The Crystal Ball FAVREFAVREFAVREFAVRE

Another NFL season is upon us and of course we had to endure yet another will-he-or-won’t-he-play soap opera drama from Brett Favre. To say everyone is fatigued with this particular song and dance would be an understatement. Peter King, one of Favre’s biggest sycophants, went a whole article without mentioning Favre. I myself am still stunned. It’s ok; he mentioned in the next one how he didn’t mention Favre in the previous article. But the overall temperature reading for this particular reality show has shown audience weariness.

And like any long running series, the producers needed a new twist to bring the audience back. Well, this time, they came up with a rather unique plot device, in the form of the Vikings dispatching three teammates to Brett’s Mississippi home to lure him back to the team for another run at a championship. Their convincing argument, it turns out, was telling Brett to do this “for the guys”. That sounds like a sweet story does it not? Brett’s compadres appealing to his sense of duty and camaraderie so he once more rides in on his white horse to save the day? It’s also full of bunk.

Now, since the drama hit full stride in mid August, there have been a deluge of opinions and articles about what this means for Brett, the Vikings and the NFL in general. There have also been a variety of theories regarding the motivations behind Favre’s unsurprising triumphant return. So let’s just clear that up before he changes his mind once again.

This is not about money. Sure, the Vikings folded fast at the poker table when Brett began his annual waffling and happily upped the stakes. But I do not believe this is merely a cash grab. With someone of Favre’s stature, he could easily rake in tons of money with a multitude of post playing career options without the threat of further bodily harm. It seems silly to passively extort a few extra bucks from an NFL franchise when there are networks and advertisers who would fall all over themselves to throw money at Brett the Great.

Nor is this about a love for the game. It has been well documented throughout his career that Brett loves to play football. Heck, Wrangler built its advertising campaign around Brett just playing for the heck of it in some muddy field in his jeans. I believe he would do that. But he didn’t come back just because he loves football. He would still love football tossing the ball to high school kids in Kiln.

And this most certainly is not about doing it for the guys. I found that to be the thinnest explanation of them all despite puff pieces that support the theory. If he truly was coming back just for his teammates, that he really cared about them, their welfare and their chance to potentially be champions, he would have been in camp from day one. He would be working with his receivers to get their timing down. He would be working with his offensive line to learn their movements, strengths and weaknesses in order to better protect his increasingly immobile self and know when and where to deploy his running game.

This is about ego plain and simple. Favre loves that his coach will come to his home during the off season to beg him come back. He loves that the owner will throw gobs of money his way just to try to entice him to return. He revels in the fact that an organization will send three of its star players to visit him, during training camp, in order to beg him to return. He adores all the press that fawns over him constantly, and has fully bought into the notion that he, and only he, can lead the Vikings to a Super Bowl championship.

Throughout his lengthy career Favre has built up a tremendous amount of goodwill and adulation both from fans and the media. But each year this “retirement” stunt chips away at that reserve. This is his third year out of the Gold and Green and each passing year further erodes that standing of a warrior and eternal joyous kid only to reveal a greedy egomaniacal mercenary only after his own glory and ego gratification, at the expense of anyone in his way.

For once, we finally see the media, which he has courted so masterfully, turning on him and questioning his motives and actions. I questioned it years ago, mainly because each retirement felt so contrived. Each time he “retired” it felt as thought he was playing up public ethos to find out just how beloved he was to the press and the fans.

Mind you, I do not blame Favre for the creation of this monster. That falls solely on the shoulders of the media who started peppering him with retirement questions as early as 2002. But I blame Brett for perpetuating the nonsense and escalating it yearly.

Many who come to Favre’s defense point out that at this stage of his career, and with all the accomplishments on the field he as garnered and as long as his body and talent remain intact, he has earned the right to play as long as he wants. I have never disagreed with this opinion. If he wants to play, play until the wheels fall off. I see little to gain when you push a super star out the door. I have similar thoughts on Joe Paterno I may share soon.

But don’t insult the intelligence of the fans and humiliate teammates, coaches and an organization by giving everyone this aw shucks average Joe baloney, waffle for six months and then swoop in at the last moment claiming to only return for the guys. I call bullshit.

If he wants to play, then play and leave the drama behind. If he wants more money, then just ask for it. The Vikings have already shown they’d be happy to pour it on, you want more, and they’ll give more. Heck Green Bay was willing to give him $20 million just to stay retired and be Brett Favre Packer legend. If he’s feeling his age and doesn’t want to do the training camp crap, then say so. I think he’s probably earned the right as a super duper star to just say so and the organization would happily say, take five Brett, we’ll see you in late August.

And if he’s really doing this for the guys, as he claims so adamantly, then be there with them from day one, sweating, bleeding, struggling and laughing, and show them he is about the team, he is about the ultimate goal and not above the team but an integral part of it.

Otherwise Brett, quit acting like an insecure teenager looking for attention and get your fanny either on the field or for once and all retire. There’ll be no hard feelings either way, just make a decision and stick with it. I’m sure we’d see you every Sunday anyway on some pregame show and I guarantee we’ll see you again in five years at Canton. And the love will always be there. Heck I bet Peter King already has his introduction speech written.

But for now, let’s just call this latest episode of As The Favre Turns what it is, an ego trip sponsored by the Vikings, endorsed by the NFL and brought to you by the national media. And that’s one for the guys.