Players Favre a Dying Breed

With the recent news of Bret Favre leaning towards retirement as opposed to playing another season in Green Bay, you can’t help but wonder how him leaving the game will impact the league. In his 15 seasons in the NFL, the last 14 with the Packers, Favre has always been a team first guy and has played every down as if it were his last. He’ll leave the game second in all major passing categories (yards, attempts, completions, TD passes), third in career wins as a starter, fourth in starts, and first in every category in the Packers’ storied history. But as Favre has always stated and I truly believe, it’s not about the records for him. He needs to feel that him coming back for another season will first and foremost benefit the Green Bay Packers. And at this point he’s finding it more and more difficult to find that answer.

In a league now full of the “me first” athlete and free agency running rampant, players of Favre’s ilk are a dying breed. It’s never been about the money with Brett, but as an elite quarterback in the NFL when is it ever. He’s never held out for more money, missed a start and his 14 seasons with the same organization more than displays his stance on loyalty. A loyalty not only displayed by him as a player, but also by the Green Packers as an organization.

Rarely do you see this loyalty by a player displayed anymore, but even more rare is for the organization to also reciprocate that loyalty. The Packers understand the legacy of Brett Favre and how it pertains to the history of their organization. Even NFL greats Joe Montana and Jerry Rice had to pursue other outlets to continue their careers beyond their days as 49ers. In Favre’s case at this point, thankfully it looks like it will never have to come to that. As previously stated he owns every record in the Packers’ record book, but not only that, he’s likely the most popular player in not only their history, but certainly one of the most popular in the NFL’s as well. You’ll be hard pressed to find a more respected player not only by the fans and the media, but by his colleagues as well. The Packers front office has not given him a timetable for making his decision and are not by any means in the process of forcing him out, but as always Favre understands the right way and the right time to make his decision.

Favre would like to wait until training camp to make his decision, but understands for the betterment of the organization a decision by the draft in April is far more beneficial for everyone. He plans to make his decision with in the next month, giving the Packers ample time to prepare for the draft and also time to prepare for the possibility of playing football without him. He’s even gone as far as telling Packer GM Ted Thompson that if the team doesn’t want to wait for his decision and decide themselves that they want to move on without him to then just cut him loose. A move not likely to come anytime soon.

And for maybe the first time in Favre’s career as it pertains to football, the answers on what to do don’t seem to be coming to him as easily as he would like.

“I love the game too much and I love my legacy too much to have that just be OK,” Favre said, “and I don’t want to be just OK. I want to be good, and I don’t know if I’m committed enough [right now] to be good on an everyday basis.”

That doesn’t sound like a man too sure or ready to make a decision about his future at this time.

The team going in a new direction at head coach has to figure into his decision, but if the Packers choice of Mike McCarthy has had a positive or negative impact on Favre’s future only Brett knows. I’m sure Favre had no input into their final decision, but you’d have to believe they wouldn’t go in a direction that they thought would not have been accepted by their franchise quarterback. In the end only he knows the factors that will eventually lead him to continuing his career or ending it and beginning retirement. One thing, however, that is not in doubt is that he’ll leave no stone unturned in coming to his final decision.
Favre stated in a recent interview that he has told Thompson he won’t return for the money or records, saying, “It’s not about me. … I want to make the right decision for everyone involved.”
Maybe I’m being selfish, but I just hope Brett understands that everyone involved spans far beyond himself, his family and the Green Bay Packer organization. This decision will also affect the entire NFL and the face of the whole sports world. Having said that I’ll fully understand if his final decision is to call it quits. It’s been well documented the mental anguish he’s gone through the past few years with the passing of his father, his wife’s bout with cancer and the freak loss of his brother in law. I do, however, hope dearly he decides to return, at least for one more year. They don’t make players like him anymore, not in the NFL at least. A player willing to give it all for the purpose of the team, not just the betterment of one man. With that, may the chants of “One more year!” begin.