Minnesota Vikings: I Love Brett Favre, I Hate Brett Favre

FOXSports.com is reporting that Brett Favre is all through, that he's told his Vikings teammates he's thrown his last pass in the National Football League.

We've been down this road before and my inner voice says Favre is bluffing. That he has too much pride to walk away now. Not now. Not with the Vikings as a serious Super Bowl contender in a world where champions never repeat. Not with Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams daring him at least once a week these days.

Just like yesterday
And I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
Don't get fooled again

As a football fan and former college football announcer, I go way back with Favre.

When Southern Mississippi head coach Curley Hallman put him in his first college game, Favre was such an unknown quantity that he was not even listed in the school's media guide. So, the Tulane play-by-play announcer asked the Southern Miss Sports Information Director how to pronounce his name. The Southern Miss SID shrugged and said, "I guess FAV-RAY is how you pronounce it."

As the pre-game host of Tulane football in 1997-98 and 2000, I had access to the old dusty game tapes. I popped one labeled Tulane/Southern Miss in the cassette recorder and hit fast forward until I found the spot I was looking for. 

At last, I found it.

"Coming into the game at quarterback for the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles is a freshman, Brett FAV-RAY."

Soon the entire college football nation would know his name. Favre would see to that in short order.

Brett Favre let his play do the talking.

He sleighed the college football giants of the world. The Alabamas. The Auburns. The Florida States back when Florida State was Florida State. He turned the college football establishment on its head at this small school in the sticks- Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

His extraordinary play got a bad head football coach—Curley Hallman—the head coaching job at LSU.

I knew a girl who attended Southern Miss at the time, and she told some great stories about a young Brett Favre living life in the fast lane in those days. There was never a shortage of beautiful women who wanted to party with Brett Favre, and he believed in living life to the fullest in those days.

There was always one more party and many beautiful southern ladies waiting for Favre.

After some late night partying one night, he crashed his car and was seriously injured and had most of his intestine removed. He was back on the field within a couple of weeks, knocking off another giant of the college football world. 

Jerry Glanville couldn't stand him in Atlanta, and rightfully so, as Favre spent most of his time pouting like a two-year-old.

And then, he found a home in Green Bay, and they loved him there, and he played his heart out. He was like a gunslinger from the Wild Wild West, and he won those Packers a Super Bowl.

He was the ultimate contradiction; a hard worker who could be lazy about practice, a great teammate but one who who showed no interest in mentoring a young Aaron Rodgers, a straight shooter who has gone back on his word time and again.

We loved the Brett Favre who stared down his inner demons and successfully battled drug addiction. We loved the Brett Favre who stood by his wife Deanna as she battled breast cancer. We loved the Brett Favre who would battle you right down to the final second.

We hated the Brett Favre who toyed with the emotions of fans over and over again and seemed to revel in the national media spotlight. We hated the Brett Favre who refused to go out on top. We hated the Brett Favre who said it wasn't his job to tutor Aaron Rodgers. We hated the Brett Favre who dissed Packers fan by saying the Vikings were the best team he has ever played on.

And now, it has come down to this.

And every fibre of my being tells me this is Brett Favre bluffing again. 

This is the lazy Brett Favre who doesn't want to go to training camp.

This is Brett Favre the drama queen.

This is Brett Favre that is too stubborn to walk away from the challenge Gregg Williams has thrown down at his feet.

Then, the doubt trickles in, and I think this may be it.

At 40, maybe he has finally lost his battle with Father Time as Drew Brees will one day. As all the great ones do. Time marches on and new heroes surface, yet it's sad to see one of the game's all-time greats walk away.

And I find myself hoping Brett Favre is in the Minnesota Vikings starting line-up against the New Orleans Saints on opening night, because I know in my heart and soul that a Saints victory over the Vikings would be pretty hollow and not mean a thing unless it comes against Favre.

You see, I love Brett Favre, and I hate Brett Favre.