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The Brett Favre Circus: The Madden cover jinx strikes again!
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Boo Brett...Boo
I'm going to preface this by saying, if this makes me a hater, well I'm just pounding down the Hater-ade.
Every year, when Madden is released, the "cover jinx" is a hot topic of conversation. Last year, when Vince Young was placed on the cover, the rumors circulated that Ladanian Tomlinson turned down the cover initially. He claims contract reasons, Michael Vick, Shaun Alexander and a multitude of others would disagree.
And so we come to this year's copy of Madden, arriving on my birthday August 12. Brett Favre was placed on the cover after he announced his retirement. Now #4 is coming back for another year and I proclaim the Madden cover jinx alive and well. However, it's not an injury to Favre or a decline in his production. No, I say that the cover jinx comes in the form of the incessant press coverage for Favre's return.
The entire free world's press will be descending on Green Bay for the chance to recover the return of the prodigal son. I'd imagine the media relations department in Green Bay has received media credential requests from here to Timbuktoo. We're going to get wall-to-wall coverage of Favre whether we want it or not. ESPN? There's no questions. Fox Sports Net? I'm guessing Best Damn Sports Show makes an appearance or two there. CNN/SI? How soon can you unload the tv truck?
Well, you know what? You can place me squarely in the camp of people rooting for Aaron Rodgers to win the QB competition. I recognize that Brett Favre is a Hall of Fame caliber QB. If he could replicate last season's performance, the Packers would head back to the playoffs and we'd probably get to hear reports of Favre riding off into the sunset again, only to return with the same shenanigans a year from now (paging Roger Clemens!).
My problem in all of this is the way the Packers have jerked around Aaron Rodgers through all of this. If he was someone random guy signed off the street as a backup, that would be one thing. But we're talking about a former first round pick who is quickly coming to the end of his rookie contract. What does he have to show for 3 years in the NFL? 35 completions, 329 yards and 1 TD.
While watching the Colts-Redskins Hall of Fame Game last night, John Madden inferred (while stumbling over his words) that if Brett Favre is back he should be the starting QB. Of course he then said the Packers should let them compete and whatnot. I'm guessing he'd had a few cocktails by that point (sometime in the 3rd quarter).
Speaking of the Hall of Fame game, that is what got me all the more annoyed by all of this. Just prior to kickoff, NFL Network superstar Adam Schefter was working the sideline and Al Michaels kicked it down to him for some comments. Instead of providing some insight about the game about to start, we get more tidbits about Brett Favre's situation. This is followed in the second quarter by live footage of Brett Favre's private jet landing in Green Bay while local fans wait with signs, cheering for their messiah.
Over the past few years, I've cut back my ESPN viewing in large part due to the fact that it has become pretty blah. However, I still catch Sportscenter on occasion and plenty of other random programming. Well, the next few days (and particularly Monday) I plan on imposing an ESPN ban. I'm exiling the World Wide Leader from my television viewing. Originally they were planning on having a huge group of their staff in Green Bay for the retirement of Favre's jersey Week 1. Well, I'd imagine that entire contingent will be there this week.
Count me out. And once again, mark down my vote for former Cal great Aaron Rodgers!
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