Once again the world is left in limbo wondering if NFL ironman Brett Favre will retire or return for yet another season.
Last season Favre, 40, came out of semi-retirement once again and signed with the Minnesota Vikings just before their second preseason game.
He had undergone surgery to repair a torn biceps tendon that had nagged him the previous season in New York.
Favre went on to put together, arguably, one of the best seasons in his 19-year career. He ended the regular season with 383 completions, for 4,202 passing yards and 33 touchdowns. His pass completion percentage, which was 68.5 percent, marks a new high for his career.
The Vikings ended the season with a 12-4 record and made the playoffs. They beat Dallas, but ultimately lost to New Orleans Saints, who went on to win the Super Bowl.
At 40 years old and with a new team, Brett Favre came out and played some of the best football he has ever played. And now it's time to start asking the question again: Will he come back for another season?
Favre is becoming as famous for his wavering on retirement as he is for what he does on the field. The Vikings have publicly stated that they would like him back and that there is no deadline for him to make up his mind. Of course what they are really saying is that Brett doesn't need to come to any offseason programs.
It was widely speculated that Favre waited as long as he did last year to make his decision because he didn't want to take part in training camp.
Favre was on the Tonight Show a few weeks ago, and Jay Leno asked him about his plans. Favre did his typical "well I'm going to take some time off and see where I'm at later on towards the beginning of the next season."
He said that he wasn't retired, but then he quickly said he wasn't sure he was going to play either.
Ya know what? I believe him. I really believe that, at this point, Brett Favre really doesn't know if he will return. I also believe he will eventually decide to lace those cleats up for one more season.
Anyone who saw the Sears commercial where Favre is contemplating buying a new Samsung HD flat screen surely got a good laugh out of it. In the commercial Favre listens to the employees sales pitch and responds with, "I'll take it." Then he thinks about it and says, "I don't know..."
It was nice to see Brett making fun of himself a little bit and acknowledging that he knows it can be frustrating to fans, teammates, and coaches while he decides if he wants to continue to play or not.
After all, it is becoming an every year occurrence that we await the "Favre Saga" and listen to the media talk about why, or why not, he should just retire. This year will be no different.
He had a great ride with the Vikings last year, but the ending was sure to leave a bitter taste in his mouth. Fave is famous for being a gun-slinger. It's how he has always played the quarterback position. He can drive coaches crazy with his high-risk, high-reward style of play. And in Favre's last pass attempt as a Viking, he took a risk, and it proved to very costly.
The game was tied at 28 and went into overtime. Favre threw an ill-advised pass across his body while trying to escape pressure and watched as Saints defensive back, Tracy Porter, caught it for an interception. The Saints went on to kick the game winning field goal and earn a trip to Miami to face the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.
I believe that, at this point in time, Favre probably believes that he will not return this season and is leaning towards permanent retirement. But when the season starts approaching and he starts getting the itch to pick up a football again, I think Favre will want to get that taste out of his mouth.
The time will come where Favre will start looking at his entire body of work and realize that he doesn't want his legacy to end on that note. If he can still play, and we know he can, then he will be back to rewrite the ending once again.
Favre also wants to win one more championship, and the Vikings are still the best opportunity for him to do that. Most of the cast from last year is returning this year, and Favre developed a good relationship with his young receivers. Sidney Rice had an enormous breakout year, emerging as Fare's favorite target. He also has Percy Harvin and Adrian Peterson.
Peterson may be one of the key factors who ultimately persuades Brett to come back, because even if his body does begin to break down as the season progresses, Peterson can handle the load. That's one of the advantages to having the league's best young running back on your team.
Eventually the day will come where Brett Favre will have to look himself in the mirror and know that he cannot physically still compete at the high level he has been accustomed to for so long. That day hasn't come yet, and Favre can still sling it with the best of them.
As time passes that bad taste in his mouth will get worse, the itch will be stronger, and Favre will step onto the field once again.
John Wood
