Thank God!

Yes, thank God Brett Favre has finally retired. Surprised to hear that from a Green Bay Packer season ticket holder? Well you should be and you shouldn't be. In my life, I have never veered away from my love for the Packers, but there's a realistic side to me that people mistake as being a fair weather fan. Mostly that side is just pure pessimism, not being a poor fan. I still cheer for my team, but my knowledge of sports is pretty proficient and always has been, so when players dwindle or hurt their team, they get no free passes. So is the case with my love/hate attitude towards future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre.

First off all, I didn't even want to write this up, but the media is a joke and actually interviewed Brewers today about what they thought of the retirement. Seriously, that's enough. Keep football in football and ask those men what actually matters and what you're actually supposed to be covering.

I never used to hate Brett. When he first came to GB, if you met him, he was kind of a prick, but not Sterling Sharpe prick, just smug. Thankfully that changed once he got some playing time and some money. Nevertheless, from 1992 until about 2002-2003, I was the biggest Brett Favre fan. I remember all the crazy/stupid throws that he made, and they were fun to watch, but as Brett evolved as a quarterback, the stupid throws diminished greatly, while the crazy ones stuck around. As a result, he earned himself a Super Bowl Championship and three MVP awards. But in 2003, Brett went back to those stupid throws, even though he had 12 years of experience under his belt, and decided it was his job and his job alone to will this team to win.

That's a team job folks. This demeanor was solidified in the year that Brett essentially broke his thumb, but refused to take a game off, so as to help his team win a game and more importantly maintain his record of consecutive starts. (For those who claim the record didn't matter to him, note breaking every record last year, keeping everyone on offense and still retiring and then tell me that again.) Brett willed the team to a victory the following game, but was awful the rest of the year because instead of healing and giving the team a better year by only missing a game or two, he put the record and his ego first.

This was the start of the hatred that brewed for 4 more years and bled into last season, when magically Brett decided not to throw those garbage balls into triple coverage or rocket a ball through a Nerf football sized hole. The result was a majestic 13-3 season. Unfortunately, all three of the games lost were directly correlated to the ridiculous decisions made by a 16 year quarterback. In the two Chicago games, which were sad displays of football, Brett through two interceptions respectively, all four of which were not the receivers fault, but blown plays where Brett just said, "the hell with it." Then there was the Dallas game where Brett looked like a rookie QB, throwing two more picks in the first two quarters before getting hurt. Old Brett would have just went back in and kept playing, but hey, he had the records already and a playoff spot locked up. Let the kid do it. Aaron Rodgers almost pulled that game out and I'm ok that he's our QB next year.

The final loss of the 2007 season was against the now World Champion New York Giants, and do you know why they made the Super Bowl? Well it breaks down to one interception and maybe two interceptions. The first INT was in the 4th quarter, where Brett threw a lob ball to a double covered receiver. Lucky for Brett, the guy fumbled, but it killed momentum. Then OT hit and well, it's 2nd down. Your defense had just recovered from a poor third quarter to shut down Eli and the offense in the fourth quarter, even though you let your offense go three and out twice. What do you do? You throw a duck on a blown play that gets cut by the wind and essentially gives away an entire season to an ego that could have been better sated by a 3rd down attempt or a defensive hold by an improved defense. And that's why Lambeau Field became a funeral parlor as the kick went through the uprights.

Brett Favre was/is definitely one of the greatest QBs to ever play the game. I can't doubt that. I have tried in the past because of the disdain I've had for the past couple of years, but you have no choice but to respect his amazing career. As a Packer fan, and a more importantly a Green Bay native, I offer my appreciation for what Brett did for not only the team, but the people in GB, who don't have much else to talk about there, but also because of the economic success he brought with it. He is undoubtedly enshrined among other Packer legends like Bart Starr and Vince Lombardi.

But now, just like for the Brewers, it's time for the kids to play, and I'm more excited to watch a new breed of football in Green Bay that doesn't hinge about one single individual.