Brett Favre vs. Packers: The Revenge Factor

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Let’s make one thing clear.

Brett Favre says he is not out for revenge. This is about justice, and the football field is his court of law on Monday night.

Speaking at a press conference Thursday at Winter Park in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Favre and Vikings coach Brad Childress stressed "team." The focus going into one of the most important games of one man's career is not about that one guy.

“I will never play for quote unquote revenge," Favre said . "It’s too long of a season…at this stage of my career, it’s definitely not worth doing that.”

Fans are divided. The media has spun this Favre saga in and out of its premature grave, making even the most ardent fan indifferent. The stories just resurface all over again with the hype for this NFL game between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers becoming one of the greatest sports stories of our time.

And yet, this aging quarterback with a chip on his shoulder claims he doesn't have a score to settle with the team that dismissed him.

So how are fans to perceive what his mindset should be going into this monumental game?

Take a closer look at the word overused by sports writers.

According to Wikipedia, “revenge (synonym vengeance) is a harmful action against a person or group as a response to a (real or perceived) grievance. Although many aspects of revenge resemble the concept of justice, revenge connotes a more injurious and punitive focus as opposed to a harmonious and restorative one.”

You see its negative connotation? This is not some subway shooter with a vendetta. More aptly put, “justice generally implies actions undertaken and supported by a legitimate judicial system, by a system of ethics, or on behalf of an ethical majority.”

Isn’t that more like it? Wikipedia adds, “revenge generally implies actions undertaken by an individual or narrowly defined group outside the boundaries of judicial or ethical conduct. The goal of revenge usually consists of forcing the perceived wrongdoer to suffer the same or greater pain than that which was originally inflicted.”

This sounds exactly like what Favre’s motivation was last year after he was traded to the New York Jets. With this refereed affair, he doesn’t have to take the law into his own hands. He doesn’t need the court of public opinion. The aging future Hall of Famer just needs one win.

Don't be fooled by what Favre says. Just like his former head coach Mike McCarthy, he is playing it down. He says a player has to play with emotion to be successful, but still keep those emotions in check.

“If it doesn’t mean a whole lot to you, you shouldn’t be playing," he stated.

Favre says he is preparing for this contest just like any other game because, “it gives us a chance to go 4-0. So, I can’t look at it any different…it’s one game.”

But he still has something to prove.

Obviously intimating his feelings about his bitter split with the Packers, Favre said, "either you're told you're not the best or you feel that someone is going in a different direction. I think you'd want to, you know, prove that you can still do it."

Despite that mysterious arm injury that hampered the end of a promising campaign in 2008, he’s not washed up. The old gunslinger can still add to his highlight reel. Proof of that came just last Sunday, with the miracle finish against the San Francisco 49ers in his first home game in a purple jersey. You could see it inspired his team and turned many heads.

With a growing legion of believers now in Minnesota, Favre has more chapters to write. And we're just getting to the good part of the story, maybe the climatic or anti-climatic finish.

“I want to play well. I want to lead like I expect to lead,” Favre said. And you can throw away stat sheets, especially if you are comparing his performance by the numbers with Rodgers, who replaced him in Green Bay. Pure and simply, “what matters is winning.”

He won’t need his surgically-repaired arm to propel his team to another victory with Adrian Peterson in the backfield. He just needs to take what his old pals on defense give him. Even if that comes in the form of disguised blitz packages. The veteran will be able to respond in several ways.

If he’s not out for revenge, it shouldn’t be like Jay Cutler’s first game in a Chicago Bears uniform against the Packers. There’s a lesson to be learned there. Don’t force the ball—take the sack if necessary.

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