By ElaineB
Make no mistake about it. I live in Wisconsin where, though I’ve never been to a game at Lambeau, I loved watching Brett Favre play. Unlike dour-faced Aaron Rodgers, whose close ups don’t reveal a man having a very good time as the Packers QB, Favre was still romping like a puppy when he was long past the retirement age of most NFL players. Hit a receiver just right for a perfect touchdown? The TV cameras move in to show him rejoicing! Escape a blitz with some fancy footwork? Grin. Throw an interception, or two or three? Look pensive then grin some more. Nobody loves football — good, bad or downright ugly — more than Brett, so keeping him off the field will be hard when the dog days of summer set in and football season approaches. And for those of us who tuned in on Sundays and Mondays to watch him no matter what colors he was wearing, we want him back.
The trouble with Brett as an announcer is that, though he KNOWS a ton about football, he’s always been a bit taciturn. Elway as an announcer, yep. Madden, please shut up already. Brett? Well, maybe there is some sort of loquaciousness steroid he could pop.
Other than announcing, what can Brett do? Well, he could take over as a QB coach for a college or pro team and we could watch him on sidelines at the games of the week. He could do endorsements but the fleeting image of Favre hawking Pepsi or Gillette titanium double-edged blades or whatever just won’t be enough.
So here’s my theory. He should start hosting summer camps to mentor up-and-coming college players. I think following these young kids at the training camp would make a great series on ESPN — sort of the American Idol of football. And when some scrawny kid makes the cut and goes on to NFL greatness, we can say that, like Jennifer Hudson, we knew him when.
One thing Brett shouldn’t do is leave us bereft of his delightful presence. So Brett, don’t go gently into that good night, find a way that lets us keep on sharing our Favre love.
So what’s your thought? What should Brett do now?
I wish he’d kept his dignity and stayed retired the first time, and remained at Green Bay in some sort of Goodwill Ambassador type role, possibly combined with an offensive coaching position. But he didn’t, and he squandered some of the biggest love that a fan base can have for a player.
But he didn’t, and so ElaineB’s idea is the best one I’ve heard yet. Are you listening, ESPN? As to Brett’s on-camera godawful gawkiness, rope the Farrelly brothers in on this one – they wrung a nearly human performance out of him in There’s Something About Mary.
“Throw an interception, or two or three?”
… or five, or six …