Brett Favre addressed the media Wednesday for the first time as a member of the 2010 Minnesota Vikings, saying he decided to play one more year because his teammates convinced him he should."It was very tough, obviously," said Favre, minutes after completing his first practice of the offseason. "It was really about them, the team."
Favre seemed touched by the fact that three teammates -- Steve Hutchinson, Ryan Longwell and Jared Allen -- visited him in Mississippi this week and told him they wanted him back. But he seemed conflicted about the possibility of coming back and falling short of expectations.
"I'd love to win a Super Bowl -- I'd love to -- but what happens if you don't?" Favre said. "So that was the tough part."
Said head coach Brad Childress, who took the podium after Favre's press conference wrapped: "He's here for one reason and one reason only. Any team that doesn't start by saying we want to go to the Super Bowl and win it, there's something wrong. I feel like he simply came back for the members of this football team."
Favre had ankle surgery this offseason and said he still feels some pain. But he also said he feels good enough to extend his NFL-record streak of consecutive games played.
"There's nothing on me 100 percent," Favre said. "There was nothing on me 100 percent last year or the year before. But the surgeries, I think, have made me a little better. Playing 309 straight games, I can't complain."
"Twenty years and I'm done. This is the last year of my contract. "
-- Brett Favre, stating that 2010 will be his final season in the NFL Favre said he'd like to play as soon as the Vikings' preseason game at San Francisco on Sunday, and that he thinks his 40-year-old body is up to the task.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not real excited about getting hit any time soon," Favre said. "But that is a part of it.
"The only way I'm going to get the real speed of the games down is getting in games. My arm feels great, but to think that it's ready for the first game, that's going to take a bit of time."
Favre said he would be thrilled if he can play in 2010 the way he did in 2009, when he threw for 4,202 yards and 33 touchdowns.
"Never in my wildest dreams when we were sitting here last year did I think I would play as well as I did," Favre said. "I was even amazed."
And although some have suggested that Favre isn't a great teammate for sitting out training camp while the rest of the Vikings were sweating through the August heat, Favre said he loves his teammates and they love him. Ultimately, Favre said, returning to the Vikings was all about the other players on the team.
"We're in this together. If we go down, we go down swinging. If we win it all, we do it together," Favre said. "The only thing that matters is the guys in the locker room ...
"I don't want to fail. A lot is expected of this team, of me, I take that very seriously."
Share Favre closed the press conference by saying that the 2010 season will definitely be his last in the NFL.
"Twenty years and I'm done," Favre said. "This is the last year of my contract."
When asked if he thought people would believe that statement, Favre replied, "Probably not. Probably not. ... [But] I do believe now. I've gotta fall apart sometime."
FanHouse's Dan Graziano takes a look at what Favre's return means for the Vikings, the NFC North and all those fantasy football players out there.
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