He's a Gunslinger!

I knew it couldn’t last the entire season. I knew Brett Favre’s conservative passing attack and smart decision-making would eventually be thrown out the window and he’d return to his gunslinging ways.

However, I didn’t expect that we’d have to wait until the NFC Championship game for Favre’s typical, ill-advised, go-for-broke style of play. Despite everything I’ve written about him ), I must concede that I’ve been very impressed with Favre’s play all year long. 

He played great during the regular season. Why? Because he stopped trying to be the hero and just conducted himself like another member of the team. There’s a reason why he threw so few interceptions this season: he stuck to making high percentage throws and leaned on his running game more so than in Green Bay.
 
It’s amazing what can happen when you stop making stupid throws and force balls into triple coverage. Instead, check down your receivers and make the easiest pass. It’s not rocket science. Favre did this beautifully all season and I begrudgingly rated him to be one of the top five quarterbacks in the NFL this year.
 
Even last night, through fifty-nine minutes of the game, Favre’s stellar performance had the Vikings on the precipice of their fifth Super Bowl appearance. In fact, if it wasn’t for Minnesota’s complete inability to hang onto the football, the Vikings would have blown the Saints out of the water.
 
Still, Minnesota was poised to kick a field goal with no time remaining on the clock to win the game in regulation. With nineteen seconds left, in Saints territory, Favre rolled out to his right, looking to pick up another ten yards to give Ryan Longwell a chance to boot the pigskin through the uprights.
 
Favre looked upfield and saw no defenders in his vicinity. He could have easily ran the ball himself, slid for a first down and given Longwell a very makeable field goal attempt. That was the safe play. That was the smart play. That was the play we’d come to expect from the 2009 version of Brett Favre.
 
Unfortunately, the lure of his old swashbuckling ways was too much to pass up. Favre stupidly forced a throw across his body in a blanket of coverage. Sure enough, he was picked off, the Saints won the toss and New Orleans was off celebrating their first Super Bowl berth in team history.
 
What a bonehead decision by Favre; although, it was probably a good outcome for my sanity. With Favre limping around on his gimpy ankle and still making completions, I could have not have tolerated the fawning appreciation by the media over Brett if the Vikings had, in fact, won. Honestly, if Favre led the game-winning drive last night, I’m pretty sure he would have been elected President of the United States.
 
How about Peyton Manning? He adjusted beautifully to the Jets suffocating defensive coverage and brought the Colts back from an early 11 point deficit to earn his second Super Bowl trip. Manning is the most prepared quarterback to ever play the game. He literally imposes his will on teams. I don’t see how the Colts can be stopped.
 
Kudos to Dirty Sanchez and the J-E-T-S. They gave a valiant effort and look to be a force in the AFC for the foreseeable future. They are only going to get better.
 
A 2-0 Conference Championship weekend puts my playoff record at 6-4 with one game remaining. I challenge any paid football prognosticator to put their abilities (and paycheque) up against Tewks in a football knowledge battle royale.
 
I cannot be stopped.