Could it all be about money? Sure. It always can. So much of what we do is -- at least subconsciously -- driven by the desire to have more of everything. And one way to get more is to earn more. You might look at Brett Favre and wonder, "How much more does he need?" But someone who has a lot always wants more -- maybe even more than someone who has never had that much at all. As such, we have to wonder: Is this all a negotiating ploy? Does Favre know in his heart that this will be his final season, his last chance to earn a huge payday (at least on the field)? Does he see the huge money being doled out to untested players -- $50 million guaranteed for Sam Bradford, just to name one -- and think he deserves a bigger piece? Could he be using the Vikings' desperation for a strong stadium push and a narrowing window of opportunity to win now as a cash grab?
Could he have virtually guaranteed the Vikings would have to react as they did, by reportedly sweetening the pot by $7 million this year for a possible grand total of $20 million instead of $13 million? Of course he could. Because while all professional athletes were competitors first, they also quickly became businessmen. If you're coming off an unbelievable season ... if you know your team is desperate to have you ... even if you are already under contract, you have leverage ... so why not try to get more?
Maybe that's not the case. Maybe it's a convenient by-product of this whole jumbled situation, and Favre really is set on calling it quits if his ankle doesn't respond the way he wants it to, no matter how much money he is leaving on the table. But after how well he played last season and how good this team can be with him this year, we just have a hard time believing he would. And we have an easier time believing this is less about a black and blue ankle and more about the green stuff that gets folded into a wallet. We'll know for sure if he walks into Winter Park in a few weeks with a bigger bulge in his back pocket.
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Photos, by the way, detail the progression of our dad's money recovery effort from his dog's poop. The second picture is the final tally: $110 was salvaged in good enough shape for the bank to take it. "The teller didn't seem to think it was all that strange," our dad reports. So out of the whole ordeal, he only lost $10. And he has a story to tell forever.