Idea of Ravens signing Brett too Favre-fetched

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - How is this for irony? A statue of Johnny Unitas stands outside M&T Bank Stadium, serving as a reminder of the greatest quarterback who ever lived. But inside, the field has become a place where quarterback’s careers go to die.

And now the Ravens — rumored to be in the possible Brett Favre-for-hire sweepstakes along with several other teams — need to look away before they have to pay for another multi-million dollar funeral.

If you need a reminder of the front office and former coach Brian Billick’s pension for prying aging passers from the scrapheap, here’s the short list: They missed on Scott Mitchell; they couldn’t give back Elvis Grbac; and they tried pinch-hitting with Steve McNair after they struck out on Kyle Boller.

It’s time to move away from the “veteran savior” philosophy because it has gotten them nowhere the past six seasons except the outside of the perennial contender conversation.

Baltimore can no longer serve as the NFL’s version of Ellis Island for quarterbacks, welcoming the rest of the league’s tired, poor, no-huddle messes willing to play here. The Ravens need to start dancing with those they draft.

At first glance, it’s easy to see why the Ravens would be in the Favre discussion if he does come off of the retired/reserve list. His ability to lead a veteran team with a slight crack still left in the window of opportunity while serving as a mentor to Troy Smith and Joe Flacco are positives.

(No offense to Boller, who never had a veteran show him the ropes, but how much can he help Smith and Flacco develop when he himself hasn’t? The fifth year on again/off again starter couldn’t mold pottery with Patrick Swayze holding his hands.)

Favre in purple and black gets even more tantalizing when thoughts of him firing 50-yard fireballs to receivers or scrambling for his life only to complete an underhand pass at the last second creep into your mind.

Just the idea of the childlike, former cheesehead running down the field and hoisting Todd Heap onto his back after a touchdown pass makes me want to pound a piece of provolone —and  I’m lactose intolerant.

From a business standpoint, his jersey would fly off the rack and his presence alone would make the Ravens a national story every week and earn more games televised in prime time.

But when you put down the purple Kool-Aid, it’s all so very wrong.

Just like McNair before him — a record breaker turned relic so passed his prime that by the time he got to Baltimore, he set the franchise back — Favre would arrive in Charm City five years too late and serve no purpose.

Plus, if you think Favre, 38, had a painkiller addiction before, he’d be a walking pharmacy after taking a few snaps behind the Ravens’ offensive line with no Jonathan Ogden protecting his backside.

Most importantly, Favre is a Packer for life. Remember Unitas in a San Diego Chargers uniform? It still doesn’t seem right 25 years later.

Instead if buying a legend, the Ravens need to build one. Easier said than done, but even in today’s NFL where quarterbacks are often asked to not lose games instead of trying to win them, it can happen.

The franchise needs a fresh face: a new human brand who begins and ends his career in Baltimore. A guy who, 20 years from now, is a local treasure and Steve Bisciotti is talking about building a statue of him next to Johnny U.

The prospects of finding that guy to bronze may seem far-fetched with the unproven Smith and Flacco competing with the proven wrong Boller for the starting job, but the Ravens need to build for the future instead of continuously reaching to the past.

Baltimore can no longer serve as the NFL’s version of Ellis Island for quarterbacks, welcoming the rest of the league’s tired, poor, no-huddle messes willing to play here. The Ravens need to start dancing with those they draft.

Tony Giro is a lifelong Baltimore sports fan who blogs on examiner.com for fans. If you subscribe — it’s free — you’ll be e-mailed each time Tony posts a column. He can be reached at timeout@baltimoreexaminer.com. And yes, he’s still bitter about the Skipjacks and Bullets leaving town. 

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