Just when you thought that maybe, just maybe Brett Favre would stay true to his word and stay retired, he goes ahead and signs a reported $10-12 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings. In fact, it turns out Favre was never really planning on staying retired. According to a report yesterday by Jay Glazer of FoxSports.com, many Vikings players "knew" Favre would be in a Vikings uniform. One anonymous Vikings player stated, "I'm telling you it's already done." Wow. I guess we just got fooled (again) by Brett Favre. But in this article, I will try to show you how Favre's appearance will NOT make the Vikings any better than they were before.
First, I'll start with the obvious: his age. He's already 39 years old, and will be turning 40 in October. While QB's tend to be able to play later than other positions such as RB, even QB's usually hit the wall at 40 years old. And even though he's proven to be one of the toughest players in NFL history, his body may not be able to take any more punishment. He's got plenty of wear and tear on him that makes him very susceptible to injury. Not to mention...
...he's already coming off major bicep surgery! Plus, he still has a slight tear in his rotator cuff, which could become much worse. So, we've got a 40-year old QB who's coming off major surgery and is technically still injured. That's got to instill lots of confidence in your team! But people will say, "but Josh, he's 3x MVP, 10x Pro Bowler, and a sure-fire Hall of Famer. He'd be a great addition to any team." While there is no denying that Favre is undoubtedly a HOF QB, there's just one problem...the Vikings aren't getting that HOF QB! You can't possibly believe Favre will be able to come back and produce as he did in his prime, especially not after coming off bicep surgery. The only thing he could possibly bring is leadership, which I'll admit is valuable, but not if your play doesn't help the club. Heck, look at John Smoltz. He's a fantastic leader, but if you can't pitch (2-5, 8.32 ERA), you won't have a job. Leadership can't replace production. Similarly, if Favre throws 22 INT's like he did last year, he probably won't have a job, either.
Look at the way that Favre looked during the second half of 2008 with the Jets. So many picks, his injuries, and everything led the team to implosion. He threw 9 interceptions during the last five games of the season. While he'll obviously play over Tarvaris Jackson in Minnesota, I have to say that Jackson's last four games consisted of just one interception.
Then there's the whole issue of team chemistry. It seemed like Jackson had a close bond with his wide receivers. This is a critical element to a team's success. Favre, on the other hand, is coming into a team that he doesn't know, missed an entire training camp, and will have no rapport with any of his receivers.
As far as the rest of the team goes, Favre doesn't seem to get along with his teammates these days either. Look at all of the incidents in New York, with Thomas Jones and Favre not having dressed with the team, traveled with the team, or anything else. He sees himself as better than his teammates and this won't bode well in Minnesota.
The Vikings will surely generate a lot of buzz with this move, and it may be good for them as far as publicity goes. As far as their success, though, I can't say that I think they'll have a better record in 2009.
To wrap it up, I believe Favre will not be a good addition to the Vikings because of his age/injury risk, his deteriorating arm strength and skills as a QB, and his inconsistency. Not to mention, he won't be able to develop any chemistry with his receivers, and if they don't win the Super Bowl this year, it would be a huge setback for the Vikings' organization. Honestly, it seems like Favre signed with the Vikings out of spite. Heck, just about a month ago, Favre said he wasn't going to play this season because "he didn't think he could perform at a high level." Uh huh. So what has changed? Aside from the fact that he now has a slight tear in his rotator cuff. While I still think Favre is one of the best QB's ever, I feel like this whole situation has somewhat tainted his brilliant career. I really do hope he does well because I don't want to see him fall flat on his face. I want to see him go out on top, but with Favre constantly "un-retiring," I think he never will.
First, I'll start with the obvious: his age. He's already 39 years old, and will be turning 40 in October. While QB's tend to be able to play later than other positions such as RB, even QB's usually hit the wall at 40 years old. And even though he's proven to be one of the toughest players in NFL history, his body may not be able to take any more punishment. He's got plenty of wear and tear on him that makes him very susceptible to injury. Not to mention...
...he's already coming off major bicep surgery! Plus, he still has a slight tear in his rotator cuff, which could become much worse. So, we've got a 40-year old QB who's coming off major surgery and is technically still injured. That's got to instill lots of confidence in your team! But people will say, "but Josh, he's 3x MVP, 10x Pro Bowler, and a sure-fire Hall of Famer. He'd be a great addition to any team." While there is no denying that Favre is undoubtedly a HOF QB, there's just one problem...the Vikings aren't getting that HOF QB! You can't possibly believe Favre will be able to come back and produce as he did in his prime, especially not after coming off bicep surgery. The only thing he could possibly bring is leadership, which I'll admit is valuable, but not if your play doesn't help the club. Heck, look at John Smoltz. He's a fantastic leader, but if you can't pitch (2-5, 8.32 ERA), you won't have a job. Leadership can't replace production. Similarly, if Favre throws 22 INT's like he did last year, he probably won't have a job, either.
Look at the way that Favre looked during the second half of 2008 with the Jets. So many picks, his injuries, and everything led the team to implosion. He threw 9 interceptions during the last five games of the season. While he'll obviously play over Tarvaris Jackson in Minnesota, I have to say that Jackson's last four games consisted of just one interception.
Then there's the whole issue of team chemistry. It seemed like Jackson had a close bond with his wide receivers. This is a critical element to a team's success. Favre, on the other hand, is coming into a team that he doesn't know, missed an entire training camp, and will have no rapport with any of his receivers.
As far as the rest of the team goes, Favre doesn't seem to get along with his teammates these days either. Look at all of the incidents in New York, with Thomas Jones and Favre not having dressed with the team, traveled with the team, or anything else. He sees himself as better than his teammates and this won't bode well in Minnesota.
The Vikings will surely generate a lot of buzz with this move, and it may be good for them as far as publicity goes. As far as their success, though, I can't say that I think they'll have a better record in 2009.
To wrap it up, I believe Favre will not be a good addition to the Vikings because of his age/injury risk, his deteriorating arm strength and skills as a QB, and his inconsistency. Not to mention, he won't be able to develop any chemistry with his receivers, and if they don't win the Super Bowl this year, it would be a huge setback for the Vikings' organization. Honestly, it seems like Favre signed with the Vikings out of spite. Heck, just about a month ago, Favre said he wasn't going to play this season because "he didn't think he could perform at a high level." Uh huh. So what has changed? Aside from the fact that he now has a slight tear in his rotator cuff. While I still think Favre is one of the best QB's ever, I feel like this whole situation has somewhat tainted his brilliant career. I really do hope he does well because I don't want to see him fall flat on his face. I want to see him go out on top, but with Favre constantly "un-retiring," I think he never will.
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