Fantasy : Favre: A legend retires! : Dear Fantasy Doctor X.

By Derek Lofland. Now that the retirement that everyone has been talked about since 1996 has finally become official I would like to take the time to thank Brett Favre for a career that spanned 17 Hall of Fame seasons, 16 of which were with the Green Bay Packers.
I have been a religious Packers fan since 1989. My first year watching football was the Cardiac Pack of 1989 with Don the "Magic Man" Majkowski and The great Lindy Infante. I was too young and naïve to realize that the Packers had been the laughing stock of the NFL for 20 years. I was not astute enough to realize that they had been 4-12 the year prior to me becoming a fan. I was in 6th grade and the Pack had just finished a 10-6 season. They missed the playoffs on the wrong side of a Minnesota Vikings tiebreaker. The Packers even beat the 1989 49ers in the regular season in San Fran, the same 49ers that finished 1989 with a 14-2 record and went on to destroy Denver 55-10 in that year's Superbowl. In my mind the 1990 Packers were headed for big things.

The next two years were painful. The Pack got off to a slow start because the Magic Man held out. They hit their stride in the middle of the year, but he tore his rotator cuff and was out for the year. The Packers couldn’t win a game without him and limped to a 6-10 season. The following year was even worse and they finished 4-12. Lindy Infante was replaced by some offensive coordinator I had never heard of from San Francisco named Mike Holmgren.

I remember the first time I ever heard the name Brett Favre. I was a freshman in high school. While the Don Majikowski jersey I had received as a Christmas present from my parents in 6th grade no longer fit, my allegiance was still as strong as ever. I had heard on TV that the Packers were trading their first round pick to acquire the third string quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons. I remember talking to my English Teacher who was also a big Packer fan. “What the hell are the Packers doing”?,we both asked. Sure the Falcons had finished 10-6 and made the playoffs. But couldn't we at least get Atlanta's backup QB? A third string QB? If Favre couldn't beat out Atlanta's backup how was that going to work for the Pack? Billy Joe Tolliver wasn't exactly Steve Young.

I guess that’s why they hired Ron Wolf instead of me. It amazes me that Ron Wolf was so sold on this guy that even after Brett Favre failed his physical for fear that a hip condition would jeopardize his longevity Wolf still wanted him. Wolf ordered the doctor to examine him again and pass him this time. That is a lot of conviction given that a first round pick was at stake. This was anything but a sure thing.

When Favre reported to camp people might have noticed he was 252 pounds and out of shape, if anyone had really cared. People were used to the Packers making stupid draft picks and stupid trades. The Packers still had the Magic Man. Mike Tomczak was the backup. There was hope that with a new coach one of those two could become the answer. Ty Detmer had been drafted and was expected to compete with Favre for that third spot. Brett Favre was known as the guy the Packers threw their first round pick away on.

Then he got his first break. Tomczak decided that he needed more money to play for the Packers. That was a very stupid decision. Favre and Detmer didn't look too bad in Training Camp or the Exhibition Season. The Packers decided to go young at that spot and Favre was named the backup. Tomczak eventually did report to camp, but it was too late. He didn’t even make the team.

The first time we saw Brett Favre take the field in a regular season game for the Packers was nothing to write home about. Green Bay was being beaten pretty badly by a Tampa Bay squad that would go on to finish the 1992 season 5-11. Favre was put into a blowout to gain experience. Favre’s numbers weren't exactly the stuff of legend.: 8 completions on 14 attempts, 57.1 completion percentage, 73 yards, 0 touchdowns, 1 pick, 4 sacks for minus 24 yards, and a 41.7 QB rating. He didn't complete his first pass to Sterling Sharpe, Ed West, Jackie Harris, or even Edgar Bennett. #4's first pass completion was to #4 for -7 yards. Everyone was hoping Majikowski would be in the game next week.

But #4 did see the field again. Majikowski was injured in the very next game and Brett Favre came into the game to try to rally the Packers. He played badly for most of the game. He was so nervous he couldn’t hang on to the ball. He fumbled at least 5 times that game. He was obviously confused and teammates would recall later that he was calling plays that weren't even in the playbook. In the 4th quarter he suddenly came alive. He finished that game with 289 yards and 2 touchdowns with 0 interceptions. One of those touchdown passes was to Kitrick Taylor with under a minute to play that tied the game at 23 even. The Packers won that game and more importantly a Legend was born.

September 27, 1992 will always be a special day for Packer fans. It was the first start in Brett Favre's career. He picked right up where he left off the week before and led the Packers to a 17-3 win over the Steelers. However, what followed was a three-game losing skid in which Brett played well, but not great.

I can tell you a lot of games and a lot of moments over his 17-year career. I think the game I realized that Brett Favre was for real was the Philadelphia game in November that season.

It wasn't as if the Eagles had a storied team. After starting 4-0 they had limped to 6-3. The 49ers, Giants, and Redskins were the class of the NFL. Dallas was just starting to come into Super Bowl dynasty form. However, the Eagles did go 11-5 in 1992 and won a playoff game in 1992 against the Saints. Reggie White, Seth Joyner, Clyde Simmons, Eric Allen. The list of names goes on and on. The Eagles allowed the 6th fewest points in the NFL that season. That defense was as feared as any in the league. That started with Reggie White. There was no bigger or more feared defensive name in the NFL.

The 1990 Eagles had beaten the Packers 30-0 and the 1991 Eagles won 20-3. Packer fans weren't expecting much. I have never seen a quarterback take a beating like Favre took that day. He kept getting up when you thought there was a chance he no longer belonged to this world. The Eagles battered him that day. Favre dislocated his left shoulder early in the game. Yet it didn't matter. He led the Packers on two fourth quarter scoring drives to a 27-24 win. Favre didn't play perfect that day. He had 2 interceptions to go along with those 2 touchdowns. He had 275 yards and completed 69.0 of his passes. But if there was one game that symbolizes that streak it is either the Monday Night game he played in Oakland a day after his father unexpectedly passed away or this game against the Eagles.

In the book titled Favre, Mark Bowden who was a reporter for the Philadelphia Enquirer said this about the Eagles locker room, "The Philadelphia players weren't just moving around in their usual sullen post-loss funk; some of them were openly angry. Seth Joyner, the team's volatile left side linebacker, shattered any pretense of team unity by blaming the loss directly on Kotite, whose conservative play calling in the final minutes had twice given Favre's team the ball. Offensive players, sticking up for their head coach asked, who was it exactly who had failed to stop the Packers' scoring drives? What the bickering Eagles couldn't know was that at this point they were just a sideshow to the main event. They had witnessed the take-off of a new legend. The wheel of fate had turned. The Eagles were entering years of decline. All the Philadelphia Eagles knew that afternoon in 1992 was they were beaten in a game they were supposed to win by some kid they had never even heard about. This new guy, Brett Favre hadn't just beaten them, he had shaken them up. He had dented their cohesion as a team."

Reggie White said he came to Green Bay because God told him to. While many people still joke about that comment I understand where Reggie was coming from. I think Reggie wanted to win, but he wanted to do it with someone other than the current powerhouses. The easy thing would have been to sign with Dallas or San Francisco. While Reggie wanted to win a title he wanted to be remembered for more than just winning a ring. He wanted to bring a title to a team that hadn't experienced sustained success for 30 years. He wanted to be a difference maker and go to a place where black athletes had traditionally not wanted to play. There was a special opportunity and challenge that existed in Green Bay that was about more than just football. I can't believe he would have had the confidence to make that decision had Brett not played the way he did that day.

That game started a six-game winning streak that put Green Bay in position to make the playoffs. It sent Brett Favre to his first Pro Bowl. The regular season ended in Minnesota and Packer fans know how that went. The Packers lost 27-7 in the Metrodome and were eliminated from the playoffs. Magic Man would never again play for the Packers. Reggie White would sign with Green Bay that offseason and people now expected Green Bay to not only contend for the division, but possibly the Super Bowl.

1993 was a very up and down season. That season probably sums up why his critics hesitate to put Brett Favre as the best quarterback ever. Expectations were sky high for this franchise to earn a playoff bid. That was something they had done only twice since Vince Lombardi, and one of those was the strike-shortened season of 1982. The Packers beat the Rams 36-6 in the opener and the expectations went through the roof. The Packers would lose their next 3 games. Favre had 3 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in a 4 game stretch leading into the bye. He had 4 games that year where he threw 3 or more interceptions. He finished the season with just 19 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. He just didn't get it. He would throw from his knees, throw into triple coverage, sometimes he would do both. He would never take a sack. He tried to make the Holy Roller, The Catch, The Music City Miracle, and the Immaculate Reception all happen on the same play. It was perplexing that someone with that much talent could look that confused and play that stupid.

The Packers’ season ended how it began. They limped into the playoffs as the last wildcard instead of the division winner thanks to 4 interceptions in a 10-point loss at Detroit. Favre redeemed himself in the playoff rematch at Detroit and threw 3 touchdowns, one of which was to Sterling Sharpe to win the game 28-24. That was Brett Favre that season. One play he was Joe Montana on his best day and the very next play he was Rex Grossman at his worst.

While Favre was still as popular as ever 1994 was a big season. In the 1994 preseason the Packers cheered Favre for throwing a ball out of bounce. That would have offended some superstars. They would have quickly showed the crowd who was number one, Told them to shut up, and Pouted that nobody loved them. That wasn't the case. This guy understood as much as anyone that 1993 was not acceptable. He knew what was at stake and knew what had to be done.

What followed were the 5 best years that anyone has ever played QB in the NFL. Everyone knows the stats, but I think they deserve repeating: Three consecutive MVPs from 1995 to 1997. Three consecutive seasons with 35 or more touchdown passes. Five consecutive seasons with 30 plus touchdown passes from 1994 to 1998. Four consecutive 90 + rating seasons from 1994 to 1997. The Packers won an average of 11.4 games per season. The Packers won 3 consecutive division titles from 1995-1997. They had three consecutive NFC Championship Appearances, two NFC Titles, one Super Bowl title in 1996 and the first and only team since the 1972 Dolphins to lead the league in both scoring offense and defense.

There have been quarterbacks with better seasons. Marino in 1984, Warner in 1999, Manning in 2004, and Brady in 2007 come to mind. But no one played that well over a 5-year period. Favre averaged 4,054 yards and 35.2 touchdown passes to 13.8 interceptions from 1994 to 1998. I will say it again. Never in the history of the National Football League has a quarterback put together 5 consecutive seasons of that quality. When you consider that Sterling Sharpe was lost to a career ending injury in 1994, that the Packers didn't have a 1,000 yard rusher or receiver in their 1996 championship season due to an injury bug at WR, and that Favre was battling alcohol and pain killer addiction from 1994-1995; it is amazing what he and the Packers were able to accomplish.

We all know what followed after Mike Holmgren left for Seattle. We could spend pages talking about the good and the bad. The good being unbelievable. The Freeman catch on a Monday Night against the Vikings, a] Monday Night Game against the Raiders after his dad passed away, The bomb to Jennings to open OT against the Broncos on Monday Night, and passing Marino for every significant passing record. On the other hand we could talk about the career interception record. The 3 playoff wins, The interceptions to close the ‘03 Eagles’ game or the ‘07 Giants’ game, or The 6 picks against the Rams.
There will be plenty of time to debate #4’s place not only in NFL history, but also in the history of professional sports. Is he the league’s best football player ever? The best quarterback ever? You name it; he will be in the debate. This is the biggest retirement since Jordan walked away from the Bulls in 1998. The press coverage of it validates that. He has so many great plays that his biggest fans will not be able to comprehend him being number one and so many bad ones that his critics will shake their head at the sheer stupidity of calling him the best ever. 275 games leave quite a body of work.

Not only do I believe he is the best quarterback of all time, but I really don't think the #2 guy is really that close to him. I wouldn't get mad if a Brady, Elway, Manning, Marino, Montana, or Unitas fans told me I was crazy. We all have our favorite players and our opinions on this subject.

I don’t think that is what today is about. Today is not only a celebration it is an ending. There is so much that is wrong in sports today: The steroids, The HGH, Senate Hearings,Clemens and Bonds, Grand Jury Testimony, Spygate, Cell Phones and Sharpies as props for celebrations, Trips to Mexico, and Jessica Simpson.

Professional sports used to be an extension of the game we played as kids. Today it is a multi billion-dollar industry that produces a lot of excitement, but hardly resembles the game we remember. It is a very materialistic world where contracts, fame, and rings define the sporting landscape and people’s place in that world.

The saddest day for me outside of funerals and other such family tragedies was the day my high school basketball team lost its last game by 2 points. I was a reserve on that team and even though I did not have a significant role in that game it was the end of a special time for me. Since 3rd grade I had played with many good friends and classmates. We won many tournaments as youngsters. We went to the WI State Semifinals my Junior Year. When I lost that last game I knew that I would never be able to get that back. That chapter in my life was over.

I feel very similar today. Today is the end of a chapter. Brett Favre understood it was a business. He made as much money as anyone playing football. He understood the pressures and responsibilities of playing professional football. But he never seemed to lose sight of who he was or what he was doing there. Whether it be a snowball fight with a teammate, a stink bomb in the huddle, high fives for the officials, smacking a lineman on the fly, or tackling a teammate, he understood it was a game…that it was supposed to be fun. You just don’t see much of that in sports today. He never let being a professional quarterback define who he was or how he was going to act. He was a throwback playing in the modern era. I don’t think there has ever been an athlete that exemplified his team and his state the way #4 did for the Packers and Wisconsin.

That went from his first year to his last year. For his last professional game he drove to the stadium in a pick up truck with blue jeans and a t-shirt. Like a 38-year old guy driving to the open gym to hoop it up with his friends. That is just something you don’t see in the suit and tie sports today.

That image of him arriving to the stadium defined him. Two years ago people said he was still crazy to play. This year he is crazy for leaving with this much left and a team this promising. He was amazing for throwing into triple coverage for a touchdown. He was stupid for throwing a ball while lying on the ground. Everyone had an opinion on how this guy should play and how he should act. Everyone knew the perfect time for him to retire, and where at the end of the day he was going to show up, play, give it his all, and let the cards fall where they may.

It is fitting that he left the game at a time when he could still decide whether or not he wanted to continue playing. Not as a salary cap or medical casualty. Many players of that caliber would have too big of an ego to leave the game with their last throw being an interception in the NFC Championship Game. They would have kept coming back until they couldn’t come back anymore. Favre never was going to let the experts dictate how he would play the game nor how he would leave it. He left on his own terms.

Today is the beginning of a new Chapter in NFL football. It’s Brett Favre’s turn to leave the ranks of the active and join the conversation of the legends. I understand the debate does not stop here. In 2000 - whatever we will be having the same conversation about Brady and Manning. Just as Dan Marino’s records have fallen to Brett Favre, many if not all of Favre’s will probably fall to Manning. In 2040 someone will be talking about the guy that threw 80 touchdown passes in a season that isn’t even born yet. Whatever records Manning manages to break someone will surpass those as well.

As I said, I don’t expect the fans of the other great quarterbacks to agree with me. People will say I am just a biased Packers fan. There are enough awards and stats to make an objective unbiased argument for Brett Favre. I shouldn’t be dismissed as some unintelligent fan because I also happen to like Brett Favre. To me he was the greatest that ever played. We will have plenty of time to discuss that.

As a fan, I don’t care about any of that. I’m just glad I got to watch my favorite quarterback for 16 exciting years. While I will always love to watch the NFL it will never be the same after today. Most 30-year-old people aren’t still watching the guy they idolized in high school. The Packers could get a new quarterback that wins 6 MVPs and throws 500 touchdowns. No other quarterback will be able to replace that.

I feel like the Green Bay Packers and the Sporting World lost something that was very special about sports. It takes a pretty special player and a pretty special career to make so many people feel that way. Thank you, Brett, for making the last 16 NFL seasons a special time for my friends, my family, and me. There will be a new QB next season in Green Bay, but there will never be another #4.
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