Me and Favre: The Tumultous Relationship Of Favre And a Viking Fan

I'll admit, the sight of Brett Favre in a Green Bay Packers uniform still makes me puke in my mouth a little bit. 

Even with his departure from the Packers, the picture ignites that inner hatred that I've felt towards Favre and the Packers for nearly all of my life. 

The image of Favre in that ugly puke colored green and yellow uniform makes me think of all the times i've wanted to smash my TV while Brett Favre did his over-zealous celebrations after scoring a touchdown or winning a game, or when certain announcers (not naming names... John Madden) spoke so highly of Favre it sounded as though they wanted nothing more than to either sit on Favre's lap sipping hot cocoa while he readthem children stories and gently patted their head, or be carried in Favre's muscular arms to a bedroom on some exotic island (see viagra commercial).    

It makes me think of the happy times too, when I'd change the channel to the end of a Packer's game just to laugh and cherish the close-ups on Brett Favre while he moped and frowned on the sidelines as the Packers lost. Just seeing Favre mope around like a small boy after his team lost made my Sunday afternoons or Monday nights just a little bit nicer. 

Its amazing that as kind as I try to be in life, through a simple football game I found happiness in another man's grief.  I'm sure however, that I'm not the only football fan who has felt this way.

While Some might view my former feelings towards Brett Favre as a little extreme, borderline insane, it all changed when he retired from the Packers. I can remember flipping the channel to NFL Network and seeing Brett Favre giving his retirement speech, and my initial feeling being "Ugh, not more Favre stuff..." but almost suddenly after hearing his words, having to watch. 

I saw in that press conference a man who loved the game so much he had already regretted his decision to retire even as he was announcing it.  I had found a new respect for Favre, his passion for the game which drove him to tears made me kind of feel bad for him.  Feeling bad for Favre was something I'd never done before.

This respect I gained for Favre at what I thought was the end of his career did not diminish when he returned to Green Bay wanting to play, only to be turned away by Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy.  I found that I felt bad for Favre once again, I mean, all he wanted to do is play football and the team he helped build just rejected him... Ouch!!

That's when it all started, the idea of Favre being a Viking, instantly the thought of it intrigued me, I liked it, but of course I knew it wouldn't happen, not as long as the Packer's still had him under contract. 

So the Packers traded him to the Jets and put in the clause that if they were to trade him to an NFC North team they'd have to give the Packers a ton of draft picks and a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos (NFC North trades always have extra incentives, along with Jay Cutler the Bears also received baby food as well as a ten year supply of Pamper's diapers).

Favre as a Jet seemed weird at first but my interest in Favre went away, just as Favre did from the NFC North.  From that time when Favre became a Jet until his second, and what seemed a more thorough retirement, the tought of Favre wearing my beloved purple and gold never crossed my mind. 

That was of course until I turned on ESPN to see Favre's name all over the screen, and candid photos of Brad Childress in his car, or Reporters commenting on how many times Favre has opened his front door. I felt an instant jolt of what seemed to be an awkward happiness. I was excited about the possibility of a Horned #4 handing the ball to the dynamic Adrian Peterson, throwing bombs to Bernard Berrian, and doing whatever he'll do with first-rounder Percy Harvin.

But what about his shoulder? Knowing his performance at the end of the 2008 season and his reluctance to get surgery, I felt my awkward happiness turning into a reluctance to be excited,  I mean, I want Brett Favre, but not an injured Brett Favre. 

From then on the NFL Network's Favre Watch and all of ESPN's false reports didn't interest me much, that was until I heard Favre got surgery.  It was a REAL report too, the truth of it made me just as excited as the first time I thought of Favre as a Viking, and with Favre recently telling Joe Buck and the football nation that the Vikings "make a lot of sense," it seems as though his comeback is inevitable.

As a Vikings fan I feel as though Favre can be the one to lead us to a long awaited Super Bowl Championship. So until he officially makes the decision to come back, ill continue to hope that he does.  I know that some people think that Favre will have a negative effect on the Vikings, and that were better off without him.  All I have to say to those people is we went 8-3 with Gus Frerrote.   

It's wierd looking back and seeing the complete change in my feelings toward Favre.  The negative feelings I once felt towards Brett Favre have reverted into excitement at the prospect of having the dynamic QB, and I've learned something from it. 

What I've learned is that you can never know if your biggest rival could someday be your friend, but until then I don't mind if Jared Allen knocks their heads off, or Adrian Peterson burns by them for a touchdown.  SKOL Vikes!!!