Former Vikings assistant coach Dean Dalton believes there is a “scenario” in which quarterback Brett Favre returns to play another season for Minnesota.
Favre, who turns 41 Sunday, indicated in August this will be his last season in the NFL. He struggled to make a decision about playing during the off-season but his competitiveness made him return to a team that was a couple of plays away from making the Super Bowl.
“Will he play or not?” That’s become an annual question in recent years, first with the Packers and now with the Vikings. The Vikings, with a disappointing 1-2 record, have 13 regular season games remaining and then presumably the playoffs, too, before we know better what Favre’s future will be. But Dalton, who follows the NFL closely and hosts a show on Sirius Satellite Radio, told Sports Headliners don’t believe No. 4 is for certain finished wearing purple after this year.
“There’s probably three different types of scenarios,” Dalton said. “Two of the three, I don’t see Brett coming back. I think if they win the Super Bowl and hoist the Lombardi Trophy, I think No. 4 will then ride off into the sunset once again a champion.
“I think if they (the Vikings) have a miserable season, or if he physically gets injured to any extreme, I think he’ll just shut it down and drop the flaps on the tent and move back to Mississippi.
“But I do think if they mirror last year, create momentum, have a lot of energy (going) into the playoffs and they’re knocking on the door, or they get to the Super Bowl but they don’t win it, they get close, I think the competitive intensity will be triggered inside him. Given that he’s healthy, that he would then consider coming back. Because I think right now he’s frustrated because they haven’t performed as well as they should.”
Dalton’s scenarios and the Favre storyline will develop week to week starting with Monday night’s game against the Jets. It will be the first game he will play with newly acquired wide receiver Randy Moss. Favre watchers can know this for certain: the quarterback is happier than a million dollar lottery winner to have Moss for long distance bombing, and also Favre’s not even thinking about next year.
If he were contemplating the future, he probably would be undecided.