Nothing like a round of Brett Favre retirement bingo to get the football world in a frenzy on a Tuesday morning.
Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that Favre started telling Vikings officials on Monday night that he would not play the 2010 season. Zulgad is smart enough to know that taking anything Favre says at face value is about as wise as believing in the Easter Bunny and says that members of the Vikings think they can still get him to change his mind before anything is set in stone.
That's a pretty good strategy seeing as how it is only Aug. 3 and Favre has the same ability to stick to his guns as your average Etch-a-Sketch user. We're here to talk about the Cowboys, though, and this news has to make a lot of people happy in Big D.
Losing Favre means that there is one less Super Bowl contender in the NFC. The Vikings still have a good team and they'll still challenge for a playoff spot if Tarvaris Jackson is running the show, but it stretches the limits of belief to think that they can remain in the conversation for the top spot in the conference. That's good for the Cowboys, obviously, but what's even better is that it would knock the Vikings out of contention for home field advantage come playoff time.
Maybe things would have played out exactly the same way if the Cowboys hosted the Vikings last January, but it seems more likely that easier communication at the line of scrimmage would have helped the patchwork offensive line keep the heat off of Tony Romo. A lusty crowd making noise on the Cowboys' behalf might have allowed DeMarcus Ware or Anthony Spencer to get on Favre because his offensive line was a step slow off the ball and changed the course of the game before it got out of hand.
A worrywart might bring up the fact that Favre's departure means more pressure for Dallas. That doesn't make sense, though. Right now, Bodog.com has the Cowboys listed as co-favorites with the Saints for the NFC Championship. Favre's departure would do nothing to put them ahead of New Orleans, it would merely make for less of a payoff when and if they wind up in the Super Bowl.
No, there's no negative to a NFL without Favre. Whether that extends beyond the Cowboys is a matter for you to decide for yourself.
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Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com and Blue Star. You can follow him on Twitter.
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