Brett Favre’s Strong Character Bodes Well for Vikings
August 27, 2009 by Michael Priebe
Filed under Brett Favre, Football, Minnesota Vikings, Opinion, Uncategorized, nfl
Let's be clear about this: There is no Brett Favre experiment going on in Minnesota. His positive effect on the team is a lock.
Let’s be clear about this: There is no lingering quarterback uncertainty in Minnesota because Tarvaris Jackson had a perfect passer rating in Week Two of preseason play and Sage Rosenfels has been spotted making some progress learning the Vikings' offense.
Favre simply exists on a different quarterbacking plane than those already present in Minnesota.
And to ESPN's Adam Schefter, let’s be clear about this: There is no more dissent in the Minnesota Vikings’ locker room than exists in any other of the 31 NFL locker rooms. Ask Jarred Allen.
Favre immediately makes the Minnesota Vikings' offense better. And it's not only because he is the most prolific passer in NFL history. The offensive success will come because Favre will show his new soldiers something they have never seen before—leadership.
Character is leadership, and Favre is as strong as they come.
Over the years, Favre's iron-man status has risen to mythical proportions. His will to play through physical, emotional, and mental trauma has him currently standing on a 269-game starting streak that might never be broken.
Unfortunately, a good portion of the sports media has taken their former golden child to the sacrificial altar during the past months. An inexplicable rash of fury towards Favre is running through the sports beat because its members weren't privy to his innermost thoughts in 2009.
Lately, some people find it popular to argue that Brett Favre has shown signs of "character weakness" since his departure from the Green Bay Packers. Ironically, that period of time has only demonstrated Favre’s strength of character—not a defect.
Retirement would have been the easy option for Favre in 2008, but he kept fighting.
The Packers' brass wanted Favre to be their legend—just not their starting quarterback. Rather than accepting the Packers' generous attempts to assist in preserving his legacy, Favre forged ahead.
The Packers offered their franchise face $25 million in bribe money to stay retired. However, Favre turned away from the Packers' tainted reasoning and followed through on a trade that exiled him to the ends of the football earth—the 4-12 New York Jets.
With no prep time, no knowledge of the Jets vertically-oriented offense, and a biceps muscle in his throwing arm that was shredding week after week, Favre led the team to an 8-3 start and a relevant status in the league.
If you were to believe most of what you read nowadays, the final five games for the Jets unearthed a previously hidden Favre.
He is suddenly a health liability, a giant of locker room division, and just plain unreliable.
The reality is that Favre has never met an injury he couldn't play through, he brings enthusiasm to every locker room he quarterbacks, and he will be the play-calling cornerstone the otherwise talented Vikings have not enjoyed in a long time.
Just like 2008, retirement would have been the easy option for Favre this year.
If Favre had decided not to play in 2009, that would have been a true sign his character has weakened.
If Favre did not come to Minnesota this year, that would have been an absolute verdict of weakness—a signal he was out of date, washed up, and scared to take on a challenge.
That would have been a clear piece of evidence that Favre craved popularity more than playing football.
That would have been a signal that the toughest quarterback to play the game decided he was going to go soft.
And that would have been a shame.
Instead, the 39-year-old Favre keeps fighting in 2009. This will be his 19th season in the NFL.
Vikings teammates and fans alike can take inspiration from that show of character.
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