QUOTE: “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” -- Maria Robinson
Brett Favre gave Brad Childress of the Vikings an answer Tuesday. I’m not sure it’s the one he wanted to hear, but nonetheless, it was a decision. For now, he is not coming back -- emphasis on the “for now.”
Brad Childress
Of course, we got a quote from coach Childress: “I just think it was a rare opportunity to explore a Hall of Fame quarterback who had a background in the NFC and in this division. He knows our system inside out. … This doesn’t change anything about how I feel about our football team.”
A rare opportunity? I wouldn’t call chasing a 40-year-old quarterback coming off a shoulder injury “rare.” Had Favre been 32, then yes, this would have been a rare opportunity. Speaking of rare, do you consider a 26-year-old quarterback who has thrown for more than 8,000 yards (Minnesota has thrown for 5,700) and 45 touchdowns the past two years rare? For me, the rare opportunity was when Jay Cutler was on the market, not Favre. But Childress didn’t like Cutler, didn’t like his personality, had heard some “things” (for lack of a better word) and decided to pass.
I love Brett Favre as a player and am really happy he didn’t come back because, as I mentioned in the Sunday Post, he has not trained his body to play this season. Without proper training, he would’ve had a hard time staying healthy and playing at the level of excellence we’ve all come to expect. The aging process takes a toll on everyone, even someone as great as Favre.
APSage Rosenfels and John David Booty
So where does my favorite NFL head coach go now? Of course, he’s going to mention to everyone, except his own quarterbacks, that he has confidence in his team, his beloved system and his players. What I find funny is that Childress had time to talk to Peter King of SI.com (nice work, Peter) about the Favre situation but didn’t have the time to call Sage Rosenfels or Tarvaris Jackson. I love Peter, but he’s not going to help you win games; Rosenfels and Jackson just might. Don’t you think they should have been told first and been given some love and nurturing?
I was told Wednesday night that many in the Vikings organization were not in favor of chasing Favre, that it was solely the idea of the head coach. This was his baby from start to finish, even to the point where it was reported that the team hadn’t imposed a deadline on Favre and allowed him to take as much time as he needed. Clearly, Childress just wanted Favre.
Being fair to Childress, maybe he saw a need to acquire Favre as a reaction to what has transpired in the NFC North. Maybe he felt that with Cutler in Chicago and the Packers being healthy, he needed a quick fix. Because let’s face it, even if Favre came back, it was only for one year. Where would the Vikings be in 2010?
Now the burden of moving the ball falls back to Jackson or Rosenfels, and the burden of calling games falls on offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. But the greatest challenge awaiting Childress is restoring the team’s confidence in its quarterbacks. Childress has lost some trust of the players with this pursuit, particularly the quarterbacks. Some may dismiss it as just trying to improve the team, but trust me, these moves can backfire and create a very unpleasant locker room. One of the key traits of leadership is called “Management of Trust,” which means the leader is honest and consistent with his actions, something Childress clearly has not been through this process. He never addressed the situation with either player nor told them what they could expect. In fact, when he recruited Rosenfels to come to Minnesota before the trade with Houston, he never mentioned any other quarterback he might compete against except Jackson. It will take some time to repair this mess created by the Favre chase, and it might continue if Favre keeps throwing and the Vikings keep calling. But for now, coach Childress must clean up the mess — quickly -- and stop thinking there is no mess.
APJim Johnson
JIM JOHNSON
Jim Johnson’s passing is very tragic. He was a great person, a great leader and, most of all, an inspiration to his players. He built something in Philadelphia, and it was not just a defense. He built and created a legacy. When you say “Philadelphia Eagles defense,” you think of Jim. And that will not stop now that he’s gone. His work will always be with the Eagles.
What I most admired about Jim was his love of the game. He was never bitter about not being a head coach or being passed over; he was someone who accepted his role, enhanced it and made the most of it. In the world of pro football, egos can be huge, but Jim was an egoless man who only wanted to do his job well, regardless of who got the credit.
Someone once said, “One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it’s worth watching.” Jim, your life was worth watching. You will be missed.
RIP Jim Johnson... he was a hell of a coach and I loved his style of defense....
You won't have to write about Childress much longer, he will be gone after this year. As for Favre, he kills me. You'd think that after all these years, he'd know what the season does to you and all the things you need to do to perform at a high level. He needs to go to the midnight hour to figure these things out???? Go away, God you're annoying!
Great post, Michael, and great comments last night on the NFL network (at least what I heard - my son pulled me away to play catch).
I wonder if Childress has to put a very, very long nail in this -- to state very definitively that under no circumstances will Favre be a QB for the Vikings this year or any other year -- to start restoring his relationship with his QBs. His own statement leaves an opening as big as the Grand Canyon for Favre to come back in the middle of the season if he's not satisfied with his existing QB play.
The Vikings seem to have it easy until Oct. 18, when they play Baltimore, then the Steelers the next week, then the Packers and then on Nov. 1 a bye week. That's a critical three week stretch, and if it doesn't go well for them I wonder whether the phone lines will heat up a bit going into the bye.
This whole thing makes me wonder how well Favre responds to high expectations. He's choked in some big games, and I wonder whether all the chatter about Minnesota being bound for the Super Bowl with him running the offense finally weighed on him -- that is, whether he decided not to go through with it because he was afraid of failing. Otherwise everything was about as set up for him as could be. And his decision is making Ted Thompson look very, very smart, which has to be killing him.
The Vikings needed Favre inasmuch as he could cement the QB position and provide leadership. From a performance standpoint, 08 Favre was pretty much a carbon copy of Sage Rosenfels combined 2007-2008 averages. Rosenfels threw more picks per attempt, Favre threw for less yards per attempt.
With the pieces in place, the Vikes just need a QB who can make some throws, take care of the ball, and provide stability. Favre's a gunslinger so his ability to emulate an 08 Kerry Collins seems dubious, but the pursuit of a well-established veteran QB needs to be tempered with the needs of the team. That being said, as Lombardi wisely points out, Childress' ill-fated pursuit and management thereof may serve to undercut his original intention.
In short, the soundest justification for pursuing Favre was short-term stability at the position, not performance... and now the team *appears* to be even farther from that objective.
I completely agree Lance, and its the exact same thought I had reading this article.
How often does a team get to go after a washed up 40 year old QB, coming off an injury to his throwing shoulder, living off his past glories for the last few season, with an overly inflated ego who doesnt know when to call it quits?
Seems like its the exact definition of rare to me.
GC, If Favre was afraid of failing, I think he would have quite after one of his previous 12 season ending choke performances.
Brad Childress did not handle this well to say the least. I honestly think Sage Rosenfels is good enough to lead the Vikes to a successful season, but if his confidence has been damaged by this, perhaps not. What Childress should have known and what every NFL coach/GM, etc. must know by now is flirting with Favre is just like making a pact with the devil. We who are religious know the devil always leaves you high and dry, just like the flirtation with Favre has here. As for more propitious things, yes, Jim Johnson will be missed. I just heard Brian Dawkins (who will do well for my Broncos this season, I know it!) on the air with Jim Rome and he had nothing but kind things to say about his former coordinator. It's good that after the wake of a polarizing figure like Favre that we get to read about a figure who was universally loved in NFL spheres. God be with Johnson's family in this difficult time!
I don't understand why everyone thinks Tarvaris Jackson will be affected in the slightest by the Brett Favre talks during the offseason. The guy was benched last season for Gus Frerotte (of all people), and he still came back to win 3 of 4 in the final 4 games of the regular season. Anyone that can rebound from a benching in favor of the Gus Bus can certainly cope with the possibility of being replaced by a certain hall-of-famer!
You have to wonder why the Vikes didn't make a strong push for Jeff Garcia. Seems like an ideal match. You also have to wonder about Childress, because this is a team with a lot of talent and his coaching didn't exactly remind me of Bill Walsh last year. He's now facing a make or break year with two backup QBs. Nice going.
Brad Childress = Peter Principle
I don't understand why everyone thinks Tarvaris Jackson will be affected in the slightest by the Brett Favre talks during the offseason. The guy was benched last season for Gus Frerotte (of all people), and he still came back to win 3 of 4 in the final 4 games of the regular season. Anyone that can rebound from a benching in favor of the Gus Bus can certainly cope with the possibility of being replaced by a certain hall-of-famer!
I don't understand why everyone thinks Tarvaris Jackson will be affected in the slightest by the Brett Favre talks during the offseason. The guy was benched last season for Gus Frerotte (of all people), and he still came back to win 3 of 4 in the final 4 games of the regular season. Anyone that can rebound from a benching in favor of the Gus Bus can certainly cope with the possibility of being replaced by a certain hall-of-famer!
Lance and andrewvoyer- what Michael meant was that even though the situation was rare, not many 40 y.o qbs play in this league, it wasn't necessarily a great situation. Yes rare, but beneficial or positive, maybe not. When Childress addresses the situation and he said "rare" i got the impression that he meant it was also a "great" situation. By not agreeing with Childress' statement he does not mean it is not rare, but rather it is not a great situation
This issue about the quarterbacks' confidence is overblown. What the Vikings need to do is tell Sage Rosenfels and Tavaris Jackson that with Brett Favre out of the picture, they each have the opportunity to earn the confidence of the franchise and its fans. Neither of the two QB's have earned it in the past.
I agree with meateater about Garcia. Not necessarily a better QB, but definitely a better "choice". No fanfare. More reliable. Eager, eager, eager for a starting spot which Garcia would definitely put forth the film study and playbook study to EARN.
I love Brett Favre. Love the guy. But the world doesn't revolve around him. The NFL doesn't revolve around him. It's not all Favre's fault, though. The media is at least - AT LEAST, if not more - 50% to blame for the hoopla. People can make better/faster decisions without distractions, and the media distracted Favre. I do my best thinking and make my best decisions while sitting on the porcelain pot... but the media would even follow FAVRE in there... so I sort of think he's taking more heat about this than is deserved.
Where are all the 'glass is half full' people? No harm done dallying with Farve. Training camp starts tomorrow. These 2 QB's have been given what they wanted-a chance to compete for the starting job with one of the better rosters in the NFL. Let us hope that one of them runs with it. Lombardi knows that the threat of losing your job is constant in the NFL. It is the foundation of the league. Certainly, two highly paid professionals can put aside the past and grasp the chance that is directly in front of them. Isn't this why they chose to play football? The Minnesota Vikings are a solid football team with Jackson, Sage or that Favre dude.
Blown way out of proportion. QB's are just like any other position and can handle competition. If they can't handle it by the time they make it to the NFL, they will not last anyway.
I don't think Cutler has proven anything yet and that the Bears took a huge gamble on trading for him.
Vikes will surprise you and be just fine this year without Favre.
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Jul 29, 2009
11:41 AM
A rare opportunity? I wouldn’t call chasing a 40-year-old quarterback coming off a shoulder injury “rare.”
Come on Michael - you write great stuff but you've missed the meaning of words two days in a row. How many teams have ever chased a 40 yr old QB coming off shoulder surgery? I'd say it's an event as rare as a good Michael Bay movie.
On another note, the passing of Jim Johnson is very sad and the NFL worse for not having him around. I hated it when my team played against the Eagles because he always seemed to have the right schemes. Always respected his defenses.