Back in the early days of Favregeddon, I said this:
Now, just 8 months or so later, the path is clear. Brad Childress has made it blatantly obvious that he wants Favre in Minnesota. The Packers can't stand in the way of it happening, and neither can anybody else. I understand that he needs to be medically cleared after what happened to him last season. . .but if it's determined that the aforementioned "major surgery" isn't needed on Tuesday, the Vikings should demand that Favre have his name on a contract within 48 hours, or be prepared to go on without him.
Well, it wasn't exactly "48 hours" or anything like that, but apparently Brad Childress had the same sort of idea as I did. According to ESPN.com, the Vikings have suspended their pursuit of Favre. Childress apparently mandated that Favre show up at the Vikings' OTAs this week if he was serious about signing with the Vikings for his 19th NFL season, and the ol' gunslinger failed to do so. Now, we all know that this by no stretch of the imagination means that this is the end of this story.
But it should be.
Yes, it was just a few short weeks ago that I declared that I was, as the kids today might say, "down with" the idea of Brett Favre coming to Minnesota to quarterback the Vikings. And I was, if Favre was willing to be a part of the team and participate like everybody else. Yes, I know that Favre just had surgery on his shoulder, and I'm sure that Brad Childress understands that as well. However, all Childress was asking was for Favre to show up. . .not to throw a hundred deep balls to Bernard Berrian or run the two-minute offense or anything like that. All he asked was for Favre to show up.
And he didn't do it.
Favre could have done plenty of other things during the OTA time period as they relate to the Vikings. He could have talked to coaches and his potential teammates, he could have watched game film with folks, he could have just hung around the place and watched what was going on. But he didn't feel the need to do so.
A healthy Brett Favre could probably get himself a job in a lot of NFL cities, based on how he's performed when he's been healthy over the last couple of years. The thing is, though. . .Favre has made it pretty clear that he doesn't want any quarterback job. He wants the Minnesota Vikings' quarterback job. And Brad Childress has made overtures that he wants Favre to be the Vikings' quarterback in 2009. And, frankly, I'm still fine with that. . .if Favre decides he wants to join the rest of the team at the off-season activities that every other player on the Vikings' roster has to go through.
However, if Childress simply allows Favre to waltz in here in the last week of July and take an opportunity away from Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels, both of whom will have spent this off-season busting their respective asses, I'm going to be livid. And I would imagine that this wouldn't go over terribly well in the Minnesota locker room, either.
Sadly, this is exactly what I fear is going to happen. And any positive on-the-field gains brought on by bringing in Favre could be completely offset. . .and then some. . .by what would happen in the locker room and off-the-field.
A few weeks ago, I thought that bringing in Favre would be the key to the Vikings making a run at a championship. . .now I have more of a feeling that it's the sort of thing that could completely blow up the entire 2009 season. And if the entire 2009 season gets blown up, Brad Childress will go down, Rick Spielman could possibly go down, and the very future of the Vikings in Minnesota could hang in the balance.
Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, what did you think of the play?