I couldn’t really help myself from posting this picture above of Brett Favre shortly after Bobby McCray pummeled him. Playing extended action without Sidney Rice for the first time last night in preseason against the Seahawks’ defense, Brett Favre looked turnover prone and shaky overall. His final numbers were 16-26 for 187 yds, 0 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and a lost fumble. His first interception came early in the game and it was run back 86 yards for a touchdown by Earl Thomas to give the Seahawks a 7-0 lead. By the time Favre left the game in the 3rd quarter, the Vikings were losing 13-10 with their lone touchdown coming on a 24 yard Adrian Peterson scamper.
I’m not necessarily saying we should take much from this, because we all know Favre hasn’t needed much practice or training camp the past few seasons to have a successful season. I’m sure he’ll come out for week 1 of the regular season a different player, and ready to cause the Saints’ defense some problems. Still, it has to concern the Vikings’ contingents a little bit that the absence of Sidney Rice seemed to have a profound effect on Favre’s performance the first time out. He’ll get better with reps, of course, but the question is: will he get good enough by September 9th to operate efficiently against a Gregg Williams defense? You never want to bet against Brett Favre because we all know he’s a really good player, but right now I think the Saints have the upper hand. If that game had taken place this weekend, the Saints would have beaten up on the Vikings severely. We’ll see if the Saints can maintain or improve their current level come 9/9, and we’ll see how improved the Vikings are by that time. One thing is for sure, the Vikes looked pretty solid defensively. Regardless, seeing Favre struggle so mightily last night is much more encouraging that seeing him go in there and not miss a beat.
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