With all the draining drama of "The Decision" saga and parties happening at South Beach, LeBron James left Cleveland in tears as a jilted lover. Shortly after there was the aggravated insanity and stereotypical remarks that sounded out of the mouth of Rev. Jesse Jackson, who went over the top by lashing out about Cavs owner Dan Gilbert’s vindictive comments in a letter, that had to be dealt with and created drama.
But it’s now the mid-summer months, a time when the media circus initiates a ruckus in football as the average fanatic speculates on Brett Favre. The indefinite facet is that nobody knows whether he’s returning next season or not, leery to believe him during his summer episodes and eternal deliberations.
Every summer, his decision-making interrupts our sports society and our airwaves, as we guess whether he will retire or un-retire instead of taking a retirement plan and traveling home to the rural areas of Mississippi. The craziness of Favrecenter finally begins to adopt our consciousness in an agitating frenzy, and it normally lasts eternally.
Instead of making up his damn mind, he annoyingly makes a nuisance out of himself, affecting the decisions of other people. With that said, maybe we suffered headaches because of his epic retiring/un-retiring turbulence, largely impelling exhausting debates and vigilant explosion.
All I know is that each summer of the annual adventure involving Favre I've suffered severe headaches and needed Tylenol to alleviate pain. The caveat of avoiding possible headaches is to ignore the tiring madness, though it’s very difficult whenever the status of his future remains indefinite.
Mired in uncertainty, Favre is overly dramatic and creates publicity hype for such a narcissistic, egomaniacal and self-loving persona, wearing down all of us jaded with his unknown decision. A little more than two years ago, you probably grew weary of his wishy-washiness. The problem is you’ve never stopped adoring the game of a gunslinger, a damn near perfectionist on Sundays, with unbelievable precision and stylish footwork.
Rarely, if ever, has a future Hall of Famer hurled passes this late in terms of his long-tenure as arguably the greatest quarterback of all-time. Few still are curious to know if he’s planning on making a comeback and possibly engineering the Minnesota Vikings back to the top in the NFC North division. But hearing all the time that Favre is uncertain and won’t inform the Vikings of a potential comeback is tiring.
By all accounts, he’s more concerned with appeasing himself than pleasing Brad Childress, the one coach who willingly brought in Favre and allowed the self-centered, aging veteran to inspire a doomed organization of inconsistencies and uselessness in the mournful quarterback department.
Now is a good time for Favre to weigh options but, of course, he won’t give a timetable because his ego is larger than a crusader’s voyager, bigger than the land of 10,000 lakes, and bigger than the population in Minnesota. Most notably, though, he’s obviously resisting the disclosure of his status to return or retire in order to avoid mini camp and training camp.
That is exactly his initial plans, with an attitude that preparations and minor workouts in the offseason aren't mandatory. It’s worth bringing to your attention that explosive running back Adrian Peterson missed mandatory minicamp and traveled home instead of joining teammates. The Vikings give Favre this kind of freedom, without even cringing or raising a fuss, favoring the selfishness of an uncertain veteran demanding for a very patient franchise to wait for a public announcement.
If he decides to return for another season in the league, the Vikings will welcome in the old-timer with a savvy mindset after never compromising and unselfishly informing Childress of his plans next season. If so, it would be an immense boon for an atmosphere truly embracing and adoring Favre, selling tickets and watching television ratings grow.
All the worshippers and cynics are gushing over the diva-like quarterback this summer, wondering if he will ever return or permanently sit on his couch and ride his tractor to mow grass. Ever since he announced his so-called retirement at an emotional press conference, he hasn’t been able to distant himself from the game, even when he claimed he was mentally and physically drained.
It’s apparent he missed the game that brought fame and gratification, with his constant retiring, un-retiring, retiring, un-retiring. The pattern is common, as is our weariness with his wishy-washy psyche, while Favre is seen waffling on his state and turning the charade into a publicity dilemma.
He clearly can return for his 20th season in the NFL, but when the season ended so abruptly after suffering the disappointing loss to the Saints in the NFC Championship Game, he said it was “highly unlikely” that he’ll come back. If anything, he owes this to Childress for hiring him as the starting quarterback and having strong confidence that he can orchestrate heroics and lead the Vikings to a long-awaited title.
When no other team pleaded for Favre, Childress was amiable in giving the legendary quarterback a call, asking him whether the Vikings were precisely a suitor. It was very feasible at first that the Vikings were the potential frontrunners in landing Favre. Especially after allegedly being accused of tampering before his contract had expired in Green Bay.
Within moments, he was labeled as a traitor for joining the Vikings, the Packers divisional foes and most hated rivals. Last season, he was booed badly for such betrayal in his return to Lambeau Field, akin to what is unfolding in a jilted Cleveland.
He denies ever coming back for revenge, but only out of admiration for the game. We may never know. It’s very unlikely that he will retire and call it quits on a franchise in the position of possibly winning a Super Bowl, surrounded with marquee players and dangerous weapons.
Although he could be unhappy with the way Childress chastised him for skipping mandatory meetings, Peterson is an explosive running back and untouchable if he secures the ball and limit fumbles. Among all things, he could rely on a prolific receiving core by flinging passes to Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin, viable elements that carried the Vikings deep into the playoffs.
The common theory from most perspectives is that he ages moderately, with his grayish beard and streaks of gray hair. There’s a real good feeling that he’s returning. He may be worried about his aching bones, aging body or slower recoveries, but he's prepared to suit up and emerge from the tunnels for another season.
Being the oldest papa tossing passes in the NFL, he will likely design the playbook by dictating his own plays and calling audibles. This had an unrelenting Childress losing his mind last year. Eventually resulting in a heated confrontation between him and Favre on the sidelines, when he tried yanking his leader in the third quarter.
This is the moment when his critics have ammunition, while he has the leverage to join the team whenever he’s ready. If he doesn’t return, it won’t be for taking on another job in mowing grass or committing time to a laborious task on the farm, but it will be for his surgically repaired ankle. He said his ankle has limited his physical abilities.
With a debilitated ankle that requires a healthy recovery, which hasn’t allowed him to pivot or scramble efficiently, Favre will probably underperform. Thus he is probably carefully considering retirement. He is already the most accomplished quarterback ever, grabbing record-setting plateaus, collecting two MVP awards, and winning a lone Super Bowl title.
What else is there to accomplish? This would be the time to leave the game on top, but knowing Favre, he’ll be back.
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