The Brett Favre Saga

I am a Minnesota Vikings football fan. In the past, that has meant a lot of pain and frustration. The memory of the 1998 NFC Championship loss to the Atlanta Falcons still stings; the 2000 NFC Championship loss to the New York Giants was a humiliation; and the less said about the Hershel Walker trade, the better.

There have been good times, of course. Watching Adrian Peterson has been exciting, much like watching Randy Moss was exciting; the 2004-season playoff victory against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field was a high point; and there are many other pleasant memories, too.

Lately for me, being a Vikings fan has meant following the sports news for the latest word about the Brett Favre will-he-or-won't-he-play-for-the-Vikings saga.

I have mixed feelings about the whole thing.

On one hand, as the long-time quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, Favre has been a Vikings nemesis for years, and I've spent those years cheering against him and the Packers. And for many years, he could do no wrong in the eyes of most of the media. Watching Packers games meant enduring slobbering announcers gushing about how great Favre was, how he loved the game. I respected him as a player, and by all accounts he is a decent person, but the division rivalry and media-worship made it hard for me to like him.

But that is the past. If Favre improves the Vikings roster, I'll welcome his addition. After watching the Vikings' painful quarterback play last season, it's not hard to think that Favre will improve the position. The Vikings' playoff loss against the Philadelphia Eagles showed the value of having an experienced quarterback in the playoffs; the Eagles had the experience, Minnesota didn't.

And as his public divorce from the Packers played out a year ago, and as he struggled through the last half of the 2008 season with the New York Jets, the media began to treat Favre as something less than a god, so I don't get as annoyed by his media coverage these days. And if he plays for the Vikings, I will be happy if he plays so well that the media raves about him. Somehow I find it easier to endure media-slobber when they are slobbering over players on my favorite teams.

But before I start day-dreaming about Favre handing-off to Adrian Peterson and throwing touchdowns, I should remember that Favre hasn't even signed with the team yet. And he might not play (and even if he does, he might fail).

The longer Favre takes deciding if he wants to play, the more nervous I get. Based on media reports, his physical condition isn't the issue. I don't know his reasoning, of course, but if he was able to fully commit himself, wouldn't he have already decided to join the Vikings? I hope I'm wrong, of course, but if Favre signs right before training camp after an off-season of "anguished" indecision, I worry that he won't be ready mentally or emotionally.

It will be a disaster if he doesn't decide by the start of training camp. The uncertainty would distract the team more than it has already. It will be bad enough either way for the quarterbacks who are on the roster, Tavaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels, and if Favre doesn't play, how much confidence and enthusiasm will the two of them have?

Favre needs to decide already. One way or another.