Brett Favre looks incredibly good so far this year. In fact, if I had to decide on NFL MVP right now, Favre would be in the mix (along with Charles Woodson, Manning, Chris Johnson). I don’t like to admit this because I’m still bothered by his role in the GB divorce and I hate anyone who has anything to do with the Vikings. I’ve heard the counter-arguments: that he’s played against mostly weak teams/defenses, or that he has Adrian Peterson behind him, or that the Vikes’ have a strong offensive line, or that their defense helps the team keep leads, or that the Vikes are just a very talented team overall. Those things are all true and yes they help. But I have seen him play enough this year to say confidently, Brett Favre might be playing at least close to this well just about anywhere right now. His passes are crisp, his timing is phenomenal, his pocket awareness is special, he’s shown he can still make any throw (and the MN offense hasn’t been shy about letting him let it fly), he’s not hiding behind AP and the run game and perhaps most curiously, his playcalling has been top-notch. (There have been rumors alleging that most of the offense’s success is due to Favre finally getting the green light to call some of his own plays. Together with Bevell and possibly Childress, they are making tremendous play calls game after game.) Favre’s stats this year speak volumes: 24TDs, 3 picks, #2 in completion percentage at 69.3 and #1 in QB rating at 112.
I can’t say this surprises me though. As soon as the Vikes’ rumored interest in Favre surfaced earlier this year, I went on record saying he’d improve their record to at least 12-4. At that time, my 12-4 claim was mostly met with “Andy’s on crack again” comments. But I mostly held to it. I think it’s now safe to say the doubters were wrong. He has played extremely well this year. The offense is so smooth and very difficult to defend due largely to Favre’s performance. Heading into this season, the popular comment was “who’s he going to throw to?” Now it’s “man, look at all the weapons he has”. I think it’s fair to give some credit to Favre for making superstars out of guys who otherwise may have languished in mediocrity. He did it in Green Bay and he’s doing it in MN.
As well as Favre has played though, a question keeps popping up in my mind: did both the Packers and the Vikings end up winning in this divorce situation? I’m not saying this like the kid who says (pouting) “I didn’t want the most expensive brand new football that all of my friends got for Christmas anyway” here. I really am beginning to believe that this has worked out well for both the Pack and the Vikes. They got their franchise QB who could come in and provide competent quarterbacking while importantly bringing a strong sense of confidence to a position that had been a negative focus for years. The Packers, meanwhile, got a high quality young QB better suited to dealing with (and more willing to deal with) the ups and downs of leading a young team. The Vikings are dominating the division, but the Packers are slowly creeping back into the race – largely because of the efforts of Aaron Rodgers.
Wouldn’t it be something if these two teams squared off again this season, in the playoffs…and the Pack snatched the one that counts most!
packergeeks 
December 1, 2009 at 1:09 am |
i’m still holding onto the ‘the season isn’t over yet’ part of my brent-sickness.
i have started to wonder though, how much of last season’s decline really was about his shoulder, and about playing for perhaps the worst people-person ever to walk amongst people in mangina. his players really hate him for the most part, and that’s a feat.
but if the pack meets up with the queens in the post-season, we better pray dom capers changes his gameplan. we all said that going into the 2nd regular season game, and we all watched as capers sat back in coverage and let favre have 234 seconds to find the open man time after time. i’d rather lose going after him than lose playing favre-prevent. put woodson on rice, put the younger, faster williams on harvin, and bring matthews EVERY SINGLE DOWN.
favre doesn’t get rattled easily, but he is human – he does get rattled. and for every 4 quick outs for 7 yards he throws against a blitz, he’ll throw one ball that should be intercepted. i wish harris could be there when it happens to point his finger up as he runs into the endzone, but charles is in charge now, and that works too.
and yes, everyone won. everyone, that is, except sagevaris jackenfels. and the vikings in 2 years. again, no matter what happens this year, you have to feel pretty good about the pack in 2 years with this division. vikings with no qb again and no prospects, and bears with no draft picks until 2055.
December 1, 2009 at 1:22 am |
Add Drew Brees to the MVP mix. He is so on target. When it was clear he was leaving SD, Rodgers had been injured, Favre was retiring I thought Brees would be a Packer. Not even close. But Saints and Dolphins had him in camp. Dolphins went with former Vike #1 from Cent FL, now a Lion backup. Do overs anyone?
December 1, 2009 at 9:49 am |
I have a big problem with how the NFL hands out the MVP. How can a QB with one of the best offensive lines in the game, what many consider the best RB and a rookie WR that is just unbelieavable be the MVP? Also, they have a pretty solid defense on that team too. And, the won the division last year. I have a hard time giving the award to the best quarterback of a winning team. That’s just lazy.
Now, to me you need to look at the difference that a player makes for a team. So since, Farve looks like he is gonna help the Vikigns win the division and since they did that last year without him, no MVP unless they go to the Superbowl. Otherwise, it is really hard to justify Farve as THE difference maker for that team.
Vince Young on the otherhand (a man I have said in public has no business being in the NFL) seems to be THE difference maker on the Titans. The team started 0-6. They made one player change: Young in; Collins out. After that change they have gone 5-0. That is what an MVP is. A single player who can change everything for a team.
December 1, 2009 at 10:21 am |
I have to disagree with the above commenter.
You can’t penalize a MVP caliber QB because he has a good offensive line. Also, the fact his WR’s are playing well is largely due to Favre. Percy Harvin would not look this good if T-Jack was throwing to him.
Favre is the difference which is taking this 9-10 win team to a 12 – 13 (maybe more) win team.
December 1, 2009 at 10:42 am |
Why does everyone think Favre’s only going to stay two years in Minnesota? I know he signed a two year contract, but I’m willing to bet they’ll have to put a hook in his jersey and drag him off the field. He’s having too much fun and he’s doing too well to let it go after two years. And as long as he has the supporting cast he wants and he needs, Brett will be playing for several more years. Of course, he likes the drama of “will he or won’t he” so that part won’t change.
December 1, 2009 at 10:46 am |
Joe – point taken, and for the record, I thought about including both Young and Brees and probably should have. The case for Young would be even more compelling if he continues to play this well and his team keeps winning. That Tenn team is suddenly a beast to defend – especially after the last game because Young opened up their passing game so nicely. I also think that if Chris Johnson goes over 2000 yards (or is even close), he may deserve it because right now, he’s the hardest player to defend in the NFL.
But one thing I would say to counter your point re Favre, is that the Vikes of 2009 are considerably better than the Vikes of 2008. (While I want them to lose the next 5 games so they end up with the same record they had in 2008, I doubt it will happen.) Importantly, their 2009 personnel has been mostly the same as their 2008 personnel – except at QB. So I do think Favre makes that much of a difference for them. But I think it’s also important to note that Favre hasn’t been just a game manager managing a great winning team, making safe/conservative passes. He has been called upon to take over games and win them through the air – and he has.
I must say though, that I wish the MVP award were handed out after the playoffs because based on his history over the past decade, chances are good that Favre may meltdown in the post-season.
December 1, 2009 at 11:18 am |
Damn, I thought I’d be banished from this site for my epiphany. Guess we all are finally facing the reality of this little fiasco.
Ron, you OK? (Imaging Ron throwing his coffee cup across the room reaching for his Blood Pressure pills 😉
December 1, 2009 at 12:15 pm |
I think Favre is playing well, and certainly better than I expected. I’m not willing to say he is dominant though. To me there is a difference between playing extremely well and being dominant.
Until he plays well against a dominant team I can’t conclude whether he’s dominant or not. Drew Brees? I will call him dominant – the Saints have beaten multiple teams in the playoff hunt including the Giants, the Eagles, the Patriots and the Falcons. And those wins were typically by large numbers. The Vikings have also played/beaten multiple teams in the playoff hunt: Baltimore, San Fran, Pittsburgh, Green Bay. They almost lost to both Baltimore and San Fran, they did lose to Pittsburgh and so the only play off bound team that they beat handily were the Packers. And the Packers are in the playoff hunt largely because they have an easy schedule.
Favre is playing well and he has made the Vikings a better team from last year. But soundly defeating teams like St. Louis, Chicago, Seattle, Detroit, and Cleveland is what should happen when you have a good team and a good QB. Beating the Packers when Dom Capers won’t blitz and our O-line is best compared to Swiss cheese and you have Jared Allen? Also something a good team should do. They have some tough games ahead and we’ll see how they perform. And then I might be willing to call Favre dominant.
December 1, 2009 at 12:58 pm |
PackerBelle,
It’s easy to discount every Viking win if that’s your goal to do so. The Pittsburgh game and the Ravens games were almost identical with just a bit different outcome. Vikes won the game they should have lost, and lost the one they should have won.
The 49er WIN was a WIN, it was also early in the season before Favre got his rhythym. But what happened, he still won it and that was largely Favre.
Saints have beaten New England, the Eagles, Giants, etc… but I’m not sure we know how good the whole NFC east is at this point.
A good question would be, where would the Packers finish this year if they played in the NFC East? Is beating Green Bay twice more impressive than beating Philly and the Giants? You say “no” I say “we don’t know”.
December 1, 2009 at 3:52 pm |
I’m not discounting every win, I’m pointing out that there really haven’t been great wins against great teams. Both New Orleans and Minnesota have played four potential play-off teams. The Vikings crushed the Packers, squeaked by San Fran and Baltimore and lost to Pittsburgh (and that loss was largely due to Favre’s INT and fumble).
Compare that to New Orleans. They beat Philly by 26 points. They beatt the Giants by 21 points, they beat Atlanta by 8 points, and New England by 21 points. To me that is dominating, you take the good teams and largely win by comfortable margins. Favre and the Vikings have yet to show they can do that. They can blow out crappy teams, but they haven’t shown that they can truly dominate the better ones.
You assume that my goal is to discount any Vikings win, yet you seem to be doing the opposite. I never said I don’t think the Vikings are playing well or that they are a good team. I just said I don’t think they, or Favre, are dominant this year and that I think New Orleans is a good example of a team I do think appears dominant. You say “Vikes won the game they should have lost, and lost the one they should have won.”, yet shouldn’t a truly dominant team and/or QB be good enough to always be suppossed to win games?
December 1, 2009 at 1:44 pm |
I am not trying to say that Farve is not an improvement but giving him the MVP acknowledges what ? That Farve joined the Vikings after Peterson. Reverse it all. Say they are 10-6 last year but they already have Farve and not Peterson. Then they go get Peterson and they are a better team but you can’t quantify how much better because the award is given out too soon and you don’t know if they are gonna be one and done in the playoffs just like last year. Does that make Peterson the MVP?
This is my point. The MVP is not the best player on a winning team, – it is that singular player that is so damn good or necessary that he can make a losing or avarage team very good. Or put it another way, he is that player that, if lost, is the death knell of the season. Take Farve away and you still have a playoff team. That’s my point.
December 1, 2009 at 2:30 pm |
Joe,
The difference is in how the Vikings are playing. As a Packer fan you might not see it, but the rest of the nation is. If you throw 24 TD’s and only 3 interceptions (at least one of which should have been caught which ultimately made the difference in the Pitt game), you’re making a difference on the team.
Adrian brought us from a 6 win team to a 10 win team. Chances are if Favre was here and Adrian wasn’t, we’d look a lot like the many Green Bay teams that existed.
Last year people didn’t know who Sidney Rice was, Favre changed that. Last year Adrian didn’t catch screen passes. Favre changed that. Visanthe Shiancoe was a pass dropper last year, Favre changed that. Percy Harvin would be a typical rookie, but with Favre throwing it to him he’s been better than most expected for a rookie WR. Favre is throwing the balls. We can be sure any of Minnys other choices at QB would not be using Percy this effectively.
Tony Dungy said he’d vote for Favre over Manning because he brought a non-contender into a definite contender for the Super Bowl.
Despite the schedule, you have New Orleans and then most people believe the Vikings as the two contenders on the NFC side.
Believe what you’d like, but most people disagree with you.
December 1, 2009 at 3:53 pm |
The Vikings were never really a non-contender. They’ve been considered legitimate contendars since they went and got Berrian and Allen. Yes, people knew that QB was a hole but it didn’t stop them from being contenders.
December 1, 2009 at 3:04 pm |
In order to feel my usual equilibrium, my feeling of being “one with the universe”, I must avoid sudden changes.
Please tell me this is still “Packergeeks” because I am experiencing extreme vertigo reading these Favre praising posts.
I want my shallow little world to stop spinning.
Sigh.
December 1, 2009 at 4:44 pm |
Jesus Campbell. Like you, in honor of the Holiday season I’ll just let it go at that.
December 1, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Hey Coopmeister..YOU started it 🙂
December 1, 2009 at 3:21 pm |
Just not in the mood to talk Favre….lets talk about the Ravens instead.
December 1, 2009 at 3:32 pm |
Campbell, not sure what you’re driving at there. I’ve been fairly consistent over time expressing my opinion that Favre can still play football – and I’ve admitted on multiple occasions, even after the Vikes beat up on the Packers this year, that he’s played well. I may not think well of how he handled the divorce etc, but that shouldn’t interfere with my willingness to recognize that he’s been playing well this year.
December 1, 2009 at 4:19 pm |
Dan, I don’t dispute that Farve has made his team better and he is having a career year. The MVP should not be awarded for personal achievements. Farve is having his best year as a pro, but the question is what difference is that making to his team. It seems certain that he is going to help the Vikings do everything that they did last year without him, win the division and make the playoffs. Whether or not he can help them do more is an open question (which could be solved by not handing the award out until after the playoffs).
I have a fundamental problem with the way the MVP is awarded. MVP stands for Most Valuable Player – not the best player in the league. It means that player that is the most necessary to the success of its team. It means that the absence of that player that would devastate the team. The absence of Farve from the Vikings gets you a division winning team that lost in the first round of the playoffs. Maybe Farve gets them a first round bye, looks likely, but what he does beyond that is what should matter.
We should be looking at guys like Vince Young, Vernon Davis, etc.; guys that are the only thing keeping their team alive. They are Most Valuable Players. Not the QB who is having a career year with a team that won its division without him.
December 1, 2009 at 4:43 pm |
Agreed, I have always thought the MVP as well as the Pro Bowl players were picked way too soon. Wasn’t it about 2 years when there qwere like 11 Cowboys on the NFC team? How far did they go?
December 1, 2009 at 5:20 pm |
I don’t disagree that the MVP stands for the wrong thing. I agree it seems like the MVP should go to the one guy who is good on an otherwise horrible team. But if you do that, you could give it to 32 different guys. Steven Jackson, Aaron Rodgers, (pick your favorite fantasy football player).
But the team should be successful and in my mind, the player should be good at making those around him better. I think that’s when you need to look at Brees, Manning, Favre, and that’s about it.
The Viikngs won their division last year, but in my view, they were never a legitimate candidate to win the Super Bowl. I think that’s the difference this year. (Although I’m not expecting it… as a life long Viking fan, I know that the cart gets unhooked somewhere along the way).
December 1, 2009 at 5:20 pm |
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December 1, 2009 at 5:34 pm |
greg williams, the saints d-coordinator should run out on the field and play cornerback for one play in garbage time during a saints win so he can qualify as a ‘player.’ if that happens, he gets the mvp.
but no player should be ignored because he has a good team (or considered because he has a bad team) around him. if brian brohm were under center for the pack this year, you think we’d have more than 1 win? or if rodgers had a good o-line, i think he’d be having a brees/manning type year.
but brent is extremely valuable, especially to a team running the offense he’s currently running. keep in mind also that last year, he was running a totally new offense for the first time since he started in green bay. his familiarity is evident in his play, and in his lack of glaring errors thus far. thus far. but the old adage ‘winning cures all … cases of crotchety-old-prima-donna-jackasshood,’ is evident this year. he was miserable last year. that’s part of being associated with the jets. everyone else around him was miserable too.
but in MN, we also have the ease of comparing a team with brent to a team only a year ago and with similar personnel – and the results are obvious. with teams like indy and the saints, we haven’t seen them without their respective mvp’s. i have a feeling new orleans and indy would be much worse than the vikings if all three had to play their 2nd string qb.
i’m not quite sure what my point is so i’ll stop now.
December 1, 2009 at 5:44 pm |
dan, i asked you before to stop being so reasonable. you’re ruining our blind hatred for anyone who roots for the men in the purple pajamas.
okay, no you’re not. but still, you’re creeping me out.
are you sure you’re not a jet fan in exile? your resignation to eventual failure doesn’t seem very minnesotan.
December 1, 2009 at 7:15 pm |
Dan, I am glad that you agree that the MVP is not actually given to the MVP but is simply handed out for great individual achievements in a given year.
If Titans continue to play as well as they are now and Young does not get the MVP it will just prove that the whole things is a bunch of crap. 0-6 when he was on the bench, 5-0 when he starts. No other changes made to the team. There is no more dramatic example of exactly what a Most Valuable Player is than Vince Young this year (and I hate the guy).
December 2, 2009 at 6:04 pm |
I agree, if you were going to hand out an award based off of how “valuable” a guy is to his team, Vince Young would be a serious contender, and Chris Johnson shouldn’t even get a mention. But we both know thats not how it works.
December 2, 2009 at 2:48 am |
I’d pick Brees over Favre. Saints will probably have a better record, even undefeated, and Brees is the guy behind that.
I’d also pick Manning over Favre (and I am not a Manning fan) because I think he’s holding that team together. They have no running game at all, and they are also undefeated.
Favre’s year would win it most years, but not this one.
December 2, 2009 at 10:49 am |
56, I’ve been down with the flu for a while. Starting to feel better, that is, until I watched the Favre love fest on Sunday. I quit counting the “Farve’s Great” comments after about a thousand. You have to wonder what the other guys on that team feel like. They were there but they are just incapable of winning without the “Great One”. No mater how well he plays, he’s still a self-centered jerk.
All along I’ve said he should retire as a Viking and go to the HOF as a Viking. Retire his number my butt!
December 2, 2009 at 12:35 pm |
I say retire his number, but lets wait a few decades or so and do it post-humously.
December 2, 2009 at 6:02 pm |
I’m sure all his teammates realize they wouldn’t be 10-1 with Sagevarias Jackenfels leading their team. I think there feelings will be ok, you can rest easy…
You don’t go into the Hall of Fame as a member of any particular team, like Baseball does.
If you are so sickened by the Favre lovefest, then why watch? I used to watch wrestling, but then it got old and boring, so I stopped watching. I didn’t keep watching just so I could complain about it to someone.
December 2, 2009 at 12:18 pm |
Joshy,
As a purple fan and Minnesotan, let me assure you that any true Minnesota fan (in any sport) expects even our best teams to fail. 1991 was a long time ago.
December 2, 2009 at 7:05 pm |
I guess they photoshop out all the uniforms so no one gets offended? Of course, there are team affliations. Just make sure they use the purple four.
December 3, 2009 at 11:18 am |
Ah, Ron–Obviously yuou are feeling much better. Nice to have you back bud. H1N1?
December 3, 2009 at 6:11 pm |
56, no just the garden variety flu. Actually I felt good about that until my damn Dr. said you should worry more because seasonal flu kills more than that “Porky” kind. So, I’m in an isolated room sitting in front of a vaporizer and inhaling Vicks as fast as I can, trying to put a combination lock on the door. No one enters without a password from now on. I think I’ll use “Favre is a dick head.” Blunt, but ot certainly matches my mood.
Beat the Nevermores Monday and ensure my recovery.
December 3, 2009 at 7:25 pm |
Well, at least their is a distinct possibility that you will get your recovery. I would not have thought that several weeks ago.
December 7, 2009 at 10:55 am |
AAhhh, the Old Favre was back last night. Pick-a-rooni’s