Apr

30

We're a few weeks into baseball season, so it must be time to start talking football.

Yesterday, the Jets announced they'd released a retired Brett Favre. Before he was traded from the Packers to the Jets a year ago, Favre had made it abundantly clear he wanted to play for the Packers' NFC North Division rival, the hated Minnesota Vikings.

The very last thing the Packers wanted was for Favre to come 'home' and compete against them at the hallowed Lambeau where he had made his unparalleled career. Thus, the trade included the condition that should the Jets trade Favre to an NFC North team, the Jets would have to give up 3, count 'em….THREE….first round draft picks. That is indeed an incentive not to trade.

…..BUT…..Favre plays one year, then retires [for good] a second time. However, now that the Jets have released Favre, they are no longer obligated under the terms of the trade contract. No matter what Favre does now, the Jets are in the clear. Some would argue that the Jets released him because they picked up one of the top two quarterbacks in last weekend's draft and/or they were just cleaning up their books in the wake of Favre's retirement. The former is true, however, I offer the following….

The release was at Favre's request. Favre insists he's retired, as does his agent and 'sources close to Favre', but….he's insisted that before, only one year ago. If he is retired and intends to stay that way, why bother asking for his release? Preparedness? Hmmmmm.

Moving on, next to Tampa, Buffalo, Cleveland and a couple of west coast teams that shall remain nameless to protect innocent specs in the Bay Area, the Minnesota Vikings have arguably the worst QB corps in the NFL in Tavares Jackson and Sage Rosenfels. Jackson can run, but has no arm and his decision-making is suspect. Rosenfels can pass, but was merely adequate as a placeholder in Houston. Put together in one body, they would make a somewhat fair arena league QB.

Could the Vikes use a quarterback? Say "uh huh". Did they covet Favre last year as much as he wanted to play in The Cities? Oh, yeah. Is there anything Favre would like more than taking a big healthy dump on Ted Thompson, the Packers' GM who from the day he arrived in Green Bay made it clear it was his team and he wasn't putting up with the prima donna stuff? "No", that's exactly what Favre wants. He wants to come back to Lambeau to the cheers of an adoring crowd just to show Thompson he was wrong in not letting Favre come back after he had retired and the Packers had moved on. His chance to do that is to sign with the Vikes.

So, I'm putting my money on an announcement in the not too distant future that Mr. Greatest QB of All Time has signed with the Vikings and will play this coming season. There, prediction on the table. If I'm wrong, I'll say so, but I doubt that's going to be necessary.

He'll play for the Vikes, alright. But, unfortunately, what this aging yahoo from the delta doesn't get just yet is that when the Packers moved on with Aaron Rodgers, their outstanding, patient, out-performing, unassuming, level-headed, charming, team-player of a young quarterback, so did the fans. They're wearing #12 now, not #4. Only the hilljacks around here still do that. Make no mistake about it, when, not if, Favre sets foot in Lambeau wearing a Viking uniform, among the boo's there will be a fair amount of respectful cheers. And then, the entire stadium will cheer wildly and enjoy nothing more than watching their one-time hero being crushed beneath a sea of green and gold.

It seems, like verbal contracts, hero worship is worth the paper it's written on.


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