Brett Favre: Why It's Best for the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL If He Sits
In an NFL season chock full of story lines deserving attention from fans and media, one player has managed to gobble up all the headlines and spur the greatest debate: Brett Favre.
In recent years, Favre has drawn the spotlight upon himself on a much more regular basis, with his frequent dalliances with retirement and subsequent returns to the league.
This year has been another story. After moving past the usual preseason "will he come back?" drama, Favre has entered uncharted waters, as he's been accused of sending illicit text messages to Jenn Sterger, a former New York Jets game-day personality.
Coinciding with the controversy has been some of Favre's worst play of his career, as he's been largely ineffective and led the Minnesota Vikings to a disappointing 2-4 record.
Favre has thrown three more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (7), while completing only 58 percent of his passes. He's also taken a physical beating as a result of poor offensive line play by the Vikings, and has nursed elbow and ankle injuries that have jeopardized his consecutive games streak.
Most importantly, though, he's been a distraction to the Vikings and the NFL in general, taking attention away from the players on the field and creating a sort of one-man melodrama that carries on for 17 weeks.
Heading in to a tough game against the New England Patriots on the road, it is time for that consecutive games streak to end.
In this article, we'll go through the 10 most important reasons why now is the time for Brett to take a seat on the bench.
He Needs to Heal
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He's 41 years old and has started 291 consecutive games in the NFL, one of the most physically demanding feats an athlete can accomplish. His body has taken a beating over the last few years, between the shoulder injury that derailed his lone season in New York to the serious ankle injury that he suffered during the NFC championship game last year against New Orleans.
This year Favre has dealt with pain in his throwing elbow, which he's been seen clutching after throws during games. This week alone, it was revealed that Favre was dealing with two fractures in his left ankle—a serious injury that would seem to demand sitting.
Favre's effectiveness has been at its lowest when he's played hurt late in his career. The second half of his season with the Jets was an unmitigated disaster, and his recent play for Minnesota has been almost as bad. You can't blame it all on injuries, but as an older player it definitely takes a toll.
The Investigation Has to Wrap Up
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The NFL announced it would be investigating the allegations that surfaced in Deadspin's original expose on Favre's entanglement with Jenn Sterger. That investigation is still going on, with no resolutions announced.
Favre has admitted to leaving voice mails on Sterger's cell phone, which were part of the material released by Deadspin, but denied sending any of the graphic text messages. Sterger is supposed to meet with NFL officials as early as this week to discuss the information she has regarding the veteran quarterback's actions.
The league, the Vikings and Favre are all in a state of limbo about both how the situation will be handled and what the fallout will be.
One way to speed up the process would be for Favre to sit this week and lobby the league to wrap things up out of consideration for his team and his own career. His absence from the field might make things easier on Roger Goodell and company, as they try to resolve what's become a sketchy situation.
Tavaris Jackson Might Give the Vikings a Boost
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Tavaris Jackson is not a savior and shouldn't be viewed as one, but having a fresh set of legs and a rested arm under center for a week could be a boost to the struggling Minnesota Vikings. In his few stints as a starter for the Vikings, Jackson was never able to fully distinguish himself and firmly stake his claim to the starting gig.
Sitting Favre gives the Vikings a chance to see if they can turn their season around by changing things up on an offense that's failed to click as well as it did a season ago.
One clear advantage Jackson has on Favre is his mobility—an extremely useful asset given that the Vikings offensive line has struggled greatly to protect Favre. Jackson might be able to avoid some of the big hits that Favre has absorbed and may be able to get the ball into the hands of playmakers like Randy Moss and Percy Harvin.
It would be worth a shot for a 2-4 team that desperately needs a win.
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The New England Patriots' Porous Passing Defense
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While playing on the road at New England is never an easy task, the matchup against the Patriots might be an ideal one for a backup quarterback like Tavaris Jackson to step into.
The Patriots have a pass defense ranked 30th in the NFL, yielding an unimpressive 282 yards per game through the air. Their defense has been opportunistic and has forced key turnovers, but they've allowed a large number of yards in each of their games en route to a still-impressive 5-1 record.
Let's not forget that Randy Moss will be returning to a stadium he called home for the past three seasons, and he is more likely to play this game at max effort for a higher percentage of plays than usual.
It adds up to a good situation for a quarterback to step into, and if this is the week that Favre has to sit, it's potentially a good matchup for Tavaris Jackson.
Adrian Peterson Needs to Be the Focal Point
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Running back Adrian Peterson has had an excellent season and has gotten his expected high number of carries, but Favre on the bench would ensure that he will be the focal point of the offense—something the Vikings desperately need in order to grab some wins and climb back into respectability.
His best game to date was the Vikings' first win in 2010 against the Detroit Lions, when Peterson rushed for 160 yards, averaging seven yards per carry and scoring two touchdowns.
The absence of Favre might mean that opposing offenses stack the box against Peterson, but a few well-executed passes by potential replacement Tavaris Jackson might open up lanes for Peterson to run through.
A lot of carries for Peterson, and opportunities to break off huge chunks of yardage, would only increase the odds of a Vikings win.
The NFL Could Use a Break from Brett
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This is somewhat of a no-win situation, given that the fact that Brett Favre would be sitting out a game would be a huge story and create a new barrage of articles detailing Favre's absence.
However, if there were one week in which Favre wasn't out on the field, it would be one less performance to over-analyze and one less opportunity to question Favre's health, effectiveness and general impact on an NFL game.
Obviously he is an all-world talent and a sure-fire Hall of Famer, but the league has been engulfed in coverage of all-things-Favre over the last number of months.
An NFL week without Favre at the forefront would be a potential boost to the league and its fans.
Minnesota Needs to Reduce Its Turnovers
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Brett Favre has thrown 10 interceptions this year, and a number of them have been extremely costly and almost back-breaking. He has always been a quarterback that's taken risks and made ill-advised throws, on the way to securing his "gun-slinger" moniker.
In 2010, at age 41, Favre's gun-slinging has been particularly costly for his team. His coach has openly criticized the number of turnovers Favre has been responsible for on offense. The team desperately needs to reverse the trend of having offensive chances ruined by poorly-timed interceptions.
There's no guarantee that Tavaris Jackson would expertly protect the ball, but he'd presumably be less likely to force the ball into double coverage or take huge chances in general. It could be just the right approach for Minnesota's offense.
Bigger Games Lie Ahead
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In a sport where there are only 16 games on a team's schedule, every game turns into a big game. This year, though, divisional games carry particular importance, given the widespread balance among the league's top teams.
The Vikings have two non-division games in a row (this weekend against the Patriots, then at home against the Arizona Cardinals) before they play pivotal NFC North games in Weeks 10 and 11.
Sitting Brett Favre potentially this week and next week allows his banged-up body and stretched-thin mind a lengthy break in the middle of a rough season. He would be extremely fresh and newly refocused heading into huge games against the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, two virtual must-wins for the Vikings if they are to force their way back into playoff contention.
A healthier, rejuvenated Favre heading on the road to Chicago in Week 10 would be a huge boost for the Vikings.
The Team Needs to Learn to Win Without Favre
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Brett Favre has been a sort of safety valve for a supremely talented Minnesota Vikings roster. They boast extremely high-end talent at running back, wide receiver, tight end and along the defensive line, while not mentioning the fact that they trot out a former NFL MVP at quarterback.
When things go south for the Vikings, much of the attention lands on their star quarterback. When things are going great, most of the coverage is about how Favre can still get it done after all these years.
Now would be the ideal time to turn the tables and bring attention to the rest of his Vikings teammates. Put more pressure to win on Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen, Randy Moss, Percy Harvin, and so on. Make other players make big plays to win games.
To play armchair psychologist, it could go a long way toward building a sense of team, instilling the idea that the collective is greater than the one star that leads the offense every week. If the Vikings were able to rally to victory--be it this week in New England or next week against Arizona--without Favre in the lineup, it would be a big boost for the entire roster.
Brad Childress Needs to Assert Some Control
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At this point it appears that Brad Childress is playing second fiddle to Favre as leader of the Vikings—something that should never happen in the NFL. A head coach is supposed to be in control, and it doesn't always appear that way in Minnesota, as Favre appears to run the offense and be the loudest voice coming out of the Minnesota locker room.
This is a prime opportunity for Childress to reassert himself as the leader of the Minnesota operation. Favre has been saying that he's going to try and play this week despite the fractures in his ankle, and he now claims to be feeling much better, enough to start on Sunday.
Yet Childress has seen his quarterback struggle through injuries and ineffectiveness, and he knows his team needs to stop seeing mistakes and sloppy play bury their chances in games.
If Childress steps up, forces Favre to sit, and rallies the rest of his team around the concept of winning without Favre for a week or two, it could go miles toward rehabilitating his eroding image as a successful head coach in the NFL.
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