Favre’s Dirty Play a Bad Sign for Vikings

Yes, it is still only the preseason and yes, the games mean absolutely nothing…but did you see Brett Favre’s third quarter crack block on Houston Texans defensive back Eugene Wilson's knees?
 
In the Wildcat formation with Percy Harvin playing quarterback, Favre lined up as a receiver. Wilson wasn’t even looking in Favre’s direction while running toward the ball and BAM, Favre takes out his legs.  Favre was issued a 15-yard penalty on the play. While Wilson was just fine, it begs the question, what is going on in Minnesota?
 
First of all, why is the old man even playing in the third quarter of a preseason game? Favre had already told reporters he thinks he cracked a rib because it hurts him to take deep breaths. So one would think that playing the entire first half of a meaningless game would be sufficient.
 
To his credit, 13-of-18 for 142 yards and a touchdown is nothing to sneeze at (although the TD was off a screen pass that went for 28 yards).
 
Favre has never played in a Wildcat formation, and he has never been relied upon to make a block. I wouldn’t call this play if this were a playoff game! The Vikings gained seven yards in two Wildcat formation plays.
 
That play in a nutshell shows you why the Vikings are in trouble. They are a desperate team that is taking a lot of big risks. Head Coach Brad Childress's seat will get incredibly hot if his team stumbles off the bat. Childress knows this and is basically moving all of his chips to the center and crossing his fingers.
 
I’m not sure if he even knows what to expect from Favre at this point. You can talk about the easy schedule, the dome, and the familiarity he has with the offense 'till you're blue in the face, but in the end Favre is a 40-year-old gunslinger who will be amongst the leaders in interceptions.
 
He wore down in December and arguably cost the New York Jets a playoff spot with his lousy play. He has already set a bad example with his complete disregard for training camp, a time when players bond and actually develop some chemistry. Clearly, Favre could care less about what people think about him.
 
The big question will be if he can also be a league leader in touchdowns. If he has to keep making blocks, then the answer is a definitive NO.
 
Keep using Favre as a blocker Coach Childress, and watch the odds of losing your bet increase dramatically. If Favre goes down they are back to square one at quarterback, which will be the case either way at the end of the 2009 season (unless Favre wants to play the retirement two-step again).
 
Good luck Minnesota, because it looks like your going to need it.

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Brett Favre, Michael Vick News Cycle Drags on with No End in Sight

The NFL season is still three weeks away, and already two stories have been covered to the max, even by ESPN’s standards.

Michael Vick and Brett Favre need to be cut off the media radar.
 
Ironically, neither of the two will even be a factor during the 2009 season until at least mid-October. Vick finally signed with a team and is now practicing with the Eagles.
 
Is it really necessary to have Sal Paolantonio attend every Philly practice, giving us an update on Vick’s wind sprints? The speculations over what team would take the massive P.R. hit and sign him are over.
 
The man is out of jail and is now just another player in training camp. This does not merit the continued coverage. Talk to me in week six when he is ready to play.

I can already predict the Vick stories over the next two months:
 
Vick looks in shape, Vick gives Eagles a wildcat option, other teams must now worry about the Eagles running the wildcat, Donovan McNabb and Vick get along and are friends, McNabb and Vick will be on the field together, the protests, the angry headlines, and of course, the livid dog owners.
 
Does any of this have relevance to the first month of the 2009 NFL season? Why can’t this story go on the back burner till Vick can actually make an impact ON the field?
 
Sports Illustrated football writer Peter King already has a prediction:
 
“I think I'm setting the over/under on Sal Paolantonio's days spent reporting from Eagle headquarters or Eagle games this season, and I'm doing it right now. There are 139 days between today and the end of the regular season. Over/under: 140.”
 
I’ll take the over.

Then there is Brett Favre. He just simply will not get away from my TV. It has been the most painfully slow death of an NFL career since Emmitt Smith went to the Arizona Cardinals.
 
After two agonizingly dull months of Favre to the Vikings talk, he decided to stay “retired.” I want the collective 24 hours of Favre updates of my life back, please.

So finally we all thought he would drift off into the sunset.

But wait, there’s more!
 
Yesterday some “unidentified” Vikings player was quite convinced Favre was coming when he said, "I'm telling you it's already done. I don't think anyone here doesn't think that."
 
Today a Mississippi TV station reported that Favre had boarded a plane en route to Minnesota. Here we go again...ESPN reports he will sign a $10-12 million deal.
 
Now we will be subjected to a whole new round of speculation amongst the talking heads. They will rehash the same arguments that have been used since the spring. Once again the focus will not be about X’s and O’s, but on a guy with a gray whiskers who may or may not be too old.
 
Knowing Favre, he might even change his mind four or five more times in the next month. The Sage Rosenfels era might end before it even gets started. So much for that impressive first preseason game; he’s getting bumped by a Wrangler jeans-wearing 39-year-old diva.
 
The running game will dictate the Vikings season, not Favre. So why doesn’t ESPN talk about Adrian Peterson every day? How did Carson Palmer and Tom Brady look in their first games back after major injuries? Which rookies look to have early success? How will Jay Cutler and the Bears compare to Kyle Orton and the Broncos? Will the Steelers' offensive line hold up for big Ben Roethlisberger?
 
Unfortunately, this is all second fiddle to the media empires. We will continue to get bashed over the head with Vick and Favre well into the season.

The funny thing is that there is a chance neither player makes any sort of impact on the field. But clearly that is irrelevant.
 
You have been warned; be prepared for a loooong couple of months of the same old stories.