Brett Favre changes his mind more often than a woman changes clothes.Is he going to do it yet again?
He drove the Green Bay Packers and their fans absolutely nuts several years back.
He did it again with the New York Jets a little more than a year ago.
Now the 40-year-old National Football League superstar quarterback is at it again.
Minnesota Vikings fans could be next in line for a real shocker.
Or will it really be that shocking?
Technically, if you happen to be a Vikings fan then in a way, your 2010 season has already begun. It began the day Favre reportedly texted a teammate notifying that unnamed teammate of his intention to retire.
If Favre decides to go ahead and stick to that text message, which for the record, he has denied, then the Vikings are going to enter the season running on the strength of someone else's arm. That could either be a good thing, or horrendous in every way.
So is Brett Favre retired or isn't he?
ESPN seems to think he is. Which is why they've spent the entire day acting like the world just came crashing down around their ears.
Brad Childress, Vikings head coach, on the other hand, doesn't seem so convinced. At his press conference, he said he hadn't heard anything about retirement from Favre, and wouldn't believe any such stories until he heard it "from the horse's mouth."
Favre remained non-committal this weekend on whether he will return to the Minnesota Vikings this season.
Favre told his friend and former coach, Steve Mariucci, that he was not yet ready to decide if his balky left ankle would be able to support him for a 20th NFL season.
Mariucci, an analyst for the NFL Network, said Favre's conditioning is good, but he hasn't run much without pain in his ankle. It still gives him pain, and it needs to be better before he reports.
Favre's status drew major attention last week when news broke that he text-messaged Vikings players to tell them he would not play. Favre later denied sending the messages and said his ankle was not yet healed from May surgery.
The QB is set to visit with his surgeon, Dr. James Andrews, this week.
It's been suggested that Favre is actually hoping Dr. James Andrews gives him bad news on his ankle this week, because it would take the horrible decision out of his hands. He would be forced to retire for health reasons, and that would make it easier to face his crestfallen teammates.
Football isn't like baseball where a guy like Roger Clemens can just swoop in halfway through the season and start dealing. You need to get in work with your team when you're a quarterback, and most importantly, you need the trust of your teammates. Even an athlete as accomplished and experienced as #4 put the team through all this drama only to not be there on opening day, then suddenly decided to play after a few weeks, the veterans on the squad would rise up as one and shoot down the idea.
As much as everyone loves Favre, there has to be a limit to how far you're willing to go in accommodating his whims.
Of course, if the Vikings were to lose the first three games, the other players might feel differently.I believe that Favre will return to the Vikings this season, then again, I could change my mind in the next five minutes.
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