Morning Report: Tarkenton torches Favre

Don't invite Fran Tarkenton and Brett Favre to the same catfish supper.

The two good ol' boys from Georgia and Mississippi appear to be on the outs.

Tarkenton, a Minnesota Vikings immortal who now lives in Atlanta and rarely gives interviews, discarded his customary silence to go on a local radio station on Tuesday and positively torch Favre.

The Hall of Famer said he'd love to see Favre end his retirement to play quarterback for the Vikings.

And that isn't because Tarkenton wants to see Favre succeed.

"I kind of hope it happens, so he can fail," Tarkenton said.

And he wasn't kidding.

The former QB did not hold back when talking about how Favre has handled himself in his dance with retirement since the spring of 2008.

"I think it's despicable. What he put the Packers through last year was not good," Tarkenton told 790 The Zone radio. "Here's an organization that was loyal to him for [16 years], provided stability, provided players.

"It just wasn't about Brett Favre. In this day and time, we have glorified the Brett Favres of the world so much, they think it's about them."

Tarkenton, 69, played for the Vikings from 1961 to '66 and from 1972 to his retirement after the 1978 season.

He went 0-3 in Super Bowls with the Vikings but finished as the NFL's career leader in several categories, including passing yards (47,003) and touchdown passes (342). Favre now holds both of those marks.

Favre came out of retirement last fall to play for the New York Jets, then retired after the season in part because of a partially torn biceps in his throwing arm.

Favre's agent, Bus Cook, did not return a message seeking a reaction to Tarkenton's comments.

Tarkenton's criticisms of Favre ranged way beyond his two-season melodrama.

Tarkenton said Favre has "made more stupid plays than any great quarterback that I've ever seen;" has stayed away from teams' off-season programs; and had his own area in the locker room to dress as a member of the Packers and Jets.

"Playing quarterback is about the relationships you have with your coaches, with your players, with your trainers, with your managers," Tarkenton said. "How can you do that if you show up on game day and you haven't put the time in?

"And now he's trying to do it again in Minnesota. And if Minnesota bites, God bless them. . . . He's been a great player, there's no question about it, but it's all about him. It is supposed to be all about your team.

"If you're going to be the quarterback of your team, you need to be there in the off-season workouts in March and April. Peyton Manning's there. Tom Brady's there."

Doesn't sound like Francis and Brett will be sharing barbecue and a Dr. Pepper together any time soon.

Finally. This from Jon Heyman of CNNSI.com:

"You know the newspaper business is bad when the only person covering the Padres, Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, is laid off.

"He showed the paper what they'll miss by breaking the news that the Padres and White Sox were closing in on an agreement over players in the [Jake] Peavy arrangement on Friday morning, the day he turned in his computer."