Here We Go Again

The beef is back, and it's cooking. And now that it's summer time, I intend to turn up the heat in the upcoming weeks, hopefully bringing all of you, family, friends, and strangers alike, an article everyday.

Today my beef is with Brett Favre, the star quarterback/soon-to-be-retiree/landscaper/father/no one knows what he's going to do because he won't tell anyone, not even his own team, the Vikings.

Too early for football talk? Maybe it is, but when I heard that Brett Favre hadn't told anyone his plans for next year yet, I had to throw around a little hate.

I have never liked Favre, I do not like Favre at the moment, and I will never like Favre. He's an undercover diva in Wrangler jeans. Wherever he goes he thinks he owns the place which sadly most of the time is true. Last year when Coach Brad Childress tried to bench him, worried about the 40 year old getting roughed up, Favre refused after the two had a heated argument. That's not being a tough football player that's being a stuck up football player.

During the past three years, Favre retired, came back, retired (promising he'd never play another down of football) and came back. Look, I have no problem with a guy who wants to elongate his career, as long as he can find a job, and Brett Favre, who still has some of the best stats in the league, can easily do that. But when you can't make tough decisions as a 40 year old, it's truly pathetic.

Favre never looks out for anyone but himself. His indecision affects the lives of others, but he never cares. Last year, when Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson thought they were fighting for a starting job, Brett Favre swooped in at the last second and stole it right from their hands. No training camp, no problem, the job was all his. A job that Rosenfels and Jackson were excited about having the chance to earn with good workouts and hard work in training camp, and off the practice field as well, earning the trust of their teammates and coaches. But no, instead they were relegated to the second and third string jobs, certainly a downgrade from being the starting quarterback on a very successful team. All because Favre couldn't make up his mind.

Now, Favre is facing an unavoidable ankle surgery if he wants to play football next year. He's 40 years old, and his hair is quickly turning gray, but he still has a rocket arm, and he still seems to be having fun playing the game. Yet no one knows whether he'll go through the surgery or go back to Mississippi and mow his lawn for the rest of his days. Coach Brad Childress said the two text regularly, but went on to add that "texting is not talking."

I've had enough of the Favre carousel every off-season; the people don't necessarily deserve an answer, but his team certainly deserves better. The saddest part of the whole thing is, that if the Vikings don't let him get away with delaying his decision, and tell him he can't come back and be their quarterback, then another team will happily come in and swoop him up, and let him take all the time in the world to decide what he wants to do next year.

Now sure, Favre should have the starting job over Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson. He'd probably be better than both of them combined even on a bum ankle. But not letting any of his teammates or coaches know his plans are is extremely selfish. A good leader does not put himself above the team like Favre is doing, he plays by the rules like everyone else. If the Vikings feel like he doesn't need to go to training camp, that's fine. If they give Favre the starting job without any work that's fine to, that's the Vikings' decision to make. But Favre is the one that needs to let people know what his plans are. Giving your employer two weeks notice doesn't work in a sport where guys are working to earn starting spots or just make the team for months.

Sure maybe the Favre saga can be humorous at times, but remember the big picture. There's two guys working hard to get the starting job, whose families are excited about the opportunity. There's a team waiting around unsure of who their leader will be. There's a coach who can't confidently tell his team or his quarterbacks who show up everyday and work hard whether their star is playing next year. There's even his own family, wondering whether their dad or husband is going to stay home or go back on the road. There are a lot of people that Favre's indecision is affecting, all of whom Favre should care enough about to let them know what his plans are. So when looking at this story, don't be like Brett Favre, try to focus on the whole team and not just the individual.