It should be such a tearful reunion on Oct. 11 at the New Meadowlands Stadium, as Brett Favre returns in a Monday night game to play against the team that provided his path from Green Bay to Minnesota with a one-year stopover in New Jersey.
It's almost as if Favre's one year with the Jets didn't even exist, just a bad dream for him and a nightmare for the team.
Favre's anticlimactic return to Vikings practice Wednesday ends another Endless Summer of Favre, a tired old rerun. He milked this one to make the Vikings miss him as much as he could until they sent an entourage of three players to Hattiesburg this week to beg him to come back.
If, as Favre says, his return is all about the team and owing the Vikings one more year after "I was so close, so close to getting these guys to the Super Bowl" last year, then why did he string them along so deep into the summer?
His one year with the Jets was one of the most disappointing seasons for a franchise full of disappointments. He teased them in 2008 with back-to-back victories in New England and Tennessee, which got the Jets to 8-3 at Thanksgiving, But then, as Favre likes to tell it now, his arm just about fell off from the torn biceps he was trying to play through. Down the stretch, he threw two touchdown passes and nine interceptions as the Jets went 1-4 and missed the playoffs.
After saying Wednesday that the biceps surgery after the '08 season made his arm feel like he was 21 again, he insisted, "I couldn't throw a spiral the year before," which was quite evident to anyone watching Favre play the Jets right out of the playoffs.
After the 2008 season, he got exactly what he wanted. He retired in February and the Jets traded up for Mark Sanchez in April. Favre knew the Jets could no longer afford him under the salary cap, so he was granted his release, had biceps surgery and in August signed with Minnesota, which is where he wanted to be all along so he could stick it to the Packers twice a year.
Favre has transitioned from his Green Bay days of being admired for his love of the game and his boyish charm to perhaps the most self-absorbed athlete of his time, which is saying a lot when the competition includes LeBron James.
The Vikings did everything but offer to play their home games in Hattiesburg to convince Favre to give it another shot at the Super Bowl as he nears his 41st birthday. And once the NFL's all-time leading passer in all the major categories felt sufficiently loved, he came back. Whenever he retires, he will hold that record, too. It will be his third.
It's almost as if Favre's one year with the Jets didn't even exist, just a bad dream for him and a nightmare for the team.
Favre's anticlimactic return to Vikings practice Wednesday ends another Endless Summer of Favre, a tired old rerun. He milked this one to make the Vikings miss him as much as he could until they sent an entourage of three players to Hattiesburg this week to beg him to come back.
If, as Favre says, his return is all about the team and owing the Vikings one more year after "I was so close, so close to getting these guys to the Super Bowl" last year, then why did he string them along so deep into the summer?
His one year with the Jets was one of the most disappointing seasons for a franchise full of disappointments. He teased them in 2008 with back-to-back victories in New England and Tennessee, which got the Jets to 8-3 at Thanksgiving, But then, as Favre likes to tell it now, his arm just about fell off from the torn biceps he was trying to play through. Down the stretch, he threw two touchdown passes and nine interceptions as the Jets went 1-4 and missed the playoffs.
After saying Wednesday that the biceps surgery after the '08 season made his arm feel like he was 21 again, he insisted, "I couldn't throw a spiral the year before," which was quite evident to anyone watching Favre play the Jets right out of the playoffs.
After the 2008 season, he got exactly what he wanted. He retired in February and the Jets traded up for Mark Sanchez in April. Favre knew the Jets could no longer afford him under the salary cap, so he was granted his release, had biceps surgery and in August signed with Minnesota, which is where he wanted to be all along so he could stick it to the Packers twice a year.
Favre has transitioned from his Green Bay days of being admired for his love of the game and his boyish charm to perhaps the most self-absorbed athlete of his time, which is saying a lot when the competition includes LeBron James.
The Vikings did everything but offer to play their home games in Hattiesburg to convince Favre to give it another shot at the Super Bowl as he nears his 41st birthday. And once the NFL's all-time leading passer in all the major categories felt sufficiently loved, he came back. Whenever he retires, he will hold that record, too. It will be his third.
The Vikings on Tuesday dispatched Favre's three closest friends on the team to Mississippi to fetch him. Favre said, "It really came down to the guys were like, 'If you could do us one favor,'" meaning come back and play. "Now," Favre said, "that's a pretty big favor."
Of course, there was the obligatory private plane to deliver him and a reported $3.5 million raise on his $13 million salary to go along with a $3.5 million package of incentives. Really, why wouldn't Favre play for $20 million as long as his left ankle, repaired by surgery in May, wasn't dangling by a thread? This may be the best team he's ever had around him.
His act has gotten so old and tired it's comical. We have the breathless will-he-or-won't-he reports the entire offseason, complete with surgery updates, throwing sessions at the local high school and visits from Chilly (the nickname he gave coach Brad Childress). This year came the new twist of supposed text messages from Favre to teammates on Aug. 2 saying that he was indeed quitting.
The Vikings were talented enough to be a playoff contender with Tarvaris Jackson at QB, but Green Bay would have been the NFC North favorite. The return of Favre, if he plays anything close to his 33-TD, 7-INT season of a year ago, makes the Vikings legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
Favre said "never in my wildest dreams," could he have imagined playing as well as he did last year. "Look at the 18 years previous," he said. "By far it was the best I ever played in my career."
But for the second time in three years, a miserable interception in the NFC title game kept him from the Super Bowl. He's back, big surprise, for another shot.
This is Favre's 20th season. He says it will be his last. That's pretty funny.
Of course, there was the obligatory private plane to deliver him and a reported $3.5 million raise on his $13 million salary to go along with a $3.5 million package of incentives. Really, why wouldn't Favre play for $20 million as long as his left ankle, repaired by surgery in May, wasn't dangling by a thread? This may be the best team he's ever had around him.
His act has gotten so old and tired it's comical. We have the breathless will-he-or-won't-he reports the entire offseason, complete with surgery updates, throwing sessions at the local high school and visits from Chilly (the nickname he gave coach Brad Childress). This year came the new twist of supposed text messages from Favre to teammates on Aug. 2 saying that he was indeed quitting.
The Vikings were talented enough to be a playoff contender with Tarvaris Jackson at QB, but Green Bay would have been the NFC North favorite. The return of Favre, if he plays anything close to his 33-TD, 7-INT season of a year ago, makes the Vikings legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
Favre said "never in my wildest dreams," could he have imagined playing as well as he did last year. "Look at the 18 years previous," he said. "By far it was the best I ever played in my career."
But for the second time in three years, a miserable interception in the NFC title game kept him from the Super Bowl. He's back, big surprise, for another shot.
This is Favre's 20th season. He says it will be his last. That's pretty funny.
