After one week of the Brett Favre experiment in Minnesota, one thing is crystal clear: the Brett Favre of "old" is gone forever, only to be replaced by "Old" Brett Favre. The gunslinger who holds pretty much every major passing record in the game (including some not so great records like the one he has for most interceptions thrown) is a mere shell of his former self. Picture Robert Redford as the Sundance Kid in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Sundance was the ultimate gun fighter. No one could beat him on a draw. He could pick off people left and right. Now picture Sundance if he were alive today: old, maybe with one or two bullets left in the gun that he could use if he needed to, but with a greatly diminished skill set that makes it hard for him to ever use the bullets he has left. Welcome to old age Brett Favre.
The Vikings won their game on Sunday, beating the hapless Browns easily 34-20. And we saw the birth of Brett Favre: the roleplayer. Yes, Favre went 14-21 and threw one touchdown and no interceptions. His QB rating (a stat which no one on the face of the planet understands) was a solid 95.3. But a closer look at his statistics will reveal just 110 yards on those 14 completions. That's less than 8 yards a completion. In fact, his 110 yards were the fewest by any quarterback in week one that played the entire game (this excludes Donovan McNabb and Jake Delhomme).
Vikings fans and Brett Favre supporters will make this contention: the Vikings did not need Favre to do any more than he did on Sunday. They have this guy named Adrian Peterson, who is arguably the best running back in the game today. And Peterson ran through the Browns defense like it was swiss cheese to the tune of 25 carries for 180 yards and 3 touchdowns. And when you have Adrian Peterson in the backfield, you give him the ball and force opposing teams to stop him. And you laugh when you hand him the ball because you know that there probably is not a defense on the planet that can. I am of the personal opinion that the only person who can stop Adrian Peterson is Darrell Bevell, aka the Vikings offensive coordinator.
However, I cannot help but think that trouble is on the horizon for the Minnesota faithful. At some point during the season the Vikings are going to play a more talented defense than the one the Browns run out there. At some point during the season, a team is going to put 8 men in the box and find a way to contain the amazing Adrian Peterson. That team is going to hold up a sign that reads, "Alright Brett, go ahead and beat us."
Therein lies the problem in Minnesota. Can this Brett Favre, "Old" Brett Favre, put a team on his back and carry them to a victory? Can he make the throws at this point in his career to make teams think twice about putting 8 men in the box to stop the run? Can "Old" Brett Favre step up in that game where Peterson does not have his best stuff and lead his team to victory by throwing for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns?
Prediction: The Vikings will win as many games as Adrian Peterson's legs can get them. And they will struggle in the games where Brett Favre has to be a difference maker. The games that he has to do more than just physically show up will be the hardest games of the year for the Vikings. "Old" Brett Favre, do you have enough bullets left to carry the Vikings to the Super Bowl, or will Vikings fans be disappointed once again?
Honestly, I don't know how you can really make all those assumptions based on a game with the Browns. You're right to say his passing game wasn't particularly impressive, but he also didn't throw a lot of passes. I'm not sold on Favre as a Viking yet, but I'm not going to write him off until I see him play a team against which he needs to pass.
ReplyDeleteranemaker91, thanks for the comment! Healthy debate is what I want this whole thing to be about. Now, just to clarify, I am not a Brett Favre "hater" nor am I a Vikings "hater." My personal opinion is that the Vikings will have a great year. Does Brett Favre make them a better football team? Yes, I think he does. I think he is good enough still to help them when he needs to. But I think that opposing teams are hoping to be in situations now where they force Brett Favre to beat them. My feeling is that defensive coordinators will feel like they have a better chance to win if they make Brett throw the ball. And no one would say that about a Brett Favre team earlier in his career
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