Brett Favre is Now with the Minnesota Vikings

Yes, it's all true... Brett Favre is officially on the Minnesota Vikings. Now we can quit watching videos of him throwing passes to random high school football players, and send the roving midsummer-nothing-else-to-do ESPN reporters to Vikings training camp for more incessant talking and worthless coverage.

What this whole saga highlighted for me - and what I've known for quite some time - is that I hate Brett Favre. This is despite the fact that he has been fairly good to the fortunes of my team, the New York football Giants. He let Michael Strahan flop onto of him for his record breaking sack, and he literally threw our shot at the Super Bowl into our hands.

Thanks Brett, but I still loathe your existence on my television and in my life every... single... day. Here are the top 5 reasons why I hate Brett Favre.

5. The Perpetual Announcer Man Crush - Why is it that every announcer on the planet has a man crush for Brett Favre? Is it just to give Frank Caliendo material for his impersonations? With John Madden out of the booth, that's at least one of Favre's biggest man crushers out of the way. Of course, about 347 of them still remain.

4. He Makes me Miss T.O./McNabb - The Terrell Owens and Donovan McNabb drama with the Philadelphia Eagles was one of the first times that ESPN made the executive decision to turn their sports coverage into an endless sports soap opera. It was absolutely terrible, and it essentially ruined the network. Well, the yearly Brett Favre saga actually makes me miss that. Give me some crunches on your driveway, give me some sideline freak outs, give me something that at least entertains during the madness rather than breathless reporters following you to high school football practices and news stories based on your text messages.

3. The Country Good Ole Boy - We get it Brett. You live in Mississippi. You like mowing lawns. You wear jeans. And of course, you just love you some football and hanging with the guys. Find a new schtick.

Brett Favre: The Greatest Black Quarterback of All Time

So I'm hearing all of this talk about Brett Favre, not only about his status as a living legend, but also about his flaws as a NFL quarterback. He's got some gaudy stats and a Super Bowl win to his credit, but many of the naysayers are clowning him for a career chock full of gunslinging and good fortune; most of which only paid off consistently for about a three-to-five year period.

But when you think about everything that Brett Favre's legacy is made of, the good and the bad, you might come to a conclusion that you wouldn't have expected. Everything that makes Brett Favre a notable and beloved quarterback are the exact qualities that have created a stereotype around black quarterbacks and hindered them from widespread acceptance. From the risk-taking, to the undeniable physical tools, to the questionable leadership qualities, let's just go ahead and make it plain;

Brett Favre is the greatest black quarterback of all time.

There's not much that physically separates Favre from countless other black quarterbacks who have come and gone over the course of his NFL tenure. They shared limitless potential; entrance into the league with cannon arms, quick feet and a knack for making plays. Favre's southern upbringing, inherent toughness and "aww shucks" media persona is not glaringly different from some of the best brothers granted the chance to line up under center.

I won't say racism positioned Favre to excel, because he had to be talented enough to win a Super Bowl and set numerous NFL records. But I will say that race had a lot to do with the patience shown by Mike Holmgren and the Green Bay Packers organization in his early years as a player. Patience that many black quarterbacks did not receive because all of the things that endeared Favre to coaches, players and media, were negative traits when possessed by black QBs.

You can see it in how long it took Favre to become a starter for one of the NFL's flagship franchises. You can see it in his being named to the 1993 Pro Bowl, a Pro Bowl that also boasted Warren Moon as an honoree, who just happened to be the third-leading passer in the league that year.

minnesota vikings preview 09

RB Young Prepared For Extended Time On Friday

Following practice on Wednesday, Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress indicated he would not be playing his starters in tomorrow night’s preseason finale against the Cowboys. Depending on how things shake out, it’s possible a few starters might have to take a snap or 2, but I’m sure the team would like to avoid playing RB Adrian Peterson and will also limit the number of snaps for Chester Taylor.
This plays right into a position battle that has been going on during the offseason, training camp and the preseason – the 3rd RB.
Former University of Iowa standout Albert Young, who is entering his 2nd year with the club in 2009, looks to be the favorite at this point to win the job. But Ian Johnson, who played collegiately at Boise State, is also in the mix and trying to carve out a spot for himself on the team.
When the Vikings and Cowboys kickoff tomorrow night, Young will have something working for him that many players on the field won’t have – plenty of preseason playing experience. This is the 2nd time in Young’s NFL career that he’s been through a full preseason and it’s also the 2nd time he’s expecting to see extended time in the preseason finale.
“I think it’s more of knowing what to expect,” Young said of what that experience provides for him. “It’ll be a lot of playing special teams and then a lot of offense or defense, whichever you play. You’re definitely put to the test this week, so you’ve got to prepare yourself for that. You approach it like any other game.”
Young was on the practice squad last year after an impressive showing during training camp and the preseason. But his goal this year was to make the 53-man roster. Just as he improved year-after-year during his productive college career at Iowa, Young says that as he enters his 2nd year in the NFL, he’s continuing to make progress.
“We were watching film of our fourth (preseason) game last year against Dallas,” Young explained, “and I was looking and was like ‘I’m way better now than I was then.’ With time, I think just the comfort level of knowing what to do out there is key. The main thing is playing fast and knowing what’s going on.”

RB Young Prepared For Extended Time On Friday

Following practice on Wednesday, Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress indicated he would not be playing his starters in tomorrow night’s preseason finale against the Cowboys. Depending on how things shake out, it’s possible a few starters might have to take a snap or 2, but I’m sure the team would like to avoid playing RB Adrian Peterson and will also limit the number of snaps for Chester Taylor.
This plays right into a position battle that has been going on during the offseason, training camp and the preseason – the 3rd RB.
Former University of Iowa standout Albert Young, who is entering his 2nd year with the club in 2009, looks to be the favorite at this point to win the job. But Ian Johnson, who played collegiately at Boise State, is also in the mix and trying to carve out a spot for himself on the team.
When the Vikings and Cowboys kickoff tomorrow night, Young will have something working for him that many players on the field won’t have – plenty of preseason playing experience. This is the 2nd time in Young’s NFL career that he’s been through a full preseason and it’s also the 2nd time he’s expecting to see extended time in the preseason finale.
“I think it’s more of knowing what to expect,” Young said of what that experience provides for him. “It’ll be a lot of playing special teams and then a lot of offense or defense, whichever you play. You’re definitely put to the test this week, so you’ve got to prepare yourself for that. You approach it like any other game.”
Young was on the practice squad last year after an impressive showing during training camp and the preseason. But his goal this year was to make the 53-man roster. Just as he improved year-after-year during his productive college career at Iowa, Young says that as he enters his 2nd year in the NFL, he’s continuing to make progress.
“We were watching film of our fourth (preseason) game last year against Dallas,” Young explained, “and I was looking and was like ‘I’m way better now than I was then.’ With time, I think just the comfort level of knowing what to do out there is key. The main thing is playing fast and knowing what’s going on.”

The Minnesota Vikings

Eden Prairie, MN – The Minnesota Vikings have signed three-time NFL MVP Brett Favre, the team announced today. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“We believe adding a player such as Brett Favre to our mix will be a strong positive for this football team,” said Head Coach Brad Childress. “As we have conveyed before, his unique knowledge of our system, the NFC North and his innate skills make this a rare opportunity. We felt there was a brief window to reconsider the possibility and we owed it to the organization to evaluate our options. After thorough discussion, the same variables that made this a unique and positive situation previously, still exist. Now, our attention turns to getting to work as a team, our next practice and preparing for the season.”

Entering his 19th year in the NFL, Favre has started 269 consecutive games (291 including playoffs) for the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets, the longest stretch ever by an NFL quarterback and the 2nd-longest streak in NFL history, behind only former Minnesota Viking Jim Marshall (270). The 10-time Pro Bowler holds every significant NFL career passing record and is the league’s all-time leader in touchdown passes (464), completions (5,720), attempts (9,280), yards (65,127) and victories as a starting QB (169).

"I am excited about the opportunity to join this football team," said Favre. "From ownership, to coaching to the players, it is evident that everyone in the Vikings organization is committed to bringing the fans of Minnesota a Championship. I am eager to join my new teammates and get to work towards that goal."

In 2008, Favre earned his 10th career Pro Bowl berth as he completed 343-of-522 passes (65.7%) for 3,472 yards and 22 touchdowns with the Jets. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week twice in the month of September and set a career-high with six TD passes in a win against the eventual NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals.

Prior to his one-year stint with the Jets, Favre played 16 seasons in Green Bay, leading the Packers to seven division championships, four NFC Championship games, two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl victory. During that time he was named the NFL’s MVP for three consecutive seasons from 1995-97.