The nightmare refreshed

Le sigh.

Here we go again.

Fortunately, we don't have a head coach who believes he can take a quarterback from a Division I-AA school and turn him into the next Donovan McNabb. Or that he can take a rookie with an unorthodox skill set who likes to smoke pot more than he likes to play football to the point of getting himself tested positive at the NFL combine and mold him into a superstar.

And I'm sure we don't have a head coach who thinks he can take a nearly 40-year-old selfish attention whore of a quarterback who's committed to nobody but himself and his own legend and who's only had good season out of his last four and return him to his glory days.

I'm sure we don't have a head coach like that.

Sigh.

In truth, I think the chances of Brett Favre landing with the Vikings this time around are pretty close to nil. What bothers me is, now that the possibility's been raised, every other Vikings fan and media member will try to convince themselves that Favre would be a good choice for the Vikings, or really for any other NFL team.

Don't kid yourself into believing that. Even if you don't believe in Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels, nothing Brett Favre did last year should convince you that he wants anything but a shot at the Packers and to pad his legacy. From his tearful "retirement" (the first one) to his "Why did you abandon me?" mindset toward the Packers to his poor play as the season wore on -- or as it moved past, say, September, after which he had 10 touchdowns and 18 interceptions -- there is no reason whatsoever to believe that Brett Favre should be a Viking.

Don't buy into the "late-game heroics" hype. Yes, he's roasted the Vikings on more than one occasion, but his record against us is a so-so 17-14. His career passer rating in "late & close" situations is a subpar 69.1. And, the big thing -- to come from behind late, you have to be...well, behind. Certainly, that's sometimes the defense's fault, but tossing four interceptions through the first three quarters just so you can have a game-winning TD pass in the fourth doesn't qualify as "heroic" to me. More like "mediocre."

Favre is a great quarterback, and deserving of the Hall of Fame when (if) he retires. But every great player reaches the age at which he can no longer carry on as he did in his youth. The problem with Brett Favre is he's like a child who wants candy for dinner. He's going to keep getting it until someone tells him "no." Let's hope the Vikings can play the responsible adult.