Willie Mays falling in the outfield. Muhammad Ali laying on the canvas. Johnny Unitas wandering the sideline.
Too often legends fade badly instead of fading away. The latest comes to FedEx Field on Sunday.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre returned one time too many on his multiple retirement tour. The third season since crying at his Green Bay farewell news conference definitely has not been a charmed one. The Vikings — one Favre interception away from the Super Bowl last season — are 3-7. The head coach was fired on Monday. Many Vikings fans wished Favre went with him.
Favre should have retired for good after last season. The Vikings reached the NFC Championship after a 12-4 regular season. Favre’s 107.2 pass rating was inexplicably the best of his 19-year Hall of Fame career.
Certainly, it would have been a Hollywood ending. But coming so close to another Super Bowl, not to mention making $16 million for four months work, made returning too irresistible.
Now Vikings fans wish Favre hadn’t returned. The 41-year-old is showing his age. A bad ankle and worse judgment have combined for a career-worst 69.8 passer rating. Favre has 17 interceptions. He threw seven in six fewer games last season. And then there’s that alleged sexting scandal.
Favre would have fared well by replicating the exits of Redskins Hall of Famers Russ Grimm and Sonny Jurgensen. Grimm walked away on balky knees after winning his third Super Bowl in 1991. He could have managed a couple more seasons, but as a rookie Grimm saw an aging star do so and vowed not to hang on too long.
Jurgensen retired after the only playoff game of his 20-year career. The 41-year-old passer even had a career-best 94.5 rating in 1974. However, Jurgensen never meshed with coach George Allen and wasn’t re-signed. Jurgensen retired rather than spend another season or two elsewhere.
If only Favre showed similar judgment. Instead, he’s no longer welcome in Green Bay, even after 16 seasons and a Super Bowl ring. That’s a real shame. Maybe time (say, a decade) will erase the betrayal Packers fans felt watching Favre play elsewhere, especially for bitter rival Minnesota.
Interim Minnesota coach Leslie Frazier will sidestep a national debate by starting Favre against the Redskins. No sense escalating the drama engulfing the Vikings already, if that’s possible.
Washington fans should appreciate one last look at a legend. Surely, Favre has had enough and will retire in January. Then again, everyone thought the same thing the past three offseasons.
It’s not easy for players to walk away from the love of their life. Nothing ever replaces the adrenaline rush of sports no matter how good or bad the player was, whether it’s football or field hockey. Unfortunately, the drive to compete — the desire to hang on until it’s really over — often makes legends look so mortal in the end.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
