Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Pros/Cons of Brett Favre as a Viking
The most recent reports around the sports universe show that barring some unforeseen incident with Brett Favre's shoulder, he will play in the NFL next season and he will do so as a Minnesota Viking. Oh, the irony. I remember advertisements with Vikings defensive tackle John Randle chasing around a chicken in a tiny Brett Favre Packer uniform. Will the advertisements this year show Aaron Kampman chasing around a chicken in a tiny Brett Favre Viking uniform? It seems quite possible.
So if Favre goes to the Vikings, what are the benefits for them? As I see it, the Vikings have very little to lose. They currently have two quarterbacks who would undoubtedly be inconsistent at best as starters in the NFL in Tavaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels. Both would rely heavily on the power running game of Adrian Peterson and the Vikings' defense, which may be a touch worse than 2008 with the departure of another former Packer, Darren Sharper, who signed with the New Orleans Saints. I wonder if Sharper staying in Minnesota would have provided a bit of mediation between Favre and the rest of the locker room as another so-called Packer traitor. As it stands, Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell will serve as that buffer.
The Vikings have a good team without Favre, a team that has improved consistently over the past three years under head coach Brad Childress. They will still be a good team if Favre doesn't sign with them or turns out to be a disaster. Even if they end up dealing Rosenfels or Jackson, they'll most assuredly have one of them on hand in case Favre implodes.
Over the past few seasons, Favre has shown his age in the months of November, December, and when he has had the opportunity, January. The solution for him is the same as it is with any kicker who is at his age or above, move south or get indoors. Moving from Green Bay to New York helped a little bit, but not enough to curb Favre's age completely. Inside the Metrodome, Favre will be able to command his game far better in the later months than in previous seasons.
The Vikings are truly a contender to be in the Super Bowl with a healthy Favre. If his problems in November and beyond are not due to the cold, expect an early exit or a meltdown similar to the New York Jets of 2008. But if it is weather-related, pray (if you are Vikings fan) that the Vikes can clinch home-field advantage and keep Favre inside the 70-degree Metrodome.
But what does Favre have to gain or lose? Well, if he melts down this season, he is done. Not even the Detroit Lions would sign him if Matthew Stafford retired and signed with the Detroit Tigers. If he stays retired, signing with the Jets will appear as nothing more than a blip in his career for most of his fans. But if he signs with the Vikings, he may very well be hated by the entire Packer universe. He lost a lot of respect by signing with the Jets, signing with the Packers' biggest (or second biggest depending on who you ask) rival would incur a wrath not seen in the NFL perhaps ever, whether Favre succeeds or fails in Minnesota.
If he succeeds and brings the first ever Super Bowl victory to Minnesota, he has nothing to fear, the Minnesota fans will praise him and herald him as a hero until the end of time, but if he fails, he will have no fans left in the entirety of the universe. The Minnesota fans will go on hating them as they have for nearly two decades, even more so for ruining a perfectly decent potential season for them and the Packer fans will hate him all the more for attempting to get revenge on a franchise that worshipped him as long as Vikings fans hated him.
Brett Favre signing with the Vikings is a great deal for the Vikings. They have very little to lose. But for Brett Favre, this is perhaps the most dangerous move in the history of the NFL. The man who should be considered at the very least as one of the three best quarterbacks of all-time may go down in history not being loved by a single NFL fan. Brett Favre, I beg you to consider that before re-un-retiring.