The return of Favre & Vick

January 4, 2003 felt like a moment. If you don’t remember the date, surely you’re familiar with the events of the day. In the early AFC wild-card game, the New York Jets destroyed the Indianapolis Colts 41-0, dropping Peyton Manning’s career playoff record to 0-3.

But it was the night game that really looked like a torch-passing for the league. Michael Vick, a 22-year-old lefty phenom in his second year in the league, was leading the Atlanta Falcons into Lambeau Field, where the Green Bay Packers were 13-0 all-time in playoff games. The Packers’ quarterback that day was Brett Favre, 33, already a three-time MVP and a surefire Hall of Famer. It was the days before HPS, but I still covered the game in my journal:

“…it was like 28° at kickoff and it snowed in the second half. But Atlanta just jumped on the Pack early and Green Bay never recovered. I think it was 27-7. Falcons Q Michael Vick made some sweet plays, especially running, but his numbers weren’t great. I was definitely impressed by the Falcons. Brett Favre, the Packers QB, started slow and eventually threw two picks (one very early) and lost a fumble. He was on fire in the second half and made some really tough throws, but his receivers dropped a lot of passes, it seemed.”

And that was the day the NFC got its new premier quarterback, or so it seemed, though Vick’s Falcons were knocked out the next week by the Philadelphia Eagles in Donovan McNabb’s first game back from a broken ankle.

Careers didn’t quite pan out the way some thought they would after that game. Favre led the Packers to the playoffs the next two years, beating the Seahawks in an overtime game and losing to the Eagles and Minnesota Vikings. After two more years missing the playoffs, he took the Packers back following the 2007 season. He led them into the NFC Championship game, which the team lost at home to the New York Giants.

Vick, on the other hand, got back to the playoffs only once, following the 2004 season. His Falcons beat the St. Louis Rams by thirty in the divisional round, then he lost yet again to the Eagles.

Now these two high-profile quarterbacks have just found new teams: Favre, with the Vikings, and Vick, with the Eagles.

Both are players of incredible athletic talent and superstar name recognition. And both rub countless fans the wrong way, Favre with his chronic indecisiveness, and Vick with his animal cruelty. And between them, they’ve only led one true contender since their playoff showdown years ago (Favre’s 2007 team). But personally, I can’t wait to see how they do.

Favre, of course, has the better shot to change the outcome of the season than Vick does, if only because he’s much more likely to start. He strung the Vikings along for months. I seem to recall that team setting some deadlines, by which Favre absolutely had to commit, yet he we are, with Favre preparing for a start in Minnesota’s next preseason game.

Is Favre a jerk for dragging this out? An egomaniac? Someone who needs to retire? Perhaps. But the Vikings, whose defense ranked 6th in the NFL last year, and whose star runner, Adrian Peterson, led the league in rushing yards, just need Favre to play quarterback. And anyone who says he can’t get it done anymore has a short memory. Last year Favre completed 65.7% of his passes (his second straight year over 65%) for 3,472 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions. The problem, though, is that he ran out of gas as the season went on. Most telling is how much worse his end of the season was than his start:

First four games: 87/124 (70.2%), 12 TDs, 4 INT

Last four games: 75/132 (56.8%), 2 TDs, 8 INT

Well, of course he slowed down! He’s old! Of course, the then-25-year-old Jay Cutler had a rating of 110.6 in his first three games last year, and 73.8 in his last three, but perhaps that’s just because he was too young.

It’s no guarantee that Favre will play well for the Vikings this year, but he could, and that makes Minnesota’s season so much more interesting. Who wants to see a terrific, talented squad stumble all year for want of a quarterback? Add Brett, and they’re instant contenders.

The suffering of Packers fans and suddenly self-loathing Vikings fans, as well as the eventual Favre-in-Lambeau showdown, should make for fantastic theater. (Have we ever seen anything like Favre going back to Green Bay, playing for a division rival?) If the upcoming media circus threatens to derail that for you, just shut off your TV for a few hours and relax a little, because this is genuinely exciting.

Vick, on the other hand, is backing up an established star and starter in McNabb, who reportedly lobbied to bring Vick to the Eagles. Vick’s incredible speed (or rather the speed he had when he was last in the league) has led to countless speculation that he’ll play wideout, or be involved in trick formations, but I doubt coach Andy Reid’s Limbaugh-like conservatism will showcase much innovation. Who knows, though? Vick’s best shot to play a lot, naturally, is if McNabb gets injured. McNabb has had some serious injuries in his career, and missed significant time in 2005 and 2006, but has only missed two games the last two years. I’ll be a little surprised if Vick doesn’t start at least once this year, though. Despite Vick’s crimes, I hope he gets his moves back, because he’s a phenomenal entertainer who can pull off electrifying runs and passes.

I am more excited for this NFL season than I have been in years. Madden is even on its way from Amazon as we speak. This is weird, considering I have almost no faith in the Broncos. But Brett Favre and Michael Vick are two legitimate reasons I can’t wait for kickoff.