If you've read my blog you know there are three things that drive me when writing about the sports world: passion, accountability and fun. And Brett Favre embodies all three of them.All roads lead to Brett being a Viking in the next few days. He'll be 40 this season (which is great that he can still do it) and if Vinnie Testaverde can get calls from teams to get off his couch and come help them out at 44 years of age, why can't Brett - who still has the talent to win — still do what he loves?
So Favre is coming back and many people are asking, "Why?" What does he have to prove? Are we really going to have to watch this all day on SportsCenter...again?!?
FAVRE'S COMEBACK MOTIVATION:
Is Favre's motivation to continue to play based on love for the game, ego or revenge against the Packers? I think it's a combination of all three. But unless you know Brett, you can only speculate as to what the true answer is. So let's look at each:
A. REVENGE?
The "Green Bay Packers Did Me Wrong" approach and having the chance to stick it to the Packers - twice in one season — could be the motivating factor. The Packers told him that they didn't want him to play for them, but told him they didn't want him to play for the Vikings. Based on Favre's Feb. 13, 2009, interview with ESPN's Ed Werder, his frustration and anger with Ted Thompson and the Packer organization certainly would lead one to believe that revenge was the reason he still wants to come back, and if so, playing for the Jets as opposed to a division rival was merely a consolation prize.
Another ESPN NFL Analyst and former NFL great, Mark Schlereth, has a number of valid points. One is that there are 16 games in an NFL season. A long, grueling and physically taxing NFL season. So, if the motivation is not for the love of the game but to really get back at the Packers, revenge should not be the motivating factor. There are 14 other games to play that you not only have to physically get through, but as the quarterback you have to lead your team through them.
B. LOVE FOR THE GAME?
As sports communications professionals, part of what we do is help prepare our clients for life after the game. A lot happens when adjusting to life after the cheering stops. Brett is entering a life after football for which he may not be prepared or ready for. It is a very difficult transition. All he knows is football. Letting go of the game is difficult.
So what do you do with your life? The drive and competitiveness you have for anything you do, isn't just replaced and doesn't just go away. The childlike enthusiasm, passion and performance he has displayed on the field through the years — where will that energy be transferred to? It is hard to understand for most people. But just imagine having the one thing you've been passionate about and have done your whole life just come to an end and at age 40 or sooner. If you could still do it, wouldn't you? Or would you be content relaxing on your Mississippi ranch mowing the grass? Especially when you've got a backfield that includes Adrian Peterson, a couple of good receivers and a more than decent defensive unit.
C. EGO?
Some say Favre is a diva. Apparently, the Jets' locker room was divided with Favre in it. I say "apparently," because I wasn't there and I will not fall into the "know it all pundit-based" realm operating off speculation and hearsay. Look, he's a country boy from Mississippi who is just a flat out football player. He's a competitor. It's in his blood. Anyone who's played the game with passion and fire knows this. That's why it was hard for Michael Jordan to stay away from basketball. And it’s a major reason for Lance Armstrong to return to cycling. Brett still has the ability to play the game (torn biceps be damned), can play it on an elite level, and still has the passion to do it.
BRETT'S LEGACY:
What does all of this mean for Favre's legacy? It's his legacy. If he wants to tarnish it, that's his prerogative. He can go out on his own terms. Not ours. Clearly, a lot of people don't like the way the "Wrangler-wearing, gun-slinging, I'd-play-the-game-for-free-if-I-had-to," Favre has orchestrated this thing. His brief stint with the J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS? Clearly didn't end on a positive note for Brett or the Jets (although I was happy for Chad Pennington and the Dolphins, especially after the way the Jets did him).
A (potential) career-ending run with the Vikings? Packer fans may not be able to believe No. 4 may be playing for their arch rivals, but nonetheless, it should be interesting. Get used the Favre drama. It won't end until he's physically unable to play the game. Five years after that, he'll be in enshrined in Canton, Ohio. And as a Green Bay Packer.
As for 2009, with No. 4 at the helm, the Vikings will go 12-4, no worse than 11-5. They have the third easiest schedule in the NFL and Favre knows the NFC North. Well. If he's healthy and can stay healthy at 40 (love that, by the way!), and play with the childlike enthusiasm he has played with for years, Jay Cutler may not be the biggest name coming into that division. One the Vikings should win easily in 2009. It's going to be fun to watch the Packers and Vikings go at it this year.
Oh, by the way, can anyone name the other three quarterbacks in Minnesota right now? Let me help you: Tavaris Jackson, Sage Rosenfels, and John David Booty (who also wears No. 4).
Have fun Brett. Good luck in Minnesota.
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