So after all the months of speculation, the rumors have finally borne fruit. Brett Favre is a Viking now. I must say, as a football fan, I don't know if this is a good thing for either Brett or the Vikings.
First off, Brett is 39 years old. I'm sorry, but very rarely does a quarterback succeed at this age, no matter what pieces are in place around him. How will his throws go? Will he be able to get back into game shape by Week 1? What about his recent shoulder surgery? The doctor who performed the surgery made the summation that Brett had actually been playing with a torn rotator cuff for the past couple of years. Up until a couple of weeks ago there were all sorts of doubts about his health, yet in the past 12 hours they all seem to have disappeared.
Let's also not forget the legacy part of this. Brett was a great quarterback who did some very good things for this game. He had his struggles with painkillers, but bounced back and gave all he had every year to win. There are some who would compare him to Michael Jordan. Unfortunately, I don't see the good comparison here. Jordan couldn't let basketball go and spent a couple of seasons with the Washington Wizards. While his stats were still in the upper echelon, the argument could be made that Jordan was more a distraction for the Wizards than anything else. In the end, Jordan did not go out with the champion legacy he worked so hard to build. Brett Favre is headed in the same direction. Honestly, after losing to the Giants in the NFC Championship game in 2008 he could have retired with his full legacy still intact. He lost that legacy with his run with the Jets last year, and is now in danger of sinking even further down.
Along with my counterpart here, I have more than a few family members who are Vikings fans. They, along with Mardi, all agree that the coaching of the team is, shall we say, less than stellar. Even if Brett Favre plays at half the level of his 2 Superbowl runs, will he be effectively utilized? The coaching staff also worked to put the pieces in place for either Sage Rosenfels or Tarvaris Jackson... now that work is scrapped and they only have 4 more weeks until the season opener - you know, when the games actually count. My cousin in Duluth mentioned that the Vikings were only a quarterback away from the championship. He may be right, but coaching is still the same X-factor it was the past few seasons.
That being said, I don't find this deal to be good for Brett, the Vikings, or for NFL Football. As a football fan I hope I'm wrong... but then again, maybe this will teach those Vikings fans some humility *wink*.
Oh yeah, let's not forget Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, Gus Frerotte, and Brad Johnson - all 35+ year-old quarterbacks who have recently started for this team. I don't think any more needs to be said about those names.
Comments are welcome.
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There is a slight correction to be made. I remember reading somewhere a couple of weeks ago that Favre had surgery on his shoulder. As it turns out, he did not have surgery. The assessment on his shoulder by his doctor, however, is accurate. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
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