I am sure that I am not the only sports fan out there who is sick and tired of hearing about Brett Favre. The hourly reports about whether he will, or won't, return to the NFL for another year have become a little too much for even me, someone who is obsessed with sports. The level of coverage his (non) retirement has received from ESPN and the rest of the media is nothing short of sickening.
What really bothers me, though, is the way Favre is portrayed by those who cover the NFL. First, he is not the great quarterback so many make him out to be. His stats are inflated by his longevity (which is the most impressive aspect of his career). His game is high risk and high reward. He loses as many games on his own as he wins. Favre's TD to interception ratio puts him somewhere near the middle of the pack of QBs of his era. He simply does not compare to the likes of Dan Marino, John Elway, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana and Steve Young, or even Donovan McNabb and Jim Kelly in my view.
Second, and more importantly, he is very possibly the most selfish player in NFL history. In a sport that places such a premium on teamwork, Favre's priority is always himself. While fans and commentators continually rip on Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco and Randy Moss, the Mississippi gun slinger always seems to get a free pass. Even as he was holding yet another team hostage as the season approached, Favre was praised by writers and reporters. Why the double standard?
Minnesota is not going to win the Super Bowl this year. Certainly they will do better than without Favre, but the Vikings would have been better off to tell him to stay home and take their lumps for a couple years and develop a QB who actually cares about the team.
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