Primal Motivation Spurs Brett Favre To Become a Viking

Another drama-filled summer of Brett Favre has brought the NFL’s all-time passing leader closer to his ultimate goal. Favre has finally teamed up with the Minnesota Vikings and is prepared to lead a raid on the Green Bay Packers.

This isn’t about money folks.

Favre has already earned millions of dollars on and off the field as the country’s All-American quarterback. Although winning is a key factor, it isn’t the overriding issue in this compelling tale either.

The three-time NFL MVP has a championship ring, two Super Bowl appearances, and one losing season in 17 seasons as a starter. But this is about something much simpler and more obvious. This is about retribution against the Green Bay Packers.

Favre will finally get his shot at a city and franchise that ushered him out of town after he brought a title back to “Titletown.”

Favre led the Packers to 11 postseason berths in 16 seasons. The Packers had one playoff berth in the 16 seasons prior to Favre’s arrival.

If revenge is best served cold, Favre has kept his dish in a deep freezer for a year and a half; patiently awaiting an opportunity to beat a franchise that may have tried to bring a premature end to his Hall of Fame career.

In 2004, Favre threw for 4,088 yards, 30 TDs, and 17 INTs with a 64.1 completion percentage and a 92.4 passer rating. The Packers finished 10-6 that season, but fell to the Vikings 31-17 at Lambeau Field in the wild card playoffs.

Favre was intercepted four times that game, and Vikings WR Randy Moss added insult to injury by faux-mooning the Packers faithful on their home field after hauling in two touchdowns.

Analysts had a field day on the gunslinger. Talk radio in Green Bay and across the country said that his risk-taking stunts had caused the team to lose its second home playoff loss in franchise history.

The 2005 offseason would prove to be the worst of Favre’s career.

Like most NFL quarterbacks, Favre wanted his team to make a run for the aforementioned, embattled Moss, who was being shopped by the Vikings.

The 6’4” receiver with freakish speed and great hands had 13 touchdown catches in 13 games in 2004—the perfect complement for a quarterback like Favre that loves to put the ball in the air and let his receivers make a play.

The Packers didn’t go after Moss. Blame it on the whole “mooning our season ticket holders” thing.

More importantly, Favre watched his beloved team draft California’s hotshot quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the first round of the NFL Draft. First round quarterbacks usually demand high salaries and are eventually expected to start in the NFL.

Rodgers arrival was more than planning for the future—the Packers had essentially declared that the end was near for the “Energizer,” a quarterback that has an NFL record 269 starts at the position.

The writing was on the wall.

The Packers finished 4-12 in 2005 and Favre’s 29 INTs led the NFL, and were the most he’s ever had in a season.

Favre had another subpar season in 2006 as the Packers were shut out twice, and the team failed to make the postseason for the second consecutive season.

Although the Packers failed to obtain the once-again available Moss in the offseason, everything was clicking for Green Bay and Favre in 2007. He finished with the highest completion percentage of his career and the fewest interceptions for a season since 2001.

The Packers finished 13-3, but Favre’s tenure as a Packer ended unceremoniously. He threw an interception in overtime during the NFC Championship game in Green Bay, as the Packers lost 23-20 to the New York Giants.

After the game, Favre insinuated he would retire and did so on March 4, 2008.

The Packers must have known that Favre wanted to go to Minnesota. They refused to grant him a release and even filed tampering charges against the Vikings. Favre had to settle for a trade to the AFC’s New York Jets and put vengeance on hold.

Favre’s retirement didn’t last long, and although he was unable to go to the Vikings and get an immediate shot at revenge, he did earn the starting job with the Jets, leading the team to a 9-7 record and garnering Pro Bowl honors for the tenth time in his career.

But Minnesota was waiting in the wings. Childress lacked a consistent, proven NFL quarterback. Brett Favre lacked revenge. Could it all be this simple?

No. Brett Favre underwent surgery on his right shoulder (which probably played a part in the Jets’ late-season slide), his throwing arm, and then announced that he wouldn’t return to the NFL on July 28 despite his well-documented efforts to return.

Today, the Energizer announced his comeback, a mere three weeks after declaring he wouldn’t return.

Hey, after 269 consecutive starts who needs training camp? What, are ten Pro Bowls not enough to convince everyone he knows the West Coast offense inside and out?

Many will argue that Favre’s return is about his passion for the game, his relationship with Vikings offensive coordinator and former QB coach in Green Bay, Darrell Bevell, or a need to leave the game on a high note.

But it’s no coincidence Favre wants to play in the NFC North where he’ll have the opportunity to face the Packers twice a year, including the chance to defeat the Packers at Lambeau Field, a scenario that would have seemed impossible a few years ago.

He’ll get his shot at Minnesota and enjoy playing on a team that features four 2008 Pro Bowlers on defense, along with the NFL’s leading rusher, Adrian Peterson.

Rodgers is Green Bay’s starting quarterback and head coach Mike McCarthy and GM Ted Thompson also await Favre’s return.

The Big Payback or a setup for a letdown?

The Packers play at the Vikings on Monday Night Football, October 5 and host Minnesota on November 1.

Let’s see if Favre can exact his revenge.

The Toughest Position in the NFL: Offense

Who has the toughest job on the football field?

Is it the defensive tackle that faces double-teams on every play while receiving little recognition? Is it the cornerback that challenges bigger, stronger wide receivers armed with speed and awareness?

Is it the quarterback that faces blindside pressure? Or the running back that takes a pounding every game? What about the linemen that must protect those quarterbacks and running backs?

Here’s a look at all the defensive positions, what they entail, and what makes each position tough. Each position features a Pro Bowler who embodies greatness at the position.

Are some positions tougher than others? You decide.

Pictured: 2008 Offensive Player of the Year Drew Brees

The Toughest Position in the NFL: Defense

What’s the toughest position in football?

Is it the defensive tackle that faces double-teams on every play while receiving little recognition? Is it the cornerback that challenges bigger, stronger wide receivers armed with speed and awareness?

Is it the quarterback that faces blindside pressure? Or the running back that takes a pounding every game? What about the linemen that must protect those quarterbacks and running backs?

Here’s a look at all the defensive positions, what they entail, and what makes each position tough. Each position features a Pro Bowler who embodies greatness at the position.

Are some positions tougher than others? You decide.

Who’s the Best Trendsetter: Michael Jordan or Deion Sanders?

Deion Sanders and Michael Jordan starred in the ‘90s but many of the trends they set are still around today.

Their styles have influenced today’s players and even trickled down to little leagues.

Fans and players alike try to emulate these stars, but here’s your chance to decide who left the biggest and best mark on his league.

Bill Belichick: Legacy Set in Stone or Tarnished on Video?

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Bill Belichick is a great poker player, the type that can beat you with his hand or your hand; the type of gambler that prefers the high risks and lofty rewards that only come with the longest of odds.

He’s the type of player that could show you his hand and still win.

He’s has managed to win year-in and year-out despite his knack for cutting, trading, and releasing even the most vital cog in his offense or defense.

During a time when NFL teams advance to the playoffs one year and are decimated by injuries, contract disputes, and other off-field issues the next season, Belichick’s success should be respected by the most passionate of his detractors.

But his image is distorted.

Is he a talented, hard-working coach who’s spent 20 years as an NFL assistant?

Or is he a mastermind whose greatest success came when he tired of losing and resorted to prohibited surveillance of the competition?  

He’s involved in every personnel decision for the New England Patriots and some of his choices have left fans of the NFL wondering if he’s a villain or hero, cutthroat or endlessly loyal, a student of the game or a cheat.

 

The NFL is not a Game, It’s a Business

All NFL players are expendable, but none more than New England Patriots.

Deion Branch was the best underdog story in the NFL when he was named MVP of Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005.

Undersized receiver shines at wide receiver for Louisville, is drafted in the second round by the New England Patriots, and has an incredible game on the biggest stage making 11 catches for 133 yards.

Jerry Maguire’s Rod Tidwell couldn’t have been brought to life in a more realistic way.

But Wild Bill was calling the shots and the 5’9” possession receiver was deemed dispensable regardless of his stellar play on pro football’s the biggest stage.

The NFL can’t be a game because Belichick wasn’t playing when he named Tom Brady his starting quarterback after Drew Bledsoe recovered from a vicious Mo Lewis hit in the second game of the 2001 season.

The Pats’ No. 1 overall pick in 1993, Bledsoe was a Pro Bowler who led the team to the Super Bowl after the 1996 season. Although he signed a ten-year contract in March 2001, he was Wally Pipped by Tom Brady, and one of the Pats greatest players at the time never got his job back from a sixth-rounder.

Lawyer Milloy, Asante Samuel, and Adam Vinateri are other star players who left the team after failing to receive the bonanza offered to postseason conquerors.

Belichick had hit pay dirt and his philosophy of discarding pricey players would become the Pats standard in years to come. He realized that he didn’t have to pay superstars if he could find a way to win with younger and/or less expensive players.

 

Unlikely Allegiance to Underdogs

But Belichick’s loyalty is as sincere as his business acumen is fierce.

Tedy Bruschi, Tom Brady, Matt Cassel, and several assistant coaches are testaments to Belichick’s faithfulness to those who buy into his program.

The best embodiment of the Belichick’s loyalty is his dedication to Tedy Bruschi and Tom Brady, a No. 86 and a No. 199 overall pick.

For many Bruschi is a cornerstone of the franchise and after being drafted by the Pats when Belichick was assistant head coach for the team, is entering his 14th NFL season, all with the Patriots. Bruschi was scheduled to miss the entire 2005 season due to heart complications, but was welcomed back with Belichick’s open arms.

In the face of interrogations about the dangerousness of his return, Bruschi has been a starter for three seasons after his heart problems, proving Belichick is a master prognosticator.

Belichick’s trust in Brady, is unquestioned after Brady hurt his knee early in the first game of the 2008 season. The team finished 11-5 with Matt Cassel at the helm and there were suggestions that New England could insert any quarterback and win in Belichick’s system.

Well, the team traded his replacement, Matt Cassel along with linebacker Mike Vrabel, to the Kansas City Chiefs, for the No. 34 overall selection in this year’s draft.

And Although Cassel’s rapid success was followed by an equally swift trade, Belichick had been devoted to the former USC backup, keeping Cassel on the roster for four years after the signal-caller failed to start a single college football game for the Trojans. Belichick is largely responsible for Cassel’s ability to hang on to an NFL roster long enough to become a starter. Cassel’s draft position: 230^th.

Further, the NFL’s coaching ranks are proof of Belichick’s loyalty and his Patriots tenure has produced several head coaches as former assistants Eric Mangini, Josh McDaniels, Romeo Crennel, and Charlie Weis graduated to top jobs after helping Belichick win three Super Bowls.

 

Spygate’s Irreparable Damage

Ironically, it would be a Belichick disciple who would humiliate and ultimately discredit Belichick’s legacy.

After suffering an early-season defeat to the Patriots in 2007, Mangini, who had become New York Jets head coach, and his team would levy severe accusations that a Patriots staff member violated NFL rules by secretly taping and distributing the Jets’ defensive signals. The scandal would expand to include many of the Pats’ biggest games during their championship reign.

Of course the public and opposing teams would revel in what they felt had to be evidence that Belichick couldn’t—no shouldn’t—win with the lack of talent the he puts on the field.

All of the team’s wins were suddenly under scrutiny and the coach was scorned at every turn.  Not to mention the record $500,000 fine that was administered by the NFL.

For his part, Belichick remained focused on the game. His grungy game-day garb and his studious habits  were unaltered as the team went on to finish complete a record-setting, undefeated, 16-0 season before falling to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

 

In the end, whether Belichick is Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde, he’s a consistent winner in a league full of parity.

He’s not asking for your appreciation, though. Just deal him another hand and he’ll relish the chance to prove himself once more.  

 

Out with the Old, in with Who? Broncos, Bucs Start Fresh in 2009

Contrary to Joe Namath’s legendary Super Bowl prediction, there are no guarantees in the NFL.

No, becoming the first head coach to win a championship in franchise history won’t prevent the unavoidable fate of any coach that doesn’t slip out of town before management decides the buck has stopped and future bucks will no longer land in the coach’s account.

Jon Gruden and Mike Shanahan, two of the highest-paid coaches in the National Football League, were probably one win away from maintaining their lofty status this offseason.

The NFL, notorious for its quick hooks and short memory, hasn’t failed to disprove its “Not for Long” label, a tag that applies to coaches, too.   

After Gruden’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Shanahan’s Denver Broncos narrowly missed the playoffs, management promptly dismissed the coaches and several of their star players.

Since the end of the 2008 NFL season the Bucs and Broncos have made moves that suggest they share a philosophy of how to rebuild a franchise.

Both teams approach training camp with young, energetic, but untested coaches.

Raheem Morris, 32, the new coach of the Bucs, and Josh McDaniels 33, Shanahan’s replacement, may lack NFL head coaching experience, but they don’t command the type of risky salaries that forced Gruden and Shanahan out.

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Teams look for value after disappointing end to 2008 season

The Bucs and Broncos finished last season on a sour notes that led to the firings of Gruden and Shanahan.

Both teams seemed to be easy locks for playoff births. Denver was 8-5 with a three-game lead in AFC West and needed only one win to clinch the division title. After a blistering 9-3 start, Tampa Bay lost its last four games to miss the playoffs.

Taking a page from the Pittsburgh Steelers, who hired rookie coach Mike Tomlin after Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Cowher resigned in 2007, the Bucs and Broncos looked for younger, cheaper coaches more concerned with action on the field instead of the activities in the front office.

Gruden, who became the only coach to win the Super Bowl in team history in 2003, had a less-than-cordial relationship with Rich McKay, the Bucs’ General Manager that helped build the team into a perennial playoff contender. Bruce Allen was brought on following the team’s title win.

Gruden, then, received a raise and the input on personnel decisions that he desired.

In 1998, Mike Shanahan brought Denver the Super Bowl title it yearned for, repeating the feat with another championship the following year. After the second title, Shanahan was bestowed full authority on personnel decisions, and like Gruden, a salary that accompanies such power.

But, past successes seem an eternity ago to hardcore fans and owners that gave in to the coaches’ desires for more personnel power only to be disappointed with the return on their investments.

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Similar Solutions to a Common Problem

The Broncos and Bucs won’t have such problems with Morris and McDaniels, the youngest head coaches in American professional sports.

The Broncos have already sent their starting quarterback, former first-round draft pick Jay Cutler, to the Chicago Bears, while Tampa released long-time Bucs and former first—rounders Derrick Brooks, Warrick Dunn and Ike Hilliard.

There are question marks at quarterback for both teams. Denver acquired Kyle Orton in the deal that sent Cutler to Chicago, whle Tampa Bay drafted Josh Freeman in the first round. It’s unclear whether Freeman will get the starting position, with NFL veterans Byron Leftwich, Luke McCown and Brian Griese also on the roster.

Oddly, both teams chose to sign coaches in areas the team was already successful.

Tampa Bay was No. 9 in overall defense last season and hired Morris, who was previously the coach for team’s defensive backs before serving as Defensive Coordinator in the final weeks of the season. When Monte Kiffin decided to follow his son Lane to the University of Tennessee, Morris jumped at the opportunity to serve as Head Coach.

Denver had the league’s No. 2 offense and one of its better quarterbacks in Jay Cutler. With receivers Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal developing into stars, McDaniels, the former Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach for the Patriots, made the bold choice to pursue his former pupil, Matt Cassell. Although Cassell signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, the damage was done and Cutler wanted out.

Morris and McDaniels serve as evidence of the NFL’s move away from high-priced coaches that want personnel power. In the last few years Shanahan, Gruden, Bill Parcells, Joe Gibbs, and Mike Holmgren have resigned or been fired.

Owners are no longer afraid to give a coach his first shot and the trend has opened the door for first-time coaches.

Last year head coaches Mike Smith, of the Atlanta Falcons; Tony Sparano, of the Miami Dolphins; and John Harbaugh, of the Baltimore Ravens, took their teams to the playoffs in their first seasons as NFL coaches.

There will be plenty of opportunities for a repeat performance with nine rookie head coaches preparing for the 2009 season.

Maybe Morris and McDaniels will be like Tomlin, rewarding their owners and confirming that age and salary are numbers, but they can’t measure success.

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