I know Brett Favre may have spent some time in New York last season, but as far as I’m concerned, his “second” return to the NFL is the one that counts. Despite a good start, he never really looked good in a Jets uniform. Favre’s not New York…he’s not AFC, he’s NFC…he’s the black-and-blue division and as of Tuesday, August 18, Brett Favre is a Minnesota Viking.
No doubt many of you reacted much the same way two of my colleagues reacted when hearing the news.
“Why, Brett…why?”, asked one co-worker.
“You’re (expletive) kidding me,” said another.
While most football and Favre fans are saying why. I’m asking why not?
This was the move Favre wanted to make last season after the Packers said farewell. Last season Favre played despite not being at 100 percent and for a brief minute the Jets looked like a contender. However, asking him to turn the Jets into giants was perhaps a bit too much. At best, the Jets were average and this season they won’t fly out of bottom of that division. Tom Brady’s back in New England, and along with Miami and Buffalo have far more firepower than Mark Sanchez can match.
The Vikings, on the other hand, have something Favre can work with….a dominant defensive line, a familiar playbook, one Favre said he could run in his sleep, and this guy Adrian Peterson.
Now there are those who argue that at 39, Favre’s too old. Others will argue that based on the last half of last season, Favre’s too erratic and will fade down the stretch. All Favre really has to do in Minnesota is manage the offense….throw short passes and screens and the occasional deep bomb to Bernard Berrian and former Gopher, Percy Harvin. Brett Favre can manage an offense. The reason why the Vikings pulled the trigger on this deal is because Tavaris Jackson can’t. The Vikings are simply better with Favre as the starter and Sage Rosenfels as the backup. Okay, okay, I too, saw Rosenfels fumble twice and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in that Texans-Colts game last October. Let’s just assume Vikings fans are praying Favre stays healthy all season.
That’s possible. Exclude games at Baltimore and Pittsburgh, the Vikings won’t be tested by the time November 1st comes. They could conceivably be 5-2, or maybe 7-0 when Favre steps back on Lambeau field. After that they have the Bears twice, Lions, Seahawks, Cardinals, Jaguars, Panthers and Giants. Assuming the team stays healthy and plays the way it should, Minnesota should win the NFC North. They’ll probably get a first-round bye. Of course, everyone in the Twin Cities hopes for a lot more, as does Brett Favre. That’s why he came out of retirement, again. If he’s hoisting a trophy in Miami come February 2010, we’ll probably see him retire, again….for good.
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