Fran Tarkenton compares Brett Favre to LeBron James

"They're going to learn a very, very serious lesson when they do retire..."

Fran Tarkenton hasn't exactly been leading the Brett Favre bandwagon since the former Packer/Jet landed in Minnesota. He renewed his disdain with "Hartman and Friends" on Fox Sports Radio this past week while drawing an inevitable "look at me" comparison to LeBron James:

"He's been doing this for 5 or 6 years and it really, I think to most people on the streets, is getting a little old. I think he will come back. I don't think there's any question about it. But I think that what LeBron James did to demand an hour on ESPN to announce what he's going to do. Brett Favre takes the world through for 5 or 6 years on whether, 'I'm going to play or retire.'"

"It's not about Brett Favre. It's not about LeBron James. It's about the team and they're going to learn a very, very serious lesson when they do retire."

"They're going to find out that the world goes on without them. People like football without 'em and I don't know what Brett Favre's deal is but he pulls it off again for 6 years. He's a great player but I'm kind of a little tired of it as most everybody else is."

He compares Favre to James. I'd draw a similar comparison between Minnesota and Miami fans. They'll go right along with a charade if it brings with it the promise of many future victories.

This past January, I conducted an exhaustive survey consisting of four Vikings fans in an RV making a stop in Kiln, Mississippi on their way to see Favre in the NFC Championship game against the Saints.

The consensus: Simmer down, old man.