Favre-well Again

By Broadside Correspondent Chris Demarco

Legendary quarterback Brett Favre said goodbye to his NFL playing days yet again. This time, there was not a big hoop-la surrounding it, like there had been the previous year when he first retired.

Fans remember the constant ESPN coverage of Favre’s career in retrospect. They remember the teary final news conference he gave when he announced he was done. People thought how awkward it was going to be to watch the Green Bay Packers play with someone named Rodgers under center, instead of Favre. But with that awkwardness, there came doubt he would stay retired.

The Packers essentially told the future Hall of Famer that his services were not needed once he contemplated a return. In the end, fans had the privilege to see Favre play one last time, but with the New York Jets. It created an awkward scene among sports fans.

Seeing Favre play with the Jets was comparable to seeing quarterbacks Johnny Unitas and Joe Montana playing for the San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively, or even seeing basketball superstar Michael Jordan suiting up for the Washington Wizards. Each of these players were in situations similar to Favre’s. Their previous teams had all thought they were done and had moved onto younger players.

Favre brought a different type of personality to the game. He seemed to be one of those players that no matter how much pain he was in, would constantly go out and try to have fun while playing the game he loved. He always played with a smile and always jumped up and down following a key touchdown. That was the type of player he was. He was with the Packers from 1992 to the 2007 season.

Favre completed 5,720 passes in 9,280 attempts for approximately 65,000 passing yards. He also stands alone at the top with 464 touchdowns, 22 of which came from last season. Favre recorded five 4,000-yard seasons in his 18-year career. In 1995, he threw for 4,413 yards with 38 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. His 99.5 passer rating was the highest in his career. Last season with the Jets, he recorded 22 touchdowns and 22 interceptions for 3,472 yards and an 81.0 passer rating. Even though the Jets improved with his presence, he was not able to help the team reach the playoffs in their late season collapse.

Favre would pick apart solid defenses numerous times over the years, which frustrated fans but they also knew that this player was one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. Fans all around respect him as a player, for he is simply one of the greatest to ever play.

This time, fans believe that he is calling it quits for real, and a lot of “experts” are having trouble placing him in the top 10 greatest quarterbacks of all time, which is somewhat hard to believe considering everything he has accomplished. Breaking Dan Marino’s record for touchdown passes was one of the countless memories that will go down in football history.

It was Favre who helped the Packers defeat the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI, their franchise’s first title since Super Bowl II. Fans distinctly remember when he went out on Monday Night Football a day after he lost his dad and produced one of the greatest performances of all-time. He has two MVP awards and he has the greatest consecutive game streak. Favre competed against other quarterbacks like Aikman, Young and Elway, and he might not have the rings to compare, but he has the records, the awards and his one ring.

After nearly two decades, fans will have a hard time not being able to see number 4 running onto the field for one last time.