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FeedBrett Favre fell back to Earth, and I'm glad
Whew, that was close. Brett Favre and his Minnesota Vikings came that close to reaching the Super Bowl.
Am I the only one who's glad it didn't come to that? No, I'm not an embittered Packers or Jets fan whose acute schadenfreud is placated by Favre's latest ouster, but simply someone suffering from Favre fatigue. Kind of like Archie Manning, who's been assailed with criticism by Favre's embarassment of aplogists, for simply iterating what's on the minds of so many.
It's truly refreshing that we'll be spared from the massive overexposure and sappy melodrama Favre invokes from the national football media. No more Bush League theatrics, running and jumping around after a patented Favre touchdown pass. No more endless sub-storylines and sidebars about how the aging warrior is on a "mission" to win another Super Bowl. No more disgustingly lavish praise from whomever calls the Big Game about how, banged-up ankle and all, the swashbuckling gunslinger from the Bayou fulfills his destiny, blah, blah, blah.
Not only am I glad that stuck record needle is no longer skipping; I'm itching to hurl the turntable off its prop like Nicholson cleared off that desk in Five Easy Pieces.
I can't be the only one who long ago grew tired of Favre's act. Problem is, the media's love affair and obsession with Favre's every offseason move will continue soon enough, shortly after a welcome respite for the weeks leading to the Super Bowl. At least I'll have time to restock my aspirin and deal with the obligatory media-fueled Favre Fever when it resumes.
The record will start skipping again soon enough as mid-Februay rolls around and the Super Bowl smoke begins to clear. Favre, soaking up the spotlight as he always has, will hold a tearful, gut-wrenching retirement announcement once he informs the Vikings he's retiring. Again. Then, he'll engineer another comeback on his own terms, stalling the Vikings' future plans. Again. Of course, that won't happen until July, when the big kid gets envious of his NFL brethren taking the field without him. Again.
The Vikings, whose continency plan involves Travares Jackson or some other variety of inadequacy, will certainly want him back, joining a list of other teams who'll be fooled into believing Favre is their "missing piece."
And we'll hear that same, tired refrain about how his "competitive spirit" simply won't allow him to stand on the sidelines while the game he loves leaves him in its wake. Again.
So go ahead and brand me a Favre-hater. I lost a lot of respect for the Hall-of-Famer in the summer of 2008, when, after the Packers committed to Aaron Rodgers, he said he wanted back in and put the organization to whom he owed everything in such a bad spot. After all that ballyhoo, he arrived in New York City and raised hopes before failing to lift an inferior team to the postseason. Then, he finally landed where he wanted to two years ago: in the Twin Cities, irreperably damaging his reputation among a Packers fanbase that never withheld its adulation for their beloved quarterback.
Is there a player out there who more blatantly believes he's bigger than the game, let alone the teams for which he suits up; more laser-focused on his own well-being and legacy than those of his teammates, coaches and organizations?
The sun will rise on the NFL without Favre running around as his cheerleaders tiresomely "oooh" and "aaah" over his latest Herculean feat. Believe it or not, there are other quarterbacks who are more deserving of the spotlight (Peyton Manning and Drew Brees come immediately to mind) who can carry the torch in his wake. It's time to focus all this over-the-top praise and analysis on them for a change.
I won't hold my hand over you-know-where waiting for it to happen. ESPN will no doubt send Ed Werder down South to follow Favre's every move, word and glance. And he'll get to break the story once Favre decides he wants in on yet another season. And the endless cycle of Favre Mania will ingite anew. For one, I'm hoping Favre rides his ATV off into the Mississippi sunset. His time has clearly come and gone. It's easy to keep playing the I-can't-get- enough-of-this-game charade and keep coming back for more. The question is: does he have the guts and sense to hang it up for good? It's unlikely, since history has proven otherwise.
