Brett Favre may not have led the Vikings to a Super Bowl but he did lead the team and its fans on a wild, fun ride.
A legendary Minnesota Vikings quarterback is going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend.
Most of Brett Favre’s legend was of course forged as a member of the Green Bay Packers but his two years with the Vikings gave him an opportunity to burnish that legend and burnish it he did.
In 2009, Favre took over as Vikings quarterback and almost immediately electrified the fanbase.
The hype was huge even before Favre took the field. Sometimes that hyped verged on madness, as when helicopters tracked his arrival at Winter Park.
Favre gave Vikings fans their first taste of his gunslinging ways when he beat the San Francisco 49ers with a last-second end zone heave to Greg Lewis.
That was just the beginning of what would prove to be a wild ride.
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Twelve regular season victories later, the Vikings found themselves playing the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs. Favre lit up Dallas and the Vikings advanced to the NFC title game.
The excitement reached a fever pitch as Favre and the Vikings took the field against the Saints. A thrilling game ensued. Sadly, that game would end with the Vikings falling in overtime and Favre limping off the field, battered and beaten.
A return for 2010 seemed unlikely at first, but Favre ultimately decided to suit up one last time. This would prove to be a bad decision.
Favre may have imagined a heroic ride off into the sunset after one final season, but instead his year and career would end painfully on the frozen turf of TCF Bank Stadium when Corey Wootten’s sack knocked him unconscious.
Those two years in Minnesota may represent just a part of Favre’s legacy but they are an important part. Favre shut down a lot of doubters with his epic 2009 performance, and in the process angered a lot of his former Green Bay backers.
In the end Favre would make peace with Packer fans, and now Vikings and Packer supporters get to share in the joy of his induction.
Any Viking fans who harbor ill-will toward Favre for the way things played out in his two seasons should really check themselves. Favre may not have delivered the ring but he did deliver fun.
2009 was the most purely enjoyable season of Vikings football since 1998 when the team broke offensive records on their way to a 15-1 season (that also ended in the NFC title game).
The Vikings made some playoff appearances in the years between ’98 and ’09 but they also had some dismal seasons. Sad stuff happened to Minnesota during that span: The 41-doughnut debacle, Korey Stringer’s death, Randy Moss being traded away, the Love Boat scandal, Daunte Culpepper blowing out his knee.
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The Vikings did make the playoffs in 2008, but the franchise still felt a bit stale at the time. Favre’s arrival refreshed and renewed both the team and the fanbase.
In his short time in Minnesota, Favre not only added to his own legend, he made a considerable contribution to Vikings history.
Favre may not belong to the Vikings as much as he belongs to the Packers, but Vikings fans still should feel that they own a little piece of the legend.