4 colored/Favre flavored Kool-Aid that was made in Mississippi. And if you have read my blog earlier this season on the media’s worshipfulness of this NFL icon, you might have been able to determine that I was tired of him; yes I was sick of his antics, his legacy, etc. But I realized, after he wore J-E-T-S green last year and then wore Purple & Gold this year, that I have rediscovered a long lost appreciation for just what he is.
Brett Favre means EVERYTHING to the game. Agree? Disagree? I do, so please humor me…
NOTE: The reason it took me eight weeks into the season to realize this fact I am laying squarely on the shoulders of John Madden. More on that comment later. For now I want to talk about how for the last several years and right up to 3:06PM last Sunday I was a Favre skeptic and critic of the worst kind. But something happened between then and 6:15 PM.
During that brief window I now confess to once again to jump on the Brett Bandwagon, heaping praises and shouting his Canton, Ohio, worthiness to the rooftops like any new convert new to Favrism would.
Let’s start with that game in which I converted: Brett was effective, efficient and effervescent: 24/31, 271 yards, 3 TDs for a QB rating of 135.3. More importantly though, he had ZERO turnovers. For the year he is 174/256, 1925 yards, 16 TDs with 3 picks and a lost fumble. I’m not sure about the circumstances of all of the INTs, but at least one, where Keyaron Fox got the pick in the game against the Steelers, it was not Brett’s fault – we can adjust.
Now let’s look at this season: Favre’s current pace will give him a seasonal QB rating of over 100 (first time in his career), and a TD to INT ratio of 84% (also a career best). HELLO! These are the products of man 40 years old?! Simply amazing! Why the hell would you NOT shelf a future starter (Rogers, Quinn, Ryan, Flacco) if this were your option, riddle me this? A starter’s competition in OTA and training? Get real?
Brett debated retirement two years ago and signed with the New York Jets; a horrible organization that only has it’s historic winning ties to 30 years past. Looking back, what did that mean? There is probably a book deal or two in the future about that decision, but he inked the deal and did generate some “NFL Press” electricity for most of the season. A win/win for both and maybe a black eye to Wisconsin?
All things considered, though, New York isn’t Green Bay, so what was his motive? Did he just want to play? Was Green Bay SOOO bad? Whatever, Favre seemed content to come out of retirement, when Green Bay clearly did not want him, and play…for the J-E-T-S.
Favre had a rather pedestrian season, 22 TDs and 22 INTs, which projected to typical career stats and seemed pretty much par for the course for a guy long of tooth and short of skills. And during his last 4 weeks of that season he fell apart, throwing 2 Ds and 8 INTs; the game had passed him by we penned. He ought to go the way of Elway, Young, Marino, et.al.: Retire and let the NFL move on
But then in the off season we hear about some torn thing in his throwing arm. Are you for real? What’s the Scoop? Surely John Madden will let us know since he is the strongest proponet of Favre, if there is one. But then Madden announces his retirement. WTF? John used to go on and on as he waxed poetically about Favre:
He’s the best at this…
He can do that better than…
When it comes to this, no one is better…
It did get old, but for better or worse it seemed Madden was the voice behind Favre’s accomplishments. And I, for one, looking back, likened it to the reason I lost my appreciation for Favre week end and week out. John would start an endless dialog with himself when it came to Favre (or so I recall) and seemed to preach to the choir. Perhaps Favre was the fulfilling QB that Kenny Stabler was not? Who knows?
Quietly this season ‘Brett 2009’ dominated the pre-season headlines: Minnesota is interested. Will he un-retire yet again? Yawn! Who gives a flipping flap! The economy sucks, do I have a job?
In the end he did un-retire and NFL life moved on. Although this time there was little to no headline coverage. Hoo hum…
Too bad.
Brett has found a new life in Minnesota, and perhaps it is the best life he has known in his illustrious career. He has a new identity, one in which he has not experienced in a long time: just a QB playing behind and handing off to a future superstar running back, all the while knowing the defense will hold.
So just for kicks, let’s remember once again a typical type of Packer play that Madden would comment on when Green & Yellow #4 was under center:
3Rd and long. Throw down field/ behind late in the game/screw the running game cuz the defense cannot keep an offense off field/drop three to seven steps and either hand off or throw it away or scramble/improvise/…boom!
Certainly at times these were magical moments. But otherwise we recall an interception, right? That’s what I remember…
With the Vikings, we get to see a quarterback that is calm, cool, and collected. His snap decision should be almost 50/50: hand off to AP, or read the defense and look for openings to Rice, Harvin or Berrian. In Minnesota, no longer does Favre need to scramble and try to make something out of nothing. Or in goal line situations, read similar, but now look to Shiancoe. He also knows this is the best defense to back him since the Rev Reggie White wore Packer green.
Bottom line: Since he has unretired twice, Favre has revealed to me that he may just be the best QB to ever play the position. Long may he play.
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- Video: Brett Favre 2009 Season Highlights
- Just Let the Vikings Have Him!