Folks, we're really sorry for this. We really are. But it's our duty to keep our Spidey-Senses up for NFL news, and we've caught wind of a … well, we're searching for the right word to describe it … rumor. Howard Eskin of 610 WIP Sports Radio in Philadelphia
has it out there that the Eagles are interested in possibly procuring the services of ...
Br…
Bre…
Brett Fa…
Oh hell, we can't even write it. Howard, take it away!
The worst part is that though Favre has made no noises about returning to the game after retirement (again), his possible tenure with the Eagles makes all the sense in the world, especially given the time constraints of the (potential) new CBA. If the league year starts next Wednesday, training camps will be limited at best, and we all know how Favre has enjoyed playing his own tune when it comes to that part of the preseason — he was very transparent in his last two retirements, both of which had him with the
Minnesota Vikings when those retirements were retracted.
Add in the fact that Favre knows Eagles head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg from his days in Green Bay, and you've got a good scheme fit for Favre's talents. And when the Eagles trade
Kevin Kolb(notes) (as they undeniably will), that will put
Michael Vick(notes) out there as the absolute starter. Factor in Vick's breakneck style, the injuries it led to in 2010, and the four games he missed, and it's clear the Eagles need a veteran backup familiar with a West Coast Offense that has aerial passing components.
Right now, this is just Eskin's rumor, though he's fairly dialed in. The Eagles can't talk to free agents or draft picks, but there's nothing in the lockout rules we're aware of preventing them from talking to retired players. If Favre is interested in coming back to a team able to challenge for a Super Bowl, in a media hotbed, behind a vulnerable quarterback, which a staff he knows, and talented targets all over the place … well, there would be few better places for him to go.
Then, there's the intangible argument. The lockout has taken the attention of the NFL media through the spring and summer; very few people have made Favre the primary subject of their attention, and we all know how he reacts to that.
It's tempting to ask the owners and players to put some sort of "Anti-Favre" provision in the new CBA before the NFLPA signs off on it, but we suppose we'll have to see how this plays out.
Again. Good Lord, again.
UPDATE: Here's Vick's take on the whole thing; he's pretty clearly setting the terms of such a deal by mentioning Favre as a 'backup.'
