MINNESOTA – NFL icon Brett Favre announced he has reconsidered wearing purple and will stay retired.

In Favre fashion, the prima donna quarterback took the Vikings down to the wire when he told the Vikings on Tuesday, just 48 hours before training camp opens, that he would not team up alongside Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson to battle his former Green Bay Packers for the NFC North title this season.

“It was the hardest decision I’ve ever made,” Favre said. “I didn’t feel like physically I could play at a level that was acceptable. I would like to thank everyone, including the Packers, Jets and Vikings — but, most importantly, the fans.”

The Vikings now have to switch gears to ‘damage control’ since several of their star players had contacted Favre encouraging him to take snaps in a Viking uniform.

Vikings Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen and Steve Hutchinson are said to have contacted Favre by text or phone to recruit the 40-year-old slinger who had already agreed to a one-year, $10 million contract with the team.

Gallant efforts to get Favre on the roster like those made by the stars listed above may have sent a message of ‘lack of confidence’ to quarterbacks Tarvaris Jackson and newly-acquired Sage Rosenfels who are currently on the squad.

While Vikings management and coaching staff concentrate on smoothing things over in their locker room, the announcement did not come as a surprise to many of us.

With Favre’s history of stringing teams along, many of us expected these results while some seemed oblivious to Favre’s past history.

Vikings linebacker Ben Leber told the AP, “When I heard the news, I was probably as surprised and shocked as everybody else. The writing on the wall was as long as his arm was healthy he was going to play. I really expected him to be at camp. I was really surprised.”

FYI Mr. Leber, Favre seems to write on the wall with one hand while holding an eraser in the other.

Related Stories: Favre Begins Annual Roller Coaster Ride

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

NEW YORK – Now that the Green Bay Packers and their Cheesehead fans have settled into the fact Aaron Rodgers is their starting quarterback, it’s the Jets’ turn to climb aboard the gut-wrenching amusement ride known as the ‘Favre roller coaster’.Brett Favre, like he did over the past few season in GB said he is ‘going to wait’ to announce his plans for next season. Yes as expected the aging quarterback is beginning his annual guessing game with the Jets, but after faltering and struggling through the last five games with 9 interceptions and only 2 TDs, don’t expect this fiasco to go the distance in a place like the Big Apple.

New York is the media capital of the world and along with that title comes aggressive reporting and a lot more pressure. People are known to be a little more polite and less aggressive in a smaller town like Madison, maybe that’s the reason Favre has not met with the N.Y. media and spoke to an ESPN reporter instead. Does the term, ‘chew him up and spit him out’ come to mind here?

The 39-year-old Favre is a warrior, we all know that. There’s a reason he set the record for most consecutive starts in the NFL in a position where guys wear a bulls-eye on the front of their jerseys. Favre has survived many Sunday afternoons as a human piñata, spent the week in ice packs and managed to climb back into the ring just days later.

Jets’ teammates like Thomas Jones and Kerry Rhodes recently used an interview with that New York media I was speaking of to voice his concerns over the All-Pro quarterback not offering to take a seat on the bench during that five-game skid.

When asked about the recent comments, Favre responded, “It’s upsetting that a couple of guys have said some negative things, but what can you do?”

What do you do? Normally ignore the comments and move forward but in this case, Jones may be concerned about another badly-timed Favre circus that could interfere with the Jets prepping for the 2009 season.

Favre has a weak argument for asking the Jets for too much time this time around.

Last season in Green Bay he was coming off a 13-3 season, this year he led the league with 22 interceptions and the Jets’ lost 4 of the last 5 games, blowing a chance at the AFC East title and a sure playoff spot.

To make matters worse he lost the final game in front of the hometown fans against ex-Jet QB Chad Pennington who also was voted this year’s AP Comeback Player of the Year.

Favre commented on his weak performance down the stretch, “Do I have to redeem myself for the last five games? No. There is nothing left out there for me from that standpoint. I’m disappointed with the last five games, sure, but I know I did everything I could have.”

If that is ‘everything you could have done’ then the writing is on the wall because that was not enough, it’s officially time to retire.

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

The 2008-09 NFL regular season came down to the wire as several teams battled their way into a few remaining wild-card spots and division titles. You have to appreciate the fact that none of these teams backed into the playoffs, they all came out victorious on Sunday.While the Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and San Diego Chargers secured playoff spots with wins at home, the Miami Dolphins had to travel to the Meadowlands and beat Brett Favre and the New York Jets to capture the AFC East division title.

In that much-anticipated match-up between quarterbacks Chad Pennington and Favre, the Dolphins capped their miraculous turnaround season with a 24-17 win.

Pennington completed 22 of 30 passes for 200 yards and two TD’s while Favre struggled; throwing three interceptions in the game.

The Eagles went into their afternoon game against the Dallas Cowboys knowing the Tampa Bay Bucs and Chicago Bears had already lost and that a win would put them into the final wild-card spot. The Eagles responded by blowing the Cowboys off the field in a lopsided 44-6 win.

The stumbling Cowboys turned the ball over 5 times in the loss.

A few of the games came down to final-second heroics from the placekickers.

The Vikings’ Ryan Longwell nailed a 50-yarder with just five seconds on the clock to defeat the New York Giants 20-19 and John Casay buried a 42-yarder through the uprights with just one second left on the clock for the Carolina Panthers 33-31 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Casay’s kick earned the Panthers the NFC South division title and a first-round bye in the playoffs.

In addition to the Dolphins, the biggest surprise teams in the playoffs are the Atlanta Falcons and Ravens who both finished 11-5 with rookie quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco at the helm.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

As we let the news settle in that Brett Favre, QB of the New York Jets, has made the Pro Bowl for the umpteenth time in his career and take side bets if he’ll schlep to Hawaii with Deana and the family, let’s remember what it took to get him to this place.

Winter

Favre, still a member of the Green Bay Packers, slinks home to Mississippi after a cruel loss in the NFC Championship game on the home field of Lambeau. He threw an interception in overtime that paved the way for the New York Giants to go to the Super Bowl.

Speculation begins about his future in Green Bay.
The Packers press him for a decision to avoid the previous year’s strung-out process. Aaron Rodgers keeps mum on it all and waits to learn his fate as the new starter on the Packers or the perpetual backup.

Favre calls a press conference and mesmerizes the public with a tearful and seemingly clear statement: I am retiring of my own volition.

Speculation begins anew that he is not clear on that statement. He has conversations almost immediately including with the Packersa bout returning. The team’s concern is that he isn’t 100% certain, just as he wasn’t prior to the announcement.

The Packers are relieved, name Rodgers their starter and set about planning for their first draft without having to keep Favre in mind, except they do. Brett is having retirement remorse.

Spring

Favre, the Packers and sports media begin a months’-long soap opera about whether the Packers gave Favre the signal that they wanted him gone and if he jumped too soon.

The contractual side of the story gets ugly as the Packers refuse to consider Favre’s return. If he doesn’t file retirement papers the team owns his rights and refuses to consider releasing him which would net them nothing in return, especially if he goes to a rival.

Favre takes the bait and starts taunting the team with going to a division rival but…he can”t say for certain if he wants to play at all. He still might retire but he doesn’t understand why he wouldn’t be welcomed back to Green Bay.

The war of wills continues as Packers fans are split down the middle on the loyalty front. Half believe he should come back, half don’t.

Summer

Favre shows up in Green Bay via private jet, as training camp is in progress, won’t take questions about his future and realizes there isn’t much sentiment left for him in Wisconsin. The impasse over him wanting a release and not being accommodated with one gets deeper.

He goes on Fox News with Greta Van Susteren to tell his sad tale of woe. Still can’t understand why the Packers won’t release him from his contract if they don’t want him to start for them any longer.

The commissioner gets involved and asks both sides to enter counseling. The Packers show their good faith by saying he’ll be benched and hold a clipboard for Rodgers if he wants to stay in Green Bay. Favre threatens to go to Minnesota and beat the Packers brains in. This is why they needed counseling.

Favre signs reinstatement papers but doesn’t file them.

The Packers get down and dirty and claim he is a malcontent who just wants it all his way. Immediately, the team hires a PR specialist who used to work at the White House but some say it’s too late.

Reinstatement papers are filed and commissioner expresses sadness as he accepts the inevitable.

Packers and Favre’s agent get down to business to try to break the impasse of where his rights get traded.

Minnesota Vikings look like jerks for having had conversations with Favre supposedly about fishing and hunting, not about coming to their team.

The sweepstakes begin in the NFL. Jon Gruden pisses off his QB by considering Favre joining him. The Packers have offered Brett an alternative to playing for them or anyone: a ten year marketing agreement with unspecified responsibilities but a pay check of $25 million in total.

And that is a first offer.

Favre who a month prior wasn’t interested in New York signs with the Jets, gets welcomed by the Mayor of New York and Jets fans dance in the streets. EA is forced to provide download image of Favre in Jets’ uni after their game went to press with him in Packers’ colors.

Fall

Favre starts slow, gets on a roll, settles back down to earth and proceeds to take the moribund team to the brink of the playoffs and gets voted into the Pro Bowl.

Future?

What’s in store for this offseason? Why wait for that? Favre is already starting the cycle of drama again as he told the media in New York that these last few games might be his last. Don’t act surprised. It’s got to be this way for him and unfortunately for fans of the team he plays for.

Happy New Year, everyone.

See the slideshow pertaining to this article at Paula’s Examiner column.

NEW YORK – Step aside Mets and Yankees, it’s NFL football season and it appears your rivalry, as intense as it may be, may be sitting on the back burner until after the New Year.

The intercity rivalry between the first-place New York Giants (10-1) and, this is NOT a typo, first-place New York Jets (8-3) has found new life since Brett Favre jumped into the fray, joining the Jets after their underachieving season last year.

While the Jets struggled last season, the Giants were putting together a win streak that took them all the way to their Super Bowl upset victory over the undefeated New England Patriots.

Trash-talking in the parks and cafes are picking up steam since the first place Jets defeated the Titans last week who came into that game with a 10-0 record.

The Giants in the meantime are continuing where they left off and have only lost one game all year and are a favorite to make a return trip to the Super Bowl.

I spoke to several fans from both sides of the fence over this Thanksgiving weekend and clearly the passion for this rivalry has elevated. I discovered when you bring up the words ‘Giants’ and ‘Jets’, everyone is willing to drop their sandwich to jump into the discussion.

Giants fans believe if the two teams met, Favre would be running for his life and buckle from the pressure of the Giants defense and the Giants would “cakewalk” through a “blowout”.

Jets fans laughed that off and were still excited about Favre leading the Jets to the blowout of the previously undefeated Titans 34-13. They challenged the Giants fans, “Bring it on” and said their Jets look unstoppable now and that Eli Manning would need to be “scraped off the turf when the game was over if the two teams met”.

It’s great to see the passion Favre and the rejuvenated Jets have injected back into this rivalry.

Today’s week 13 schedule puts the Giants in
Washington and the Jets at home against the Broncos.

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax