Skip to main content

Favre Talking Points


I was a closet Green Bay fan in high school, mainly because of some big-time Packer fans in my church. Granted, it was easy to pull for them, since they weren't rivals with America's Team -- that's right!

What intrigues me the most is that three teams took different approaches to Brett Favre, and I believe they would've have been mistaken to respond differently.

  1. Packers were criticized (as was Favre) for not letting Favre come back. I'm sure there are still some detractors that would say Favre would've won more games than Rodgers (6). What's interesting is that Aaron Rodgers QB stats (other than wins) were better than Favre's. The point is that, the Packers weren't going to win the NFC last season, with or without #4. They could be a Super Bowl team in 2-3 years. The Packers made a great move by parting with Favre. It couldn't have happened better for them.
  2. Jets are a bit more troublesome to parse apart. The only thing that makes them look foolish is the semi-successful season that Pennington had last year with the Dolphins. BUT the Jets knew that Pennington wouldn't get them to the next level. He's a 9-7 QB, at best. Granted, the Jets missed the playoffs last year. BUT the Jets are now free and clear of a franchise QB. They can begin again. There are times when nothing is better than a fresh start. They grabbed the QB in the draft whom they thought would be the next Montana or Favre. That's what you have to do as an NFL franchise.
  3. Vikings still have the jury out on them. However, these factors lead me to saying the Vikings made the best decision they could have:
  • Neither Tavaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels would finish the season over 9-7. Guaranteed. The Vikings window for success in the NFL this go around is limited. Favre is twice the QB those other 2 guys are.
  • It's not about saying you aren't getting Favre, and then going back on it. It's about winning. If the Vikings start the season 5-1 or 6-2, Brad Childress will be considered the next Belicheck. Winning changes perception. Fast.
  • The Vikings made a great decision by giving themselves an option clause for Favre's 2nd year of his current contract. There will be some serious QB talent coming out of college next year. The Vikings are now in position to get one of them, whether Favre stays another year and trains that QB or not.
People get off track, because of the fact that the situation for none of the above teams was ideal. It's not like they chose Brett Favre over Matt Ryan. These 3 teams made good decisions with the hand with which they were dealt.

Popular posts from this blog

No Zion, No Problem? Not So Fast.

Everyone in the media has wanted their piece of the pie with Zion this year. Each highlight reel dunk and spectacular block has only increased the media fervor and number of followers. As Duke looks to face Syracuse, and presumably Virginia Tech as well, without Zion, let's consider what Duke looks like without Zion, and what it must do against Syracuse to leave the Carrier Dome with a W. DUKE WITHOUT ZION Duke without Zion is not a cart without a horse. But it might be a sports car without its turbo. Or maybe a chef without her secret sauce. Here are the main points to consider: MAIN POINTS - A Five Spot 1. Without Zion, Duke can’t play “position-less basketball” since all bench players have limitations. Not only is Zion our best two-way player (offense and defense), but he also allows the greatest roster flexibility in terms of building around him. He wreaks havoc wherever he is on the floor. We don't have another player like that, certainly not from the bench
Read more

Processing US Women's World Cup Final loss

Without a doubt, this year's Women's World Cup was the most entertaining (on this side of the pond, as they say) since the 1999 edition of the global tournament. The USA's performance and "never say die" attitude endeared this team to many American fans rather quickly, which was no more apparent than when the team stormed back to tie Brasil in 120+ minute, before going to win in penalties. Unfortunately, the dream ended in penalty kicks to a resilient Japanese side who was more fit for the task. Here's my attempt to process and set expectations on yesterday's US loss: 1. The best team doesn't always win in soccer. Sometimes, even the most dominant team in a particular game doesn't win that game. (HT: Grant Wahl , Sports Illustrated) 2. Here are some notes on penalties ending this game: (a) Tough on USA, since Japan had data on US shooters, since they had just seen them against Brasil. There are players that take their penalties the same direction
Read more

BCS Postseason Analysis

If the controversy surrounding the BCS System and college football bowl format, it certainly is the most complex and misunderstood controversy. The morning after the BCS championship game, here are three talking points: 1 - We're closer than ever to seeing a change in the traditional bowl format. The 2011 bowl season again proved how difficult it is to sell out every bowl game. This usually results in the participating schools having to eat the cost of those tickets. That trend can't continue. Playing in a meaningless bowl game actually costs some schools more money than they make by participating in the game. You can read about one instance of this happening here , involving the 2011 Virginia Tech football team, which made it to the Orange Bowl. The school had to eat 9,500 tickets it couldn't sell. They lost a total of $421,000, and it could've been a lot worse. 2 - The BCS isn't the enemy of the playoff system. In fact, they could actually be really good friends
Read more