It’s going to separate the Viking fans from the Favre fans.

We need more of the former and less of the latter.

Thank you for coming back because your teammates asked you to, not because you wanted to. Thank you for throwing bombs with seconds left on the clock when a game was well lost, just because you refuse to quit. Thanks for the damn impressive attempt at the come-from-behind in the first Green Bay game, whether it happened or not. Thanks for not leaving us, but staying on the sidelines at least, throughout this whole circus of a season- you could have gone home and no one would have blamed you, especially after the Bills game, but you didn’t- you were there throughout. Thanks for never being a crybaby- you admited every mistake you made and took full responsibility, never once did you bash Chilly, the O-line, the lack of recievers, or any other completely justifiable excuse you could have had at your disposal. Whatever decisions you made with the Jets was as a Jet- as a Viking, to me, you were truly a class act both on and off the field, and a true leader for our team.

Favre is a devisive issue for Vikings fans, I get it. But while I believe his decision to come play for us in ’09 was selfish- he wanted to rub some victories over Green Bay in their face, and with a major rival, no less- I truly believe his decision to come back in ’10 was entirely for the team, whether it worked out or not. I believe him when he said (paraphrased) that he found something he had been looking for for some time in our team. The way the coaches and players spoke of him- and he in turn about our coaches and players- showed that. Prima donna or not, creepy old man or not, in the end, success or not, he did everything he could for our team this season. Hell, compare how he treated Aaron Rodgers with the way he treated Joe Webb- that just shows to me that he was for the Vikings rather than for himself, at least in ’10 (and I do believe it was the same for at least the latter half of the ’09 campaign).

Of course- I don’t know, no one can know with that guy, cuz we’re not in his head. But I listen to players like Harvin and Longwell speak about him, and if I’m going to err in my judgement it’s going to be towards them. Personally, I’m going to wait just to make sure he stays retired this time (sorry, can you blame me?), and then I’m going to go and buy a Favre jersey- the first Viking jersey I’ll have ever bought since Culpepper’s. (I gave up because I kept buying jerseys and then the players left.)

for what Favre brought to the Vikes, at least in 2009. He might have come to Minnesota for the sole reason to stick it to Green Bay, but I think he came back in 2010 because of what he found here, which was a good team (at least before the season started, ha ha) that he really liked being around.

Personally, I’ll look back at 2009 as one of my favorite Vikings teams of all time, right up there with the ’98 team and a couple of the Purple People Eater teams.

But it’s time, and I think everyone, even Favre, realizes that. It was a helluva run, but it’s time to move on.

Thanks Brett, and Godspeed.