Myself? I was at work when a colleague broke the news to me, and my resulting shouting and gesticulating nearly caused me to drop a jug of nasty solvent that could have easily gassed everyone in the county. Apparently the Vikes made quite a show of it too, flying Favre and his wife to Minneapolis, where he donned his traditional #4 for practice to the cheers of loyal fans. So, I will editorialize. Honestly, I think this whole thing will damage Favre's reputation. The Vikings, of course, are so desperate to not choke away a fifth Superbowl, that I don't think Brad Childress cares much beyond this superficial level and whether or not the Metrodome is still standing. But consider this.
This guy has been compared to everything from gum on one's shoe to bronchitis (neither of which will just go away quietly). He has a revolving door on his retirement: he's in, he's out, he's in, he's out; this "drama queen factor" makes it difficult to take anything he does seriously, just like how most reasonable people don't believe that the characters on soap operas are real. He's gotten a lot of people scratching their chins, and a few more banging their heads into the wall. I think he pissed off at least half of New York (and probably all of New Jersey) by finishing 1-4. The Jets, pre-Favre, under Eric Mangini - were a bigger pile of toxic waste than Love Canal, and Favre gave them postseason hope. Following a series of injuries, the show promptly went from blockbuster to lackluster, with Favre tossing interceptions and ending with a passer rating of just under 60.
On top of it, the entire state of Wisconsin hates him for what amounts to sports club divorce. I wonder if Favre has any respect for the Packers at all. To think, the heads of the organization could have paid him a boatload of cash to simply be their spokesperson for the next N years. He would've shook hands, signed autographs, and had his face plastered all over all sorts of memorabilia, but (to play the devil's advocate) what would he have done in the downtime? Played golf? Sat at home and watched the games on Sunday and wished he were still in the pocket? So why does he do it? He doesn't need the money. It's dopamine. As I mentioned earlier, this man is addicted to playing football, plain and simple, and re-acclimating to polite society, (you know, where you're not being chased by by a 22-year-old cornerback who wants nothing more than to plant you so deep in the turf that only your cleats stick up) is analogous with soldiers coming back from the war. He just wants to keep fighting.
Now, the Vikings. The Vikings are not a terrible team. They made the playoffs last year. They tore up the floundering Indianapolis Colts in Indy in their opening exhibition game. They drafted John David Booty (USC, he absolutely embarrassed UofMichigan in the Rose Bowl in 2007), who could help further offensive rebuilding. But no, they want to be part of the Favre legacy, and instead choose to trivialize Tarvaris Jackson and Gus Frerotte, and take away Booty's jersey number (he's now #9, which is probably an accurate description of where he'll be in the lineups from now on) so Favre could stay number 4. Disrespectful.
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In other football news, Rex Grossman (formerly known as the Bears' Sex Cannon) has injured his hamstring in the exhibition game against the Chiefs [which I read as "goofing around with the Houston Texans" (670 score)] and will be out for 4-5 weeks. Man, with the way Grossman screwed up with the Bears, I'm not sure if the Texans should be worried or relieved. Oh wait. Their backup is Dan Orlovsky. This can only end in hilarity.
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A couple days ago, I took one of those online "personality tests" when I was bored at work. I don't remember exactly what type I am (and maybe the details aren't important), but I'm proud to say that test tells me, in true 2ndand1 fashion, that Peyton Manning and I have the same personality type.
Remember kids: Safety is important. Otherwise you have no secondary.
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