Fran Tarkenton Doesn’t Like Brett Favre

My two favorite quarterbacks of all-time are Fran Tarkenton and Brett Favre. And one is getting national headlines by talking trash about the other. Can’t we all just get along? One day after Brett “un-unretired” and became a member of the Minnesota Vikings (Fran’s old team, of course), Fran went off about his displeasure with Brett’s return to the NFL.

Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings / Photo courtesy Minnesota Vikings

In two separate interviews today (ESPN and Sirius NFL Radio), Fran was in a foul mood:

“I really have no interest in what Brett Favre does. He kind of lost me a few years ago by retiring and un-retiring and here and there ….. It’s a circus. It’s an absolute circus, and it takes away from all the other things that are going on with the Vikings, with the NFL. We’re getting ready for a football season and this is a circus, and I just have no interest in it ….. Isn’t it all about team? And here comes Brett Favre riding in on his white horse, doesn’t go to training camp, doesn’t come to offseason workouts and he’s gonna come on his white horse and bond with all these players?”

Fran said he has no interest in what Brett Favre does. But I think more people have no interest in what Fran has to say about what Brett does. As much as I respect Fran and what a great Hall of Fame quarterback he was (he was my original favorite NFL player), he just seems like a grouchy old man with a chip on his shoulder. Sure, I agree that Brett does what’s best for Brett. But few people will deny that the Vikings upgraded the most important position on their team by acquiring Brett. And the last time I checked, the bottom line in the NFL was about winning games, not bonding with teammates in training camp. That being said, Brett will need time to practice and develop a chemistry with those teammates. And I’m not sure how long that will take.

Source: TwinCities.com