The Scores Report - The National Sports Blog » Brett Favre Vikings

Favre undergoes ankle surgery, ready to torture everybody

Anthony Stalter — Sat, 22 May 2010 14:39:37 +0000

ESPN.com is reporting that Brett Favre had ankle surgery and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune thinks he could be sending a message about his possible return.

Brett Favre has yet to inform the Vikings whether he will return in 2010, but his actions have made it clear he has every intention of playing a 20th NFL season.

The quarterback underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle Friday in Florida to clean up scar tissue and other elements of the joint to allow for a better range of motion. ESPN reported that noted surgeon James Andrews performed the procedure at the Andrews Institute in Gulf Breeze. Andrews repaired the partially torn biceps in Favre’s throwing arm last spring.

Although Favre is well-known to be averse to any type of surgical procedure, it does not come as a surprise he had this done considering the success he had last season in his first year in Minnesota. Favre, who spent 18 years with the Packers and played for the Jets in 2008, led the Vikings to a 12-4 finish and the NFC title game at New Orleans, throwing for 4,202 yards with 33 touchdowns and a career-low seven interceptions.

So:

Surgery + Favre = Return.

Got it.

He was always coming back. The Vikings have shown zero panic over their quarterback situation since the season ended and the media in Minnesota isn’t hounding Brad Childress daily on whether or not he’s playing this year, so that’s a big indication that he is. In Washington, Mike Shanahan can’t walk past someone in the hallway without being asked if Albert Haynesworth is going to be at training camp. You don’t think they would be doing the same to Childress if everyone didn’t have a good indication already that he was coming back?

Brett is coming back. Thrilling.

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Favre finds latest excuse to skip training camp

Anthony Stalter — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 19:30:35 +0000

Right on time, Brett Favre has figured out a way to skip training camp this year.

From ESPN.com:

Brett Favre has been informed he requires surgery on his left ankle to play the upcoming season for the Minnesota Vikings, and the quarterback is deliberating whether to have the procedure or simply to end his 19-year NFL career by retiring.

“We have spoken,” Favre said in an e-mail. “To play again, I would need the surgery, as I suspected. This decision would be easy if not for my teammates and the fans and the entire Vikings staff. One year truly felt like 10 — much like Green Bay for many years. That’s what I was missing in my heart I suppose, a sense of belonging.”

Favre said he must determine whether his affection for the Vikings and his belief they are capable of winning the Super Bowl overrides his disdain for surgery.

He’s not going to retire. He never actually retires, so let’s just put that debate to rest. He’ll have the surgery, but he’ll make sure that his recovery time puts him on the practice field right after two-a-days and not a moment sooner. He had a similar situation last year, when he had a partially torn biceps tendon in his throwing shoulder repaired. He played then, and he’ll play now – as long as it’s on his terms.

The Vikings haven’t stressed about their quarterback situation this entire offseason, meaning Favre is coming back. If for some reason he doesn’t, Tarvaris Jackson will be counted on to be the starter, but chances are Jackson will be picking splinters out of his ass again this season while riding the pine.

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Montana: Favre coming back, but wants to avoid training camp

Anthony Stalter — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:52:19 +0000

Joe Montana is confident that Brett Favre will return to football this season, but believes the 40-year-old quarterback is playing coy with his plans because he doesn’t want to go to training camp.

“He says he’s not sure [about playing] because he doesn’t want to go to training camp. He’s smart,” Montana said. “I’m sure he already has that agreement with them. Nine chances out of 10 they already know and they’ve already had this whole conversation and they should just let everybody know because they know he’s going to come back.

“He knows he’s going to come back, but the reason they don’t say anything is because he doesn’t want to go through training camp,” Montana said. “If he didn’t have to go through training camp, his decision would already be made, but he should know by now going to training camp isn’t going to be hard. They’d never make it hard on him.”

Seeing as how the Vikings have shown zero signs of panicking about Favre’s pending decision, I think Montana is right on the money. Favre has always disliked going to training camp, so it would make sense that he would have an agreement with the Vikings that he’d return as long as he doesn’t have to go to camp.

The Vikings haven’t made any moves yet pertaining to their quarterback situation that would suggest Favre isn’t coming back. And with Favre’s familiarity with Brad Childress’ offense, it wouldn’t take him long to get ready for the season if he skipped camp and showed up when the team started their regular practices. Personally, I think he should be in camp with his teammates, but maybe that’s just me.

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If Favre retires, was signing worth it for Vikings?

Anthony Stalter — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:09:43 +0000

Before their win over the Cowboys in the Divisional Round two weeks ago, I proposed the question of whether or not signing Brett Favre was worth it for the Vikings. Now that Minnesota has been knocked out of the playoffs and the annual Brett Favre retirement dance has begun, I’m proposing a similar question.

If Favre does decide to hang ‘em up this offseason, was signing him for one year worth it for the Vikings?

Had they lost to Dallas, I would have empathically said “no” to the above question. The Vikings won the division and reached the playoffs with Gus Frerotte and Tarvaris Jackson in 2008. So for all intents and purposes, had they lost to the Cowboys the Vikings would not have improved under Favre and therefore, his signing would have been a waste. After all, Minnesota didn’t jump over all the hurdles to sign Favre last offseason just so they could win another division title and be bounced in their first playoff game. And had he retired after a loss to Dallas, the signing would have looked even worse.

However, my stance has changed after the Vikes advanced to the NFC Championship Game because that meant they did improve with Favre under center. They weren’t knocking on the door of a Super Bowl last year with Jackson at quarterback and although we’ll never know, I highly doubt they would have reached the NFC title game with Jackson or Sage Rosenfels this season.

So yeah, the signing of Favre was worth it in my eyes. Did they sign him in hopes that he would advance them to the Super Bowl? Of course they did, but 30 teams fail to reach the Super Bowl every year and 28 of them didn’t get as far as the Vikings did this season. They knew they were a quarterback away from making a legitimate run and they did what they had to do in order to sign one of the best in the game.

But all this being said, one could still make the argument that because the Vikings failed to reach the Super Bowl, the signing of Favre was a waste. Keep in mind what he put them through last offseason in terms of making the decision about whether or not to return. Poor Jackson and Rosenfels had to field questions on a daily basis about Brett, all the while trying to compete for a job that may or may not have been available when the season started. Brad Childress essentially had to alienate the quarterbacks that were already on his roster in order to appease a veteran quarterback that he may or may not have the opportunity to coach. Then when Favre did sign, the Vikings still had to worry about what kind of an effect he would have on team chemistry and in the locker room.

In the end, the Vikings didn’t accomplish their goal of making it to the Super Bowl. If Favre retires, was everything they went through in the offseason worth it? Before you answer, keep in mind that if Favre doesn’t return the Vikings now have two quarterbacks in Jackson and Rosenfels who haven’t played in a year. And one of them (Jackson) is a restricted free agent.

If Brett does decide to come back for another season, then at least the Vikings had two cracks at trying to win a Super Bowl with the same roster. But if he doesn’t, then was all of this worth it for them to lose to the Saints in the NFC Championship Game?

If Favre retires, was his signing worth it to Vikings?

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Here we go again: Teammates believe Favre will retire

Anthony Stalter — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:24:10 +0000

Not eight seconds after the Saints beat the Vikings in the NFC Championship Game, FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer reported that “every player” in Minnesota’s locker room believes that Brett Favre will retire this offseason.

After the game, however, Favre was non-committal about his future plans (from USA Today):

“I know people are rolling their eyes or will roll their eyes,” he said. “In a situation like this, I really don’t want to make a decision right now based solely on what happened (Sunday).”

Favre’s last pass was an interception with seven seconds left in regulation that doomed the Vikings’ chances as girding for a potential game-winning field goal attempt. The Saints won the coin toss in overtime, and Favre never had a chance to run a play in the extra frame.

“It’s disappointing,” Favre said. “And that’s an understatement.”

I’ve taken on the mindset that Favre wants to win the Super Bowl again before he retires. With how close he got this season, I doubt he’ll hang ‘em up in the next couple months.

After figuring out a way to get out of training camp, he’ll return to lead Minnesota next season.

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If the Vikings lose on Sunday, would signing Favre have been a waste?

Anthony Stalter — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:29:55 +0000

The Minnesota Vikings didn’t just sign Brett Favre in the offseason: They jumped through every hoop and hopped every hurdle in front of them in order to acquire the ageless one, including alienating Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson in the process. (And while I can’t prove it, I also fully believe that Brad Childress sold his soul in order to sign Favre as well.)

That’s why if the Vikings lose this Sunday to the Dallas Cowboys, signing Favre would have arguably been a waste. A team like Minnesota doesn’t subject itself the way it did this offseason to sign a 40-year old quarterback to lose in the second round of the playoffs. It signs a 40-year old drama queen because he’s worth it and to ensure that the team is going to have a shot at winning the Super Bowl.

Okay, so there are no sure things in pro football. Signing Favre didn’t guarantee anything for the Vikings, but they knew that they were a legit passing attack away from being a Super Bowl contender and so far, suffering through Favre’s drama this offseason has been worth it.

But if they lose this weekend, then they would have accomplished nothing. Favre isn’t going to play forever (uh, I think) and the Vikings’ window of opportunity to win a Super Bowl has been shrinking since Week 1. If they lose to the Cowboys, then the Vikes will have won precisely the same amount of playoff games with Tarvaris Jackson under center last year: Zero.

Favre is 3-7 in his last 10 postseason appearances and the Cowboys are red-hot. The Vikings have also managed to somehow stop running the ball effectively despite having Adrian Peterson in the backfield, and Dallas will no doubt utilize its outstanding pass-rush to force Favre into making mistakes. In other words, the Vikings have quite the challenge on their hands.

There’s no shame in losing to a better team, but the Vikings are built to win now. Yes, their defense still has holes – especially in the secondary. But this team proved throughout the season that it’s one of the top three teams in the conference and has enough talent to reach the title game. Winning the division was a great accomplishment for Minnesota, but expectations have hardly been met. If they advance to the NFC Championship Game, then at least they could say that they improved from last year and was close to a Super Bowl berth.

But if they lose this Sunday, then what would signing Favre have amounted to? A division title? The Vikings already achieved that last year with a similar roster. No, this team signed Favre for much more and anything short of a Super Bowl appearance would be a grave disappointment.

If they lose this Sunday, would the signing of Favre have been a waste for the Vikings?

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Decade Debate: 10 Biggest Betrayals

John Paulsen — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:45:21 +0000

To betray is to “be disloyal to one’s country, organization, or ideology by acting in the interests of an enemy.” In the world of sports, a betrayal can refer to any number of things: a beloved star choosing to play for a bitter rival, someone who breaks the public’s trust or even a head coach who lies to his boss about where his loyalties lie. As part of our ongoing Decade Debate series, we chose the ten biggest betrayals of the last ten years. (By the way, we’re focused on sports business related betrayals only, so Tiger Woods, Mike Vick and Roger Clemens are safe. For now.)

10. NHL cancels the 2004-05 season.

After failing for months to come to an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement, the NHL finally canceled the 2004-05 season in February of ’05. The dispute between the owners and the NHLPA covered a number of issues, but the biggest was the owners’ proposal of a salary cap that was tied to league revenues, similar to the NBA salary cap. The NHLPA rejected every offer that included a salary cap and the season had to be canceled. A majority of fans blamed the players due to their out-of-control salaries and unwillingness to accept a cap, which is something that both the NBA and NFL – two very successful leagues — have in different forms. Finally, in the summer of 2005, the players association ratified an agreement (which – surprise, surprise — included a salary cap tied to league revenue) and the lockout ended after 310 days. It marks the only time that a North American professional sports league ever canceled and entire season over a labor dispute. In the end, the NHLPA’s stubbornness was fruitless; the owners got their salary cap and the fans got screwed out of year of hockey. Way to go, guys. – John Paulsen

9. Damon skips Bean Town for the Big Apple.

There are some things in life that are just wrong. One is watching any of the “Twilight” movies alone as a single man. Another is flossing in public. Wearing sandals with a nice pair of slacks is also a terrible idea. Regardless of your opinion of these faux pas, we can all agree that a player jumping ship from the Red Sox to the Yankees (or vice versa) is a huge no-no. Babe Ruth never wanted to leave – he was sold. But guys like former Red Sox manger Ed Barrow (took over as Yankees GM), Wade Boggs, and Johnny Damon – they had a choice. Only one season removed from helping the BoSox capture their first World Series since 1918, Damon signed a four-year, $52 million deal with the Bronx Bombers. The Red Sox Nation cried “foul,” but Damon claimed his former team didn’t push further than their initial four-year, $40 million offer. Nevertheless, the fans felt slighted. Damon had flourished in Boston, racking up career numbers and gaining celebrity status. He hit the memorable leadoff homerun in Game 4 of the 2004 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. The blast was all the Red Sox needed to extinguish the curse. (They would go on to win the game 3-0 and the World Series in a sweep.) But he was gone, ready to face the chorus of boos from former fans, and prepped to win a championship in pinstripes four years later. In the end, a t-shirt I saw at a Fenway Park merchant’s booth said it all. A crude picture of Damon adorned the front: “Looks like Jesus, throws like Mary.” – Christopher Glotfelty

8. Elton Brand woos Baron Davis to L.A., then signs with the Sixers.

Poor Baron Davis. In the summer of 2008, Brand recruited Davis to play for the Clippers, but once Davis signed, Brand decided to bolt to Philadelphia. Brand definitely got his in the end. His first year in Philly ended abruptly with a season-ending injury, and at the time of this writing, the Sixers are 5-18 and are riding a 12-game losing streak. Karma is a bitch. Meanwhile, the Clippers lucked into Blake Griffin in the draft, and although the rookie is sidelined with an injury, it looks like Davis will eventually get his power forward running mate after all. – John Paulsen

7. Manny sandbags the Red Sox, forces trade.

After forcing a trade from the Boston Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Manny Ramirez’s image quickly went from “lovable goofball” to “selfish buffoon.” In 2001, Ramirez signed an eight-year deal with the Red Sox worth $160 million. It seemed like Manny and the BoSox were a match made in heaven. In the grand scheme of things, it was. Despite Boston’s current scorn, the Red Sox don’t capture the World Series in ’04 and ’07 without the Dreadlocked One — they don’t the break the Curse of the Great Bambino and the Red Sox Nation is just a pipe dream. Still, that scorn is understandable. In the weeks leading up to the 2008 trading deadline, Ramirez told manager Terry Francona he couldn’t play because of knee problems. The MRI revealed no damage, arousing suspicion. Was Manny trying to coax his way out of Boston? His teammates and the press seemed to think so. The signs were there. Earlier in the season, Ramirez refused to board a charter flight from Anaheim to Seattle, citing sore knees that should keep him out for three weeks. Later, he would shove 64-year-old traveling secretary Jack McCormick for failing to accommodate a 16-ticket request. On June 5, with tensions building, Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis got into a scuffle. For all his whining and duplicity, Manny finally got his wish. The Red Sox traded him to Dodgers in a three-way deal that landed them Jason Bay of the Pittsburgh Pirates. But can we really blame Man Ram? The guy just wanted more than $20 million per year, which is a pittance, really. (Sarcasm.) – Christopher Glotfelty

6. Carlos Boozer reneges on “verbal agreement” to re-sign with the Cavs.

What is it with power forwards from Duke? First Boozer, then Brand. We’re still not 100% sure what happened here. For his part, Boozer has steadfastly denied that there was ever any “handshake deal” in place with the Cavs, though it’s hard to believe they wouldn’t exercise the option on his rookie contract without knowing they could re-sign him. You see, the Cavs made the (horrible) decision to let Boozer become a free agent thinking that they’d be able to re-sign him on the cheap. They say that they had his word that he’d re-up for the team’s mid-level exception, but when he did become a free agent, the Jazz offered him a contract worth an additional $27 million. The Cavs couldn’t/wouldn’t match, so Boozer bolted. Common sense tells us that there was probably a verbal agreement in place with someone in Boozer’s camp (Rob Pelinka?), but since such a deal would be illegal under current NBA rules, neither side is eager to talk about it. Former Cavs owner Gordon Gund simply said this: “In the final analysis, I decided to trust Carlos and show him the respect he asked for. He did not show that trust and respect in return.” The whole thing is a shame, really. Boozer would have been a great sidekick for an up-and-coming LeBron James. – John Paulsen

5. Nick Saban lies to the Dolphins.

Following the 2004 season, Saban left LSU to become the coach of the Dolphins. In November of 2006, Alabama announced the firing of head coach Mike Shula and Saban’s name was immediately linked to the job opening. For over a month, Saban vehemently denied that he was leaving the Dolphins to coach at Alabama, but following Miami’s season ending loss to the Indianapolis Colts, he met with Crimson Tide officials and soon accepted a job as their head coach. But why is Saban ranked lower than the next guy on our list? Perhaps the only difference between Saban and one Bobby Petrino is that Saban was able to finish a full season before he betrayed his team. That’s not saying a whole hell of a lot. – Anthony Stalter

4. Bobby Petrino lies to Louisville and Arthur Blank.

If you looked up the word “snake” in the dictionary, you might find a picture of Bobby Petrino. When he was the head coach at Louisville from 2003 to 2006, he constantly talked out of both sides of his mouth. He’d tell the media that he wanted to coach at Louisville forever, and then he’d hold secret meetings with Auburn, LSU and the Oakland Raiders about their head coaching positions. In July of 2006, he signed a 10-year contract extension at Louisville. Just six months later in January of ‘07, he betrayed Louisville by accepting a five-year contract to become the next head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. But 13 games into his first season in Hotlanta (a losing season in which many of his players publicly criticized his methods), Petrino backstabbed the Falcons and owner Arthur Blank by accepting a deal to become the head coach at Arkansas. Just one day before leaving Atlanta for the Razorbacks, Petrino shook Blank’s hand and assured him that he was coming back in 2008. Loyalty clearly isn’t a word in Petrino’s vocabulary. – Anthony Stalter

3. Clay Bennett moves the Seattle Supersonics to Oklahoma City.

We’re supposed to believe that an Oklahoma City businessman was acting in good faith trying to secure a deal for a new arena in Seattle, but when that deal “falls through,” he only choice is to move the team to OKC? Riiiiiiight. This skepticism was confirmed when co-owner Aubrey McClendon told an Oklahoma City newspaper that the group “didn’t buy the team to keep it in Seattle; we hoped to come here.” Bennett, of course, claimed to know nothing about this, though emails obtained by the city of Seattle (as part of its lawsuit against the owner) proved that Bennett and his co-owners were talking about moving the team to Oklahoma City as early as April of 2007. But really, what’s worse – ripping a long-standing franchise out of Seattle or naming your team the Thunder? That’s a tough one. – John Paulsen

2. Tim Donaghy (allegedly) fixes NBA games.

Maybe he was a lone wolf, or maybe his claims are true and he’s just a small part of much bigger problem, but either way, Tim Donaghy betrayed our trust. An FBI investigation accused Donaghy of betting on games, manipulating games to fit within a desired point spread, and passing along confidential information to gambling cohorts. He has since accused the NBA, among other things, of extending the Lakers/Kings series in 2002 by putting two “company men” on the officiating crew of Game 6 in Los Angeles. (The Lakers shot 18 more free throws than the Kings in the fourth quarter, so there may be something to his accusations.) Regardless, as fans we know that, like the rest of us, officials are flawed human beings, but they’re supposed to be doing the best, most honest job they can. And Tim Donaghy was (allegedly) fixing games. What a dick move. – John Paulsen

1. Brett Favre retires his way to the Vikings.

After two or three years of flirting with retirement, Brett Favre (supposedly) hung ‘em up for good at a teary press conference in March of 2008. But his career wasn’t even close to over. A month later he tells the Packers that he wants to come back, so Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson schedule a trip down to Mississippi to talk it over, but Favre cancels at the last minute. Enough is enough, they decide – the Packers move on. But Favre can’t understand (now that he wants to unretire, again) why the Packers won’t just release him. He really wants to play for the Vikings, so he can stick it to Ted Thompson, because Thompson didn’t want him (after he said Favre could come back, twice) but TT won’t have any of that. The savvy GM works out a deal that sends Favre to the Jets, but despite some MVP-caliber play over the first dozen weeks, he never really invests himself in the team. He injures his throwing arm and the Jets go into a tailspin, missing the playoffs. He retires again and the Jets grant him his release, so now he’s free to sign with the Vikings. Packer Nation throws up in its mouth. In two regular season games, Favre torches the Packers (throwing for 515 yards, seven touchdowns and zero interceptions) in the game in Green Bay, basically burning Lambeau Field down. In Favre’s dream scenario, the Vikings beat the Packers again in the playoffs en route to a Super Bowl win. Will it happen? God, we hope not. – John Paulsen

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