9 Days to Camp
Today I read an article by Jason Whitlock on ESPN's Page 2 that made the same mistake I've seen sportswriters make over and over and over again regarding Brett Favre.They assume he's a normal guy with a normal brain, normal motivations, and normal values.
Anyone who's ever listened to him speak, listened to his rationalizations and pontifications realizes that he's many many MANY things, ...but normal ain't one of them.
He makes 5 points about Brett in his column, and I'll address them in order:
1. "Brett Favre will regret his decision to return to the Packers by Week 4, when John Madden won't be around on "Monday Night Football" to explain away Favre's terrible performance against the Eagles. "
I agree that he very well may regret his decision to come back by week four, but it won't have anything to do with John Madden covering for him. To some non-Packer people, the entire population of the earth is involved in a massive conspiracy to coddle Brett's many bonehead mistakes on the gridiron. No one is harder on his bonehead mistakes than Packer fans. Favre repeatedly addressed the situation last season as he was peppered with criticism for not "altering his style of play" to reduce the number of risks he took at the end of games. He refused. You see, he doesn't care if Madden covers for him, he doesn't care if fans criticize him. He only knows how to play the game one way, and he'll do it that way even if it sinks the ship. A normal person would adjust their style of play, ...Favre ain't normal.
2. "I'm bummed Favre didn't grow a pair this offseason and tell the Packers he wanted to be traded to the Dolphins."
Yeah, Favre's a wuss. He doesn't even have "a pair". He never speaks his mind. No. Never. A normal person would see that the Packers are going nowhere and are being helmed by an idiot who is driving the franchise into the dirt with an ill-advised non-youth youth movement. A normal person would want to go somewhere else for a year or two and get a ring, ...Favre ain't normal. He said he wants to stay here and he means it. I know it doesn't make sense, ...that's kinda the point.
3. "He's just not capable of elevating a weak team to a higher level anymore. He's like Michael Jordan playing with the Wizards. "
I think he is physically capable of it, but like I said before, he's unable to change his style of play. He's always been a gunslinger, and that's how he'll go down. And no, he's not like Jordan with the Wizards. He's like Jordan staying home in Chicago to finish out his career where it started, ...isn't that what everyone wanted Jordan to do? Why is it different for Favre?
4. "Favre's spending his last year or two in the league running plays called by the former offensive coordinator of the 49ers -- Mike McCarthy, a product of the Mike Nolan coaching tree, not the Bill Walsh tree -- is just about the dumbest thing imaginable."
Amen.
5. "I hope Packers fans are happy they're holding Favre hostage in Green Bay rather than allowing him to finish his career with dignity in a winning environment. "
And here we have the winner of the stupidest thing said this month award. I'll say this one more time. Brett didn't want to leave.
So, why do sportswriters and NFL fans seem to want Brett to leave so bad?
Because most of the league is tired of hearing about how great the Packers are, how great Brett is, and how great the fans are. Some people can't identify with it. Others are jealous. So, they want Brett out of Green Bay so they can once again root for him.
One word for them.
PHHHLBBT!
Ps - Jason Whitlock is a normally good writer, as evidenced by this item which is not only well reasoned, but long overdue.
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