Why Is Brett Favre Holding Out So Long?

It's late July, and many NFL training camps are just kicking off, with football excitement invigorating the warm, humid air.

Oh, and Brett Favre is mulling over another return to the field. Oh, how exciting. At least ESPN thinks so, amongst others, because if not there would be no market to update every 10 seconds of Favre news to.

We continue to hear, "Favre will make a decision soon" and "he wants to make it to training camp," but Favre is still home trying to convince himself he can still do it.

I can see Favre in his bathroom, looking into the mirror with his hands clasped against the frame, repeatedly turning the lights off imagining his glory days and then turning them on expecting to see something different.

"You are the same Brett! I know it's there Favre! Everyone else sees it!!!"

Yeah, everyone but Favre himself.

As blogs and television personalities continue to put pressure on Favre by swearing by him and cursing any other Viking quarterback without "FAVRE" on their back, he seems like a scared little boy who's afraid to stand up to the bully.

Favre hasn't said much to the media, keeps jostling everyone with his deadlines and just doesn't seem to know what to do.

Even guys like Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen got into the act, texting Brett asking for him to return.

Imagine being Sage Rosenfels or Tarvaris Jackson in this situation. I can see a texting conversation between Jackson and Aaron Rodgers going something like this:

Message From T-Jack—Aaron, he's doing it again!!! 12:13am

Message From A-Rod Packers—Tarvaris, it will be cool. Favre wont play for Minny. Just wait and c...12:15am

Message From T-Jack—if one more person mentions him to me ill injure him where he cant play! SMFH!!!!!!! 12:15am

Message From A-Rod Packers—ill send you a packers No. 4 jersey, a lighter and a bottle of grey goose! that is the brett favre survival kit...K.I.T 12:20am

We're used to Favre taking his sweet time to make decisions, but this seems particularly interesting to me.

It's almost like Favre feels like he owes the sports world something since he experimented with a potential return to the Packers biggest rival.

What he's really doing is attempting to pay the Packers back for trading him in favor of Rodgers. How juvenile of him.

We knew that Favre wanted to stick it to the Packers from the outset last season, but Rodgers was good enough to buy another season at the helm and people weren't exactly clamoring for Brett's return.

He expected the fans of Green Bay to want to burn Rodgers and his No. 12 jersey in favor of his legendary No. 4.

Sorry Mr. Favre, but humans have the uncanny ability to adjust and accept, especially when they have a good substitute.

While Favre was playing "within the offense" and "managing the game" in New York, Rodgers was tossing the ball all over the field, scoring points in bunches.

Had it not been for an injury riddled defense that saw the likes of Al Harris and Nick Barnett injured significantly, the Pack might have been in the middle of the playoff pack.

As it stands, Favre fell apart at the twilight of the season while Rodgers gave the Packers faithful hope. Compare the numbers from last season, and they tell a story.

Brett Favre: 343/522, 65.7 pct., 3472 yards, 6.7 avg., 22 TD, 22 INT, 81.0 rat.

Aaron Rodgers: 341/536, 63.6 pct., 4038 yards, 7.5 avg., 28 TD, 13 INT, 93.8 rat.

Besides completion percentage, Rodgers was better all across the board. That's why the fans of Green Bay aren't begging for a Favre reunion.

Neither were the Jets. They'd rather go into camp with a rookie in Mark Sanchez and two very inexperienced QB's in Kellen Clemens and Erik Ainge then have Favre.

That's a loud statement, but somehow the Vikings and many fans don't hear it.

If someone were yelling into your ear, you would quickly turn away. How do the Vikings not turn away here?

At the very least how does Favre not turn away? Is self-serving pride that invigorating to the point that conventional wisdom goes out of the airplane trap door mid-flight like D.B Cooper?

Give that man a parachute, because with the way he may hit the ground, he'll surely need it.

Don't get me wrong, I'll make the proverbial Brett Favre disclaimer proudly:

"I, Samuel Bell Jr. am not in any way, shape or form attempting to offend the legendary, beloved Brett Favre or his fans, and by weighing in with my opinion on his return, I am merely stating what I see as factual in a very respectful way. I reserve my freedom of speech rights to do so, and any inflammatory remarks on the latter will be dealt with. Thank you."

Now that that's out of the way, I can proceed without the hubris of Favre fans who can't see the ghost of father time.

Brett is just too old. Period. He knows it, you know it and God knows it. Brett is too old for football, and his body has taken a pounding.

He was a great football player at one point, and God blessed him with longevity in a tough profession, but Favre needs to face the music at this point.

Why do you believe he's waiting so long to make a decision?

Simply because he knows that he isn't in football shape, and will never be again. Sure, he can throw the ball well still, and his surgically repaired shoulder appears fine.

The key word is "appears" and with his age and what his body has been through, Favre knows he cannot make it through another 16-game season.

Even though he remained on the field, Favre didn't really make it through all 16 games last season. His teammates knew it, we knew it and he knew it. His streak intact, he was done after the Week 13 loss against Denver.

Now, for many speculative reasons, Favre wants to further put his legacy on the hook to return to the Minnesota Vikings, his main team's rival?

It's not worth it Brett.

I'm one of the detractors that felt Favre should've given it up before last season, and despite a great start, it just didn't end well.

I'm giving the same proclamation now, and Favre should listen to someone other than the many people who just see the shell of a former superstar QB, like his own body.

As he continues to consider his return to the league, Favre needs to listen to the music his body is playing for him.

We can ignore many things in this world, but when it comes to professional athletics, the very thing that made you will be what tears you down.

The body you've abused for sport, and the invincible mentality that extreme success has bred inside of you.

I'll eat my words if Favre returns and does really well, but for now I'm singing the same song and doing the same matching dance as last summer.

In the words of George Foreman during the infamous Riddick Bowe-Andrew Golota melee, "Don't do it bro. It's not worth it."