The start of the NFL Season means the continuation of the unbearable Brett Favre saga. This terrible NFL Favre-season (a new synonym for offseason) has reminded me of something. I really freaking hate Brett Favre. I hate the way his name is not phonetic. I hate the fact that John Madden and Peter King verbally fellate him at every opportunity. I hate the way he squandered some really Packers teams because he needed to be a gunslinger and throw off his back foot. I hate that he needs to be the center of attention at at times. I hate the fact that he beat the Pats in Super Bowl XXXI. I hate the fact that he and Dustin Keller were two of the main reasons that my team didn’t make the playoffs this year. But most of all, I hate the utter disrespect he is showing towards Green Bay Packers fans, the best fans in the NFL. The citizens of Green Bay own the team, and agreed to a sales tax increase to renovate the stadium in 2003. Not only do they commit to the team financially, but they pack the stadium, which has sold out every game since 1960. The time that would be spent on the Packers season ticket waiting list if one added themselves today is estimated by some to be 100 years. Lambeau Field has been lauded for its amazing game-day atmosphere, rated by Sports Illustrated as being the best place to watch an NFL game. As much as these people are Packers fans, they were arguably even bigger Brett Favre fans. Whenever you would see a shot of fans going into Lambeau, at least 70% of those who wore jerseys had #4 on their back. He was immensely revered.
The Point of Fantasy Football
Dear Fantasy Players,
There is one and only one key to fantasy sports success. It is more important than research, drafting, and setting your lineup. Your chance of winning a small 10 team league is 10%. Your chance of someone remembering you won last year is 1%. Your chance of someone caring that you won last year is 0%. In fact, it might actually hurt you because they’ll say you’re a dork.
Therefore you must have one objective: the best team name.
Why Brett Favre Needs to Come to Minnesota
If you’ve watched any SportsCenter or read a newspaper over the past few weeks, you have surely heard about the ongoing saga that is Brett Favre and his retirement status. After 16 illustrious seasons at the helm of the Green Bay Packers, Favre decided to call it quits. That lasted all of about five months and Favre ended up in a New York Jets uniform. He started out the season well leading the Jets to an 8-3 record but he fizzled during the final five games of the season winning only one game during that stretch and throwing just two touchdowns in comparison to nine interceptions. Many attributed his slide in performance to his age and felt that Favre, at age 39, was simply too old and too tired to compete for a full 16 regular season games plus any playoff games on top of it.
What I’m about to say may be called blasphemy in the state of Minnesota where I was born and raised, but I grew up a Brett Favre fan which made me a Green Bay Packer fan. I liked the Vikings, but when they came head to head I was cheering for Favre. There is something about the way he played the game with passion, toughness, and (for lack of a better word) balls that made me root for him. Another reason that I wasn’t a die-hard Vikings fan had to do with Dennis Green and Daunte Culpepper, but that’s another story. I have to say that I have become a bigger Vikings fan with the arrival of Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen. As the talk about Brett Favre continues this summer and questions of his arm strength, age, and other factors are debated, I decided to take a look into why Brett Favre “works” for the Vikings this season and why it would be a mistake for them not to sign him.
This season will be easier on Favre’s body than last season. Although Favre will be a year older, he’s coming off of a surgery that should help with the soreness in his throwing arm/shoulder. While I’m sure there are some out there who would disagree with me, I think that the Vikings offensive line is better than that of the Jets and will be able to provide Favre the protection he needs (I’ve searched for offensive line rankings in several locations but many are based on fantasy related aspects which isn’t what we are looking, such as here and here). Some say the Jets have better pass protection than the Vikings, but everyone knew the Vikings were going to run last year and defenses planned for it but the Vikings still ran and ran well. I believe that with a legitimate threat at quarterback, a quarterback who can get rid of the ball quick and make fast reads, the Vikings offensive line will soon be called one of the best at pass protection as well as the best to rush behind.
If you look at last year’s New York Jets’ schedule, Favre played in six games from November on that were in cold weather, outdoor stadium cities. That takes a toll on anybody and especially quarterbacks who have to throw in bad conditions with cold hands. Looking at the Vikings schedule this year, from November on the Vikings have just two outdoor games in cold weather cities. The warm confines of the Metrodome will keep Favre out of the elements late in the season for the most part. The Vikings also have the second easiest schedule this year in terms of strength of schedule and while this doesn’t guarantee that the Vikings will win games, there are definitely some weak teams on their schedule.
