How To Interpret the Vikings-Bears Game

There are a couple of ways to interpret the Vikings-Bears game. One, the Bears played incredible and the Vikings had a lackluster first half and weren't able to overcome. Two, Favre knows how to run the Vikings offense and Childress is trying to grind them into the ground. Three, Adrian Peterson's bad hands are becoming a serious problem for the Vikings. Four, something is wrong with the Vikings defense.

Or, there is my interpretation - Favre is rotting this team from the inside-out, like he's done the past 3-4 seasons.

Let me give a little backstory. I never liked Favre initially because his Packers team beat the 49ers when the 49ers were on the decent from our decade and a half of dominance. For the record, Favre never beat a really good 49ers team, only the weaker Steve Young teams when Jerry Rice was over the hill. But those were still strong teams. But this is a dislike born of rivalry. I disliked the Cowboys even more, with Emmit Smith and Troy Aikmen and Michael Irvin. What changed my impression of Favre was several years ago when Michael Strahan was going for the NFL record of sacks in a year. In the final game of the season, the Giants and Packers were playing and Favre let Strahan sack him on purpose, so he got the NFL sack record. At the time, I thought it was a really disgusting thing to do. And if I were Strahan, I'd be offended. Here's why - letting Strahan get that sack was a way for Favre to insert himself into what should of been Strahan's story. Favre said he did it because "he respected the way Strahan played the game." Huh? It wasn't that at all. It was a hugely egotistical move by Favre and it diminished Strahan's accomplishment. Strahan didn't break the sack record because everything thought he was a nice guy and they "respected the way he played the game," and went down on purpose when he came charging in at unimportant times to pad his stats. He got the sack record because he was a ferocious pash rusher and the best at his position that year. It's like letting a retarded kid score a goal in the final game of the season to make him feel good about himself. Guess what? It makes the kid feel worse because he knows he didn't earn it. And guess what? Michael Strahan was not a retarded kid.

Fast forward to 3 years ago. The Packers were on the descent. They were under .500 and missing the playoffs for the past couple of years. Favre was old. He was no threat to anyone anymore. He flirted with retirement. The Packers got a couple of young good receivers - Gregg Jennings and Donald Driver who would have been a good nucleus to build around with Aaron Rodgers. Favre decides not to retire. They had an easy schedule and got some breaks and got into the playoffs with a 13-3 record (or something like that). All the press got excited and many picked the Packers to go to the Superbowl. They played the Giants in the playoffs and Favre was pathetic. He wasn't just bad, he was anemic and looked completely helpless at the end of the game. I realized then and there, Favre was done.

So did he. And he retired. And then he didn't and all this fiasco started. He signed with the Jets, led them to a 6-1 record and then completely collapsed in the 2nd half of the season and missed the playoffs. Then he retired again and came back to the Vikings. And what's happening now. 11-1 and then 0-3. They are going to lose in the first round of the playoffs. Here's why -

Favre is not the key to the Vikings success. The key is to control the ball on the ground with Peterson, let the guy get 25-30 touches on the ball and he WILL make a big play. You have another awesome weapon in Percy Harvin who you try to get 10-15 touches a game on short passes and kick returns. You let the defense rest by controlling the ground game and with possession offense and allow your great pass rush to pressure the other team into turnovers. That is how the Vikings can win.

The problem with the plan - Favre's ego is so wildly out of control, he cannot NOT be THE MAN. He is unable to do what David Robinson did with the Spurs and allow Tim Duncan to be THE MAN and accept a roll player position. Listen to these frigging announcers talk about Favre. You'd think he was the second coming. The man has won one Superbowl. The same number as Trent Dilfer. He is worse than Kurt Warner. He cannot lead a team to victory because he throws costly interceptions. He's done it his entire career. It is why he hardly ever wins at the end of the season. He is the Vikings fourth or fifth best player after Peterson, Harvin, Jarrod Allen, and Pat Williams. I'm not kidding. Those guys are the keys. How do you think it makes them feel when all anyone can talk about with the Vikings is Favre? They know football. They know they're damn good. How does Favre manage to make every game about himself? Why is there drama with Favre and Childress? Childress sees what's happening to his team. The players will not play hard for Favre. They won't play hard for someone who accepts all the glory in victory for himself and will not spread the credit around. It builds resentment in the locker room. It corrodes a team from within. He cares more about his streak of games started and being the hero than this Vikings team. He's come to care more about his own myth than winning.

What happened tonight played perfectly into Favre's hands. Do you think Favre wants to grind to a 14-0 lead on outside runs by Peterson? No way. The guy loves falling behind so he can orchestrate a come-from-behind victory against pass defenses who sit back in prevent defense and he can have all these easy underneath passes. He loves it. It pads his stats and makes it look like he's a hero. Makes him feel young again. And...by the way...in regular time, Favre did throw an interception right into the hands of 35 on the Bears who just dropped it. That was prototypical Favre, right there. And Childress knows it. Childress knows if he lets Favre off the leash, you're getting yourself into a close game shoot out and only a 50/50 chance of winning because Favre will just as likely toss important INTs as he will touchdowns.

With Peterson being the focus of the offense and their goal to get him the ball with holes and space, they will win 75% of their games. With Favre as the key, they win 50%. It's really that simple. The players know it, just like the Jets knew the key to winning for them last year was a solid ball control running game. But Favre doesn't want it. He needs to be the hero and it's killing their team right now. The Bears are terrible and the Vikings were lucky to get to OT. First round exit.