Jim Rueda
Favre makes this sports writer eat his words
Please pass the salt and pepper, it’s time to eat a little crow.
Long before the Minnesota Vikings got around to actually signing Brett Favre in late August, I wrote that adding the veteran quarterback to the Vikings’ roster would be a mistake.
There were two basic reasons for that opinion. No. 1, I was not convinced that Favre’ second-half swoon with the Jets last season could be attributed solely to his arm/shoulder injury. I suspected age had finally caught up with Favre and that he was probably washed up.
No. 2, I predicted that, even if Favre still had it, the chances of Minnesota winning, or even reaching the Super Bowl, in the one year that he played for the Vikings was remote. I reasoned there are too many good teams out there that could knock Minnesota off and that taking the ‘Favre Detour’ for one year would set back the development of both Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels.
It’s obvious now, after seven weeks of the season, my first point was incorrect. Favre may have started slow statistically but has been near the top of his game the last five weeks. Over that span he is averaging 283 yards and just under two touchdowns per game. He has thrown just three interceptions all season.
More important than the statistics, however, has been the team’s won-lost record. The team is 6-1 with Favre at the helm and there are few fans out there who could honestly say the team would be playing as good or better with Jackson or Rosenfels behind center.
Yes, you can argue the Vikings could have easily lost both the San Francisco and Baltimore games and were fortunate to come away with victories in both of them. But Minnesota had a real chance to win Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh, as well, and could realistically be undefeated right now, too.
As for my second point — the non-development of the younger quarterbacks on the team — it has become glaringly obvious to me now that adding Favre was the right move. It’s hard to believe that Jackson or Rosenfels would be generating this kind of excitement for the team and its fans, both in Minnesota and nationally.
Right now, as we approach Week 8 of the NFL season, the Vikings are considered legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Most Vikings fans will accept that at the expense of Jackson and/or Rosenfels having to tread water for a season.
Opportunities, and seasons, such as this one are rare. The Vikings made the right choice in taking the Favre gamble.
Jim Rueda is the Free Press sports editor. To contact him, call 344-6381 or e-mail him at jrueda@mankato freepress.com
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