Brett Favre: History Repeats Itself in NFC Championship Against Saints

The name Brett Favre used to bring many thoughts to mind—youthful, exuberant, relentless, gunslinger, risk-taker, competitive, winner.

But in the past few seasons, connotations have definitely changed.

The “Golden Brett” has gone from a team-playing All-Pro quarterback to a selfish, egotistical, hard-headed athlete. Much of that disdain comes from Favre’s innate lack of making a decision, noticeable in his last two stints with the New York Jets and the Minnesota Vikings.

Favre went from starting over 300 games in a row and setting multiple records to being a poor man’s Michael Jordan; retiring, unretiring and taking teams and the media on a whimsical ride which has definitely outplayed its stage time.

And when Favre had the chance for ultimate payback by leading his former rival Vikings into Miami for Super Bowl 44, he does the same exact thing he did in the NFC Championship two years prior against the New York Giants: throw a costly interception.

It was a play which could ultimately represent the end of his storied career, just as many thought his pick in overtime in 2007 was going to be his final heave with the game on the line. The funny thing is that Favre could have avoided the interception altogether.

As I watched the play occur in real time, I was shouting at my TV screen. "Run it, there’s nobody there!" I vehemently exclaimed. I wasn’t even rooting for Favre or the Vikings, nor was I cheering on the Saints. It’s just that sometimes fans get too much into games and realize that little glimmer of hope an athlete doesn’t notice, and this was one of those instances.

The interception followed a Vikings' penalty for too many men in the huddle, a thoughtless mistake for such an experienced football team. And everybody in New Orleans, Minnesota and the rest of the world knew Minnesota wasn’t going for a first down. They needed 15 yards to achieve such a feat but only around five to seven to get into reasonable field goal range. I mean, it wasn’t Scott Norwood on the sideline; it was Ryan Longwell!

But it just wasn’t meant to be. Coach Brad Childress picking Favre up from the airport, Favre skipping training camp, Favre avenging the Packers and their fans for their “mistreatment”—it was all for naught. The biggest prize the Vikings strove for, the biggest reason they went out on a limb and chased Favre in the first place just didn’t pan out.

And now, as Favre repeated history in near identical fashion, he is probably making a different kind of history as he mulls another retirement and another conclusion of a season on a bad note.