Going For it on the 18th Green

Posted by Mike Wendt on September 15, 2011   Jump To Comments

Every NFL season for the past five years has played out much like the movie Tin Cup. Let me explain. In the movie, Roy McAvoy (played by Kevin Costner) plays a retired golfer who makes one last attempt to qualify and eventually win the U.S. Open. You know how it ends, with McAvoy endlessly drilling shot after shot into the water on the 18th hole until he finally sinks his 12th shot into the cup. Every time you re-watch the movie you sit there hoping Costner will lay up and win the tourney, but alas, it never happens. Now, replace U.S. Open with Super Bowl and Roy McAvoy with Brett Favre, and Costner’s journey mirrors that of Favre. Every year Packer fans hope Favre will lay up on the 18th and stay retired, and every year he either makes another run at a Super Bowl, or at a minimum he entertains the idea of one last try.

I bring this up because just like Costner hit the last golfball in his bag into the cup, Favre is once again digging his hand into his bag to see if he’s got another ball he can try to hit over the drink.

If anybody watched the Colts play the Texans last week you saw how bad Kerry Collins played. Although the Colts defense is shaky, their offense is loaded with weapons with nobody to fill the void under center. Immediately following the loss the talking heads on SportsCenter began to ask the question, “Should the Colts look into signing Brett Favre?”

Could Favre soon be suiting up for Indy?

Now there’s two schools of thought here.

The first is that Favre would cost too much money, and it wouldn’t be the worst thing for the Colts to have a top five pick in next’s year’s draft if they end up losing a bunch of games. Some people even believe they have a chance at getting the number one pick, which would land them Andrew Luck, the heir to the Peyton Manning throne. I get it, but I don’t like it. I’m with the second school of thought.

Instead, the Colts could go out and send shockwaves through the league by going out and signing the old geezer. Now roll with me for a second. Let’s say the Colts knocked on Favre’s door today and go all Godfather on his ass and “make him an offer he can’t refuse”. Favre signs and is in camp by the end of the week. I believe the Colts can beat the Browns even with Collins under center, so let Favre sit for a week and learn the playbook. No need to rush him out against a good Steelers team either, so let Collins go out and get beat up in that one. Now the Colts enter Week 4 at 1-2, and Favre takes over as quarterback. The Colts play Tampa, Kansas City, Cincinnati, New Orleans, Tennessee, Atlanta, Jacksonville and Carolina in the next eight weeks. Save New Orleans and Atlanta, I think the Colts could win every other game with Favre under center. That would put them at 7-4 heading into a tough road game against the Patriots, but for all we know Manning’s neck muscles could have healed by then and he could have worked his way back into playing shape. If Favre or Manning can go 3-2 over their final three games they’d end up at 10-6 and likely either win the division or make the playoffs. And as every Packer fan knows, anything can happen once you get in the playoffs.

I know it’s a longshot and probably not going to happen, but by keeping Collins under center the Colts are basically telling their fans that they’ve already got their eyes on next season. With an NBA lockout expected to cancel at least half the season, and without a pro baseball or hockey team, people in Indiana would only have the Hoosiers to look to for their sports fix, and they’re already 0-2 with losses to Ball State and Virginia.

Brett Favre may not need football anymore, but the state of Indiana does, and Favre is the right man for the job. Here’s hoping he finds one last Titlest in his golfbag.

What are your thoughts on Favre returning to the NFL with the Colts? Like it? Hate it? Drop me a line at wendt@brentfavre.com or hit me up on Twitter @MikeWendt7