Brett Favre needs to play football, and the Minnesota Vikings need a credible quarterback.
Thats why Favre and Vikings coach Brad Childress are meeting this week, and its also why Packers fans should brace for Favres inevitable return.
Instead of getting angry or pointing fingers over this seemingly unthinkable situation, its time to accept that Favre, once the face of the franchise in Green Bay, will play for one of the Packers most bitter rivals.
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20090506/PKR01/90506146/1058/PKR01 ">Click here to watch videos on fans from across Wisconsin reacting to the news that Brett Favre might join the Vikings.
Its not as if something like this has never happened.
Herb Adderley and Forrest Gregg were all-time greats who helped the Packers claim five NFL titles in the 1960s, yet both finished their careers with the Dallas Cowboys.
Jim Taylor ran to glory on those same Packers championship teams and remains the teams all-time leading rusher, yet he ended his NFL tenure with the New Orleans Saints.
Vince Lombardi himself, the mastermind of the Packers dynasty in the 60s, closed out his career as coach of the Washington Redskins.
Curly Lambeau, the founder of the Packers who was the teams coach for 30 years, moved on to lead the Chicago Cardinals and Washington Redskins.
More recently, Reggie White was the cornerstone of the Packers defense in the 1990s and helped the team win Super Bowl XXXI, yet he came out of retirement to play for the Carolina Panthers.
The point is, Favres likely return isnt the end of the world, even if he lands in Minnesota. Numerous Hall of Fame players and coaches who accumulated many more championships in Green Bay than Favre have switched teams and allegiances.
In the real world as well as in football, life goes on.
Asked last weekend if he cared whether Favre plays for the Vikings, Packers coach Mike McCarthy replied: If Brett wants to play football, he should play football, and thats really my stance on it. If he still wants to play, he should take advantage of his opportunities.
Favre doesnt deserve to be called a traitor. Even if his primary motivation for returning is to stick it to Packers General Manager Ted Thompson, so what? Favre not only has the right to play as long as a team is willing to employ him, but he is entitled to use any legal motivation he needs.
If Favre is having trouble walking away from the game he loves, so be it. If he thinks he can finish with a flourish with the Vikings, let him give it his best shot. Sure, he risks the possibility of going out on a sour note similar to over-the-hill quarterbacks Johnny Unitas and Joe Namath, both of whom overstayed their welcome in the NFL.
But since when has the fear of failure stopped Favre? Thats not how he rolls.
Favre is addicted to football and believes he still has what it takes to succeed. If the quarterback-challenged Vikings agree, then nothing other than the lingering bicep injury in Favres throwing arm will stop this union from taking place.
The sight of Favre in a purple jersey would create high drama, and the hype surrounding Packers-Vikings games this season would be unmatched. The intriguing story lines would pit Favre against Thompson, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers revitalized defense.
Let the competition begin.