Five Truths About Brett Favre’s Return to the NFL in 2007

Though I mentioned that Brett was on the clock, I’m surprised he made his decision before the Superbowl. I thought that with football sports media at Defcon 1 in prep for the Superbowl, he’d wait until the big game was over, our heads still woozy from the withdrawal symptoms of that terrible disease called No More Football, trying to satiate our thirst with unflavorful generic replacements like NHL and NBA. Then he’d spring it on us nonchalantly, maybe making a brief phonecall to a local beat reporter in Backwoods, MS to make his announcement.

I guess I was right about part of it.

With Favre’s return comes five truths about 2007 and the football seasons to follow:

1. Donald Driver will be invited to another Pro Bowl. With Driver as Favre’s sure-handed security blanket, he’ll catch enough to be tops in the NFC Central again. I mean, who else is gonna throw that many completions to a wideout in the NFC Norris? Rex Grossman? Pshaw. If Greg Jennings can keep both wheels inflated, he’ll also be making the trip to Hawaii.

2. Favre will own virtually every quarterback record that exists on NFL books.

  • At 57,500 passing yards, he’s only a few thousand behind Dan Marino’s career mark (61,361). If he has an average year in 2007, he owns this record.
  • Dan Marino’s record for most touchdown passes in a career is 420. Brett Favre has 414. He might own that record by week 2 of the 2007 season.
  • Unfortunately, the career high-water mark for interceptions is 277 by George Blanda. Favre has 273. He might also own this record by week 2.
  • The NFL record for a career for most pass attempts is 8,358, held by Dan Marino. Brett Favre has 8,233. Again, week 2. Maybe. But he’d have to be firing like a tommy gun.
  • Favre already owns the record for most completions in a career with 5,021. Marino had 4,967 in his career.
  • And of course, there’s the QB Iron Man record for most consecutive starts. If we’re only counting regular season (and why is it the media only counts the regular season? Is it two-hand touch when the playoffs roll around?), Favre has started 239 consecutive regular-season games. Peyton Manning is the next closest at 144, which means he’ll have to play another six straight seasons without an injury to beat Favre. And hell, I’d be willing to lay a lickin’ on Manning to prevent that.
  • Victories. Elway has 148 and Marino has 147. After our 8-8 season in 2006, Favre has 147, too. Week 2 might be a pretty big freakin’ week, eh?

Yeah, he’ll never own passer rating records, but what high-noon gunslinger hasn’t sent a few rounds ricocheting off clock towers or horses troughs?

3. The Packers are one year further away from winning their next Super Bowl. Let’s call a potato a potato. Unless God Himself guides Brett Favre’s passes gently into the arms of his receivers and gives firm footing and open lanes to Ahman Green and Vernand Morency, and gets Bob Sanders to squeeze the potential out of his defensive squad (a potential he squandered last year), they aren’t winning the Superbowl next year. Chicago, Grossman and all, will still have a better record than the Packers, and may even have a better quarterback behind center next year. And that’s just in our division. Philly will be good. New Orleans can only get better. And you know Holmgren’s Seahawks will get things figured out in 2007. That means we’re waiting one more year to see who our Quarterback of the Future is. One more year before we’re ready to take a run at reclaiming the trophy that is our birthright by name.

4. The Packers lead back will rush for over 1,500 yards for the season. The offensive line was getting better as the season wore on, and the cut-block zone blocking scheme was gaining momentum. A good receiving corps means no defense will be able to cheat the run.

5. We’ll have one more chance to say goodbye.

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