Bret Favre - he's baaaack

[HelenaCat95]

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/12081736" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[GOKATS]

It was pretty well rumored yesterday. I've always been a fan of Favre, but this?...................

[whitetrashgriz]

this topic has been beaten to death but i still don't feel that i've even gotten an answer regarding why athletes are treated differently when it comes to retiring. people retire all the time, later get bored, and pursue other ventures. by dad has retired twice. had parties both times. i hope people weren't secretly talking about him behind his back for these decisions. is it simply for selfish reasons that we treat athletes different? because we want to remember them at their best? because we want to remember them playing for OUR team? what is it? and let's remember, favre wanted to be a viking last year. actually, he probably wanted to be a viking his whole career! just for our pack fans! but honsestly, it was the vikings that were pursuing him, not the other way around. sounds like he did a lot of soul searching and didn't just make a split-second decision. i admit i'm bias this go around because i'm a die-hard vike, and he makes us a lot better. but i didn't have a problem with him playing for the jets last year. didn't have a problem with jordan coming out of retirement. don't have problems with boxers doing it either. just never understood why people have such a double standard when it comes to athletes. it's their lives, and we should just enjoy being able to watch them play, and not feel a sense of entitlement.

[GOKATS]

It's official. Like I said earlier I've always been a fan of his but haven't really followed the Vikes since Tarkenton. I wish him well and hope he has a great season, last year with the Jets he had some injury problems but it sounds like he's healthy and I'm guessing he'll be a definite asset to the team.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9848 ... ?GT1=39002" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[RMD]

I read on ESPN that he has a small tear in his rotator cuff in is throwing shoulder.

[catamaran]

I read on ESPN that he has a small tear in his rotator cuff in is throwing shoulder.

it was the same injury he decided not to have operated on last year

[CapitalCityCat]

this topic has been beaten to death but i still don't feel that i've even gotten an answer regarding why athletes are treated differently when it comes to retiring. people retire all the time, later get bored, and pursue other ventures. by dad has retired twice. had parties both times. i hope people weren't secretly talking about him behind his back for these decisions. is it simply for selfish reasons that we treat athletes different? because we want to remember them at their best? because we want to remember them playing for OUR team? what is it? and let's remember, favre wanted to be a viking last year. actually, he probably wanted to be a viking his whole career! just for our pack fans! but honsestly, it was the vikings that were pursuing him, not the other way around. sounds like he did a lot of soul searching and didn't just make a split-second decision. i admit i'm bias this go around because i'm a die-hard vike, and he makes us a lot better. but i didn't have a problem with him playing for the jets last year. didn't have a problem with jordan coming out of retirement. don't have problems with boxers doing it either. just never understood why people have such a double standard when it comes to athletes. it's their lives, and we should just enjoy being able to watch them play, and not feel a sense of entitlement.

Yes, people do retire, get bored, and pursue other ventures (as you stated it). For me, the double standard comes into play when a QB is past his prime, and solemnly appears on national television about how it was difficult to make this life changing decision, how his family and the fans have supported him, how difficult it is to leave the game he loves, blah, blah, blah, knowing the entire time that deep down in his heart he'd be back. Then, a few short weeks later, gets signed by another team, and happily appears on television about how momentous of a day this is, blah, blah, blah. Athletes do have a right to do change their minds... but wouldn't it be refreshing if an athlete would just come out and say that rather than retiring, they're seriously pursuing other opportunities with an opposing team? I doubt your father agonized about his multiple retirements, and told people how much he'd miss the work, the people, all the while knowing he'd go back to work in a few short weeks for a competing company.

Favre is entitled to change his mind, and I still believe he's one of the greatest QB's in NFL history. But that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve a little bit of public scrutiny. After all, he put himself in the media spotlight several times.

[whitetrashgriz]

this topic has been beaten to death but i still don't feel that i've even gotten an answer regarding why athletes are treated differently when it comes to retiring. people retire all the time, later get bored, and pursue other ventures. by dad has retired twice. had parties both times. i hope people weren't secretly talking about him behind his back for these decisions. is it simply for selfish reasons that we treat athletes different? because we want to remember them at their best? because we want to remember them playing for OUR team? what is it? and let's remember, favre wanted to be a viking last year. actually, he probably wanted to be a viking his whole career! just for our pack fans! but honsestly, it was the vikings that were pursuing him, not the other way around. sounds like he did a lot of soul searching and didn't just make a split-second decision. i admit i'm bias this go around because i'm a die-hard vike, and he makes us a lot better. but i didn't have a problem with him playing for the jets last year. didn't have a problem with jordan coming out of retirement. don't have problems with boxers doing it either. just never understood why people have such a double standard when it comes to athletes. it's their lives, and we should just enjoy being able to watch them play, and not feel a sense of entitlement.

Yes, people do retire, get bored, and pursue other ventures (as you stated it). For me, the double standard comes into play when a QB is past his prime, and solemnly appears on national television about how it was difficult to make this life changing decision, how his family and the fans have supported him, how difficult it is to leave the game he loves, blah, blah, blah, knowing the entire time that deep down in his heart he'd be back. Then, a few short weeks later, gets signed by another team, and happily appears on television about how momentous of a day this is, blah, blah, blah. Athletes do have a right to do change their minds... but wouldn't it be refreshing if an athlete would just come out and say that rather than retiring, they're seriously pursuing other opportunities with an opposing team? I doubt your father agonized about his multiple retirements, and told people how much he'd miss the work, the people, all the while knowing he'd go back to work in a few short weeks for a competing company.

Favre is entitled to change his mind, and I still believe he's one of the greatest QB's in NFL history. But that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve a little bit of public scrutiny. After all, he put himself in the media spotlight several times.

all good points if in fact it's true that favre is just a media whore craving the attention. some believe this is the case, others don't. i think retiring from sports would have to be the most difficult thing a person can do. i think most of us would agree that being a professional athlete would be the greatest job in the world. for many of these athletes, sports are all they know. obviously it's a huge story, but that's only because it's a famous athlete and the media circus will follow him wherever he goes. how do any of you know that he doesn't just hate the coverage? hate the press conferences? hate everything that comes with the gig except for the day the games are played, the wins, and the money? how do we know that these choices haven't been as difficult as brett himself has said that they have? and let's not forget, when he chose to come back and play last season, he wanted to play for his "company", and not a "competing company". but the pack chose to move in a different direction which i have no problem with. but it's not like he betrayed them. he made a decision to leave the game, and he made a decision to come back. and he wasn't calling the vikings, they were calling him. our vikings players were texting him. tv shows are asking him for interviews. not the other way around. now, if he was calling teams and basically begging for a job i'd be annoyed. but if other teams still think he's got it, and he thinks he might be able to make them better....why not. and let's not forget this is where he wanted to play last year when it was evident that he wouldn't be a packer, and it's a system he knows better than any player on the vikings roster. and if he can make a million dollars a month in the process, i say more power to him.

[gtapp]

I am a Vikings fan but Favre is a Packer and once a Packer always a Packer. I have a problem with players going from one rival team to another. It would be like a griz player quitting and wanting to play for the Cats. No way! I hope he does well but even if we win the Super Bowl I will still believe that the Vikes should have NEVER signed him.

[grizzh8r]

I am a Vikings fan but Favre is a Packer and once a Packer always a Packer. I have a problem with players going from one rival team to another. It would be like a griz player quitting and wanting to play for the Cats. No way! I hope he does well but even if we win the Super Bowl I will still believe that the Vikes should have NEVER signed him.

If I were a Viks fan, I would agree 100% with you. Kinda makes you feel dirty, doesn't it?

[whitetrashgriz]

I am a Vikings fan but Favre is a Packer and once a Packer always a Packer. I have a problem with players going from one rival team to another. It would be like a griz player quitting and wanting to play for the Cats. No way! I hope he does well but even if we win the Super Bowl I will still believe that the Vikes should have NEVER signed him.

If I were a Viks fan, I would agree 100% with you. Kinda makes you feel dirty, doesn't it?

ya, i guess i look at it differently. first, i would LOVE it if a quality player left the griz for the cats. maybe just me. secondly, i rarely look at the pros in the same was i do college. professional football is a business, and while i think loyalty and integrity are very important, you have to do what's best for yourself. and i shouldn't have to remind vikes fans that we have had countless players from the packers on our team. most recently longwell and sharper. why should this be any different, except for the fact that in favres case he gives us an immidiate shot at winning. because of AP's talent people fail to realize how much the vikes throw the ball. we just missed the top 10 in throwing td passes last year with tavaris and frerotte. can people honestly say that even at 39-40 that favre can't throw as well as frerotte? all i know is my harvin and now favre jerseys are in the mail, and i'm very excited about this season.

[gtapp]

I am a Vikings fan but Favre is a Packer and once a Packer always a Packer. I have a problem with players going from one rival team to another. It would be like a griz player quitting and wanting to play for the Cats. No way! I hope he does well but even if we win the Super Bowl I will still believe that the Vikes should have NEVER signed him.

If I were a Viks fan, I would agree 100% with you. Kinda makes you feel dirty, doesn't it?

ya, i guess i look at it differently. first, i would LOVE it if a quality player left the griz for the cats. maybe just me. secondly, i rarely look at the pros in the same was i do college. professional football is a business, and while i think loyalty and integrity are very important, you have to do what's best for yourself. and i shouldn't have to remind vikes fans that we have had countless players from the packers on our team. most recently longwell and sharper. why should this be any different, except for the fact that in favres case he gives us an immidiate shot at winning. because of AP's talent people fail to realize how much the vikes throw the ball. we just missed the top 10 in throwing td passes last year with tavaris and frerotte. can people honestly say that even at 39-40 that favre can't throw as well as frerotte? all i know is my harvin and now favre jerseys are in the mail, and i'm very excited about this season.

I didn't like the signing of Longwell or Sharper either. We are killing rivalries in Pro football with free agency. I hated these guys when thye played for the Packers and now I am supposed to cheer for them. grizzh8r said it best; makes you feel dirty! And even if my own son decided to play for the griz and then transfered a year later to the Cats I would boo him on every play; but maybe that's just me.

[whitetrashgriz]

I am a Vikings fan but Favre is a Packer and once a Packer always a Packer. I have a problem with players going from one rival team to another. It would be like a griz player quitting and wanting to play for the Cats. No way! I hope he does well but even if we win the Super Bowl I will still believe that the Vikes should have NEVER signed him.

If I were a Viks fan, I would agree 100% with you. Kinda makes you feel dirty, doesn't it?

ya, i guess i look at it differently. first, i would LOVE it if a quality player left the griz for the cats. maybe just me. secondly, i rarely look at the pros in the same was i do college. professional football is a business, and while i think loyalty and integrity are very important, you have to do what's best for yourself. and i shouldn't have to remind vikes fans that we have had countless players from the packers on our team. most recently longwell and sharper. why should this be any different, except for the fact that in favres case he gives us an immidiate shot at winning. because of AP's talent people fail to realize how much the vikes throw the ball. we just missed the top 10 in throwing td passes last year with tavaris and frerotte. can people honestly say that even at 39-40 that favre can't throw as well as frerotte? all i know is my harvin and now favre jerseys are in the mail, and i'm very excited about this season.

I didn't like the signing of Longwell or Sharper either. We are killing rivalries in Pro football with free agency. I hated these guys when thye played for the Packers and now I am supposed to cheer for them. grizzh8r said it best; makes you feel dirty! And even if my own son decided to play for the griz and then transfered a year later to the Cats I would boo him on every play; but maybe that's just me.

well that's certainly your choice. but the fact is the days of a player getting drafted and playing for a single team his entire career are long gone. just not going to happen much anymore. so while you can certainly feel that way, because obviously it's YOU and YOUR choice, sports are going to be non-existent for you in the future because eventually all of your favorite athletes will be playing for your rivals, or at the very least not playing for your favorite team any longer. how many vikes on our roster have been with us their entire careers? do you boo the rest? or just the packers? the nfc north? i guess i look at the team first, and while you're playing for my team i'll cheer you on like crazy. of course i'm open-minded and didn't hate favre that much to begin with because i had way to much respect for how he plays the game. and i would certainly never boo my family...you're going to be booing often this season, especially on offense. favre played for green bay. so did longwell. wade and berrian are former bears. so is jimmy kennedy. what do you do if former bobcats make the nfl and play for the packers or bears like joey did? did you boo him too? two different mindsets that's all. colt played for the hated griz but there is no one trying to earn a job that i'm rooting for more than hime. small town, tough as ****** montana boy playing for my favorite team. and if he doesn't make it and eventually ends up on the pack or bears....i'll still be rooting for him. like i said, one way isn't necessarily better than the other, but we just go about our fan-man-ship differently.

[Sportin' Life]

As usual, the Onion nails it: Favre Just Chucks Reputation Up There

http://www.theonion.com/content/news_br ... late_rss_1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Bleedinbluengold]

if such things make a person feel dirty, then I suggest taking a step back and re-evaluating.

my biggest problem, and i think the biggest problem for the Vikings, is the complete and utter loss of all credibility by the Organization and Chilly in particular. It's only a matter of time now, that Chilly gets fired because no one on the team will buy into what he says. Chilly just became invisible, but sadly, he probably doesn't know it.

IF the Vikes go deep in the playoffs, or happen to even win the Super Bowl, free agents will bail on Chilly faster than Usain Bolt.

[whitetrashgriz]

if such things make a person feel dirty, then I suggest taking a step back and re-evaluating.

my biggest problem, and i think the biggest problem for the Vikings, is the complete and utter loss of all credibility by the Organization and Chilly in particular. It's only a matter of time now, that Chilly gets fired because no one on the team will buy into what he says. Chilly just became invisible, but sadly, he probably doesn't know it.

IF the Vikes go deep in the playoffs, or happen to even win the Super Bowl, free agents will bail on Chilly faster than Usain Bolt.

true if in fact the team was as clueless as the media was regarding his signing. i don't think they were. everything that i have heard and read says that the players were texting eachother, family, and even friends outside of the team that favre would eventually be there. even rosenfels said that while he was dissapointed because he wanted to be the starter, he wasn't surprised by the favre signing. it's pretty simple. we weren't going to win the super bowl with sage or tavaris and that's obviously the goal. will we win it with favre? who knows. but it's not completely out of the question like it was a week ago. like i said, i don't disagree with what you said, if in fact your opinion is true. i have some family pretty close to the organization, and often times can get some pretty good information and everything i'm hearing is there is a buzz with this team right now. they have a swagger and are feeling like they are the team to beat. not every player is going to be happy with every decision made when it comes to signing and releasing players. but at they very core, the players have to see that the only think childress is guilty of is taking a shot at a quarterback who makes his team better.

[Bleedinbluengold]

I agree completely that Favre should have been signed if he wanted to play. Heck, Steve Young is probably still better than Sage and Tavaris. All I'm saying is that Chilly and the Organization completely fed the media and fans a line of crap, and actually appeared to think that we bought it, when in fact we knew what was going on. Maybe if Chilly on the down lo was telling the players the truth, then that's different.

[gtapp]

I am a Vikings fan but Favre is a Packer and once a Packer always a Packer. I have a problem with players going from one rival team to another. It would be like a griz player quitting and wanting to play for the Cats. No way! I hope he does well but even if we win the Super Bowl I will still believe that the Vikes should have NEVER signed him.

If I were a Viks fan, I would agree 100% with you. Kinda makes you feel dirty, doesn't it?

ya, i guess i look at it differently. first, i would LOVE it if a quality player left the griz for the cats. maybe just me. secondly, i rarely look at the pros in the same was i do college. professional football is a business, and while i think loyalty and integrity are very important, you have to do what's best for yourself. and i shouldn't have to remind vikes fans that we have had countless players from the packers on our team. most recently longwell and sharper. why should this be any different, except for the fact that in favres case he gives us an immidiate shot at winning. because of AP's talent people fail to realize how much the vikes throw the ball. we just missed the top 10 in throwing td passes last year with tavaris and frerotte. can people honestly say that even at 39-40 that favre can't throw as well as frerotte? all i know is my harvin and now favre jerseys are in the mail, and i'm very excited about this season.

I didn't like the signing of Longwell or Sharper either. We are killing rivalries in Pro football with free agency. I hated these guys when thye played for the Packers and now I am supposed to cheer for them. grizzh8r said it best; makes you feel dirty! And even if my own son decided to play for the griz and then transfered a year later to the Cats I would boo him on every play; but maybe that's just me.

well that's certainly your choice. but the fact is the days of a player getting drafted and playing for a single team his entire career are long gone. just not going to happen much anymore. so while you can certainly feel that way, because obviously it's YOU and YOUR choice, sports are going to be non-existent for you in the future because eventually all of your favorite athletes will be playing for your rivals, or at the very least not playing for your favorite team any longer. how many vikes on our roster have been with us their entire careers? do you boo the rest? or just the packers? the nfc north? i guess i look at the team first, and while you're playing for my team i'll cheer you on like crazy. of course i'm open-minded and didn't hate favre that much to begin with because i had way to much respect for how he plays the game. and i would certainly never boo my family...you're going to be booing often this season, especially on offense. favre played for green bay. so did longwell. wade and berrian are former bears. so is jimmy kennedy. what do you do if former bobcats make the nfl and play for the packers or bears like joey did? did you boo him too? two different mindsets that's all. colt played for the hated griz but there is no one trying to earn a job that i'm rooting for more than hime. small town, tough as ****** montana boy playing for my favorite team. and if he doesn't make it and eventually ends up on the pack or bears....i'll still be rooting for him. like i said, one way isn't necessarily better than the other, but we just go about our fan-man-ship differently.

I will always cheer for my Vikings no matter who plays for them. And I don't mind any free agent signings EXCEPT from the Packers. It is such a great rivalry and for the most part a fun rivalry. Signing Packers just seems to take something away from it for me. I also always cheer for X-Cats even if they play for the Packers but if a griz went to the Pack then I don't think so. I might try but it would be damn hard. (any other Pro team OK)

[coachouert]

I think Fran Tarkenton put it best and exactly how I feel about it...

"We have responsibilities we're just not athletes that are in it all for ourself, football, is it not a team game? Isn't it all about team ... and here comes Brett Favre riding in on his white horse, doesn't go to training camp, doesn't come to offseason workouts and he's gonna come on his white horse and bond with all these players."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4409512" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[whitetrashgriz]

I think Fran Tarkenton put it best and exactly how I feel about it...

"We have responsibilities we're just not athletes that are in it all for ourself, football, is it not a team game? Isn't it all about team ... and here comes Brett Favre riding in on his white horse, doesn't go to training camp, doesn't come to offseason workouts and he's gonna come on his white horse and bond with all these players."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4409512" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

just goes to show there are 2 completely different mindsets cause i thought what tarkenton said was off-base, and he may be my favorite player of all time. how is it his business. what if favre really wasn't PLANNING on coming back 3 weeks ago when he turned down the vikes offer? childress called him again last week and once again asked brett to reconsider. brett decided to play. the only thing this guy is guilty of is being indecisive. one could unfortunately make the same argument that tarkenton is trying to keep himself in the nfl spotlight by commenting on the issue. it's a joke to me that people are labeling brett such a bad guy when we got thugs cheating on wives, beating people up, killing guys in their cars, brandishing guns, operating dog fighting rings, doing drugs, shooting up strip clubs, robbing taxi drivers, raping chicks, etc....yet brett is a bad guy because he can't leave the game he loves to play. as i said before, if he was calling teams begging for a shot i'd have a problem. but the vikes were after him! there is not a single person on this board who could honestly say that they wouldn't go back to work if it was a job they truly loved to play, and you could make hundreds of thousands or even millions to do it. and tarks comment about a team game is laughabe because of course it's a team game. but within that team everyone is not equal. the skills aren't equal and the pay certainly isn't equal. when he was making serious cash as a vike, and his teammates were making considerably less i'm surprised he didn't realize that he didn't make up the team by himself and offer to split his cash! now i'm even more annoyed because no i'm annoyed with a childhood idol!