Originally Posted by
Joemailman
Your post reminded me of something written about Favre late in 2010.
Brett Favre will stand on the Vikings' sideline for the last time today. Thus will end one of the
most volatile episodes in Minnesota sports history, an 18-month window in which Favre
sequentially proved right anyone who ever praised or doubted him.
Favre will end his career as a limping contradiction. In a society that revels in either-or debates,
Favre has proved that "all of the above" can be the correct assessment of a polarizing individual.
You can take either side in a debate about Favre and be right. He is at once the most prolific
passer in NFL history and the most erratic great quarterback to ever play the game.
He is renowned for his fourth-quarter comebacks and clutch play, and yet has thrown more
season-destroying interceptions than any quarterback in history.
He is the toughest man in the annals of a brutal sport -- having started 297 consecutive games at a
position that is the equivalent of a clay pigeon at a shotgun range -- and the most emotionally
needy player ever to don a helmet.
He is a charismatic leader who can unite a locker room and inspire a huddle, and he is a divisive
figure who was known in New York for ignoring his teammates.
He wouldn't tutor Aaron Rodgers, his chosen successor in Green Bay , yet he volunteers his time
coaching high school kids in Hattiesburg , Miss. He launched or improved the careers of a dozen
coaches -- including Andy Reid, Jon Gruden and Mike Holmgren -- and ended the head coaching
career of the man who brought him to Minnesota and helped him make $28 million in 18
months.
He craves the spotlight but won't dress for it, favoring old jeans, sweaty golf hats and perpetual
stubble even during news conferences watched by millions.
He shuns the media five days a week -- a writer from Washington , D.C. , once told me it was
easier to land a one-on-one interview with the President than with Favre -- yet manipulates
national reporters every week to disseminate dubious messages.
He will forever be remembered as an iconic Packer, yet he began his career with Atlanta , visited
New York and chose to finish his career with the Packers' arch-rival, intent on beating the
franchise that made him famous. He is a Hall of Fame quarterback who became a symbol of
longevity, and yet each of the four teams that employed him was glad to see him go.
He prides himself, as he once told me, in "playing like a kid," even when teammates put a
rocking chair in front of his locker. He "loves the game" yet can't bring himself to show up for
offseason workouts or the opening day of training camp.
He is a Southern good ol' boy who made his reputation on the Frozen Tundra. He reveres the
record book and NFL history but once flopped on the ground to help New York Giants defensive
end Michael Strahan break a sack record.
All of which makes you wonder: When Brett Favre looks in the mirror, does his reflection appear
in 3-D? Because Favre is so internally conflicted, so relentlessly contradictory, offering a final
assessment of him isn't easy. Remember, it was a year ago that Favre was preparing to help the
Vikings whip the Dallas Cowboys in the Metrodome, in one of the most impressive
victories in franchise history. It was less than a year ago that Favre was preparing to run the
Vikings' offense up and down the field against the eventual Super Bowl champion
Saints in the deafening Superdome. At the age of 40, in his first season in purple, Favre came
within one pass of taking the Vikings to a Super Bowl they might well have won. Therein lies the
Favre conundrum: He was the reason the Vikings were able to come within one of Favre's
startlingly amateurish interceptions of doing what had never been done before in 50 years of
Vikings history, and he was the reason the Vikings followed that thrilling season by with an
implosion so spectacular it could probably be seen from space.
Favre giveth, and Favre throweth away. Even at the end of a season in which he showed up late,
extorted team owners for a raise, got his coach fired, destroyed his team's Super Bowl
aspirations, became the subject of a sexting scandal and groveled for sympathy every time he
stubbed his toe, Favre set a record for perseverance that may never be matched and conducted a
dozen of the most compelling, funny, insightful news conferences we'll ever witness. It is typical
of Favre that as his performance and machinations destroyed this season, destroyed what might
be the last chance for many of his teammates to qualify for a Super Bowl, he remained a popular
figure in the locker room, a source of humor and a subject of admiration. You can hate Favre or
love him. But why choose?
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