Top Ten reasons Brett Favre to the Vikings would be good for the Bears

Rumor has it that Brett Favre is out for revenge. Even though reports came out yesterday that he’s going to say retired, chances are he’ll change his mind by next week. John Madden’s man-crush was supposedly talking with the Minnesota Vikings about joining their team so he can get back at his old team, the Green Bay Packers, who told him to go away last summer. Which team benefits most from this? Da Bears. Here are ten reasons why Bears fans should be excited about the possibility of having #4 back in the division.

10. May lead to less rushing from Vikings

Adrian Peterson is a running back, probably the best in the NFL. If the Vikings and coach Brad Childress were smart, he’d get the ball to AP 30 times a game. Brett Favre is a quarterback whose best seasons were a decade ago. If the Vikings and coach Childress were smart, he’d throw the ball as little as possible. Thankfully Childress isn’t smart and signing Farve is sure to make Minnesota a pass-happy team.

9. Confused Packer fans

Imagine Derek Jeter suiting up for the Red Sox or Tyler Hansbrough slapping the floor at Cameron Indoor wearing Duke blue. That’s what it will be like if Favre plays for the Vikings. Green Bay fans won’t know if they should root for their favorite team or the greatest player in their franchise’s history. This may not help the Bears directly, but it will be hilarious watching the Cheese-heads argue with themselves about where their loyalty lies.

8. Takes pressure off Jay Cutler

Having Brett Favre back in the NFC North immediately takes the spotlight off the Bears new signal-caller. All preview stories on the division will lead with the Favre, with the second story being Green Bay’s reaction to Favre. The Bears biggest trade in decades will be pushed to the back, which means Cutler should be able to learn the offense and adjust to his new teammates without the pressure of intense media scrutiny.

7. Wasted draft picks

In the 2006 Draft, the Vikings took QB Tarvaris Jackson in the second round. A couple years later, they took another quarterback, John David Booty, in the fifth round. Then over the winter, Minnesota traded a fourth round pick for yet a third quarterback, Sage Rosenfels. That’s a lot of draft picks to use for a position that will end up going to a player that will turn 40 in October.

6. Interceptions

If you thought Rex Grossman was irritating throwing picks, take a peek at #4. No player threw more interceptions than Favre’s 22 in 2008, and only once since 2004 has he thrown more touchdowns than interceptions. That’s good news for opposing defenses, bad news for Minnesota wideouts Bernard Berrian and Percy Harvin.

5. He’s bad in cold weather

In four December games last year with the Jets, Favre threw a grand total of two touchdowns and eight interceptions; New York went 1-3. The year before, in a December game at Solider Field, Favre threw for only 153 yards and tossed another two interceptions. Call it a coincidence, but the Vikings visit to Chicago in 2009 is on the Monday night of December 28. Better pack your gloves Brett.

4. Makes NFC North must-see

The Bears trade for Cutler was the biggest NFL story of the off-season. The Lions drafting Matt Stafford #1 and giving him the biggest signing bonus in league history was pretty important too. Then you add Favre returning to the Vikigs, creating an Aaron Rodgers vs. Brett Favre / apprentice vs. teacher battle, and the black and blue division got a lot more interesting than it was when 2008 ended.

3. Brett vs. Lovie

People have this perception that Favre dominated the Bears over his career in green and gold. But since Loive Smith’s hiring in 2004, the Bears were 6-2 against Favre’s Packers. One of those losses was the 2006 season finale on New Years Eve, where the Chicago defense rested in the second half and Rex Grossman refused to prepare because he had to figure out where to party. Lovie may not be the most popular coach these days, but his ability to consistently beat the Favre counts for something.

2. Age

Of the eight division winning quarterbacks in 2008, only one - Kurt Warner - was over the age of 35. Favre is 39, set to reach the four-decade mark in October. Combine the age with the wear and tear of playing in 291 consecutive regular season and playoff games, and Brett Favre is John McCain old in football terms. If he has a season like Warner’s ‘08, the Bears are screwed. But if he acts like McCain in ’08, well, we all know how that turned out.

1. Gives us our enemy back

We might not like to admit it, but Bears fans kinda missed Favre last year. We missed the way he used to throw that bullet pass between two defenders for a Green Bay touchdown and follow it up by missing a wide open receiver and throwing a pick. We missed that little smirk of his when he would take a big hit and pretend like it didn’t hurt him. So having him back in the division will be good. Plus it buys some more time to build up hatred of Aaron Rodgers.