Why is that whenever someone retires or is having a great career, the first question we all ask is, “where does he rank among the all-time greats?” Why must we always be looking at the historic side of things? LeBron is not the next Michael Jordan and we don’t know if he will be a better all-time player so why worry about it. Can’t we just enjoy LeBron for what he is? Alex Rodriguez is on pace to break every major home run record but I don’t understand why we always have to look at the big picture. From now on I am going to watch A-Rod for today and that’s all. When he hits a homer I am not going to wonder if that was 530 or 531 for his career, I will only care about it how many he has hit that season and if it helped the Yankees win. That is why I will not worry where Brett Favre ranks among the best quarterbacks in NFL history. No, I will just remember the career of Brett because whether you think he is better than John Elway or not you must admit, he was special.
When I was younger I loved Brett Favre because he seemed to be just like me. He played the game like he was a young kid in the backyard and I loved that. I loved when Brett would throw a touchdown pass and take off down the field, chasing after the receiver who caught his pass. He might pick him up over his shoulders and run around with the player for a few seconds or he might just jump into his arms. I watched Super Bowl XXXI when Brett dominated the Patriots and loved every second of it. I remember Brett taking 3 straight MVP’s in the mid-90’s, being the only person ever to win 3 MVP awards. I loved Brett for how he played the game but as I got older, I felt I got closer to Brett.
The day I heard Brett Favre was struggling with pain killer addiction I was shocked. How could someone like Brett Favre, or Superman, succumb to anything negative. But this brought me closer to Brett, not in reality, but it felt that way. My brother struggled with painkillers for many years. His troubles began right around the time Favre’s were ending and I remember even joking with my brother about it. “If Brett can do it, so can I.” I read the stories about how Brett would get his wife and brother to lie for him and help him obtain the drugs, very similar to what my brother would do to me. Seeing Brett bounce back from this problem in his life gave me hope and in the end my brother has had the same happy ending as Brett. Ever since I knew about Brett’s struggles I liked him that much more and I began to root for him very hard, not to win the Super Bowl every year but to succeed in life and football.
As I got older my love for Favre grew even more. I was finally coming to realize how lucky I was to watch this guy every Sunday. When his father died on that Saturday night in 2003 and I heard he was going to play Monday night anyway, I was shocked. This guy was never going to miss another start; I was convinced of that. I knew I had to watch that game to see how Favre responded, expecting him to stink it up for a half and not come back out of the locker room. But I was dead wrong. That game Monday night was one of the best and most underrated performances in a single game ever, in any sport. 22-30 for 399 yards and 4 touchdowns, with most of that damage coming in the first half. I watched the whole game and never once truly believed what I was seeing. No matter where the ball was thrown the receiver came down with it and usually scored. Brett was his normal self during the game, running around and having fun but after the game, listening to him talk is when it hit me again. This guy, this unbelievable quarterback, Brett Favre, was just one of the us. Things went wrong in his life and he faced struggles everyday just like you and me.
Watching Brett struggle over the past few years I kept hoping inside that he would retire. His great career was beginning fade; people weren’t going to remember him for what he was but rather the struggles at the end of it all. People were going to remember the 20 TD’s and 29 INT’s in 2005 or the 18 and 18 in 2006. Things were coming to a sad end for one of the best QB’s ever and I just hoped he called it quits before it was too late, even though deep down I never wanted the “Ol Gunslinger” to go away.
In 2007 Brett returned to form. I’m not sure it had anything to do with becoming more of a game manager or making better decisions, I think it simply came down to Brett finally having some talent around him again. He threw 28 TD’s and had 15 INT’s, those aren’t game manager numbers. Brett showed everyone how good he was, again. And this whole time, through the records he was breaking, the 13-3 season and the run to the NFC Championship game Brett, stayed true to himself. He was still that guy, a total dude. He showed up to post-game news conferences in plain white tee’s and blue jeans. He stayed humble all year and actually seemed surprised his team was this good. All season you got the feeling that this was truly a year of destiny, Brett would go to the Super Bowl, upset the 18-0 Patriots and leave the game on top but that didn’t quite happen.
Brett’s final game will be remembered as a dud. It was the NFC Championship, in Lambeau Field, in minus 20-degree weather. The Giants were in town and Brett was one game from his 3rd Super Bowl. It was all there for the taking. Everything was set-up for the perfect ending for Brett. In OT of that game Favre stepped back and fired to his right. He was looking for Donald Driver but found Corey Webster. Brett Favre’s last pass was an INT that directly led to the Packers losing. But please, don’t remember Brett for the INT, remember him for taking that chance.
Taking the chance was what made Favre great. It is why he holds the record for most TD passes and most INT’s in a career. If Brett makes that final throw and Driver catches it he may turn up field, break away from Corey Webster and who knows, he might score. But he didn’t. And in the end most people would say Brett didn’t go out on top because of this one pass. I say he did go out on top because he went out the way he wanted to. He showed everyone who cares about football that he can still play, he is still one of the best QB’s in the league. He also showed people how much fun this game can be and most importantly he showed everyone, no matter what, he’s true to himself. He is who he is. He takes the chances most QB’s probably wouldn’t, sometimes those chances propel him to excellence and sometimes those chances cost his team.
Now that Brett is gone can we please stop worrying about where he ranks with the all-time QB’s and just reflect on the brilliant career we all were lucky enough to enjoy. Let’s remember how great Brett was on the field and let’s remember how normal he was off it. Let’s remember Favre had many struggles in his life and he has overcome all of them. Let’s remember #4 showing everyone in the world who doubted him that he can still play and then calling it quits when his last pass ever will be an interception. Let’s remember Brett for going out on his own terms, when he wanted to. Who cares if he’s better than John Elway or Dan Marino. Who cares if he’s number 1, top 5 or top 10. What should matter is that he is Brett Favre, a modern day American Hero, who people all around this country watched and rooted for every week. Not because they loved the Packers but because they loved him. Remember Brett as the “Ol Gunslinger” who took chances because he thought he could make every throw. Don’t be ignorant and only remember the touchdowns and MVP’s because it’s the addiction, the death of his father and the interceptions that truly define Brett. This was a man who had every bad break thrown at him, shrugged it off, continued to play football and continued to be great. Don’t bunch Brett Favre into the category of quarterbacks because when you think about his life and his career, this man is in a league of his own.
Until next time, I'm gone, like Mike Mussina's velocity.
Keywords: Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers, NFL
