Yes, Favre could still play, but he won't
Posted on: October 25,2013
Many around the NFL expressed shock that the St. Louis Rams would approach Brett Favre about coming out of retirement.
I am not, and here are my reasons:
• No. 1, the Rams are desperate.
• No. 2, Jeff Fisher, the Rams coach, knows Favre’s agent well through his long association with another of Bus Cook’s clients, the late Steve McNair. Fisher is one hell of a football coach. He knows Favre could still help his team win.
• No. 3, Favre may be 44 but he looks to be in the best physical shape of his life. As anyone who has been to one of Oak Grove’s practices can tell you, he can still sling it.
• No. 4, Favre would still be better than far more than half the quarterbacks now playing in the NFL.
• No. 5, you think he wouldn’t sell some tickets, improve some TV ratings?
•••
Now then, Favre said, “No,” and again I am not surprised. Here’s why:
Brett Favre and the late Doc Harrington at 2013 Hall of Fame induction reception.
• No. 1, he has finally come to grips with retirement, seems perfectly happy with it, and he gets his competitive fix as the offensive coordinator of the No 1 ranked high school team in the state.
• No. 2, Favre may be relatively healthy but he feels the aches and pains of anybody who played in the league as long as he did, not that many have.
• No. 3, Brett has been in football long enough to be around a lot of 50- and 60-year-old ex-players and can see the limps, the dementia and all the other maladies a career in football causes. Enough is enough.
• No. 4, the Rams are not like the Vikings were when he last un-retired. Those Vikes had a legit shot at winning the whole thing and almost did. These Rams do not.
Now then, people ask me why Brett Favre, with all the millions he has earned, would still spend hours a week coaching a high school football team and will be on the sidelines at Brandon tonight. My thoughts:
• No. 1, he loves the game. Have you ever seen a player who played with more glee?
• No. 2, he is as competitive as they come. He does get a competitive “fix” by coaching.
• No. 3, and I think all the national writers miss this: Favre is the son of a high school football coach, Big Irv Favre. The two were close. Favre grew up in it. Everyday, he takes the practice field or the playing field on Friday night, he honors his father.
You ask me— and this is coming from someone who chose to do what his daddy did — that’s pretty cool.
As someone who knew Big Irv, Brett absolute honors his father by what he does on the high school field every Friday night. It not only allows him to get his competitive “fix”, it allows him to continually connect with his dad that he loves so much!!