More Favre for MVP?

JS Online’s Rick Klauer points us to an article by CBS Sportsline’s Clark Judge on the NFL MVP. Judge puts Favre in the discussion. He starts his article by writing: “Tom Brady wins, and he wins in a landslide.”

Then he gets to Favre.

All I heard this summer is how the guy should retire. Well, thank goodness he listened to himself and not radio talk. All he has done is put the Packers back on the map. They’re one of the two best teams in the NFC and one of the top four in football, and it’s no coincidence that in the one game he was hurt the Pack lost. Anyway, you can’t watch Green Bay this season and not marvel at Favre. It’s not just his energy that’s so appealing; it’s his ability to dial up big plays on command, like that 82-yard bomb on the first play of overtime in Denver. So what’s new? He has five touchdown passes of 40 or more yards this season, the third best performance of his career. So Favre is getting older. He’s getting better, too. The guy is on schedule to set single-season highs in completions, yards, passer rating and completion percentage. More important, he has the Packers on top of their division and set for a drive deep into the playoffs. Valuable? No. He’s invaluable.

I agree with all of this, except for his claim that it was no coincidence that the Packers lost the only game Favre did not finish. Did he watch that game? Favre was awful. Lord knows I will always prefer Favre to Aaron Rodgers, but Favre was (going from memory) 5 for 14 with two picks and a QB rating of 8.9 when he left. Aaron Rodgers was fantastic. We lost the Cowboys game for many reasons, but losing Favre in the game was not one of them.

There’s no question that Brady should win the award unanimously.

Profootballtalk.com: Favre for MVP?

I have my problems with the guys at profootballtalk.com, the widely-read NFL gossip site. They irresponsibly suggested that Al Harris may have tried to injure Minnesota RB Adrian Peterson to collect on a so-called “bounty.” (In fact, Harris would have been the one to pay the “bounty.”)

But their take on Favre is worth noting. If memory serves, these guys were among the loudest voices in the “Favre Should Retire” brigade last winter/spring.

In a year that started with the media’s face stapled to Peyton Manning’s rear end and is ending with the media nuzzling Tom Brady’s baby-making equipment, veteran quarterback Brett Favre has swooped in and swiped the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year award. Favre never achieved this honor during any of his three MVP seasons. And he’s only the fourth quarterback to take home the hardware — if the prize actually entails any. The other winners were Terry Bradshaw (with Willie Stargell) in 1979, Joe Montana in 1990, and Tom Brady in 2005. With the Patriots suddenly not as dominant as they recently were, Favre could be seriously in the running for his fourth league MVP trophy.