The Rocking Chair Quarterback: Favre Takes Vikings from Adequate to Awesome

Somewhere in Minnesota, Brad Childress breathes a huge sigh of relief. Tavaris Jackson can be found behind a phony smile as he talks to reporters.

   All that does not matter now, as Brett Favre has decided (once again) to get up from his rocker and hobble through his 20 season of professional football. 

   Only Favre.

   Only Favre can trade in a ‘proud grandpa’ shirt for a purple number seven jersey.

   Only Favre can leave a team and its nation in so-called limbo for months over a decision like this, although anyone could have seen this coming. 

   Only Favre could endure the process of healing a bum ankle, a process which probably still is not over with.

   And why not? The man deserves it.

   Take a look at his statistics from last year. Do they mirror the expected results of a man who is two months shy of his 41 birthday?

   In a sport where the average age of retirement is 33-35, Favre’s record of 275 consecutive games played puts him in a class of his own.

   But you did not need me to tell you that. ‘Favre’ is no longer a household name in just Atlanta, Green Bay, New York, or Minnesota. 

   Some love him, some hate him, and some are just tired of hearing about him. Favre’s saga can even be found at the epicenter of office pools (Congratulations to whoever selected August 18).

   I can empathize. Recently I have gained my fair share of Brett Favre headaches.

   When your getting more air time than someone like Snooki, you know you have achieved ‘prima donna’ status whether you like it or not.

   At times television viewers cannot go a day without seeing one of Favre’s Wrangler Jean ads or laughing at his ironic waffling in his Sears commercials.

   Even SportsCenter, the station that Favre’s news has taken over, made him the focal point of a clever commercial.

   And like it or not, Vikings’ fans, he is also the focal point of your Super Bowl dreams. 

  Before Favre, the Vikings were definitely not lost, especially with the likes of Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen. I would even argue that they are still a playoff team without Favre at the helm. 

   But Favre makes everyone better around him. 

   He is the kind of guy you want to have next to you in the locker room; the kind of guy that can have the team’s success put squarely on his shoulders and still perform well under pressure.

   In a league where the good ole’ days of grind-it-out football have taken backseat to aerial displays breaking scoreboards, it is almost necessary to focus an offense around a great quarterback. 

   And no matter what team you root for, you love to see Favre play. He’s a strong, resilient leader who just happens to have more gray hair than your average nursing home. 

   With Favre’s arrival, it is definitely safe to say that the Vikings are again one of the top threats to win it all.

   Pay no attention to the fact that their fate depends on an injured left ankle, but recognize whose ankle that is. 

   Ignore the fact that an interception has ended the last three years of Favre’s career, but recollect how his season ended in 1996. 

   Do not get angry over Favre’s attention-grabbing antics about retiring, but praise the man for wanting to play the game he has eat, breathed, and known his whole life.

   Favre stated that he will call it quits after his contract expires this season. Whether this ‘promise will stand true remains to be seen. As long as Favre is able to play, he will want to play. 

   Even if it is ten more years, I will put up with the offseason shenanigans just to see Favre don a professional uniform. 

   “He’s coming back.”