My feelings exactly, Dave.
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2009/07/02/sports/00myers.txt After listening to a seemingly endless barrage of opinions about Brett Favre and his apparent desire to play quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, five things have become abundantly clear.
No. 1: Favre really wants to play. The fact hes willing to endure the never-ending parade of ESPN squatters/reporters living outside his home says as much about his determination as his willingness to undergo surgery.
No. 2: The Vikings really want Favre to play, too. Minnesota head coach Brad Childress realizes as well as anybody that at 39 years old or 59 years old, Favre is still better than what they have with the two-headed quarterbacking monster that is Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson. Childress also is smart enough to realize that much of his job security is tied to the performance of his quarterback. Given the recent performance of Minnesota QBs, if he doesnt land Favre, it might not be a bad idea for Childress to keep that North American Van Lines number handy.
And lets not forget Favres ability to sell a team jersey. Its hardly a coincidence that the Packers souvenir shop sales fell off by millions of dollars last year after their ugly divorce with Favre. You can imagine the Vikings would be very interested in cashing in on Favres ability to connect with consumers almost as much as his ability to connect with receivers.
Bottom line, if you can put butts in the seats and money in the till there is a spot for you on an NFL roster.
No. 3: The NFL would really like to see Favre in Minnesota. Not only would his playing for the Packers biggest rival create great storylines for the media to run with, it will help create great revenue streams for the league to run with.
In addition to selling tickets, Favre in purple will drive TV ratings locally and nationally which in turn drive advertising rates. And in the NFL as in most businesses the bottom line is the bottom line.
No. 4: There are plenty of reasons why Brett Favre should consider walking away from the NFL. First and foremost is his health.
As someone who has been 39 years old before himself, I can assure you at Favres age there are many things other than cereal that go snap, crackle, pop. In an ultraviolent game that is played at a dizzying speed, the physical limitations of an aging body are a very big deal, especially when the aging body in question is your own.
On a more positive note, hes already won a Super Bowl, was named league MVP three consecutive years and holds most of the NFLs significant passing records. In other words theres not a lot left to accomplish.
No. 5: Worrying about protecting his legacy isnt nor should it be a valid reason for Favre to stop playing the game he loves.
His legacy is just that. His. Its care or lack thereof is his business. Its not for snarky pundits (myself included), other players or fans to decide how Favre should protect our memories of his playing days.
There also has been a glaring lack of honesty in the discussion about his legacy. Those who claim to be concerned about how Favre is remembered in fact appear to be most concerned about having to see him play for the hated Vikings.
While the image of Favre as a Viking is understandably an upsetting one, the feelings those people are experiencing are anger and resentment and should not be confused with concern or a sense of caring, and frankly are beneath the great tradition of Green Bay Packers fans.
If Favre wants to continue his career and still has the ability to do so who among us has the chutzpa to say he shouldnt?
Truth be told, if seeing Favre play for Minnesota destroys our memories of his career, it says more about us than it does about him.