After a monologue by Buck and some small-talk between the two of them, Buck gets started right of the bat:

Buck: Do you plan on playing in the NFL next year?

“Um, maybe. (audience laughs and claps.) I am considering it.”

Well that’s everything we already knew.  For the last five-to-eight years, Favre’s whole career has been one big “maybe.”  Are you returning next year?  “Maybe.”  Are you retired?  “Maybe.”  It’s a word we’re all used to hearing coming out of his mouth.  But for those of you who would lost interest right away, Favre does not do a good job of keeping that maybe fresh in your mind.

Buck: You’ll have in Minnesota something you haven’t had in your career, a running back that’s a superstar? Great defense, a line, a lot to like with the Vikings.

“…But in that situation, knowing what is expected of you, knowing your team, knowing as long as we can run the ball, and complete passes when needed, we should be pretty good.”

The maybe is now nullified.  He’s coming back people.  The kicker is that he uses the pronoun “we.”  He’s not even part of the team yet and he’s already talking as if he’s on the team.  If there’s some Packers fans who have their heads so far up where the sun don’t shine, they need to take them out and look and believe: Favre will be a Viking.  It’s not what Packers fans want, but it’s what’s happening, and the Packers defense will have to gameplan accordingly.  Right here, the interview could be over as what we expected him to avoid, is right out there in the open now.

But he still had some more things to talk about during the 10-minute interview.  He talked his arm, the golden chariot of his career.  The main thing that has to be 100% for him to come back is that arm.  If the surgery works and he feels good, he’ll suit up in purple and gold next year.  If it doesn’t, he won’t.  Or at least that’s what he says.  I’d say that even if he doesn’t feel 100%, he still gives it a go.  That’s been his attitude his whole career and I don’t see him changing it now for one or two more years.  Additionally, Favre said that Vikings coach Brad Childress did not impose a deadline on Favre to attend OTAs.  Gotta love ESPN right there.  Favre said that Childress wanted him up there to be with the team and check out the team at OTAs and not participate, but Favre declined, citing a media circus as the main reason he didn’t attend.  Hmm.  I thought he loved those.

Next, Buck brought up Fran Tarkenton‘s recent comments on Favre before dropping the question a lot of people had bouncing around in their heads:

Buck: Do you worry about tarnishing your legacy in the league by retiring twice and coming back twice?

“I think the 16 years I spent in Green Bay speaks for itself.”

“I’m trying my best not to fuel the fire, even though I am. This is the first time I’ve spoken…”

“I’ve had so many people tell me, one in particular, Coach [John] Madden, that, it’s simple yet true: When you’re gone and you’re away from this game, you can’t go back. Maybe as a coach you can, but you just can’t go back.”

That’s the response we were pretty much expecting.  To me, his legacy is tarnished as I will never think about him in the same way again.  Instead of Super Bowl XXXI coming to mind, seeing him on NFL Network arriving in Green Bay and New York will stand out.  And obviously him in purple will standout as well.  I’m sure time will change some of that, but for now, it’s safe to say his legacy is tarnished in the fact it will be hard for people to think the same way about him again.  But as a player, it’s still there.  He’s got the touchdown passes.  He’s got the yards.  He’s got those interceptions too.  The last quote confuses me a bit, but I feel like he’s saying he never really walked away from the game, even though he “walked away” twice, one time tearfully, one time not so tearfully.  So if he never actually left, is he still coming back?

Now he goes for somewhat of a jugular on Packers fans:

Buck: Your legacy in Green Bay? Run on to field in Lambeau with a purple 4 on your chest. That’s a knee to the gut of the people of Green Bay.

“I don’t know what to tell them. Vince Lombardi went to the Washington Redskins when he left. And his name’s on the trophy. We give that trophy out every year. I don’t hear too many people say, ‘That damn traitor. He went to Washington.’”

JSOnline writer Greg Bedard fired back for all Packers fans via Twitter (@Greg_A_Bedard):

Favre invoked Lombardi going to the Redskins to explain how he’s not tarnishing his legacy in GB. Uh, that ain’t the Vikings.
about 13 hours ago from TweetDeck

And there it is.  Big difference in going to Washington instead of Minnesota.  The Redskins at that time were not on the cusp of a Super Bowl.  It was more of a rebuilding project than anything for Lombardi.  It wasn’t, “I’m going to go win a Super Bowl and stick it to Green Bay.”  It was more, “I’ve accomplished everything I need to here, time to move on.”  Totally different from Favre, in my view.

And their final exchange:

Buck said there was time for one more question. Something about the fishbowl of Green Bay compared to living in New York  … ?

“As I got older I cared a lot less about what was going on outside of football. I went to meetings. I went to practice, I came home, me and my youngest daughter, we’d go over to the stadium in Green Bay, we’d ride scooters around the concourse and no one was there. It was great. I would go huntin’ come back, go to the stadium. I mean, I’d do it all over again.”

“And I’m at a place where I’m at peace.”

I want to ride a scooter around Lambeau Field.  But that’s besides the point.  Favre sounds serious about what he’s going to do and what he wants to do, and he’s going to do it.  It’s time to start looking at him like Brett Favre, opponent, not Brett Favre, back-stabbing ex-quarterback.  And when November 1 rolls around, we’ll be ready to boo.

The Level-Headed Section:

Both teams, as stated before, are 2-0.  The Cowboys have achieved their record by dispatching the Cleveland Browns 28-10 on opening weekend before winning a 41-37 shootout over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.  The Packers have taken a slightly easier road to 2-0, defeating a highly touted Minnesota Vikings team on the Monday Night Football opener, 24-19, although the lead was not safe until a timely Tarvaris Jackson interception in the final minutes, and a 48-25 win over the Detroit Lions in which the Packers squandered a 24-9 lead in the second half before pulling away thanks to the defense.

The Cowboys are currently the class of the NFC according to many sources (I mostly agree), and they have played like it, despite the scare on Monday night.  The Packers were picked by most prognosticators to finish 8-8 or 9-7, due to the loss of longtime quarterback Brett Favre, traded to the New York Jets.  However, fourth-year man Aaron Rodgers has stepped up admirably in his first two starts as the Packers quarterback.  After a cautious Week 1, Mike McCarthy loosened the leash on Rodgers a bit, and Rodgers responded with three touchdown passes in the first half.  McCarthy left the pass in the second half, which allowed the Lions to get back into the game.  Rodgers is not stranger to playing against the Cowboys on the big stage either; last November, Rodgers relieved an injured Favre and led the Packers on a comeback before losing to the Cowboys, 37-27.

The two main keys for the Packers in this game is the secondary and the running game.  The secondary in the 2007 game was severely depleted with Charles Woodson out with a toe injury.  Woodson broke another toe in the Minnesota game, but saved the game against Detroit, playing through pain with two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.  It looked like the Packers passing defense would be back at full strength this week, but starting safety Atari Bigby is out with a hamstring injury, meaning that second-year man Aaron Rouse will probably get the start opposite Nick Collins.  Bigby had more of an impact in the running game, but his big-hitter presence in the backfield will be missed.  Also a cause for concern was Calvin Johnson‘s play last weekend.  The Lions star wide receiver took two nearly identical slant patterns for touchdowns last week.  You have to bet that Jason Garrett, Tony Romo, and Terrell Owens were looking at that one.  On the other side of the ball, the Packers need running back Ryan Grant to be at full strength to be successful.  He has been nursing a hamstring injury for some time, and was definitely hobbled by it on Sunday, rushing for only 20 yards on 15 carries.  Brandon Jackson looked at least fifty times better against the Lions than he did against the Vikings, chewing up over 60 yards on seven carries and scoring the clinching touchdown in the fourth quarter.  Hopefully he will be able to perform at that level against a tough Cowboys defense.

The Cowboys are a tough defense.  Their secondary will provide a stiff test for the Packers wide receiving corps.  Terence Newman, Anthony Henry, Adam Jones, and safety Ken Hamlin will be busy with Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, and James Jones, but something has to give.  It will depend on whether or not Rodgers can get the ball out quickly to the wide receivers.  In last year’s game, Favre held the ball too long, giving the Cowboys time to get the receivers covered and giving the Cowboys pass rush time to get extra hits on him as well.  If Rodgers stays composed, he can be successful.  If he doesn’t, well, he won’t be successful.  He already has one national TV appearance under his belt, so the pressure of that should not get to him.

In August, I picked the Cowboys to win this one, 38-24.  However, things change.  Like the score.  That being said, my level-headedness is picking the Cowboys, 38-34.

Homerism

Tony Romo.  Seriously.  Can this guy win a big game?  He almost blew it for the Cowboys on Monday night against the Eagles.  He’s basically screwed the Cowboys up in the playoffs the last two years.  National television isn’t totally kind to him.  The easiest way for the Packers to win is to make Romo make mistakes.  If Romo makes one more mistake than Rodgers does, the Packers have the win.  Romo will make that mistake too.  He’ll sail one too high on Owens.  He’ll hold the ball too long in the pocket and get swallowed up by Aaron Kampman.  Something will happen that will give the Packers a chance to win.  Being the opportunists they are, they will take advantage of that and turn it into a win.  Woodson is hungry after his two interceptions last week.  Al Harris is out to prove he is still a shut down corner after being humiliated last year by Owens and in the NFC Championship Game by Plaxico Burress.  The Packers are obviously really hungry this year.  They were supposed to cede the division crown to the Vikings.  They weren’t supposed to get anywhere with their quarterback.  They want to prove the doubters wrong.  The Packers will prevail.  34-27.

Is Jessica going to be at this game?

Also, what’s the over/under for how many times John Madden and Al Michaels mention Favre?  I’m saying 27 before halftime.  And I’m taking over 40 for the game.

Any takers?

“It still does look weird,” Michaels said. “It’s Joe Montana in a Kansas City uniform. It’s Wayne Gretzky in a Los Angeles Kings uniform. It’s Michael Jordan in a Washington Wizards uniform. It’s that kind of a thing. It’s going to take a while to get used to, especially here in New York, seeing posters and a lot of stuff in the newspapers.”

Michaels actually sounds intelligent here.  Madden takes the easy, ESPN-like way out:

“Who would you rather have, Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre as your quarterback or Aaron Rodgers and two rookies?” Madden said. “That to me would be easy. I mean I would (have) worked something out to keep him there.”

Fun stuff, kids.

Week 3 appears to be one of the biggest games on the schedules for the Packers.  Last year the Packers went down the Irving, Texas (wait, I thought they played in Dallas?) to meet the Cowboys in a battle of 10-1 teams.  Many thought this game would be a preview of the NFC Championship Game later in the season.  Unfortunately not, as the Cowboys blew the divisional playoff game against the eventual Super Bowl-champion New York Giants.  The Cowboys started out fast and the Packers could not keep up, with the Cowboys taking the 37-27 victory and eventually control of the No. 1-seed in the NFC.  Not that it helped them, of course.  This game also gave Packer fans a taste of the future.  Former Packers quarterback Brett Favre suffered an elbow injury early in the game, paving the way for Aaron Rodgers to bring the Packers to within three points before the Pack Attack eventually succumbed.

This game showed that Rodgers could (hopefully) handle the pressure of being a starting quarterback in the NFL.  Other than that and some shifting on the Cowboys offensive line, both teams return with basically identical lineups.  This game will be exciting and it will be interesting to see how Rodgers responds in his second nationally-televised game in three weeks.  This will also be the first time John Madden broadcasts a Packers game that does not have Favre as the starter in 16 years.  I’m setting the over/under on Favre references at 20.  And I’m taking over.  Will Madden follow the ESPN approach and just bash, bash, and bash the Packers and Rodgers?  Or will he be rational?  I’m saying he’ll bash, but less than ESPN would.  Let’s get to the keys to this game:

Packers secondary vs. Cowboys wide receivers: In November, the Packers were torn apart by Tony Romo and the Cowboys air attack, as any or most Cowboys fans will be quick to tell you.  However, a large of group people are forgetting that Packers starter Charles Woodson missed this game with a toe injury, leaving Al Harris to fight Terrell Owens on his own.  This also led to botched coverages by Tramon Williams, Jarrett Bush, and whoever the hell else was back there on Patrick Crayton, Miles Austin, and possibly Sam Hurd.  Putting Woodson back there changes the landscape of the secondary and makes it more difficult for Romo.  The safety trio of Atari Bigby, Aaron Rouse, and Nick Collins will also be counted on to bring the hammer down on the Cowboys wide receivers.  If Green Bay controls the secondary, they control most of the game.

Packers O-line vs. Cowboys front seven: Favre was absolutely wrecked last year in the pocket in this game.  Actually, there probably never was a pocket for most of it.  The four- and five-wide receiver sets that made the Packers so dangerous down the stretch worked to a disadvantage has Favre held on to the ball too long and allowed the Cowboys to bring an extra rusher, making him force some of his classic throws.  The Packers need their O-line to develop for this game.  Mike McCarthy does not want Rodgers on his back with Greg Ellis, DeMarcus Ware, and Zach Thomas on top of him for most of this one.  Veterans Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher will be counted on again to hold down the fort while the mess that is the interior line gets settled and hopefully gels for this game.  The Packers are also going to have to open up running lanes for Ryan Grant. Grant got in one good run last year against the Cowboys, but was stymied for the rest of the game.  They Packers got to get him going to take pressure off the passing game.

Cowboys secondary vs. Packers wide receivers and Aaron Rodgers: The Cowboys also revamped their secondary this offseason.  They locked up Terrence Newman and Ken Hamlin in the offseason, while Anthony Henry and Roy Williams (a glorified linebacker) return to the fold.  The additions are what makes this group key.  Mike Jenkins was a first-round draft pick in the 2008 NFL Draft while Adam Jones (aka Pacman), if reinstated, gives the Cowboys a dangerous secondary for Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, and James Jones to contend with.  This game will turn very physical, so the Packers will definitely need big wide receivers Ruvell Martin and rookie Jordy Nelson to step up and become factors.  Rodgers will need these guys to get open in order to be successful.

The Verdict: There’s so many more keys to this game than the ones mentioned.  The Cowboys really look like they are gearing up for a Super Bowl run this year and they seem to have the mindset for it, so the Cowboys get the nod, 38-24.

The Packers are now 2-1 after Week 3.

All of a sudden, Madden gets an idea.  Favre’s retired.  The curse won’t affect him.  Perfect!  Put that gunslinger from Southern Mississippi with the boyish enthusiasm and the rocket arm on the cover for Madden 09!  All of his wildest dreams were realized.  Or so he thought.  All of a sudden, Favre has an itch.  Of course, we all know Madden would gladly scratch it, no matter where it was located, but unfortunately, it was not that kind of itch.  And Favre came back.  With the New York Jets.

Oh shit.

The golden boy is on the cover in a Packers jersey, yet he now plays for the Jets.  He was supposed to be the first retired player to appear on the cover, but he unretired.  I’m not even sure if he is on the game (I had heard rumors he was placed in free agency).  So ultimately, it’s a snafu.  Or a faux pas.  Or some other fancy word.

I wonder if Aaron Rodgers is going to buy the game.

Bada bing, I got it!

The Madden Curse!

Everyone was wondering how he was supposed to get cursed if he was retired.  I think the favorite was a tractor accident.

Of course!

The Madden Curse curses retired players by giving them an itch to come back and play, which they ultimately do!

But now we have to see how it affects his performance on the field…

Green Bay Packers training camp is about to become the set of the next Disney Channel high school drama. Which makes sense because ESPN is owned by Disney.