Favre Hangs Them Up

Unlike previous years where he kept folks waiting, Green Bay Packer Brett Favre officially retired today. His personal story is amazing (c'mon, a kid from a backward-ass country fuck town in Mississippi being the star quarterback in Wisconsin?), he battled a vicodin addiction and his wife went public with her breast cancer fight. And he was fun to watch on the football field. Last year, with inexperienced receivers and no running game until the second half of the season, he made straw out of gold and took The Pack to the NFC championship game against the eventual Super Bowl champion Giants.

Don't get me wrong, Favre was a very good quarterback. However, there's something about the country's love affair with the Packers (the last NFL team in a small city) and personally with Favre that makes (made) him a Teflon QB. Let's face it, Favre threw away the game against the Giants and had a bad interception against the Eagles in the 2004 playoffs. His playoff record was 11-9, only 2-5 since the Super Bowl win, and 2-3 record in the last 5 at Lambeau in the playoffs. OK, Jen has just disowned me.

I've seen the appeal of Favre up close. My best man's wife is from Oconomowoc and has to wring out her panties at the mention of Favre. Along with Reggie White, he resurrected football on the Frozen Tundra.

In the final analysis, I think Favre was a very good, but not great QB. Hell, he wasn't the best quarterback in Green Bay history. That would be Bart Starr, who won 2 Super Bowls plus three other pre-Super Bowl championships.

I will give him credit for going out on his terms. It's rare that an American athlete does that and it is admirable. I wish him well.