By George Ofman
Okay, I admit it. I was wrong. I wrote it right here back in August. “Maybe he’ll get his revenge against Green Bay but he’ll never get a chance against the Bears. That’s because Favre will be a non-factor by then. He’ll have been sacked into another retirement; his right arm will fall off into one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes or his teammates will offer him a road map back to Mississippi.”
Oh was I wrong.
Not only is Farve’s arm intact, he is my pick for the league’s most valuable player.
And the road map could lead to Miami and another Super Bowl.
Yesterday was just another notch in his oversized belt: 397 yards passing, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He has only three picks all season! Jay Cutler had five in one game.
Favre’s passer rating is the best in the league.
And he’s 40.
And I hope he comes back next year so long as he doesn’t play another dog-and-pony retirement show again.
Let’s face it: The man is in a league of his own.
Would it be wrong to exclaim he’s the best player in NFL history? Go ahead, make an argument for someone else.
What Favre did to the Bears, he’s done to several other teams this season. He dismantled them with precision – and help from a solid offensive line, sure-handed receivers who know how to run routes, a running back who bowls defenders over even if he has hands of stone, and a golden arm that won’t quit. But the arm is attached to a head that won’t quit. He thinks better than some quarterbacks throw. (See Jay Cutler for the time being).
I wasn’t the only skeptic who thought Favre would have to be scraped off the field, placed on a cart and rendered useless forever.
But some athletes transcend their sport while being able to ignore father time’s persistence.
Chris Chelios was backlining the Red Wings to Stanley Cups and, at 47, he’s still playing with the Chicago Wolves.
Forty-five-year-old Jamie Moyer won 42 games the last three seasons.
Nolan Ryan was firing fastballs in his 40s.
George Foreman was fighting into his 50s.
Phil Niekro was knuckling until his late 40s.
Jack Nicklaus won the Masters at 46.
Some guys have it, and have it for a long time.
Brett Favre is one of those guys.
Think about this for a moment. Favre has only three interceptions this season. Just three! Up to now, the fewest he’s had in a season is 13. He’s on pace to throw for over 4,000 yards, something he’s done only five times in his 18-year career. His current passer rating is 13 points higher than his previous best. The game prior to the Bears, he completed 88 percent of his passes, a personal best.
Sorry, folks, I don’t think steroids or any other performance enhancing drugs are in play here.
This is simply a blacksmith forging a perfect sculpture; an artist painting a masterpiece.
I know there are some of you who hate him because he was a Packer for all those years. I also bet you admired and respected him.
And now, despite the fact he’s a Viking, I’m actually pulling for him to win the MVP award for a fourth time and win his second Super Bowl.
It would be fitting, don’t you think?
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George Ofman, an original member of The Score and a veteran of NPR, has covered more than 3,500 sporting events over the course of his career. Comments welcome.
Posted on November 30, 2009