There Still Might Be Some Magic Left in Minnesota
Favre may be down, but he's not out.
While initial reports stated Minnesota Vikings star quarterback Brett Favre had two “fractures” in his surgically repaired ankle, further information (or opinion), suggest the injury may not be as bad as first imagined.
Sports Illustrated’s Peter King no longer believes Favre’s ankle injury will keep him from facing the New England Patriots in week 8, after speaking with a top NFL orthopedist.
Honestly, neither do I.
But it’s not just because Favre’s fractures arguably equate to something more closer to a bad ankle sprain, but because it’s simply not in Favre’s demeanor, or Minnesota’s best interest, for Favre to sit out.
Make no mistake, Brett Favre isn’t on top of his game. He has three more interceptions right now (10) than he had in all of the 2009 regular season, and his team already has the same amount of losses (4) that it had in all of last year’s regular season. It’s bad, but it’s not a hole Favre and the Vikings can’t crawl out of. That is, as long as Favre can effectively start and begin producing against a young and active Patriots defense this week.
For all the writers and reporters who are already writing Favre off, I’ll say this: Favre is at his best when his back is against the wall. He has just one season below 8-8 in his entire career, and when it happened, he was without star players on offense. Seriously, Samkon friggin’ Gado was his starting running back, as he and his then Green Bay Packers finished 4-12.
But Favre has support. He has Randy Moss, Percy Harvin, and Visanthe Shiancoe in the passing game, and he also has an absolute stud in the running game with Adrian Peterson.
The real issue? There has been too much pressure on Favre, and he’s been battling the pressure, tough opponents, and off-field distractions. And on top of that, at least until Moss came into the picture, Favre had nothing to work with in the first three weeks of the 2010 season.
That has all changed, and while the Vikings have dropped four of their first six, one look at the production shows that small strides have been made, despite Favre-haters’ willingness to admit it.
In the first two losses to the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins, the Vikings mustered a combined 19 points. Since then, Minnesota has gone 2-2, while scoring at least 20 points in every game.
Most importantly, Favre has had the Vikings in every single game, as the Vikings haven’t lost a game yet by more than 9 points. And that’s the rusty Favre with no weapons (for the first three weeks), facing tough defenses, while fielding off-field allegations.
Just think what starts happening once the chemistry is 100% there with Favre and his offense, when the schedule starts easing up a bit after the Patriots game, and when the off-field allegations situation gets worked out. No, it’s currently not the prettiest of pictures, and there’s a long way before this season ends (or almost ends) on another magical note, but it’s headed in the right direction.
The question is, Favre and Vikings fans; do you believe it?