Brett Favre

Is there any other possible post for today? March 4th, the day Brett Favre retired. I still don't believe it. Brett has to be coming out of that tunnel next fall. It is a sad day for Green Bay, Wisconsin, and all fans of the NFL. There are tons of great articles out there about Brett. The media loved him, rightfully so. Just check ESPN or SI or pretty much any sports site. One of the best I saw was by Don Banks. There was no argument that Brett was the best quarterback ever, just that his leaving will leave a huge void. Seems like a great way to describe it. No one was like Brett. No one can fill his shoes.



Here's my take:
Brett Favre played his first game for the Packers a few days before my 9th birthday. 16 years later he retires. He is everything I know about football. Every team will be compared to his Pack. Every new player will be in his shadows. Every Sunday for 16 years! That's a long time. Just think of your friends, significant others, co-workers- how long have you known them? And Favre, unlike some players, you feel like you know. He was human. He had family problems. He had a child before marrying his high school sweet heart. He had drug addictions. He showed his emotions everydayand you felt them with him. He loved the game. He showed us why sports are so great. I think Green Bay was the perfect match for him. You take the good- Superbowl pass to Rison, comeback against the Bengals, playoff TD pass to Sterling Shape over the Lions, playoff wins over the Niners, awesome run against the Falcons, underhand passes, run blocks, trash talking the player that just sacked him, OT wins, picking up players after TD passes- with the bad- interception against Giants, interception against the Eagles, 5 0r 6 ints against the Rams, playoff loses to the Cowboys, playoff loses at home, fumbles in Detroit. But despite all the bad, you still always wanted the ball in Brett's hands. You still always believed he will pull it out.
I will remember how happy he made my father with every great play, and how mad he made my father just a minute later, and then again back to happy. I will remember countless press conferences, the Southern charm, the off-season retirement speculation, the smiles.
I feel privilaged to have grown up with Brett Favre. I feel privileged to call him my own.
I guess now I will never again be that 9 year-old kick jumping up and down with every TD pass, and crying with every loss. Guess I got to grow up.


Thank you Brett, for the joy you played with and the joy you brought to those who watched you play.