Johnette Howard

It’s understandable to love the way Brett Favre plays quarterback. It’s his right to play as long as he wants, wherever he wants, regardless of the overblown silliness about how he might be damaging his legacy. But this is too much: The guy throws one touchdown pass on Sunday after a summer of being flogged, and now he's back to being Brett Favre, Football God?

Have a little self-respect. All is not forgiven.

The Vikings’ 3-0 start and the dramatic comeback drive that Favre led in the final 90 seconds of Sunday’s 27-24 win against San Francisco didn't change anything essential about Favre. So be forewarned before you go falling in love with him again. He's still America's Most Neurotic Quarterback. Playing against the Green Bay Packers on Monday night for the first time since they ran him off in 2008 is going to be another psychodrama.

And Favre generally doesn't do well with psychodramas.

Have you already forgotten how he was reamed just this offseason for manipulating his release from the New York Jets, dithering yet again about retirement, then reporting late to the Vikings just to skip the grind of training camp?

If the last couple of seasons proved anything about Favre, it’s that we've had the man wrong all these years. If you ignore the hero-worshipping around him and just listen to him talk about how he pulls out these games he's no unflappable gunslinger. He’s always sounded like a guy on a shrink's couch. He confesses doubts, vulnerability, self-loathing. His remarks after beating San Francisco on Sunday were typical.

The 80-yard drive that Favre directed was the 43rd fourth-quarter comeback of his career, yet Favre admitted that all he kept thinking in the waning minutes was how the Vikings (read: him) had blown so many chances with their erratic play.

Slide show Fabulous Favre Top moments from quarterback’s record-breaking career.

And that 32-yard, game-winning touchdown pass he threw with two seconds left? Favre allowed it wasn't by some grand design. He said, "I didn't even know who I was throwing to" and "I just threw it as hard as I could."

By nightfall Sunday, the myth machine was whirring again: He’s Brett Favre, Football God. He’s back! Vikings’ receiver Greg Lewis, who made a phenomenal diving, tight-roping, fingertip catch along the back line of the end zone — just as he was getting hammered by a defender, no less — was being treated like just another faceless extra in the legend that is Brett Favre.

There is some dark humor in this, you know. Finding out that Favre is a not a remorseless assassin — he’s actually a conflicted pile of goo when it comes to pressure or big decisions like retirement — has been like finding out that Tim Tebow is a hellacious party animal, or Derek Jeter hasn’t been loving and leaving all those starlets all these years, they’ve actually been dumping him (ever think of that?) because he’s a colossal bore who just takes his dates to sports bars for beers and wings.

People would be shocked, just shocked, I tell you.