Hello Minnesota, My Name is Brett

Hello Minnesota, My Name is Brett

5/12/2009

Author:  Matt Gerwitz

http://www.FootballDailyNews.com, U. S. Sports Media, Inc

It's mid-May and Spring is in the air; the grass has had its first mowing, the magnolia tree in my yard has bloomed, baseball is fully under way....and NFL fans have begun a ritual that has become an annual rite of Spring - speculating about whether or not Brett Favre will play again this fall.

The rumor mill has begun and this year it's hovering squarely over Minnesota. It began a few weeks ago with football analysts suggesting that "if" Brett wanted to play again he might consider the Vikings. Early last week we learned that Favre asked the Jets to relinquish their rights to him, which they did, but allegedly it was so he could simply take advantage of a retirement package the Packers were offering. Minnesota Head Coach Brad Childress came out and insisted that nobody in the Vike's organization had any contact with Favre, but left the door open by adding that they "talk about everything". Today we're hit with the dual announcements that Mark Wilf is interested and Favre has been throwing to some high school receivers.

In case you're unable to connect the dots let me do it for you. Brett Favre will be taking the field in September wearing the purple and gold of the Minnesota Vikings.

If you're a Minnesota fan this should not be good news for you. Brett Favre was one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game; there's no argument about that, but the key word is "was". Last year's comeback with the Jets was an embarrassment for Favre and cost Eric Mangini his job. If the Vikings make the same series of mistakes this year, it will make Tavaris Jackson a fan favorite and Brad Childress public enemy number one. In fairness to Favre, let me explain.

Like many NFL teams, the Jets began preparing for the 2008 season with the mentality that they were just missing that "one key piece". It just so happens that piece they thought they were missing was a quarterback. They thought Chad Pennington was washed up and Kellen Clemens wasn't ready to go. They may have been right about Clemens but Pennington proved them wrong by having a great season with Miami; but back to my point.

The Jets had a solid running back in Thomas Jones who was coming off 3 consecutive seasons with 1,000+ yards. With Faneca, Mangold and Ferguson on the line, Jones was gaining yards and scoring touchdowns; even the receivers were sharing the ball. All was well in New York as long as games were close and the Jets were leading. But when the pressure was on, the coaching staff scrapped the idea of team offense, forgot they had a running game, and started playing "Brett Ball". They asked the aging veteran to carry the team when he didn't have to.

The "Brett Ball" strategy not only cost the Jets some very important games, including the Seattle loss that effectively knocked them out of the playoffs, but it also demoralized the team. Criticism of Favre began to move through the locker room and come out publicly in interviews. By the end of the season Favre was not the same golden boy that brought such excitement to the Meadowlands on opening day.

And now we have the Vikings looking for one last final piece to get them to the Superbowl. But do they need it?

They have arguably the best running game with Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor, capable receivers with Berrian and Rice, and a good QB to develop for the future in John Booty. They have upgraded a defense that played great last year, especially against the run. They have all the ingredients to go deep in the playoffs if they can learn to play disciplined football. Yet the one component that scares me is Brad Childress. He came from the "pass first" Philadelphia Eagles where he was the offensive coordinator for six seasons. I get the strange feeling he would still be pass happy in Minnesota if he thought he had a capable QB. With Favre in the lineup the temptation might be too hard to resist.

Source: http://www.FootballDailyNews.com, U. S. Sports Media, Inc