Brett Favre Still in the News and Still Undecided

With NFL training camps beginning, Brett Favre has been in the news a lot lately about whether or not he will return. Coach of the Minnesota Vikings, Brad Childress, took a trip out to Mississippi just to hear Favre tell him again that he was undecided. I am really sick of all the talk surrounding Favre and how he has made this all about him and how the Vikings are still allowing this.

First, let me preface this whole thing by letting everyone know that both Favre and the Vikings know Favre is coming back. Come on, he is. He is not undecided at all. When the season ended and he said yet again that he did not know whether he was coming back or not, ok, so there was a chance at that point that he actually did not know. The longer he was undecided, the more clear it was that he was coming back. This is just a song and dance both sides are playing so that Favre can skip training camp just like last year. A year ago, Favre announced in the middle of the preseason that he was going to the Vikings. This year he is going to wait until the middle of the preseason and then he will announce that he is coming back. So for all of you that are actually Favre watching to see whether or not he'll stay or go, there's your answer.

Not only is this what he did last season, but the Vikings have also shown that they knew with their approach to the offseason. Before Favre came to Minnesota, this was a playoff team with no quarterback. The only person in the world that thinks Tarvaris Jackson can actually play quarterback is Childress. He let that experiment go on far too long and finally even he had to admit he needed a quarterback. If the Vikings thought for one second that Favre was even considering retiring, they would have brought in someone, whether it be through the draft or free agency. Without Favre, the Vikings turn back into the playoff contender with no quarterback. With a quarterback, they know they can challenge for the Super Bowl. There is no way the Vikings would allow that opportunity to slip by. The whole conduct the Vikings have shown this summer and last has been so frustratingly patient, that they have to know something we don't. It does not matter who that quarterback is, no team in the NFL goes halfway through the preseason without knowing if they are going to keep their starting quarterback or not. It just does not happen. On his most recent trip to Mississippi, Childress said he still would not give Favre any kind of a timeline. That's because he already knows he is coming back. If not, the Vikings have been completely mismanaged and if Favre does somehow decide not to come back, their season will suffer tremendously and it will be their own fault for not forcing him to decide.

So yes, if Favre is actually undecided, both sides are being stupid. Favre is being selfish and the Vikings are being spineless. This is not the case. So why do I still think Favre is being selfish and the Vikings are being spineless? Because Favre is thinking only of himself and in such a team sport, for the Vikings to allow this is unbelievable. How many players could tell their team, I'll play but only if I can skip training camp? I mean, they're not fooling anyone. Most NFL analysts know this is what's going on so you can be sure the players know it too. Training camp gets players back in shape for the season, important now the Favre has gained 14 lbs. this offseason, and allows the players to start coming together as a team. For quarterbacks, this is important so they can learn player's tendencies, how receivers run their routes, how running backs handle the ball, etc. There's a lot for them to learn. Training camp is not optional because it is important. Favre will miss a lot of practice that he needs and there will be teammates who resent this notion that he is too good for training camp.

People like throwing arguments out there saying it's ok. Favre is 40 years old, he can't handle an entire training camp. It did not seem to affect the team too badly last year as they went all the way to the conference championship game. These arguments are just plain dumb. The Vikings are well aware of Favre's age. If they are worried about how much he can take in a full season then put him in a jersey and put him on the sideline. They control the camp, they can have him play as much or as little as they want. You can learn a lot from just watching. That's why players and coaches constantly watch video. Plus, by being there they can get him back in shape. He's gained 14 lbs! He's out of shape! He needs it even more this season than last season. Plus, him being on the sideline will help his relationship with the rest of the team. Players resent this kind of thing! The Redskins have all come out to criticize Albert Haynesworth for all the nonsense he has put the team through. It will affect his relationship with the team and how he plays. When the New York Yankees signed Roger Clemens, he had it put into his contract that he was not required to travel with the team if he was not pitching. The team clearly resented a player, who was seen as a leader, stipulating that he did not want to be with the team. This is the same thing. Last season, while many people thought Favre was just trying to skip training camp, we did not know for sure and players would be more likely to give him the benefit of the doubt. Something like this had really never happened before. If he does it again this season, there can be no doubt. While Adrian Peterson and the rest of the purple and gold are working and sweating and hurting, Favre will be putting his feet up in his air conditioned home, still supposedly pondering whether to come back or not.

In such a team sport, it really bothers me that a player is putting himself that far above the rest of the team. What is even more baffling is that the team is allowing it! I just wish Favre had retired after Green Bay. I still had some respect for him after New York. Now I have none. Remember what Favre's legacy used to be? How much people looked up to him and loved him? How we used to cheer for him when he came onto the field after the death of his father and played so tremendously? Now I just want him to go away. Have the last three years really been worth it?