Brett Favre joined the Minnesota Vikings in 2008, and he helped lead them to a 13-3 season that year. His days leading the Vikings ended however when his career abruptly came to an end due to injury. John Madden made this prediction back in 2007.
John Madden, the retired NFL coach, predicted that Brett Favre’s stint with the Minnesota Vikings would end in failure. He said that he thought Favre was a “bad fit” for the team and that it would be better if he just retired.
Before Tom Brady startled the world by switching from the New England Patriots to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ red and white, famous quarterback Brett Favre shattered the hearts of Green Bay Packers fans worldwide by signing with the Minnesota Vikings. However, it’s possible that the only person who wasn’t surprised was famed NFL coach and commentator John Madden. He was, after all, a huge admirer of the “ole gunslinger.”
Madden was well aware of the Vikings’ motivations for bringing in Favre. He also appeared to know at the time that No. 4’s stint in Minnesota would be cut short.
When the Minnesota Vikings signed Brett Favre, John Madden understood they were going all-in.
The Vikings took a calculated gamble by bringing in Favre, who was 39 years old at the time. The Vikings won the NFC North and advanced to the playoffs in 2008. They just advanced to the Wild Card stage, and the quarterback room, which included Tarvaris Jackson and Gus Frerotte, was anything than encouraging.
In order to take the next step, the Vikings required a big influx of skill and star power at quarterback. That made wooing Favre, who had just announced his retirement for the second time following a season with the Jets, a wise decision. The fact that it irritated the Packers, Minnesota’s bitter rival in the southeast, was the icing on the cake.
According to Madden, who spoke to Bloomberg prior of the 2009 season, bringing back an elderly Favre was more than simply a marketing gimmick for the Vikings. Minnesota was going all-in to win the Super Bowl, and he knew it.
“Recall that the Minnesota Vikings were in the playoffs last season.” Brett Favre isn’t being brought in to win six, seven, or eight games. “They’ve brought in Brett Favre to win a championship,” Madden said.
Favre, according to Madden, may not be able to stand up physically.
Prior to an NFL Football game in 1986, CBS NFL commentator Pat Summerall (L) and NFL analyst John Madden (R) on the air | Focus on Sport/Getty Images
Despite the fact that Madden was a huge supporter of Favre and thought highly of his abilities, he did provide one caution in his preseason interview with Bloomberg.
Madden was concerned that, despite his toughness, the 39-year-old quarterback would have a difficult time physically making it through the season. This was at a time when being 39 was a big benefit for a quarterback, particularly one with Favre’s physique. Keep in mind that Brady was still in his early thirties in 2009. At the time, what he did in 2021, playing at an MVP level at 44 years old, was unheard of. It’s still a little startling.
In NFL years, Favre was virtually an older man, and Madden was right to question whether he could endure another season’s battering.
“It’s not always how he is today?” How is he going to be next week? How will he be in a month? It’s more of a question of how he’ll be in the playoffs. What will he be like in December and January?” Madden clarified. “I don’t believe he’ll be able to keep up.”
Unfortunately, Madden was correct. Favre was unable to keep up.
At the Louisiana Superdome, the New Orleans Saints take on the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship game | Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via Getty Images
In 2009, Favre was unquestionably outstanding for the Vikings. Sure, he had a lot of wear on his tires at that point in his career, and he’d been through a lot of ailments and played through them.
With being stated, in his first of two seasons with the Vikings, he threw 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. It was his fourth-highest touchdown total and lowest interception total since his debut season, when he only threw four passes for the Atlanta Falcons, finishing 0-of-4 with two interceptions.
Favre led the Vikings to their second consecutive NFC North championship with a 10-6 record. In addition, the Vikings get a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Minnesota thrashed the Cowboys 34-3 in the divisional round of the playoffs. In the game, Favre passed for 234 yards and four touchdowns.
The Minnesota Vikings faced the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship game in the Superdome. Minnesota lost the game 31-28 in overtime, and Favre seemed to be in his “advanced” years.
All game, the Vikings went after Favre hard, hitting him many times and left him wounded and staggering across the field.
With 19 seconds left in the game and the score knotted at 28, he completed 28 of 46 throws for one touchdown and two costly interceptions, including one on 3rd-and-15 with 19 seconds left in the game and the score tied at 28. The Vikings were within a few yards of making a field goal when Favre threw an interception to Tracy Porter, forcing the game into overtime.
Years later, Favre revealed that he had a concussion while playing that game. The Saints apparently put a bounty on Favre, allegedly worth $35,000, if a defender could knock him out of the game.
The Saints’ aggressiveness against Favre in the NFC Championship game was the pinnacle of the Bountygate affair. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was fired as a result of the bounty scheme, and head coach Sean Payton was banned without pay for the entire 2012 season. In addition, the Saints were fined $500,000 and forfeited two second-round draft picks in a row. Despite paying the price later in the season, the Saints were the club to hoist the Lombardi Trophy that year.
Favre was never the same after that. In 2010, his last season in the NFL, he threw 11 touchdowns and 19 interceptions with 11 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.
Madden was absolutely correct. Favre couldn’t hold up in the end. He was correct, but he didn’t want to admit it.
ESPN and Pro Football Reference provided the statistics.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What did John Madden do?
A: John Madden was a football player and coach for the Oakland Raiders. He is best known as being one of only three head coaches to lead both American professional sports franchises (the NFLs Oakland Raiders and AFLs Buffalo Bills) to victory in Super Bowls, while also winning multiple championships during his career with the New York Yankees baseball team.
What ended Brett Favres career?
Was Brett Favre good on the Vikings?
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