Brett Favre might retire for a third time in the near future. He might not.
Regardless of his decision he will receive a lot of criticism from analysts, former teammates, and fans. Some of it is deserved, but in this case most of it is not.
In this case, the Minnesota Vikings organization are to blame.
Not once since January 25, the day after the NFC Championship game, has Favre said he was coming back. He has always said that he doesn’t know, and that his ankle will decide his future, not his mind.
He said it at the ESPY’s. He said it in Mississippi. He said it over and over and over this offseason, but no one believed him. There is a reason for that: The Minnesota Vikings.
The Viking organization spent the entire offseason doing anything they could to convince both fans and players that Favre was coming back. They avoided trade talks for Donovan McNabb, Jason Campbell and Derek Anderson. They didn’t draft a QB. They did nothing to the starting roster, as they bring back all other 10 starters from last year’s team.
Minnesota continued to declare Favre would eventually come back and it didn’t really matter when he did. This kind of thinking was spread all across the land, and most importantly, into the locker room.
Visanthe Shiancoe basically spoke for the team this morning when asked about Favre’s potential retirement.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you it wasn’t a blow to hear something like that. I feel like it may give us a little setback to our team. But it’s not nothing that we can’t overcome.”
Reading that, it is obvious the team expected Favre back because the organization told them so. Brett Favre has not ONCE said he was coming back. He didn’t have to. The Viking organization said it for him.
If Brett Favre does indeed decide to retire, good for him. If his ankle isn’t healthy enough to take his soon to be 41-year-old body through a full season then Favre should stay home. Brett Favre is doing what is best for Brett Favre, somewhat similar to LeBron James.
Don’t blame Brett for making a smart decision. Blame the Vikings for making you believe he is a liar.
About Drew Lange
