So because this turned into a 7th grade girls thread, it's getting locked. Seriously folks, the rules that Kyle laid out at the beginning of the thread didn't equate to splitting the atom, for God's sakes--Ted
What this became.
Don't want to read a story regarding Brett Favre? That's cool. In that case, I would strongly suggest moving along....... NOW.
So, here I am breaking my own current vow to not write about Brett Favre stuff for this website. There are two reasons for that: first, not being a resident of Minnesota, I feel somewhat unqualified to write as in-depth about the stadium as some of the other writers here (and for an example as to why I'm right, just look at the stuff Skol Girl and Ted put out. Think I could write anything close to that? Nope). Ergo... I have nothing else to write about. Secondly, I'm breaking my vow because I have a feeling that this story is actually going to shock somewhere between 25-40% of the readership here at DN.
Now, two other things before we get started. First off, this is not to bash Favre, Favre supporters, or those who became Viking fans thanks to Favre and have decided to stick around. Hey, I'm a former Moss bandwagon-jumper myself, so I hold nothing against the new Favre-bandwagon jumpers. We all have our own ways of coming into true fandom, and one way isn't inferior or superior to the other. To those who have joined us from the beginning of Favreaggedon- welcome, hope you stick around. Honestly, if you're still here after last seasons' debacle, then you get a share in our eventual Super Bowl victory just as much as others here. The second thing is a disclosure- while I was a Viking fan long before Favre came around, and would still be one regardless of what he had done- I liked the guy coming on board. I thought 2009 was exciting as hell, I enjoyed him joining forces with us to beat down the Packers twice that season, and I even appreciate the fact that he seemed to be a team player and a guy who was at least willing to give it his best effort in 2010, results be darned.
And since I've said all that already- if anyone doesn't want to read this story... just stop now and read something else. If you post in the comments that this isn't sufficiently Viking-related or that you hate Favre's guts or that you want to find me and burn my house down for writing this, your comment won't be visible for very long. Fair enough? Cool.
As great as 2009 was, THIS is really the image that Viking and Packer fans... along with the majority of the NFL... will remember in just a few years.
Now, onto the actual story. Again, for the DNer's here who joined us alongside Favre and have stuck around, for those of you who are younger and to whom Favre is the only actual memory of a real quarterback on our team (ergo, the post-Culpepper crowd)- don't get your hopes up on #4 being a retired jersey for the Minnesota Vikings.
Green Bay Packers President, CEO, and Prince of Darkness Mark Murphy told Pack fans on Wednesday that Green Bay will, indeed, be retiring Favre's jersey one day. Obviously, the hold-up is the whole ‘is he actually retired?' question. (The correct answer is yes- he is. But I don't blame the Pack for playing it safe regardless.) Now again, since I assume part of the crowd I'm writing for here might be younger, let me explain this- this should not be a surprise. I have always considered Favre, even to this day, more a Packer than a Viking. IF Favre had helped us win a Super Bowl in either of his seasons with us, that MIGHT have actually been debatable. Actually, it really wouldn't have been- 16 seasons vs. 2 seasons really isn't a fair fight. But, it would have at least opened a potential debate into which team might consider the honor of retiring his jersey, or at least retiring it first. And still, you'll notice I used words like ‘if' and ‘might' in caps.
Consider this an education into perspective on our recent history. Yes, I again appreciate what Favre did for us, and I don't wish to erase that from our history. 2009 certainly ranks up there in the ‘magical' seasons in Viking legend, and he was a huge, integral part of that. However... prior to that, Favre largely made a career being a consistent thorn in our side. (We kept it all balanced by having a guy named John Randle around, who was in turn a constant thorn in Favre's side.) Let's actually take that statement and examine it for a second- arguably the last great player-on-player rivalry we as a team have enjoyed had Favre on THE WRONG SIDE.
And just like how those of us who remember Favre as a career, and not just as a blip, will mostly remember him as a pain in the butt, most Packer fans (OK, I'm guessing here- Packer fans, feel free to sound off and tell me I'm wrong if I am, your comments will remain visible) will ultimately remember Favre bringing them from the basement of the NFC to many consistent years, as well as two Super Bowl appearances and one win. While yes, he broke hearts and ticked off a lot of people by going to the ‘enemy', his career as a whole is far more favorable towards the Packers than it is against it. The various records he broke while on our team were built on what he did in his time with the Pack.
As a funny aside, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette, there was a ceremony to retire Favre's jersey intended for the season opener in 2008... against the Minnesota Vikings. Of course, that was delayed by Favre's stint with the New York Jets... but the irony of it all is just delicious when you consider what happened after that.
And if nothing else, that little revelation has got to make Viking fans smile just one more time thanks to that Brett Favre fellow.