In all fairness to number four, this is not Favrepoluza 3.0. He is not coming out of retirement — this time. He has just been AWOL from camp. What happened this time around is essentially the same as the lightly known or regarded (former 49er and now Seahawk) Kentwan Balmer. Both are guys who did not attend contractually mandated training camp, were asked repeatedly by coaches and the General Managers to attend, and chose instead to opt out. It was not a hold-out, contract dispute, or anything else that kept them away from camp. It was simply not wanting to be there and having “other things to do.” Each pondering personal futures while under contract with an NFL organization.
The differences between Kentwan Balmer and Brett Favre are too numerous to list. So for sake of brevity and levity, let’s just say one has significantly more MVP awards, Pro Bowl appearances, and has assured himself a spot among the immortals in Canton. Favre finds himself in a situation few could imagine. His organization needs him desperately, but he was truly ambivalent about returning for a 20th NFL season. Who could blame him after all. Posting career best numbers last season in his 19th NFL campaign and finishing just short of another Super Bowl appearance was special. If it were not for the brilliantly brutal scheme put together by New Orleans Saints Defensive Coordinator, Greg Williams, Favre likely wins that game and would have played in Miami for the Super Bowl title.
Pundits line up from all over America and beyond to throw in their two cents and stones as to how Favre is: selfish, a drama queen, uncaring about his teammates, unconcerned that he is under contract, not a team player, and a litany of other crimes against humanity. What those pundits fail to grasp is the uniqueness of Brett’s situation. If you can find me ANY player with a situation remotely similar to Favre’s, I will buy you a steak dinner. It must be agreed that his situation is universally unusual. With this uniqueness comes strange circumstances which give him the right to work-out the end of his unprecedented career on HIS terms. We are in a situation the League has never seen. Would anyone expect John Glenn to go through basic flight training again or demand that he decide before he was ready weather or not he would participate in his historic Space Shuttle mission at age 77. It would be insane and disrespectful.
Yes, I clamored for Favre’s departure from the Green Bay Packers in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Unproven Aaron Rodgers needed the chance to be there for a long time. Management needed time to turn that storied franchise around and Brett Favre was in the way. You do not build an organization around an aging quarterback with one foot in the game and one foot out. With Favre’s departure from Green bay, Brett has been allowed the dignity to move along at his own pace without holding a storied franchise hostage. Those who believe organizational hostage taking is exactly what Favre has been participating in with the Minnesota Vikings are wrong. The Vikings have all the pieces in place, save a quarterback. Many of their best players have contracts due to expire at the end of this season. With Favre they are legitimate contenders for a Super Bowl. Without Favre, they are at best a 10-win team that, if fortunate enough to make the post-season, would get knocked out of the tournament early.
When Favre was at the end of his tenure as a Packer, the team was headed nowhere. These situations are not as similar as many would have you believe. It is thrilling that things have worked out so well for both sides and we now have another season to enjoy one of the most engaging personalities the game has ever seen continuing to add to a legend likely never to never be repeated. That is the end of the issue for me and good luck to both teams as they battle each other for supremacy of the NFC North. We will likely be seeing both teams playing deep into January.
