RPBlog Exclusive: Brett Favre to Return for 2011 Season (Maybe)

As the famous philosopher/athlete once said, "It's Déjà vu all over again."

In this recent NFL Network segment , the interviewer asks Brett Favre about retirement (note: skip to 1:15 in the clip to see the retirement Q&A). As the video will show, he pauses before his eyes drift to the left and quickly dart back to the right. He then states unequivocally that he will not return for a 21st season.

My immediate reaction was one of disdain. Problem is, I did not see Favre announcing he will retire in that clip, I saw a shifty-eyed Favre saying that he is going to play the retirement game again but eventually return. The look to the left is what bothers me. Often times, when lying, a person will look to the left before answering. Cops are trained to spot this very tick, and that is exactly what Brett did.

In this armchair psychologist's opinion, Favre made a conscious decision to hide an obvious tell. So, you heard it here first: Brett Favre has announced his return for the 2011-2012 season, if unintentionally (and if there even is a season to return for).

Don't be surprised when we add more entries to the drawn-out timeline that is the Brett Favre Retirement Saga:

2006: Favre completes the 2005 NFL season but is uncommitted to returning in 2006, mentioning multiple times throughout the winter he was leaning towards retirement. Eventually in late April '06 he commits to returning.

2007: Rumors swirled late in 2006 of an impending Favre retirement. He receives a standing ovation from the Soldier Field crowd. He gives a teary interview following the game about how much he would miss his teammates and the game. He again remains uncommitted until announcing in February '07 he will return for another season.

2008: He and the Packers have a resurgent 2007 season as they reach the NFC Championship game only to lose to the eventual Super Bowl Champion New York Giants in an overtime thriller that included a devastating Favre INT. He announces his retirement in March '08. A month later he admits to having second thoughts. In July, he asks to be released so he can sign with the divisional rival Minnesota Vikings. Within a month Favre officially unretires and is traded to the New York Jets.

2009: Following a disappointing finish to the 2008 season, Favre once again waffles before retiring in February '09. Over the next few months he reiterates his decision to stay retired. The Jets grant him his unconditional release. Favre then spends the summer hinting at unretirement before finally joining the Vikings in August for a successful season and playoff run.

2010: Favre's MVP-caliber season results in another trip to the NFC Championship game. With offseason ankle surgery, he stretches out the retirement questions into training camp before announcing in mid August that he will indeed return.

So here we sit today. The Vikings are underachieving and interceptions are piling up. On multiple occasions it has been suggested the Vikings may be better off benching Favre, yet he persists. Despite a very badly injured ankle and a sex scandal, Favre manages to keep his consecutive starts streak alive. At this point, I am now fully convinced that if there was a nuclear holocaust, Favre would be the lone human to survive.

(Photo Credit: Wikimedia)