Favre Watch 2009

Day 123

Our latest Favre Watch item is still centered around Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. It comes from Rick Alonzo from the Pioneer Press.

Brett Favre's agent said Friday he believes the quarterback's surgically repaired arm will be fine, but he's still not sure whether Favre wants to return to play football.

The comments came after ESPN.com reported that, according to an unidentified source, a Vikings trainer and a member of the coaching staff will travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., in a few days to work with Favre. The Vikings want to gauge the progress of Favre's throwing arm after he had arthroscopic surgery last month to repair a partially torn biceps tendon.

Favre has started throwing footballs again, but apparently he's still uncertain whether he will be able to play this season.

Favre's agent, Bus Cook, told West Virginia TV station WSAZ: "Whether he plays anymore or not, I don't know. . . . I don't know because I'm not sure that Brett is sure what he wants to do. Physically, I think he'll be fine, maybe a couple of weeks. But we will know one way or the other. Then again, does he still want to play?

"Can he play? Absolutely. He's still as good as anybody in the business, even at 40 years old. It's just whether or not he wants to go play or not."

Cook's comments that Favre should be healthy is just the latest strong indication that the future hall of famer is likely to sign with Minnesota.

Vikings coach Brad Childress was evasive when asked Thursday about wanting to see Favre throw before moving forward.

"I am not that anxious," to see Favre throw, Childress said. "I am not going to lose any sleep or anything. I don't need mood elevators or anything like that. But you always would want to see that, yeah."Asked whether the Vikings had plans to see Favre throw, Childress said: "Again, that is down-the-road stuff. The guy is retired right now and you would have to talk to him about that."

Childress restated Thursday that he did not impose a deadline of this week on Favre to decide whether to join the team, as ESPN.com had reported.

Childress declined to say how long he might be willing to let the Favre saga play out before making a final determination.

A Vikings spokesman said Friday the team would have no comment on the ESPN report.

Favre Watch 2009

Day 120

Favre Watch 2009

Day 111

We've made it to June, and Favre Watch is still going strong!

Favre Watch 2009

Day 107

Todays installment of Favre Watch 2009 comes from Rick Alonzo @ Twincities.com Enjoy!

Legendary Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton doesn't want Brett Favre to play for Minnesota, and he blasted the quarterback's play and attitude during a lengthy radio interview Tuesday.

"I think it's despicable," Tarkenton told 790 The Zone in Atlanta, according to sportsradiointerviews.com. "What he put the Packers through last year was not good. Here's an organization that was loyal to him for 17, 18 years, provided stability of organization, provided players.

"It just wasn't about Brett Favre. In this day and time, we have glorified the Brett Favres of the world so much, they think it's about them. He goes to New York and bombs. He's 39 years old. How would you like Ray Nitschke in his last year (playing for) the Vikings, or I retire and go play for the Packers? I kind of hope it happens, so he can fail."

Tarkenton ripped Favre for how he handled coming out of retirement for the first time last summer while he was with the Green Bay Packers. Favre retired and then changed his mind as the season approached. Tarkenton said Favre put himself above the team.

"He told the Packers, 'I'm retiring,' and they've got to move on," Tarkenton said. "... It's about team; it's not about Brett Favre. So he goes and runs up to the Jets, and he doesn't even dress in the locker room with the players, has a separate facility. Playing quarterback is about the relationships you have with your coaches, with your players, with you trainers, with your managers. How can you do that if you show up on game day and haven't put the time in? And now, he's trying to do it again in Minnesota. If Minnesota bites, God bless them."

Tarkenton said the Packers did everything they could to accommodate Favre last summer, and he criticized Favre for not being heavily involved in offseason workouts. Tarkenton also blasted Favre's play on the field.

"I think he has been a great, flamboyant quarterback, but he has made more stupid plays than any great quarterback that I've ever seen," Tarkenton said. "Look at his final game in a Packers uniform. He blew that game against the Giants. He's playing against Eli Manning. I love Eli Manning, but he's still not a great quarterback. He's not Peyton (Manning) yet, or Tom Brady. He's just a guy. And they're (Packers) playing at home, and they're in a tight situation, they went to overtime and he (Favre) throws the interception that allows them (the Giants) to come back and win the game. ... He has done that and driven his coaches crazy all of his career."

Tarkenton said Favre treated Green Bay horribly last year and "now he wants to get revenge. Isn't that fun?"

Favre Watch

Day 90
As the second annual Brett Favre recontemplating retirement talks heat up, or what we at Alldayfootball like to call Favre Watch, more and more reports come out of Minnesota about how Favre will impact the Vikings, how Super Bowl ready they will be if Favre rode in on his tractor hung up his Wrangler Jeans and suited up for one more season.

The most recent installment has Minnesota's governor salivating at the thought of Brett Favre playing football for the Vikings. Gov. Tim Pawlenty says putting the former Green Bay Packer in purple would be fun for fans. He says it would be "a wonderful little salt to rub in the eyes of some of our Green Bay Packer friends."

Pawlenty laid out the scene: "Can you imagine Brett Favre going into Lambeau Field in Viking purple and maybe even wearing No. 4? There would be audible gasps. The would be 60,000 audible gasps."

The possibility of another unretirement seems to be getting closer as Favre is scheduled to meet with Vikings coach Brad Childress about a possible comeback with Minnesota. Childress will be flying down to Mississippi to enjoy some crawfish and Prilosec OTC and try to convince Favre that his arm isn't finished and it was simply the winds in Giants stadium that ruined the end of last season for Favre and the Jets.

Favre Watch 2009

Day 80

The Associated Press is reporting that Brett Favre was released from the reserve-retired list by the New York Jets on Tuesday night, making the quarterback a free agent if he decides to again come out of retirement.

When Favre was dealt to New York from Green Bay in August, there were conditions in the trade that required the Packers to be compensated if the Jets moved the three-time MVP. Those no longer apply if he signs elsewhere.

The 39-year-old Favre, who spent one disappointing season with New York, had requested the move several weeks ago through agent Bus Cook, but insisted he has no plans to come out of retirement for a 19th season.

"Nothing has changed," Favre said in a statement. "At this time, I am retired and have no intention of returning to football."

Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum also said Favre had not indicated to him any desire to come back.

That, of course, won't stop any of the likely speculation that Favre could end up with any number of teams, especially if the torn biceps tendon that hampered him for much of last season has healed.

After 16 seasons with the Packers, Favre had a tearful retirement in March 2008, but decided to return to football a few months later. Green Bay had already moved forward, anointing Aaron Rodgers the starter as a bitter falling out with Favre ensued.

The Packers traded him to the Jets, injecting excitement into a franchise that hasn't been to a Super Bowl since 1969. Things started off promising as Favre played well and the Jets took over first place in the AFC East, with a playoff run in their sights. But Favre struggled down the stretch with the arm injury as the Jets finished 1-4 and failed to make the playoffs, costing coach Eric Mangini his job.

Favre announced his retirement on Feb. 11, saying he was done with football -- this time for real.

Raheem Morris is Married to QB Josh Freeman

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris just completed his first NFL Draft and with that came the selection of who he believes will be Tampa's "Franchise Quarterback", Morris has put the teams success and likely his employment in Tampa on the shoulders of the former Kansas State QB.

Morris has said in interviews that he is married to first round draft pick Josh Freeman.

Bucs fan Rick Hughes put together this photo of Morris and Freeman together, similar to the photo former New Orleans coach Mike Ditka took with Ricky Williams for an ESPN Magazine photo shoot several years ago: