Streak Must Continue



How dare he consider benching Favre

As the Vikings 2010 season continues to circle the toilet, Brett Favre and Brad Childress are entering an epic showdown. Favre, with two fractures in his ankle, wants to give playing "a try" on Sunday against New England and keep his 291 consecutive games played streak alive. Chilly isn't sure he wants to give him that chance.

Despite everything Favre's been through the last few years, the streak has always been the biggest part of his legacy. He's played with every injury under the sun. There's a reason he was hooked on Vicodin years ago. For the last 20 years, if you couldn't believe in anything else, believe in Favre under center on Sunday.

Now Brad Childress, of all people, wants to come in and say "I've gotta do what's best for this team." What's best for the team is having the guy everyone bent over backwards for play quarterback. If Chilly thinks he's going to get back control of the team by making a stand against a banged-up Favre, he's dumber than he looks and sounds. Benching Favre mid-season is a worse move than sending guys to Mississippi to corner him into coming back and lying about it.

Chilly won't bench Favre. He would like to but he knows he can't do it. As long as Favre isn't down with a season/career-ending, surgery-requiring injury, he will be the Vikings quarterback. Chilly is the last guy to make that call with the mockery he's made of his position over the last two years. Favre now runs the team, Childress. He got you a $15 million extension (the dumbest move of the past decade, just ahead of JaMarcuss Russell.) If Favre doesn't want to play, then look to TJack. But that won't happen because the only thing he has left is the streak. Until Favre shuts it down himself you're stuck with him. It's exactly what you wanted, Chilldress.

It's Still on Favre

He's Back.

When the Vikings couldn't land Vincent Jackson a couple of weeks ago, the season looked like a loss until at least Sidney Rice got back on the field. And even then it probably was too far gone to be saved.

Brett Favre's lack of confidence in his receivers was all too apparent in the first three games. His attitude screamed "I wish is was back in Mississippi. Damn you, Jared and Hutch for backing me into a corner and agreeing to this."

His chucking the ball straight in the air down field to Bernard Berrian, only to be intercepted numerous times, was equivalent to sending up a flare. A distress signal to management, fans, teammates: This is what happens without a decent receiver on the other end. Something must be done.

Zygi and Chili were listening. They tried hard to land Jackson but nothing short of multiple No. 1 picks was going to satisfy Chargers GM A.J. Smith. So they came up empty-handed, beat the Lions and went on the bye week. Favre had a couple more weeks to get on the same page with his junior varsity receivers and gear up for a brutal stretch of games. Little did the public know Chili, the sly old dog, was targeting the biggest star the Vikings ever had, Randy Moss.

Bringing in Moss, who is looking for a contract extension, indicates the Vikings know it's now or never. 2010 with Favre is the last chance they have for a long while. They needed a big-time receiver and they needed him NOW.

This is the same guy Favre wanted Green Bay to sign in 2007. He's still on top of the game and can deliver on deep routes as well as anyone. There are no more excuses for Favre. If getting Moss doesn't snap him out of his "I wish I weren't here" funk, nothing will. He must start playing better or he will receive the blame. And whatever doesn't go to him goes to Childress.

Luckily Bill Belichick wanted to get something in return for Moss and what he got was a third round pick. The Patriots had no intention of re-signing him after the season and Moss made that clear by saying numerous times "this will probably be my last season with the Patriots."

Fans in Minnesota rejoiced when the referee-soaking, meter maid-swiping, "play-when-I-want-to," "straight cash"-paying receiver returned to them. As well they should. This is the only shot they have and need all the help they can get.

"Favre to Moss!" sounds good and it will be heard a lot if the Vikings are to make a run this year.

Favre Frenzy

There's something about Favre that makes people lose their minds. We've all been down this road three times now and people are still going crazy over "reports" about Favre's decision making. I thought we covered all this last year. Even Favre doesn't know what the hell he's going to do. Certainly not right now.

The reports by the Star Tribune, ESPN and everyone else really makes me question how diligent these people are checking their sources. They were reporting Favre had "notified the Vikings he would not return." If you look closer it was some text message to an unnamed teammate that was the source.

Vishante Shiancoe told the StarTrib Favre "told a couple guys on the team he was going to retire." I need more than a mystery text message from a third or fourth party to confirm the decision of the most indecisive person in sports history.

They asked Childress. Of course he hadn't heard a thing about it, only saying the situation "is fluid," whatever that means. Steve Mariucci brought some sense to the discussion, claiming he talked to Favre who was, of course, shocked by all the fuss but said he never made such a decision.

Favre saying he's retiring in a off-the-record text message, allegedly, on August 3 doesn't hold any weight in the 2010 Favre Watch. It's much too early. He didn't join the team until August 17 last year. It's going to be later than that this year.

Calm down, Viking fan. No need to get anxious about battling around .500 with TJack behind center just yet. Favre Watch is far from over. As Rich Eisen said, "It's a marathon, not a sprint."

Blanks Already Filled In

I was getting worried FavreWatch 2010 would never get here. I’ve been waiting around for months and months wondering what the Wrangler-wearing, Southern Miss baseball-watchin’ gunslinger has been up to down in Hicksville, Miss. Only because I needed a few good laughs.

The entire Favre fiasco is comical to me now. I used to be think it was too much but now each time I see "breaking news," like Brad Childress visiting him in Mississippi, I laugh. The Power of Favre - it's so sad, it's funny.

Thank goodness for coverage of Childress’ visit to Mississippi Monday. That gave me the laughs I was looking for.When asked why he was there, Chili responded in his over-sized Vikings fishing hat, “You can fill in the blanks.”

Okay, I will. The Brett Favre-Brad Childress Fill-in-the-blank game:

Brett Favre will play for the Minnesota Vikings in 2010.

He will miss training camp because he doesn’t want to attend. His excuse will be his ankle. He will need that time to mow his lawn and discuss his future with his daughter on their front porch.

Childress will sit around waiting because he has no other choice. He’ll continue to lose all credibility and respect. By October, Favre will be officially the head coach of the team.

Favre will continue to drop hints about playing and throw to high schoolers in front of a camera, while never giving anyone a straight answer.

And everyone will watch.

Thanks, Chili. Filling in the blanks myself was much more fun than listening to your gruff voice mumble clichés. Plus, what does Chili know about Favre playing that we don’t? Nothing.

End note: One blank we don’t need filled in: Favre's lid. He's got never-ending supply of dirty, greasy Nike golf hats. Each one dirtier and more worn than the last. Good to know.