Jim Souhan: Weak leaders cave to Favre

Late Monday night, Vikings fans started tossing snowballs at their team's bench.

Vikings quarterbacks thought about throwing the snowballs back but figured they'd just get intercepted.

TCF Bank Stadium resembled a giant snow globe Monday night. The setting seemed the result of a time machine with faulty wiring, as Brett Favre wore a throwback Vikings uniform and played in a snowstorm while Jim Marshall and Bud Grant watched.

Of all the things that went wrong this week -- from the Metrodome continuing to fall apart to a snowstorm creating traffic jams to a fan running onto the field -- only one was emblematic of all that has gone wrong this season:

Favre got his way.

He shouldn't have. He belonged in the stands with all of the other former greats, not on the field pining for one last hurrah.

On Saturday, the Vikings listed Favre as "out" on their injury report, meaning they gave him a zero percent chance to play on Monday. The Vikings were not compelled to list Favre as "out"; they did so because they believed he could not play because of excruciating pain in his right shoulder.

For Favre, it was a misguided attempt to get onto the field for one last Monday night.

For the Vikings, Favre's miracle recovery provided further proof that the team needs a true football boss.

By the second quarter, when Favre got sacked and left the game because of a concussion, his decision to play looked as silly as it was selfish. "I didn't know how long I could hold up," Favre admitted. He also told Frazier before the game: "I don't want to put you in an awkward situation."

That's not quite true. Favre's whims and wafflings drove the Packers crazy, to the point they were glad to be rid of the NFL's all-time leading passer. Now his whims are dictating the Vikings' decisions, one reason this has turned into a lost and embarrassing season.

Don't blame coach Leslie Frazier for allowing Favre to play. Brad Childress just got fired for losing games and losing his grip on his relationship with Favre. Frazier, trying to win the job, is doing what coaches do -- trying to win every game. The fault here belongs with Favre and the Vikings braintrust.

The Vikings braintrust should have put a stop to this. The problem is that their braintrust consists of owners who think like fans, and a front office in which no one has ultimate authority.

A real general manager might have told Favre that he wouldn't play unless he could practice Saturday. A real general manager wouldn't have allowed Favre's yen for drama to dictate decisions.

A real general manager might have even insisted that the game be played in another town.

The scene Monday at The Bank was quaint, atmospheric, even beautiful. It wasn't necessarily safe.

The NFL has spent the entire season talking about player safety. Then Commissioner Roger Goodell spent Monday watching Favre get slammed to the frozen turf and leave the game, watching players have their feet slip out from under them.

We've seen enough of Favre. We've seen enough muddled thinking. It's time for Zygi Wilf to bench his quarterback, hire a football boss and start looking to the future.