When the grizzled Brett Favre retired from the Vikings in 2010, I honestly thought that was it.
Boy was I wrong.
The Rams picked up the phone this week wondering if the 44-year-old could still play. It’s amazing that after two-and-a-half years off, a team was still willing to kick the tires on a quarterback that threw 19 interceptions in 13 games with Sidney Rice and Randy Moss on the roster.
But according to The Celebrity DBI released by repucom.net, Favre still has a 78 percent awareness level. That’s 25 percentage points higher than Aaron Rodgers.
Think about that for a second. Rodgers has been playing at a Pro Bowl level for the last five years and is one of the most efficient players in the game, yet Favre still is more aware of Rodgers as he visits the Bahamas and Yellowstone National Park — albeit without a fanny pack I presume.
But not to worry Packers fans, Rodgers ranks much higher than Favre on every other category. Thanks to things like the State Farm Insurance Discount Double-Check, chatting with an older woman at a hair salon for an Associated Bank ad or pitching Ford trucks are a little better than selling Rx Pro, the pain cream that Favre is promoting. Which is why Rodgers is in the top three percent as an endorser at No. 94, while Favre is 1,851.
The spirited debate between both quarterbacks is still heard at bars and parking lots before the game and it doesn’t quell when fans get into Lambeau Field either.
But for a team like the Rams, that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2004, Brett Favre could’ve injected some energy and enthusiasm into a team and a town that could really care less — especially with its baseball neighbor still playing across town.
The thing that surprised me was the shock that the Rams thought outside the box and gave Favre the opportunity. I can count 11 teams that wouldn’t admit it, but would love to have Favre as its quarterback rather than what they’re stuck with right now.
And carry that over to the Packers. In six games Rodgers has been sacked 15 times. We all know how much of a beating he’s taken the last four years and if he goes down, especially with an injury-riddled receiving corps, the team is basically left to tread water.
Favre said no to a Rams team that hasn’t really established itself yet and they play in a cavernous dome that is hard to fill.
But what if Favre were called by, I don’t know, the Packers? Would he entertain the offer a little more seriously because the Packers are set up to win now with a full stable of receivers when healthy? Not to mention a rookie running back and a defense that have answered the call of stepping up their games after the sudden rash of injuries.
Favre has always said he hates training camp. This way, if Rodgers were to go down for a significant amount of time, Favre could step right in.
Obviously, the downside is that Rodgers may not like that very much. It took him a little while to carve out his own niche after the organization rightly chose him over Favre. Rodgers had his car keyed and was hurled with verbal assaults on a regular basis when he was granted the starting job.
But since nobody outside of 1265 Lombardi Ave. has any confidence in Seneca Wallace if he’s thrust into duty, a call to Favre doesn’t that far fetched.
——————Cory Jennerjohn is from Wisconsin and has been in sports media for over 10 years. To contact Cory e-mail him at jeobs -at- yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter: Cory Jennerjohn
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This article is gonna get a lot of hate, and I still haven’t forgiven Favre for being so willing to bring a Super Bowl trophy to Minnesota so I’m so fond of him anymore myself.
That being said, this is still an interesting article considering Favre could theoretically play. It is still fun to speculate.
I honestly think that he actually could go in and play if he had to. His last season was terrible in part because his receiving corps was depleted. Sidney didn’t even play in the first half of the season, and Randy was only there for four weeks, and he was a cancer to the team in the span that he was there anyway.
Physically, when it comes down to it, Favre really needs that strong arm, and he’s ALWAYS had that. As long as he stays healthy, I don’t see why he couldn’t sling that ball like he used to.
Strong arm + good run game + good receivers + good protection would possibly = a half decent season by Favre in my opinion.
ugh. no.
You’re right Bearmeat. I’m not a Brett hater, but the Packers would be crazy to go there. At the end of his career I felt sorry for him, he played one season too long. He was a liability to the Vikings. Favre was not a team guy at the end of Packers career, and had big problems with Packers management. The same management that’s still here and performing admirably. Brett and the Pack can’t even mend the fence enough to have his retirement celebration. He thumbed his nose at the Pack, and in doing so, to packer fans as well. He was losing more games than winning. Now he’s two plus years removed from a nfl career that ended in a whimper because he didn’t hang it up soon enough, and because his wandering ways hit the public again and again. I say NO, NO, NO – and I wish there was a way to supersize the capital letters! His Packer career ended with a towering inferno of a torched bridge. I think Seneca Wallace will do fine for now.
There are also rumors that Favre has impaired short-term memory and some have linked that to the hits he took over the course of his lengthy career.
Whether it’s hits or hits off the bottle, who knows. But any ex-player who starts talking about poor memory is going to be fodder for the media.
Why would the Packers even want this degenerate choke-artist and his “I’m bigger than the team” attitude?
Biggest big game liability in the history of the NFL. Nobody else is even close.
Better to stick with Seneca Wallace.
Yes Farve choked or threw a pick in many games. Hell, he threw more than any other QB. I can still see his last pass as a Packer, right to Cory Webster. Going to Minnesota was also his way of telling Ted to F off.
BUT, I also remember Farve coming into that game against Cincinnati back in 1992, and winning the first of many games. He helped turn around a franchise where nobody wanted to play, and helped make Green Bay matter in the NFL again. If you don’t believe that, then take a look at the 20 years before Farve and the the 16 years he was the Packers QB. Farve had 1 losing season, in 2005. I hate what Farve did going to Minnesota, but I love what he did as a Green Bay Packer.
I saw the story about him having memory issues as well, and certainly hope he’s ok and wish him the best of luck in his future ventures. I just hope his future ventures don’t include playing qb for the packers. He was an all-time great and I’d like to remember him for his glory days.
Cory, I’m hoping this was a “tongue in cheek” attempt intended to garner reaction, as it’s not a Favreorite topic to digest after all of the damage done.
The only thing Favre would ever say to the Packers if Aaron Rodgers went down would be:
“Hey, guys, it’s Brett.. Why haven’t you called me?”
Favre’s only value to a team at this point is putting butts in the stands to see the circus sideshow. How much do you think it would take to seriously tempt him to come out of retirement? $20M? $10M? Who has that kind of cap space to waste in today’s NFL?
I really thought the Favre talk was over. Here we are again
Favre is part of the matrix now. He’ll be a topic for Packer fans until this generation is dead and gone.
This may be a sign of how little I trust Favre at this point, and how much I think his ego and love of attention have subsumed the man who used to be my hero . . . but I am suspicious of his claims to loss of memory. Did they just somehow surface in the last two years? Is it a coincidence that he’s mentioning this while it’s a spotlight issue and his broadcasting career has failed to launch?
It’s interesting that Brett Favre still generates the emotion that he does. He’s been done with football for 2 years now?, and five years removed from the Packers. He should be revered by Packer faithful for his deeds while in the green and gold, but generates lots of hatred. I suspect that when they finally have their big to-do at halftime of some Sunday night game, and retire old #4, that sound we’ll hear from some won’t be cheers, but it will kinda sound like the familiar Kuuuuuhn. It’ll be an angry “your not welcome home” greeting. Too bad! The way that he left, and the things he said and did after he left left a bad taste in my mouth, but if he had just played for the Jets I think he would have been OK. But to maneuver his way to the Vikings?!! Seeing our former hero run down the field IN PURPLE waving his “we’re #1” finger in the air after throwing a touchdown pass made me want to destroy my tv. Watching his press conferences during packers game week made me want to puke. And they beat green bay twice that year, and went to the playoffs instead of green bay. It was like your ex-wife having relations with your pain in the @$$ neighbor on national tv!! And saying how great it was!!! Much better than you in fact!!!! Greg Jennings beware, too much witty anti-packer may be temporarily endearing to purple-spouting horsemen who really don’t give a crap about their Vikings when its all said and done, but is quite upsetting to the cheese eating faithful maniacs to the east (like me). Following in Brett Favre’s footsteps is not the express route to the packer hall of fame. And Greg should be held in high packer football esteem for his green and gold deeds. Just keep quiet and drop a sure touchdown pass and it’ll be ok.
I feel better now. Cory, you sure stirred the pot with this article – it was fun. It gets way deeper into you than a game should doesn’t it?
Go beat the stuffing out of those purple jerseys!
GO PACK!!!!
This would never happen, but I will play along with the writer.
Those of you who still “can’t forgive Favre” for what he did need to get over it already.
The Packers moved on, Brett moved on, as far as Brett coming back using the scenario in the article, I look around at who is available and I say Hell Yes!!!!
Brett Favre is the best option, if The packers needed a QB to keep them upright.
Hell, worst scenario would be he failed to keep The Packers winning and that would give all you “Haters” another chance to bash a guy who left it all out on the field every week for 16 years playing for The Packers.
On second thought, stay home Brett, the verbal abuse you would take wouldn’t be worth winning another Superbowl.
Huh?
What does the relative marketability of Favre compared to Rodgers have to do with anything? And what’s this about a fanny pack?
Favre “is more aware of Rodgers?” Is Rodgers not very aware of Favre?
Favre wouldn’t play for the Rams because they play in a big dome? You mean, like Minnesota does?
Rodgers “was hurled with verbal assaults?” Who was hurling Rodgers? Where were they hurling him?
Half of this article doesn’t even make sense.