Favre Being Favre
Posted: December 9th, 2009 | Filed under: Other Sports | 46 Comments »
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Yes, I am putting a dateline on this post. I am putting a dateline on it because it is 5 degrees outside. I am doing this because the wind is howling, and hard snow (hard snow?) pelts you from all directions, and the sky is the sort of dull gray that drains the color out of everything. I am doing this because it is utterly miserable here, and nobody expects the misery to end any time soon. Snow swirls along the ground, looking for all the world like the death smog in “The Ten Commandments. And spinning car tires. And frozen ears that feel like they can be broken off. And piles of snow in the driver’s seat. And so on.
All this gloom reminds me again why pro football will always matter more here and Green Bay and Cleveland and Pittsburgh than in, say, Miami or San Diego or Arizona. It has something to do with the sky. And, in a weird way, yes, it has something to do with Brett Favre too.
“I’m not going to lie to you and say that I went outside this morning and said, ‘I can’t wait to get to practice … and I hope we practice outside,’” Brett Favre says to laughter all around.
It’s true: There has not been a player in recent American sports — not even Derek Jeter — who has been as mythologized as Brett Favre. Favre is a gunslinger*, of course, and he’s like a kid out there, yes, a kid gunslinger, or more precisely a gunslinging kid sketching out plays in the dirt with a stick, oh yes, he’s a gamer too, a game who loves to play the game, a player who plays for the love the game, a gamer who games for the play of his love, no, wait, no, point is is he loves to play, and plays to love, and he’s just a gamer gunslinger sketching plays in the dirt with a stick, but remember he’s also a kid, always. To sum up: He’s a gamer who happens to love the gunslinging he can do as kid who loves the game.
*I laughed out loud** at this tweet from Ken Tremendous: “Collinsworth just called Favre a “Gunslinger.” Interesting analogy. Anyone ever heard that used before?”
**What percentage of the time that someone types LOL in an instant message or text did the person ACTUALLY laugh out loud. I say 22% at most.
This is all well-trodden ground, of course — both the mythologizing of Favre and the mocking of the mythologizing of Favre. His back-and-forth retiring has added to the noise, though John Madden’s retirement has subtracted from it. I’d say that right now, with the Vikings 10-2, we are in Favre Code Yellow, meaning the hype is elevated. When the Vikings make the playoffs it could move up to Code Orange. At a Vikings Super Bowl, we definitely could be looking at Favre Code Red.
The question today, though, is why? Why has Brett Favre so thoroughly captured people’s attentions? Why do so many people LOVE him beyond measure and why are so many people SICK of him beyond the same measure? Why is he the most idolized and disliked player of his time?
I ask because — and believe me when I tell you now that this is intended to be a positive Favre commentary — the Favre career is kind of spotty. I mean: How do you measure a quarterback? Is it by his efficiency? If so, then you could argue pretty persuasively that Favre was never the most efficient quarterback in the league for any extended period of time. Troy Aikman or Steve Young were really efficient in the mid-90s, John Elway was the king of the late ‘90s, Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner and Tom Brady and others this decade have certainly been more efficient.
But most people wouldn’t say that the best quarterback is the most efficient. So what then? Production? Favre led the league in passing yards twice. But, hell, Jeff George and Steve Beuerlein have led the league in passing yards. Touchdown passes? Well, yes, Favre led the league in touchdown passes four times, but Jim Everett led the league in touchdown passes in back-to-back years and there wasn’t much hype about him being a gunslinger and a kid out there.
He has most of the career passing numbers because … but it is true that football numbers don’t translate the way baseball numbers can. So what else? Some would say you measure a quarterback by Super Bowl wins — but Favre has just one, the same as Mark Rypien. There are regular season wins — Favre has led nine teams to 10-plus win seasons. But his winning percentage is not as good as Steve Young’s or John Elway’s or Peyton Manning’s or Tom Brady’s or Joe Montana’s and it’s not much different from Jim Kelly’s or Dan Marino’s.
Of course these are all Hall of Fame quarterbacks — but nobody here questions Favre’s Hall of Fame credentials. The question is why has he become so hyped … and so famous for being hyped? Is it because he has just been around for so long? The guy has now started 281 regular season games — 17 1/2 seasons worth — and I suspect no one is going to break that record anytime soon. Sure, it’s hackneyed to use the ol’ presidential timeline as a reference, but it is true that when Favre first caught the nation’s eye, the first George Bush was president. And if that doesn’t FEEL long enough ago, you are getting old like I am, like Favre is. For our British audience, Brett Favre made his first start two months before Charles and Diana officially split up.
So is this all just … familiarity? Maybe. But I think there’s something more at play here … and it’s something that I really noticed listening to him today on this miserably cold and snowy day in Minnesota. Brett Favre manages — probably better than anyone in sports, and anyone in memory — to make everyone around feel like they are part of the game. He has a knack for making fans feel like they are THIS CLOSE to the field.
Pro football is not framed like that. No, football players and coaches make it clear all the time that they don’t think like us. They think on a higher plane. They have watched all the films. They have studied all the scenarios. They have deep secrets and coded plans and fascinating bits of information that they cannot share with YOU because YOU would not understand or YOU do not need to know or YOU would only tell the opponent or YOU are not in the inner circle.
This is fine — it mostly an amusing part of football. But it’s also something that separates us fans from the game. Football coaches and players never seem tired of letting fans know that fans don’t know — fans don’t know how it works, fans don’t know what the players are thinking, fans don’t know the commitment level it takes, fans don’t know what is really happening.
With Favre, though, there’s none of this. Favre says when a fan might say. He thinks what a fan might think. He does not seem to shield his emotions, on the field or off. Someone asked Favre Wednesday about the interceptions he threw against Arizona last Sunday — that was the first game this year that Favre really looked bad.
What do you think a typical NFL quarterback would say there? He would say something bland or coded. He would say he misread the coverages. He would say that there were a couple of breakdowns. He would say interceptions come down to many factors. He would say there was a lack of execution. He would talk in technicalities — the safety was supposed to be here and the linebacker dropped there and we didn’t get the spacing here. He would say nothing at all — “We just need to correct our mistakes — all of us, and that includes me — and we have to play a lot better this week.” That’s not to knock the typical NFL quarterback. This is the NFL environment.
Favre, though, flat admitted that he got frustrated. He said that he got it into his head early that the Cardinals were hot and that the Vikings were going to have to score every time. He admits that’s the wrong thing to get into your head but, hey, that’s part of the game. Then a guy hit him late, and he had a little temper thing going, and that was bad too. He got caught up in the moment, and he wanted to make the big play, and his judgment was off, and he threw stupid interceptions.
See the difference? I get what Favre is saying here. We all get that, right? Frustration. Anxiousness. Real emotions. And when Favre talks, it’s pretty much always like that. Favre talked about the mindset of being a quarterback, and how sometimes you feel like you want to take a shot, you feel like you want to go down the field and make something happen even if it isn’t quote-unquote “the smart play.” He talked about how you will sometimes see a team down two touchdowns with 40 seconds left, and the quarterback will throw some sort of short check down pass because it’s open, and how some people might say that’s smart football (take what the defense gives you) but that DRIVES HIM NUTS. Well, sure it does. It drives me nuts too. It drives all of us nuts.
He was asked about his great record in freezing weather — that’s the quintessential image of Favre: his face in a ski mask as he breathes steam on a frozen field — and he talked about how he HATES cold weather, and always did. “I just played on teams that found ways to win the game when the other team really didn’t want to be there,” he said. See how human that sounds? There was no talk about the will to overcome, the power of ignoring the conditions, the glory of the moment. No. It was cold. He had to play. He hated it. But they paid him a lot of money. And it sucked a lot less when he won.
This was, from what I could tell, a pretty typical Brett Favre press conference. He talked about how much it sucks to lose. He talked about how it ain’t easy to motivate yourself to play football after all these years but he still likes the challenge of it. He talked about how he was brutal at the end of last year with the Jets, and he could blame that on his arm issues but that wouldn’t be entirely right. He talked about how he thinks this Vikings team is really good but that doesn’t really mean anything.
And look: It isn’t that he talks more honestly about being an NFL quarterback that anyone else … it’s that his honest talk rings truer somehow. This is his gift, whether he’s selling jeans (“Has he really ALWAYS thought about Wrangler jeans when thinking about value?”) or talking to the media or playing on Sundays. He just seems to be giving just a little bit more of himself. That’s how it seems on the field too. His touchdown passes seem more remarkable. His interceptions seem more catastrophic. His celebrations seem more euphoric. His losses seem more painful.
So people hype him up. And then other people lash out against the hype. And the hype people get defensive and continue to hype him up, which makes people lash out even more. It’s the Farving Process*. It’s that way with Bruce Springsteen too. Is he really more authentic than other rock acts or is that just what we fans want to believe. Doesn’t matter. We hype him up, people rebel against the hype, we rebel against the rebelling and so on and so on.
*I know it should be the Favring process. but it looks even more wrong that way.
Brett Favre’s authenticity, his joyful nature, his gambler spirit — sure, it’s probably overplayed. But, you know, the NFL has been losing its old spirit for a long time. Some of this is good, some of it not so good, but either way it’s reality. Quarterbacks have plays narrated into their helmets by gurus sitting high above the field. Linebackers are pawns in intricate defenses designed to trick as much as intimidate. Coaches are CEOs who delegate during the week, calm the stockholders and give tepid pregame speeches that focus more on adjustments than inspiration. That’s football in 2009. That’s what comes with progress.
But on a colorless winter day, with snow blowing, and wind howling, and traffic crawling — with even friendly Minnesotans offering a sincere “good bye” rather than an insincere “Have a nice day” (nobody’s having a nice day in this weather) — the football game on Sunday is pretty much everything. And maybe people want something real to cheer. Is Brett Favre real? I’ll tell you what, on a miserable day like today: He’s close enough.
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Circle me Trent Dilfer
Gotta say, though, that I hope his lasting image is a jeans commercial.
I hoped against hope that he’d stay retired.
I’m going to lose $50 on a bet that they’d win 10 or less.
I’m going to lose any chance of telling a drunken Sconnie that we finally won a Super Bowl, because the response will be, “With our QB!” even though he’s not. Okay, he is. Mostly.
And I really hate that my Favre ATL jersey has lost a smidgin’ of it’s coolness because he came here.
By the way, it is snowing and 0 (that’s a zero) here. Oh, wind is 20-25 mph. Good for -20 or so wind chill. I. Love. This.
This is kinda how I’ve always felt about Jeter. He’s a great player… but he’s not very interesting and nothing really seems to be known about him. I just don’t get why he’s so hyped. At least Favre has something to say that can be hyped/lashed out at the hype.
@3 “I just don’t get why he’s so hyped.”
Two words: fist pump.
I like to think of myself as one of the first people off the Favre bandwagon.
He has always seemed to me to have a similar sort of personality to Shaq. A fun person to be around when things are going well but a complete jerk when things aren’t.
Yay Eden Prairie! And Joe, stop complaining, it’s skiing weather! It’s practically tropical for December!
When I think of Brett Favre, I am reminded of a quote by William Carlos Williams:
“Everyone in this life is defeated but a man, if he be a man, is not defeated.”
I’ve always liked Brett Favre even though it is true he is overhyped.
But I despise Tom Brady for the same reasons and I really despise Tim Tebow.
I wonder why that is. I’ll have to give it some thought.
What percentage of people who use the acronym “LOL” are actually gay or female? I say 100%, but it’s probably more like 82%.
Brad in Reality – what do you have against gays and/or women? When not used ironically, LOL is the vulgate of teenagers (whether by age or mentality), whom we can all agree are annoying, at least.
Eden prairie…what a great town
I’m glad you compared him to Springsteen – another guy whose appeal I do not understand and whose endless hype drives me up the wall.
no problem with gays or women here, but we’ve got to stop this vulgate shit ASAP.
LOL…
Joe, not even you can make me like Favre. I read the title and skimmed most of it, but I just don’t care to hear about Brett Favre. I get more joy out of him losing than I do in the Yankees losing.
Those crazy Minnesotans probably think the weather is still pretty warm!
Mateo – well played!
I’ve always liked Favre. I don’t have a favorite NFL team – I root for players – and he’s always been one I’ve rooted for. I couldn’t tell you why, but I think some of it is what Joe wrote. I certainly can’t identify with his talent, but he’s not a god-like athlete or anything. I can identify with his competitive nature and I appreciate the way he plays.
I’m sad that he’s overhyped because I don’t want other people to dislike him just because of that. Hard to explain.
You know what Favre does that other QB’s don’t do so much? He takes the risk. He throws it hard & long & will take the risk when it’s not an easy play. That’s exciting, & even more exciting that he does it successfully often enough to win. When he fails on those risky plays, he doesn’t cry in his soup… he wants to get out there & do it again & do it right.
>>**What percentage of the time that someone types LOL in an instant message or text did the person ACTUALLY laugh out loud. I say 22% at most.<<
Low single digits.
I prefer the ‘Favring Cycle.’
I was home in MN over Thanksgiving, and having lunch with a few of my dad’s friends. All of these early 60s men mentioned they weren’t big football fans, but all said they’d been watching recently because of Favre. My detached, skeptical snark just about entered the conversation when one of them said, without a trace of irony, that they enjoyed watching him because he seemed like he was having fun while playing.
It completely stunned me. Really? People believe this worn-out, trite junk about him having fun while playing? That conversation stayed with me while I watched the last few Vikings games, and Brett sure does smile. He smiles and stands on the sidelines with his young receivers and emphatically gestures and looks like a teacher and big brother and someone who generally enjoys what he does for a living.
I always wanted to think Favre’s appeal was as a hick icon, a straight-shootin’ sonofagun who lived for football, trucks, and jeans. I think Joe’s nailed an additional aspect of his appeal – Favre’s emotional transparency brings us into the game in a way we’re not (no longer?) accustomed. Favre offers an unironic glimpse into a mythical past when everyone played for the love of the game.
In his last years in Washington, how often did Mark Brunell act like this? Brad Johnson at end of career, or even Matt Hasselbeck now? As much as I want to trash the Favre sentimentality, to rip into the treacly sweetness of the whole response to this football player, as much as I want to delete this post, Favre offers casual fans and jaded observers alike what they’re looking for in sports.
To put it in perspective for the British in a different way: Favre has been a starting quarterback in the NFL for almost precisely the same span of time as the existence of the Premier League as an individual entity. The EPL’s first season began less than three weeks before Favre took over as Green Bay’s starter.
I tend to think that nobody really “hated” Favre until the retirement fiasco. Resented him, maybe. Angry that this guy who throws tons of picks was somehow put on a pedestal, perhaps. But it always seemed to me that even folks who disliked him still “liked” Brett Favre, the person, at least a little. (And I was in DC through most of this time, so it’s not like I was surrounded by folks predisposed to defending him or anything.)
Regarding LOL: I dunno about anyone else, but do you find that you actually almost never laugh out loud when you’re all alone? I’ve sat at home alone watching hilarious stuff and not actually laughed at it, even though I was tickled as all get out… but watch it later with friends, and we’re rolling. I get the feeling that laughter is an interpersonal energy, and the use of LOL really means “I would be laughing if you were here, but since you’re not I’m just really amused.”
Anyone wondering why Farve is so liked in MN just needs to look at the past few years’ Vikings quarterbacks. It seemed last year, that if the Vikes only had a competent QB, they could be a Super-Bowl contender.
Lo and behold, they did and they are. The fact that we can now micturate on our Sconnie friends’ memories just adds to the fun.
Alternative hypothesis: the strong Favre feelings stem from his status as a symbol. Football has become increasingly complex and diverse, and Favre is a symbol for everyone who wants a return to a “simpler time” when real men like Otto Graham drew up plays in the dirt.
To me, this better explains the strong emotions on both sides. He’s loved by those who value The Tradition of Football, and the maudlin characterization of him is reflective of nostalgia a time when the NFL wasn’t a billion dollar business. He’s hated by people who embrace the new complexity and diversity of the league, people who want to have an NFL of their own. For them, Favre is an empty symbol. I argue this is seen in the nature of his supporters — he gets love from conservative, traditional, older, (white) crowd, and hate from liberal, modern, younger crowd. Their feelings have nothing to do with *him* or even his behavior, but because of his iconography.
Of course, the second crowd is the one that has it right — football *is* a complex, diverse game, and it’s never going back. That’s why the retirement Kabuki dance was SUCH big news — it tarnished the conservative view of Favre (no “kid who loves to play the game” would go through such rigamarole). It pierced the veil, and evidence that contradicts one groups worldview will always be big news (see also: Climategate).
Ultimately, the Favre love (and especially) hate dynamic isn’t a reaction to “overhype” (why would there be any hype in the first place?). It’s driven by the same thing that always drives love/hate: two heavily conflicted views of what’s real and what’s not.
In other words, Favre is the Sarah Palin of football.
(I feel like I should credit Chuck Klosterman for coming up with the conservative/liberal view of football.)
Brett Favre plays with a fire in his gut. Several years ago, after Warren Sapp sacked him and was talking trash, Favre jumped up, went nose to nose with Sapp, and gave it right back to him. Probably would have fought him if it came to that. He has played with broken hands, swollen ankles, and a blown out shoulder. That’s why I like and respect Favre. I wish Matt Cassel played with that much passion.
I don’t use LOL, prefer the more accurate GQTM (grinning quietly to myself)…
i would say favre is like jeter but in part because of the reverse reason. jeter is as hyped as he is because he’s the yankee SS on teams that have been dominant and accordingly pumped up by the NY media. favre came along when most people were getting annoyed with increasing payrolls and sports becoming increasingly corporate. So favre brings back the small town packers and, since the nfl is broadcast nationally in a way that the nba and mlb aren’t, catch the attention of the national conscious as being what’s right with sports with the gunslinger quarterback on a small town team that is owned by the town and all that opposite of the yankees-type stuff. then all this retirement stuff came up as we hit a new level of public need to hear every little angle about everything (and with each sports league really needing year round sports angles to cover) and that exploded since favre was still, at the beginning at least, an icon of what is good for sports. if his retirement stuff had happened 5 years earlier it would have been a big story, but nowhere near as crazy as its been. i think the tiger stuff has shown that anything concerning a very popular person is going to get blown up. So basically, the favre legend is so large mainly because he was in the right spot at the right time twice (at least in terms of getting much more media/fan attention than would normally be warranted). And yeah, I’m a favre hater since I grew up near green bay and am a bears fan.
and both favre and jeter both brought back the packers and yankees to success that neither franchise had for a long time before them. another parallel.
Favre has the ability to make members of the media seem like fawning school girls when talking/writing about him (Gruden, Jaws, Peter King, Madden, any ESPN talking head). This is why is his so beloved/hated.
I’m agnostic on Favre though I do agree with #17, he makes the game exciting because, well, he makes some really indefensible decisions. If he were the quarterback of my team, this would likely drive me insane, but as a guy just tuning into a Vikings game while channel surfing, I love it. Favre makes the game more exciting by his risky decision making (and as an LSU fan, I like seeing someone else’s team making insane decisions – I’m still having nightmares about the Ole Miss game).
But I don’t see why everyone “hates” Favre for the retirement dance. Don’t we just want our athletes to go out and play? Don’t we want them to want to win as badly as we do? Favre has more money than he will ever need, the only reason he can possibly be coming back is because he loves playing (though he skips training camp because he hates practicing). Ultimately, it’s his life. If he wants to keep playing, and someone is willing to pay him to do it, why should anyone be outraged by his refusal to retire? We don’t own him.
Not to pick on Joe’s colleague, but I like to think of this phenomenon as the “Peter King Effect”. As in, “I am utterly charmed by the witty press conferences, after-game text messages, and the fact that [blank] athlete has me on speed dial. He also plays really hard. Therefore, I will overlook his flaws and exaggerate his strengths resulting in non-stop gushing about what a great person he is and an overestimate of his football playing ability.” The media type develops a friendship, perceived or real, with the athlete which obscures the ability ot be objective. Some personality types (mine included) tend to be put-off by this sort of argument, if for no other reason than it precludes any type of the objective argument which we might prefer.
I always liked Favre, I always hated the way the media fauned over him. Drove me crazy. I don’t know how anyone can not like Favre, but I can see how they can confuse their hatred of the way the media covers him with hatred for him*. I think Joe hits is on the head, he makes a game where the players aren’t even allowed to take off their helmets more personal.
*some fans just hate opponents, so I guess that’s why some people hate Favre. I’ve never been that way, but it isn’t unusual.
It’s the great lie of quarterback play and coach speak that those who throw the ball and take risks are dumb and those that hold the ball, even eating it to take a sack, are smart.
Favre’s “gunslinging” was the smart play for the circumstances, even if it results in an interception. Taking a sack rather than taking a chance down the field is only the good play if you are ahead and the favorite. Otherwise, the quarterback who is willing to take a chance rather than take an automatic negative play such as a sack or even an incomplete (which like an out, is costly) is making the smart play.
If we look at history, we see that, among quarterback skills, avoiding interceptions is the one that elite quarterbacks are worst at (though they are still above average). They are best at making plays and producing points for their own team. If we judge quarterbacks by who coaches keep running out there versus who they replace, then it is the quarterback that plays it safe and avoids interceptions at the expense of taking sacks and producing yards that is dumb.
You can tell that Favre, much like Jeter and Hines Ward, is really only whipping out that, “Golly, I *suuuure* do love to play this game” routine and fake smile when things are going good, and he can use it to rub it in to the other team that he’s winning and they’re not. People complain all the time about players showboating and showing poor sportsmanship, but that’s exactly what Favre’s doing, and for some reason he’s celebrated for it.
You’d also think that after 280+ games he’d be a smarter QB that actually understands how the game works. Just reading from his comments after the Arizona game, you can tell he felt he was being one-upped by Warner, let his emotions take over, and decided he didn’t really care if he threw his team’s chances to win out the window — either he was going to win the game, or no one was, dammit!
Jason @ 32. Interesting take. Let’s look at a few facts to see if your hypothesis holds up.
Since 1990, here are the INT leaders for the season and team record:
Name
A bit early for your “why I believe in Santa” column!
You hit the nail on the head with this paragraph-”But I think there’s something more at play here … and it’s something that I really noticed listening to him today on this miserably cold and snowy day in Minnesota. Brett Favre manages — probably better than anyone in sports, and anyone in memory — to make everyone around feel like they are part of the game. He has a knack for making fans feel like they are THIS CLOSE to the field.”
The media portrays him as a humble regular guy. Since I don’t watch his interviews or press conferences, I have a different opinion of him. For me, his actions, on and off the field, describe him better than his words.
Ah, Crap. Trying to hurry and screw up.
OK.
Year Name # of INT Team Record
1990 Esiason 22 9-7 (playoffs)
1991 Moon 21 11-5(playoffs)
1992 Kelly 19 11-5 (SB loser)
1993 Favre 24 9-7 (playoffs)
1994 Bledsoe 27 10-6 (playoffs)
1995 Krieg 21 4-12
1996 Hebert 25 3-10
1997 K. Collins 21 6-7
1998 PManning 28 3-13
1999 Plummer 24 3-8
2000 Testeverde 25 9-7
2001 T. Green 24 6-10
2002 Culpepper 23 6-10
2003 Bulger 22 12-3 (playoffs)
Harrington 22 5-11
2004 K. Collins 20 3-10
Testeverde 20 5-10
Plummer 20 10-6 (playoffs)
2005 Favre 29 4-12
2006 Rothlisbur 23 7-8
2007 E. Manning 20 10-6 (won SB)
Kitna 20 7-9
Palmer 20 7-9
2008 Favre 22 9-7
2009 Cutler 20 5-7
Stafford 20 2-10
So in retrospect, 2 SB appearances with 1 win for INT leaders and 6 other playoff appearances in the last 20 years. Not terrible. Also 16 QBs with losing records out of 26 total seasons. Not great. Next up for Jason’s hypothesis, sack leaders.
Year Name Sacks Record
1990 Cunningham 49 10-6 (playoffs)
1991 George 56 1-15
1992 Cunningham 60 10-5 (playoffs)
1993 Mirer 47 6-10
1994 Elway 46 7-7
1995 Krieg* 53 4-12
1996 Brunell 50 9-7 (playoffs)
1997 George 58 4-12
1998 T. Green 49 6-8
Plummer 49 9-7 (playoffs)
1999 Couch 56 2-12
2000 Beurlein 62 7-9
2001 Brunell 57 6-9
2002 Carr 76 4-12
2003 Bledsoe 49 6-10
2004 Carr 49 7-9
2005 Carr 68 2-14
2006 Kitna 63 3-13
2007 Kitna* 51 7-9
2008 Cassell 47 10-5
2009 Rodgers 45 8-4
* Also led in INTs.
So 4 playoff teams (probably 5 with Rodgers this year, if he keeps his sack lead) in 21 seasons.
The reason Favre is disliked by many is he’s praised as a “gunslinger” for doing things that are called “rookie mistakes” when done by other NFL QBs.
2 truisms about the NFL:
1) You always have a chance to win if Favre is your QB.
2) You always have a chance to win if Favre is the other team’s QB.
Hi Joe,
I am originally from Mississippi, but now live in Minnesota, so Brett Favre is someone who is especiallly interesting to me. I enjoyed your take on Favre. It is nice to get a fresh perspective about a guy that is normally reduced to a cliche.
Anyway, if you have 5 minutes you should read Rick Cleveland’s article on Dylan Favre. Brett Favre’s nephew just won the class 4A state championship in Misssissippi as an under 6 feet quarterback. Check it out:
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009912060351
Favre seems like a regular guy who happened to find himself in the NFL amongst superstuds like Tom Brady, cyborg-ish freaks like Peyton Manning and muscle-bound monsters like Ray Lewis. Nobody has anything in common with these types of guys, but they do with Favre. He even has bad days throwing INTs. We all can empathize with having a bad day. But he comes back every week, and sometimes he does something magical. We see a regular dude like you and me capture
Oops, let me continue…
We see a regular dude like you and me capture the imagination of millions of fans and we like to think we could do something great too. Or at least, we can envision that it’s us doing those great things. In other words, he’s inspiring millions of people because he’s not something different from us.
Or, what you said, Joe.
Favre was given the same cyborg-ish freakish talents every other NFL QB was, he just played the “Good ‘Ole Boy, Suure do wonder why I get paid to throw this thing” schtick better than most. He’s a poor sport, and seems to have no compassion for whether he actually helps or hurts his team — it only counts if he’s the person that made them win..
I was fine with Brent Faver until his retirement fiascoes. Now I am utterly sick of him.
But I do agree with Joe that the old NFL spirit is missing. I liked the NFL better when the players lifted fewer weights, smoked more cigarettes and ate more steak. When NFL players looked more like regular human beings.
The NFL’s always been pretty corporate, but it was less so after the merger with the AFL, and for a decade or so there really seemed to be a spirit to the league that’s been gone for a while now.
Maybe Brent Faver reminds some people of the wilder, sillier times, when there were plenty of cornerbacks with droopy mustaches and running backs with pot bellies, and plenty of bench-clearing brawls where no one ever really got hurt, and more playoff games in snow and mud, and lots of defensive lines with nicknames, and legalized head-slaps and bump-and-run coverage, and more NFL Follies, and hardly any football TV coverage that involved pundits shouting at each other.
Brent Faver doesn’t actually remind me of any of that really, especially after his stupid, Clemensesque, self-important retirement announcements. I wish he did though. Those were some fun times.
Im a bit older tah Favre – I think about Joe’s age. I have been a Steeler fan my whole life but I love Favre and hope he plays again next year. I guess I like him – despite the retirement fiascoes – because he is genuine and yes a “gamer” I wish people looked at me at work and thought i was having fun and loved what I did etc. Im too young to have seen Mickey Mantle play but maybe he was the same way. I love the quote that he had when asked if he ever goes up to the plate trying to hit a home run and said “Yeah every time” – whats there not to love about that?
Favre’s status is mostly media-driven. He’s always been accessible to the media and speaks in something other than cliches. I honestly believe he finds it somehow therapeutic to open himself up about his various life crises. When you think about it, no one else in sports is like that. So it’s understandable that the media slobbers all over him. It’s annoying as hell, but totally understandable.
Beyond that, to be honest, Favre is a white fan’s folk hero. White fans luv enthusiastic players — as long as they’re white. Somewhat relatedly, there’s the whole “coming to work every day” thing. Favre is football’s Ripken. And all the Cal love that went on in the 90s is multiplied with Favre, given that the NFL is king in American sports.
As a Vikings fan, I’ve watched Favre this year more than I ever have. And I have to admit, he does grow on you. And, playing as well as he has as a 40-year-old NFL QB, one can only be amazed.
Still, I maintain that Favre is the most overrated player in NFL history. Not because he isn’t great — I’d say he’s a borderline top 10 QB, and easily top 15. But many people would say he’s top five or top three, and that is flat insane. That’s where the media narrative comes into play though…