Are You Ready For Some Football?

Posted on July 30, 2008 
Filed Under Chief Blogging Officer

It is that time of year again, and NFL training camps are opening up while the first game of the college football season is just four weeks away. Football season is highly anticipated by fans everywhere, but here in Las Vegas it is especially exciting because, well, because we get to bet on the games and participate in season-long contests at the various sportsbooks. Football season is by far the most lucrative for the books, and there is a lot of intense fan interest, making for an electric atmosphere here in Vegas during the football months.

Without question the biggest story surrounding the NFL right now is the Brett Favre saga. Everyone has their own opinion on the matter, and I can understand all points of view. We watched as Favre tearfully retired after last season, choking up as he thanked the Packers organization for all that they had done for him. Indeed, they made Brett a wealthy man over the years, but Favre transformed a fallen dynasty into a consistent winner. Favre’s record as a starter is 160-93. In sixteen seasons as the Packers starting quarterback, he led the team to 11 playoff appearances, seven Division titles, and one Super Bowl victory in two appearances. He is the all time NFL leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns (and interceptions, by the way).

I think that if you read between the lines, the Packers pressured Favre to retire after last season, in spite of the fact that he had a very good year. At the time, his loyalty to the Packers coupled with the aches, pains, and fatigue that a player feels after his 17th season playing in the NFL tipped the scales toward a decision to retire, and he did so, but very reluctantly.

My perspective on the situation as it stands right now is that Favre has been excited about the beginning of the new football season since he played Pop Warner. There are athletes that play in the NFL strictly for the money, but Favre is a guy who genuinely loves to play the game of football. I don’t think that he wants to play this year because of money. I don’t even think he is motivated by some kind of burning desire to win the Super Bowl again. I think he just loves to play, he feels healthy, and he knows that he is still better than most of the starting quarterbacks in the NFL.

I am not a Packer fan, so I have never been a big fan of Brett Favre, but I do respect him immensely, and I am not one of the people who thinks he should just get out of the way. It’s true that his presence would be difficult for the Packers, who have already given the starting job to Aaron Rodgers, but if they did indeed pressure Favre to retire, they should have no compunction about trading him. I think they are clearly afraid that he will lead his new team past the Packers, and I think that Favre wants to have the opportunity to do just that.

Favre is just one of the storylines as the 2008-2009 NFL season approaches, and there is indeed football in the air here in Las Vegas. I look forward to watching the season unfold, and like every renewal it is a time of great hope and optimism for all 32 teams as they vie for a shot to play in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa on February 1st, 2009.

           

Comments

One Response to “Are You Ready For Some Football?”

  1. DC Team Building on August 25th, 2008 4:00 pm

    He should have just retired. Now he has to play for the Jets and potentially ruin his reputation. I guess if he just wants to play, then good for him.

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