Brett Favre: Will The Gunslinger Go Out in Glory… or in Flames?

     I have been a Green Bay Packers fan since I popped out of my mother’s womb.  I can’t confirm this with photographic evidence, but rumor has it I was wearing green and gold when she spit me out.  I have never, to my recollection, missed a Packer game.  I have every game since 1988… even the pre-season games… recorded.  You know that guy you see on TV at Lambeau when it’s 4 degrees out with no shirt on and green and gold paint all over himself?  Yup, that’s me. So when I claim to be something of an expert on Brett Favre, I’m not just blowing smoke rings.

     There are a few things I can definitively tell you about old #4.  He is, without question, one of the best to ever play the quarterback position.  He may even be the best.  He possesses a competitive drive on the field that is virtually unparalleled.  He has, for almost two decades, built a legacy on toughness and the simple fact that he does things no other quarterback in history has or could.  He brought greatness back to Green Bay; made it relevant in the sports world as something other than a novelty once more.

     But there has always been another side of the Brett Favre coin.  While he may be responsible for more “Oh my God!” plays and moments than any other quarterback in history, I can tell you that he has made an equal number of boneheaded “What the hell was he thinking?” plays.  Every week,  Brett Favre performed miracles.  He had what… a million fourth quarter comebacks?  What those who witnessed on Sportscenter failed to see is that 9 times out of ten, it was the gunslinger himself who put them in so many precarious spots.  You saw the shovel pass 10 yards down field while Warren Sapp was bending him over backwards to a streaking back, gaining 12 yards on third and 11.  I saw the next play, where he overshot his man by 15 yards because he threw a knuckle ball (because he’s Brett Favre, dammit!) when a gentle touch pass would have been just fine, and get picked off.  You saw the play where he rifled a ball 40 yards into triple coverage and found his guy; I saw the other 4 times he tried it and it didn’t work out so well.  And neither of us noticed, except in retrospect, the guy standing all alone just beyond the first down marker all alone, 6 yards down field.  But with Brett, you took the good with the bad, and for 16 years it was, for the most part, a pretty good deal.

     So it comes as no surprise to those of us over here in Wisconsin that Brad Childress is having problems with Brett.  Some players are bigger that their respective sports; the Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky types.  And  at one time, Favre was in that category.  The problem is that a few years back, he started buying into the hype.  His on again, off again retirement year after year; always done right smack dab in the middle of the spotlight.  The way he came back this year.

     Make no mistake; this last comeback has been remarkable.  Statistically, he had (up until 3 weeks ago) enjoyed the best year in the NFL.  Better than Drew Brees; Better than Peyton Manning.  Three interceptions.  That’s an actual miracle when you consider that we’re talking about the man who has thrown more picks than anyone in history.  He had the Vikings at 10-1.  What kind of record do we think this team would have had with Tarvaris Jackson pulling the trigger?  6-5.  Maybe 7-4.  Maybe.

     But those of us who have watched the Brett Favre show from it’s beginning against the Bengals knew that trouble was brewing.  Let’s rewind to the beginning of the year.  One piece of conventional wisdom seemed to be the consensus:  If Favre could accept the fact that this was Adrian Peterson’s team, and not try to completely run the show, he would probably be successful.  And those of us who know scoffed.  Had these people actually met Favre?  Did anyone honestly believe that he could settle into the role of game manager?

     Week 1 went as planned; Peterson ran for 180 yards and three scores.  Favre threw only 21 times for 110 yards, and the Vikings won handily.  Week 2:  Peterson only runs 15 times, for 92 yards.  Favre throws 27 times.  Week three, he throws for over 300, and everyone forgets the conventional wisdom.  Favre has taken over this team.  There will be no game managing from #4.

     Fast forward to week 12.  The Vikings are now 10-1.  And they are, without question, Favre’s team.  And a passing team, at that.  Adrian Peterson, who is without a doubt the best running back in the NFL, is now a supporting player.  He has only surpassed 100 yards rushing twice since week one, and has, in various games, posted rushing totals of 55, 63, 69, 19 and 35 yards.  Everyone was blinded by success, and now the damage is done.  Vikings fans need to accept this fact:  for the remainder of this season, this team will live and die by Brett Favre’s 40 year old arm.

     The good news is that there is a chance that it could land them in the Super Bowl.  If he is on, the Minnesota Vikings are capable of beating any team on the playoffs, even the Saints and Colts.  The bad news is that he probably won’t.  The Vikings are just as likely to bow out in one game as they are to win the Super Bowl.  It is even conceivable that the deed could be done by the Packers…. would that not be ironic?  At any rate, Minnesota fans, you got exactly what you paid for.  It’s time to do what we here in Wisconsin did for a decade and a half…. sit back and enjoy the show.  It’s a hell of a ride.