Brett Favre – The 2020 NFL MVP?

by Kevin Cushing

During the Super Bowl Sunday millions of viewers saw a humorous Hyundai commercial featuring a futuristic 50 year-old white haired Brett Favre unsure about retiring after his 2020 season.

If Favre were to play through 2020 at 50 years old, he would be the oldest NFL player ever. The oldest to ever play in the NFL was 48 year-old quarterback and kicker, George “The Grand Old Man” Blanda. Yet Brett has a few things going for him that Blanda didn’t. The state of medicine is significantly better, protective equipment has come a long way, and recent rules have been put in place to protect the quarterback from the unforgiving savagery of defenders.

At the most vulnerable position, the quarterback is prone to head injuries and needs as much protection as possible. Favre said, “People have asked me how many concussions I’ve had,” and he jokes, “I don’t remember.” But Favre is lucky to be playing with today’s gear. Brett did not start his professional career until 1991 when players were protected by modern plastic helmets and full face masks. When George Blanda signed with the Chicago Bears as a rookie in 1949 he would have only had a hard leather style helmet.

Fortunately for Favre, today’s game has added many rules to protect players from each other. The NFL details these rule changes and more in their website’s NFL History. Three years after Blanda retired in 1978 the head slap was outlawed and restrictions were made on clipping. 1979 continued the trend of player safety; rules were made outlawing crackback blocks and protecting quarterbacks by ending plays as soon as they were wrapped up by a defender. In 1980 rules were changed to protect player’s heads and necks. Hits to the head were outlawed in 1996. The NFL made the horse-collar tackle illegal in 2005.

Most recently the NFL came out with what fans refer to as “The Brady Rule.” Following a season ending knee injury to patriots star quarterback Tom Brady in 2008 the NFL made it illegal for defensive players to lunge off the ground at quarterbacks. Although rule changes have protected the longevity of his career Favre is not so sure about the latest rule, he said, “It’s something that has maybe been overemphasized a bit, because there are some (calls) that are very questionable.”

Advances in sports medicine have potential to significantly lengthen careers as well. Today players have all the benefits of modern technology to lengthen their careers. Magnetic resonance imaging, more commonly referred to as MRI machines help athletes diagnose ailments in a noninvasive manner that wasn’t available until the late 1970s after Blanda retired. Advancements in fiber optics during the 70s and 80s have made arthroscopic surgery available to today’s athletes. Recently Favre took advantage of both these technologies. Prior to the 2009/2010 season an MRI machine was used to diagnose a partially torn bicep tendon. As a result Favre underwent his second arthroscopic surgery (his first was for bone spurs in his ankle) to relieve the pain associated with the tendon in his throwing arm. This medical success led him into yet another NFL season, this time with the Vikings.

With the conclusion of the super bowl on Sunday the NFL season is officially over. It won’t be long now until Favre is making headlines with his retirement decision again. Brad Childress said, “I told him go home and lick your wounds and I’ll do the same and we’ll catch up down the road… Nobody wants to be rash about any decision-making. “In the modern NFL, Brett Favre playing in 2020 might not be too farfetched.