Madden Curse Strikes Again

At the risk of reducing the creditability of my blog, writing about this whole Brett Favre debacle is simply irresistible. I myself am a huge Favre and Green Bay Packers fan. I started watching them back in 1995, the first year he won the MVP. The second season was even better as the Packers beat New England 35-21 in Super Bowl XXXI. Since then I have watched him put up great numbers, the Packers win a lot of games and both of them combine to rip my heart out in the playoffs year after year. Overtime interceptions are totally weak.

However, despite being a big fan, I have to remain objective. Lately he has been exerting what can only be referred to as diva like tendencies. I remember reading in a Sports Illustrated in 2001 that there were rumors next season (2002) might be Favre's last. Well seven years of fence sitting went by before he finally retired in March of this year and now guess what, he is unretiring. How could a guy who is so decisive on the field (even when that involves throwing the ball to the other team) be so indecisive off it? I mean, I can kind of understand waiting months into the offseason before deciding to come back, but unretiring and even being willing to play for another team after 16 seasons in green and gold; say it isn’t so Brett. How could this be?

The answer may lie with Shaun Alexander in 2007 who had a poor, injury riddled season after winning league MVP and leading the Seahawks to the Super Bowl. Two years later he’s not even a Seahawk. The answer may lie with Michael Vick who spent almost the entire 2004 season injured after going to the pro bowl the previous year and is now in prison. It may lie with Marshall Faulk in 2003, the year he fell off the map. It may lie with the piss poor season Daunte Culpepper had in 2002 after throwing and running for 40 TD's in 2001. What did these poor fools all have in common? They all graced the cover of Madden's career ruining video game the previous year.

When it was announced this year that a then retired Brett Favre would be on the cover of Madden 09, speculation ran wild (well not really) that Favre may actually avoid the Madden curse. Others predicted that perhaps Aaron Rodgers would lead the Packers to a 19-0 Super Bowl win or maybe the tractor the media tells me Brett spends his entire offseason on would break down, but few could have predicted this mess. The Madden curse has struck again in its most creative guise yet!

The whole thing looks like a no win situation. The Packers said Favre could come back as the highest paid backup in sports history, which is ridiculous. He wants to be released, but the Packers don’t want him in the NFC. And since the only teams interested are probably Minnesota, Tampa Bay and maybe Chicago there’s no simple solution. Even if the Packers honored Brett’s request, could you imagine him in one of those fruity, purple Viking uniforms? Ughh! So while I'd love for them to resolve this and Favre to come back and win the Packers a fourth Super Bowl, hopefully if that doesn’t work he’ll just stay retired. That way at least John Madden won't be able to gush about how much fun Brett Favre is having.