Written by James Taylor
Brett Favre was selected in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. Favre was traded to the Packers after just one year with Atlanta, and the rest is history… Except for the present, that is.
My goal is to take you on a journey through the ups and downs of Brett Favre’s recent career struggles until present glory, so that you can better appreciate, for better or for worse, a man who we love watching, and a man who loves the game.
Favre has been the recipient of much criticism after the end of the 2007 season when the Packers organization decided to switch directions, and go with younger quarterback Aaron Rogers. The criticism began when Favre “retired”, and then said he wanted to play again.
My questions are these… Why were many of you trying to tell a man who has provided you with hours of entertainment what to do? Why were you trying to strip him of one of his greatest American rights (the right to change his mind)?
Allow me speak for all future athletes who will “retire” and then come back, in what will be my futile attempt to keep history from repeating itself via ignorant fans. They love the game. They’ve been playing for years and do not know life without it. They are like vets who’ve come back home, but not totally… Not mentally. They feel like the rest of us (which is boring because we live through them). They need it. And most importantly, they’re human and do not realize how much they’ll miss it until they try being without it. In Favre’s case, we loved him when he fought through cold, pain, injuries etc… Why don’t we stick by him when he fights through age, tough decisions and the media?
Back to Favre’s career timeline for a moment. To summarize this segment, Favre did come back in 2008 to play for the Jets and started off hot. Everybody seemed to love him and then, they started losing and Favre was to blame. Fast-forward a bit to 2009. Many anticipate Favre’s retirement, and others speculate that he might end up playing for Minnesota. Eventually, the news broke that he would indeed be putting on the purple. Many Green Bay faithful were furious, while other fans believed him to be ruining his own legend by not retiring.
Once again I must speak. First of all, it is HIS career, stop worrying about it. Second, remember this is Brett Favre we are talking about here – He’s won a Super Bowl, he is the only player in NFL history to win the Most Valuable Player award three consecutive times. He’s thrown more careertouchdownpasses, has more career passing yards, more career pass completions, more career pass attempts,had more consecutive startsand has had more career victories than any other starting quarterback ever… Do not make the mistake of thinking age will bind Favre in the same ways it does nearly every other human being… Did Jordan not teach you this?
Back to the timeline. Rumors soar that there may have been a reason Favre started so hot and finished so poorly with the Jets in 2008. Jets coach Eric Mangini underwent an investigation for not reporting to the league an injury Favre may have sustained during the 2008 season.
This may explain a lot. It also may teach us a lesson: Never doubt Favre!
Favre is currently playing for the Vikings, and not surprisingly at all in my mind, has led the team to a 10-1 start. He has beat the Packers twice, he leads a team that boasts the third best record in the NFL (behind two undefeated’s), and he is putting up MVP type numbers. Haters, doubters… This is where you bend your leg, and put your foot in your mouth. Never doubt Brett Favre.
This is my final advice on the matter, a piece worth considering when forming an opinion about anyone who decides to return to a sport they once played. Never blame someone for loving the game so much that they come back and endure criticism to do something they miss and love… Especially when it’s Brett Favre!
