Is Brett Favre Overrated?

Don't you love that commercial, the one where the puny little business guy apologizes for interrupting the Dick Butkus speech being given to him and his co-worker?

Well, maybe I should apologize to John Madden in advance for what I know will be considered sacrilege and stupidity in the eyes of the greatest Brett Favre-lover in the world and everyone else who agrees with him.  

I'm sorry John Madden.

I need your forgiveness because I am going to argue here that Brett Favre is overrated.

That's right, the guy who is currently quarterbacking an undefeated team, the guy who has more than one league-MVP trophy, the guy who holds many of the NFL's passing records, the guy who likes to skip around the field like a deer on a cold winter day, and who slaps butts like no one who ever played the game before him gets too much hype, too much love and too much credit when the discussion has to do with the greatest quarterbacks ever to play the game.

As someone once told me, "Don't speak to be understood so much as to make sure you aren't misunderstood."  Let me practice that right here.

I'm not saying that Brett Favre is not a great quarterback.

I'm not saying that Brett Favre has not been entertaining to most NFL fans.

I'm not saying that Brett Favre's talent, longevity and durability are not impressive.

I'm not saying that the guy isn't one of the best stat-hounds ever to play the game.

I'm not saying that he isn't a slam dunk Hall-of-Famer.

What I am saying is that, while I would put Favre in my top 20 quarterbacks of all time, I'm not sure he is in my top 10, and I am certain that he isn't in my top five. 

Most people put him in the top three and some put him at No. 1.  It is on that basis, using that as my standard of rule, that I say he is overrated.

Favre has always been able to put up stats.  I would argue that one of the reasons he has been able to do that, along with his very real talent, is that he played for teams that wanted it to be that way.  I would also argue that Brett wanted it that way. 

The personality that has been put on display for all the world to see, in his never-ending tearful retirement act, is who this guy really is.  

Is he likable?  Yes.  Is he selfish?  Yes.  Does he have to be front-and-center in his world?  Without question.

And so, much like Dan Marino, Favre always preferred offenses where it was throw first, throw often, and, especially, throw inside the red zone.  In fact, throw inside the 5-yard line.  How many touchdown passes does this guy have for less than three yards?  

What gets mentioned about Favre, but always dismissed, is that he has killed his team in some of the biggest situations over and over again.  He has thrown away tight ball games.  He has thrown away playoff ball games.  Who can forget his six-interception performance in the playoffs?

Someone says, "But he won a Super Bowl."  True enough.  

But the kick returner was the MVP of that game.  And what happened the next Super Bowl?  Favre's team was favored but lost to the Denver Broncos.

I believe that one measure of a great quarterback is what he does with his team when it is favored.  Does he lose games he is supposed to win?

When you are playing the NFC Championship game at home and your team is favored and the weather has played into your hands, do you throw it away with a god-awful interception?  

Yeah, he did that, too.

That is Brett Favre.  

Media types, football watchers everywhere, even football players love him because he is the unbuckle your chin strap, slap a butt, give a wink, swashbuckler of a player.  He is hyped and hyped and hyped.  But when it comes to the most important issue, doing what is necessary, consistently, to make your team a winner, he isn't in the top 10 in my book.

Sorry Dick Butkus, I mean John Madden.