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Should Favre Make His 292nd Straight Start? by Tony Karpinski
Should Favre make 292nd straight start?
Tony Karpinski
. By: Tony Karpinski Date: Oct 30, 2010
Brett Favre has been having a not so magical year this season so far in Minnesota. His paltry 7 TDs are 21st in the league. His 198.5 yards per game are 23rd in the NFL behind Josh Freeman and even Ryan Fitzpatrick, neither whom is known for being top caliber QBs. And then, of course, are the interceptions, Favre’s long time nemesis, in which he has 10. Which by the way is 2nd in the league. Not the statistic that you want that high. All in all, leaving Favre with a ghastly QB rating of 68.0. Which also is in the bottom of the NFL, at the 30th spot. What does all of this say?
Favre is playing dreadful.
In 2009, when Brett came to Minnesota, the honeymoon period was glorious, really taking shape after the scramble and chuck to Greg Lewis to beat the Niners in week 3. The Vikes went 12-4 and got to the NFC championship game, where even there, Favre showed the warrior that he is. Favre had his best season ever at the ripe old age of 40, and wasn’t touched by the bothersome interception bug, as he only threw 7 through the whole 2009 season.
This year, the Vikings are struggling terribly at 2-4, and who is to blame? It’s always easy to blame the QB. How about head coach, Brad Childress? He was on the pulpit last season with his appeal to get the ancient vet. We all witnessed the fiasco and the SUV.
The Vikings have seemingly given the reigns to Favre and are having problems getting it back. This blame I put on Brad Childress. Childress has done well, bringing talent into the team over the years, with Adrian Peterson, Chad Greenway, and Sidney Rice in the recent drafts. The head coach is in charge, bottom line. Not your players, and this is the position Favre has put Minnesota in. Brad needs to get hold of this before not only his team loses respect for him, but management as well. Even last year when the Vikings were playing poorly, Brett basically telling Childress “No”, when he was almost pulled in the Carolina pounding.
When he was in Green bay for 16 years, he was the savior in Wisconsin. Even though he chucked interceptions, and cost some games. He did win a Super bowl, won come from behind games, had spectacular throws that most other QB’s wouldn’t have the stones to even attempt to throw. And of course, played through all sorts of pain.
Now, at 41, and countless years of teams, players, coaches and fans kowtowing to his every whim, he feels he deserves to get the say.
Tarvaris Jackson has been a letdown in Minnesota so far. He has been with Minnesota for 5 years, and at times has shown flashes of talent. Sometimes he has shown what he probably is, a mediocre QB at the backup position. He may not have the big numbers (career 110.4 yds per game, 77.9 rating, and a troublesome 58.7 %.) But with the talent the Vikings have, he should be adequate to play.
The Vikings are 2-4, in a down NFC North division, where 9 wins could possibly win it. As a team, the coach needs to make the call of who is going to QB the team. Is a downtrodden 41 year old Brett with a broken ankle, a better QB than a hungry 27 year old Tarvaris Jackson? I have reservations about that.
Brett’s miraculous streak of 291 consecutive season games is dangerously close to ending; will Childress pull the trigger and be the real leader of the Minnesota Vikings?
Written by Tony Karpinski
