So how about this: Brett Favre does indeed seem to be leaning toward playing for the Minnesota Vikings. I know that most people who study the situation believe Favre to be an attention hog … someone who desperately longs for the spotlight, which is why he keep retiring and unretiring, keeps saying he’s done with football and then keeps (very publicly) getting back in. I don’t know enough about Favre or the situation to disagree entirely: But I do think it’s at least possible that that guy is just splashing around for answers. I think it’s possible that he WANTS to retire, leave the stage with dignity, but he also WANTS to play and cannot even stand to think of a fall without pro football. And because he’s BRETT FAVRE it turns into these intolerable public free-for-alls.
And this got me thinking...Now I want to start by saying that I never turned my back on Brett. When he was in limbo about coming back after he retired (the first time) I supported him and I was pissed at the Packers organization for not wanting him on the team. I mean there was no reason to not let the guy keep playing the game he loves, for the team he loved, for the fans he loved...When he went to the Jets, I stayed true to him. I bought a Jets cap and wore it. But I was still a Packers fan. I learned from Lions fans that it IS possible to love a team and hate the management - I figured if they can do it, certainly I can! And of course it was disappointing to see him struggle in the later part of the season. I want him to stay retired now, just as I wanted it a year ago. But this time, it's different. He wants to come back and play for the VIKINGS. Of all teams, the one that, at my age, is my most hated team. I certainly will NOT go out and buy a Vikings cap! And I will not root for Favre if he plays for them. In fact, I probably will not watch a game of football because that's not the way I want to remember it. I don't want to sound like I agree with every little thing this guy says, but another quote from Posnanski sums up how I feel about Favre's return.
“Until they tear the uniform off my back.” Funny, we tend to admire people who say that, but we don’t REALLY admire people who stick around until someone comes to tear the uniform off their back. Think about Brett Favre. How many times have you thought in the last couple of years, “Damn, Brett, walk away already. Geez, this is getting embarrassing. You’re ruining your legacy.” And yet, isn’t this EXACTLY what made Brett Favre in the first place? His whole game was built around his passion for football, his love for competition, the fact that he really was an overgrown kid, the high school quarterback who never quite grew up. Well, why would that go away just because he got old? How can we blame Brett Favre for being Brett Favre?
Okay, so basically I love Favre and won't let anything get in the way of that. Now back to the original quote...
This quote really struck me because all along I've thought that the Favre drama was not entirely Favre's fault but a lot of it was brought on by him. The constant waffling and limited media interviews left me in shock. Most of the time I would think that the media would overanalyze a situation and exaggerate but then it would come true a day or two later and I just couldn't believe it. But I really started to think about things more after I read that quote.
Imagine this: July 2008. Media reports Brett Favre is considering a comeback. We hear nothing else until August when, suddenly, the Packers trade Favre to the Jets. Why? Who cares? The Packers got ripped off! Ted Thompson is an idiot! Why would he keep a guy who never started a game over a 3-time MVP/career TD leader/best QB ever? Doesn't make sense. Media can't make sense of it either. But they don't delve down into it. The story is set that the Packers just thought Favre was too old and didn't want him but Favre being Favre still wanted to play. So they traded him. That's it. Nothing about Favre wanting revenge at Thompson. Nobody knows Thompson and McCarthy basically pushed Favre out. None of that is known to the public....
...But it is. Why? Because the media forced us to endure an ENTIRE summer of Favre drama. Every day it was something new. It's like the reporters got million dollar bonuses for new information regarding Favre. They worked their asses off to get us the latest updates. Because they were infatuated with the player and person that is Brett Favre, they (the media) NEVER got sick of reporting. They were fascinated by the whole thing. Of course, as the public, we all got sick after about 30 seconds. But that wasn't Favre's fault. It's not his fault that the way he played gathered so much media attention and love that his every move is tracked more in depth than the government has tracked Osama bin Laden. Let's face it, if bin Laden was Favre, we'd have caught him September 12, 2001.
Why was it Favre's fault he was cricized for taking his time to decide his return year after year? The Packers didn't give him a timetable! I know me, and I know a lot of people are like me. If you have a paper due but the instructor didn't give you a due date, you DON'T DO IT until a deadline is set. So Favre, being like most of us would, took all the time they would give him.
Why was it Favre's fault that he was shunned by Thompson and the Packers organization? He was the greatest quarterback in franchise history! Certainly he should not have to battle for the starting spot. Was this not the same quarterback who led his team to overtime in the NFC Championship game the year before?
Why was it Favre's fault that he was criticized, as Joe Posnanski puts it, for wanting to play until we rip the jersey off his back? It's the same reason he's always played the game. He isn't trying to add to or destroy his legacy. He doesn't care. He just wants to have fun like the rest of us.
Why is it Favre's fault that Packers fans are now questioning if they can remain loyal as he ponders a return to the Vikings? I realize that he may want to "stick it" to Ted. But after a whole year? That just sounds un-Favre-ish. Maybe he does though, I'm not one to say. Even so, he's already come out and said that the Vikings are the only team that are interested. I don't know about anyone else, but if there was something I loved SO MUCH that being away from it is as hard as it seems it is for Favre, and I was offered a chance to stick with it even if let a few people down, I would probably choose to come back. I really can't blame him.
I can, however, blame the media. They have blown this entire situation so far out of proportion that I really have become more upset at them than at Ted Thompson - which says A LOT. The thing is, they have taken a man and an athlete that was one of the most lovable characters in the sport, and turned him into somebody that everybody loves to hate. All because they loved him so much to begin with! Doesn't make much sense to me why you would destroy the character and integrity of somebody who did absolutely nothing wrong -somebody who was held on a level above all others by many who follow the sport. And that, more than anything else angers me.
So go ahead Brett. Come back. Why not? You love the sport. You love the game. It really isn't your fault if fans choose to hate you because you don the purple and yellow. You can rest assured that you will always have at least one loyal fan who cares enough to write a meaningless blog post to nobody about how much I will forever love you...
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