Vikes hand NFC Championship to 'Aints in OT, 31-28. Come back, Brett!!

I think I've calmed down enough to rehash snapshots of the Viking loss in OT to the Saints in the NFC Championship game last Sunday. I think. Maybe not. We'll see.

I can't begin to explain the emotional ups and downs my family went through watching the Minnesota Vikings "fumble" away their chance to go to the Super Bowl. You don't have to be a Viking fan or a Brett Favre fan to understand our pain. Any ole NFL fan will do. I've never sweat so hard. Never wished so hard. But the fat lady sang - Favre's INT in the last seconds of regular play prolonged the game, sending it into OT. The Saints won the toss and sealed Minnesota's fate with a first possession field goal. Favre's INT...an ill-advised pass (in our minds, at least). But if I sat here and blamed Favre solely for the loss, I'd be contradicting the adage "there's no 'I' in 'TEAM'. And certainly if you watched the game, you'd agree that the 6 Viking fumbles hurt beyond description (two were in the Saints' red zone). It was as if none of the Vikes had ever touched a football. Ever.

I've never seen a quarterback literally get the shit beat out of him as Favre did that day. Favre was never sacked. He suffered two hurt wrists, two hurt ankles, a hurt leg and a bruised head and face and yet he marched on. Had I not known better, I would've thought I was viewing a no-holds-barred, Ultimate Fighter match. The Saints' defense made it a point to get after Favre (which any defense should), even if it meant accruing a 15-yard roughing the passer call - a fact readily admitted by the Saints defensive coach Gregg Williams this week while preparing his team to meet Peyton Manning's Colts in Super Bowl 44 next weekend. One roughing-the-passer penalty was called against New Orleans. And the refs admitted at least one more should've been called, a hit on Favre that resulted in his first INT. Had the refs called a roughing-the-passer penalty as they stated they should have, the penalty would have resulted in a Vikings' first down at the Saints' 19 yard line.

There were other so-called "missed calls" by the refs, a few my brother and I (and fans of both team and the media) whole-heartily agree the refs missed. But refs miss calls every game. To be a champion you have to overcome them. As I mentioned earlier, the Vikings beat themselves with turnovers. They handed the NFC Championship to New Orleans and most snippets I've read and people I've discussed this with agree.

All that aside, it was a helluva game and I take my hat off to the Saints. Highest rated NFC Championship since 1982, one in which both teams' fans surely suffered self-induced heart attacks and ulcers throughout the 3+ hours. You needn't be a Viking fan, a Favre or Drew Brees fan or a Saints' fan to agree with that statement. I know a couple Saints' fans. They concur.

Enough about the game. Time for that age-old question. Will Favre come back? I'll let the anti-Favre contingent and the media and Vikings' fans juggle that question in the off-season. You'd think the morons would've caught on by now but they're mental. I've learned that Brett will let us know when he's ready - perhaps changing his mind in the process. It doesn't bother me in the least and, surprisingly, my life continues.

I want Favre back. Favre's brother, Scott, seems to think Brett will come back. Ex-QB Ron Jaworski and ex-coach John Gruden feel Favre should come back. Pat Allen, the radio voice of the Vikings, said on WSSP 1250 ESPN in Milwaukee that he thinks Favre will come back and that even if Brett waited to announce his decision one day before the regular season started, he'd personally pick Favre up at the airport. At least two Facebook fan sites have popped up with over 65,000 fans begging Favre to return. The Minnesota Vikings' staff and management want him back and have said he can take all the time he needs to make his decision. And the players want him back. The schism that ESPN's Adam Schefter reported earlier in the season (based on unnamed sources) never got off the ground (if it even existed). Ex-Viking QB Fran Tarkenton is still pissed at Favre for coming back; the anti-Favre contingent in Wisconsin still hate Favre, as does most of the Wisconsin media, and yet they continue to talk about him like he's still a member of the Green Bay Packer organization. Favre and the Vikings have set at least two cable viewing records, his jersey is still the Number 1 seller and Favre is good for the NFL. And dozens of sports "talking heads" in newspapers, television and the Internet choked on their own words, agreeing Favre performed the exact opposite of how they said he'd perform. They were all wrong - Brett excelled.

My brother and I were right. Our faith in Favre never faltered. Brett showed he can still play the game at a high level. He still gets as excited playing as he did in his younger years as a Green Bay Packer. Favre helped to improve the Vikings' record from 10-6 and a playoff team last year to 12-4, a second NFC North Division title, a bye in the playoffs and another win against the Dallas Cowboys and a chance to play in the NFC Championship game - his second in three years. Along the way, he added to his many records, set Minnesota Viking team records, had his best year statistically in his 19-year career, positively affected the play of numerous Viking players - players who genuinely admire him and are better because of him. Conversely, Brett could say the same of his teammates. And Brett and the Vikings had fun. No - the Vikings didn't win the Super Bowl with Favre as the missing ingredient. Was it a bust? Depends on how you look at it.

For me, it was no bust. It was certainly one of my favorite years following Brett, particularly being a Viking fan for the first time. Favre or no Favre, I will be following Minnesota again next season. I'm familiar with the players; I like them. A ton of talent on this team.

And the Gunslinger, the Ironman, Huck Finn, the throwback player and holder of every NFL QB record that matters, who has played 309 consecutive games (including playoffs) over 19 years...well, he's at home licking his wounds (as Coach Childress told him to do) and pondering his future with his wife and children.

Thanks, Brett. Come on back, now! You know you still wanna play. SKOL FAVRE! SKOL VIKINGS! SEE YOU IN 2010!