Brett Favre: A classic quarterback in a classic pose.
The fact that Brett Favre may be retiring from professional football following the final game of the season against my beloveds tonight is not the end of the world – although I may get an argument about that from Packer fans. The title of this post, taken from Kate Wilhelm’s brilliant doomsday novel, refers instead to another theme brought out in her Hugo Award winning book; the original is always better than the copy.
The novel highlights a possible solution to keeping the human species alive following an environmental collapse; cloning. The problem is that eventually, the clones lose many abilities we humans take for granted – mainly spacial acuity and intuitive thinking skills but in other ways as well. Wilhelm doesn’t come out and say it but the reason for this is that the clones chose to forgo sexual reproduction. This idea is explored when two clones have a baby the old fashioned way – a strange and wonderful boy who possesses insight and abilities that the clones lack. He was not simply a copy of one of the other clones; he was an original, possessing the genes of two clones.
For much of Brett Favre’s 15 seasons in the NFL, scribes and pundits have touted this rookie or that as “the next Brett Favre.” The futility of such comparisons is born out in the fact that none has emerged nor is one likely to anytime soon. At 6’2. 225 lbs, Favre possesses size and strength that until he showed up, was a rarity among professional quarterbacks. Now, of course, we have monsters like Ben Roethlisberger (6’5”. 240), Daunte Culpepper (6’4”, 265), and Vince Young (6’5”, 235). I can remember when NFL defensive linemen were that size.
But Favre is more than simply a mold-breaker. He is a true throwback – an in your face, smash mouth, chip on the shoulder, swaggering gunslinger of a signal caller with the heart of a champion and the soul of a warrior. He is not enamored of football as a ballet or an art form as some who may take pride in the beauty of a well executed play or the breathtaking thrill of a perfectly spiralling ball arching over the hands of a DB into the waiting arms of a receiver hit in full stride.
It’s not that Favre is incapable of such play; it’s just that his brilliance lies not in perfection but rather in what might be termed anti-perfection. I have seen Brett Favre complete passes 20 yards down the field while in the grasp of two tacklers and on the way down to the ground. I have seen him throw a two handed, basketball-like chest pass for a first down. I have seen him throw the ball sideways, sidearm, underhanded like a bowler and pushed like a shot putter.
And he is as tough a customer as anyone who ever played football. I’ve seen him absorb titanic hits and get up laughing. I have seen him take off running for a first down and by the sheer power of his will, bull his way for the necessary yardage. He has started in 236 regular season games, more than any other quarterback in history. He has done this despite broken fingers, tender toes, twisted knees, cracked elbows, sprained ankles, and numerous other nicks and bruises too many to list.
He is older now, perhaps a little wiser in that he won’t expose his body to the kind of punishment he endured in his youth. The arm is still strong, which allows him to still try and force the ball into coverage; less often succeeding these days. And while still a god in Green Bay, the Packers themselves are torn between loyalty to their icon and the franchise necessity of having to develop a replacement for him.
All of this weighs on Favre as he contemplates his future. Should he buckle it up for one more year? Early this season as the Packers struggled, it almost seemed a foregone conclusion that Favre would hang it up after this year. But Green Bay has shown some life at the end of the year and will enter tonight’s game against the Bears owners of a three game win streak and perhaps an outside shot at a playoff spot.
With an improving team in a weak conference, Favre may feel that he could have one more shot at the brass ring before he retires in one or two years; the Super Bowl. But he is apparently weighing all of this against the fact that he has accomplished everything that a quarterback could possibly accomplish in a career; three straight MVP awards (only many ever to win more than two MVP’s in a career), a Super Bowl victory, passing records galore, and the certainty of a first ballot Hall of Fame induction.
In several interviews over the past two years, Favre has expressed a love for his 465 acre home in Hattiesburg, Mississippi that makes one believe he actually looks forward to the time that he leaves the NFL for days filled with hunting, fishing, and being with his family. But I have a sneaking suspicion that the competitive juices that make Favre the player that he is will not allow him to walk away until either he is carried off the field or his skills have diminished to the point where he can no longer help the team.
So I fully expect to see Favre adding to his Hall of Fame numbers next year as quarterback of the Green Bay Packers; a team I love to hate but a player who I and everyone else who loves the game of football will never forget.
***********************************************
As for the game tonight, my beloveds have nothing to play for, nothing to prove. Despite the optimism of Coach Lovie, I get the feeling most Bears fans are resigned to the idea that the team will not do anything in the playoffs this year. The secondary is a shambles (something Favre will probably expose in a shocking way tonight) and the defensive line is a shadow of its former self. The loss of Tommie Harris for the season seems to have taken something out of everyone on the line except Rookie of the Year candidate Mark Anderson whose 12.5 sacks is just two behind the rookie record.
Giving up more than 300 yards in total offense each of the last 5 games, the defense has allowed numerous big plays both in the running and passing game. The once fearsome pass rush has been missing for the last half of the season. In short, the Bears defense is now an rather ordinary group. This means the team will probably have to outscore their opponents in the playoffs in order to win. And given the inconsistency of Rex “The Wonder Dog” Grossman at quarterback, the prospects for advancing to the Super Bowl are bleak indeed.
But any Bears-Packers match-up is special. The weather will be rainy with possible snow showers later; a perfect throwback game as both teams will wallow in the mud at Soldiers Field before it’s all over.
I fully expect the Bears to lose. The line has dropped from the Bears being favored by 5 points to 3.5 in the last 24 hours – a sure sign the oddsmakers sense what I do. With nothing to play for, the Bears will probably lose big, perhaps by more than 2 touchdowns. And Brett Favre will prove once again why he is the best to ever play the game – as if we needed any more proof than he has brilliantly supplied over the past 15 years.
7:12 pm
A great tribute to my beloved Packer, Brett Favre. My favorite story of Brett is one told by Doug Peterson, the always faithful back up for Favre for many years.
At a team meeting, after Favre had won a Super Bowl and at least 2 MVPs (I cannot remember if he won all three before or after), the coaches were talking about what to do when the opponent had a “nickel” defense in.
Favre leaned over to Peterson and asked, “What the hell is a nickel defense”?
The story pointed out what makes Favre so great. He plays the game because HE LOVES the game. He gets the spotlight because he plays great not because he does some silly stunt in the endzone knowing it will show up on ESPN Sportscenter.
Your tribute to Favre was great and it is even more meaningful because it was written by a bears fan.
Thank you from a Packer Stockholder and lifelong fan.
GO PACK!!
10:27 pm
OK…nice tribute and all, but some serious hyperbole.
First, Favre was preceeded by big QBs – Aikman, Elway, Marino, and Bradshaw were all about Favre’s size. Even Young, Namath, and Montana were his height. In fact, even when Favre entered the league, he was an inch or two less than ideal.
Second, calling him the “Best to ever play the game” is ludicrious. I like him as a player, but come on. Would you really take him over Elway? Montana? Unitas? Even Marino? If you would, I will extend an invite to you to play in my fantasy league next year.
He has been a great player for a number of years, but let’s not let his retirement to be in 12 years gaze over the reality of his play. He was a great player that made the players around him better, and his gunglinging ways often won games for his team, but he, more than perhaps any other top 15 QB in history, had his play lose games for his team.
Don’t get me wrong, if he would have suited up for my beloved Vikings I would have loved having him. I sure wish I could have seen him play with an elite WR for a number of years, as Sterling Sharpe was the only great one he ever had. But, Marino never had one, nor did Elway until the very end.
Let’s enjoy Favre for as long as he plays, but let’s not be ridiculous about it.
2:09 am
Great memorial piece, but I’d still take Montana over any of the rest. And – source of novel title – Shakespeare Sonnet 73:
That Time Of Year Thou Mayst In Me Behold
William Shakespeare
That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou see’st the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west;
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire,
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the deathbed whereon it must expire,
Consumed with that which it was nourished by.
This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.
8:05 am
Head:
1. I agree with Sensei – I would take Montana over Favre. I would also take Marino over either of them talentwise. But three MVP’s in a row (outpolling Elway and Aikman) when no player has ever won more than two highlight the fact that Favre is easily in the top 5 of all time and a good argument can be made that with his competitiveness and heart, ahead of Marino. It’s a subjective statement anyway – perhaps a little hyperbole but not much. Certainly far from being “ridiculous.”
2. I said that his size was a “rarity” – and your examples prove me correct. Bradshaw was from the 70’s. Aikman, Elway, and Marino can be considered contemporaries although Favre began playing towards the end of those other fine quarterback’s careers. It was unusual until the 90’s to see a quarterback over 220 and much more common to see a QB in the 190-210 range.
3. As far as his play losing games for the Packers, I agree. But the same could be said for any great quarterback. What makes them special is their desire to make the big play at the end of the game that wins it. None of them succeeded 100% of the time. I daresay Elway cost his team many more games than Favre – I’m sure you can recall his early years with Denver where he was less than Hall of Fame caliber.
4. In addition to Sharpe, Favre had Hall of Fame Receiver James Lofton and a couple of excellent tight ends – Chmura and Keith Jackson.
3:43 pm
Rick:
point by point:
1. i will accept that your statement was subjective, but since you admit that you would take montana over favre, I will rest on this point.
2. I just threw out some examples of famous, similarly sized QBs. There are more than enough out there that show that Favre wasn’t a rare physical specimin. Phil Simms, Warren Moon, Marc Wilson, Doug williams (only 6-0, but 225), Archie Manning (6-3), Tommy Kramer, (6-2), Randall Cunningham, Ken Stabler (6,3 215), Dan Pastorini, Bernie Kosar, Vinnie Testerverde, Jim Kelly, Todd Blackledge, Boomer Easiason…by this time do I really need to go on? sure, on some of these guys Favre might have 10-20 lbs, but the entire league has grown. The bottom line is that his size, which might have been above average because of his weight, wasn’t rare by any stretch of the imagination.
3. Losing games. Throwing out Elway’s first two-three years in the league isn’t really all that relevent. Elway rarely lost games for his club after his growing period. Favre has made bone headed plays throughout his career, and just as many in the past 3 years as he did in his first 3.
4. You proved my point here. As Pete said, Favre didn’t play with Lofton (only missed him by, oh, 6 years). And Chmura? Come on! He averaged about 3 receptions per games started for 36 yards and .25 TDs, his BEST season was 54 Rec, 679 yards, and 7 TDs. Jeez…you would have had a better argument if you would have thrown out Antonio Freeman or Donald Driver. He played with keith Jackson for 1 year. Besides, this is an argument that goes towards the greatness of Favre.
11:30 pm
OK…proving I have no life, let me got thru the starting QBs in 1992
AFC Central
Neil O’Donnell – 6’3, 228
Warren Moon- 6’3, 218
Mike Tomczack – 6’1, 210
Boomer Esiason 6’4, 220
AFC East
Jim Kelly 6’3, 215
Dan Marino 6’4, 216
Jeff George 6’4, 215
Browning Nagel 6’3, 225
Hugh Millen 6’5, 215
AFC West
Stan Humphries 6’3, 223
Dave Kreig 6’1, 200
John Elway, 6’3, 210
Jay Schroeder, 6’4, 215
Stan Gelbaugh, 6’3, 200
NFC Central
Rich Gannon 6’3, 210
Brett Favre 6’2, 225
Jim Harbaugh 6’3, 215
Rodney Peete 6’0, 228
Vinny Testerverde – 6’5, 235
NFC East
Troy Aikman 6’4, 219
Randal Cunningham 6’4, 213
Mark Rypein, 6’4, 234
Jeff Hostetler 6’3, 212
Chris Chandler 6’4, 226
NFC West
Steve Young 6’2, 215
Bobby Hebert 6’4, 215
Chris Miller, 6’2, 212
Jim Everet, 6’5, 212
You can draw your own conclusions
6:08 am
Welcome to the Joe Rago Pro Journalist Institute
I’m Joseph Rago and I’d like to personally thank you for choosing the Joseph Rago Pro Journalist Institute…
1:21 pm
Head:
Impressive research but you and I both know that the given height and weight of ALL NFL players is usually low balled – sometimes for strategic reasons.
That said, lots of QB’s 10, 15, and 20 lbs lighter than Favre’s weight. The same could not be said today.
1:31 pm
Rick…
I agree… in fact, several of these QBs – Marino springs to mind, probably outweighed Favre. Also, since most of these guys were older, they probably were in the 220-230 weight category.
But, the bottom line is that of the 28 QBs listed, there were 9 (including Favre) that were Favre’s size, as listed, so that is 32%. Which means that your chance in 1992 of seeing a QB of Favre’s size was greater than the chance of having a minority person be the next person you see on the street.
Not exactly a “rarity”.
Anyway, not trying to beat you to death on this point. I enjoy the site.
2:11 pm
Being the only Packer fan in the sky box Sunday night was sheer joy. I kept that joy to myself, however. Joe Montana is over rated, give that offensive line to Rex Grossman he would win too. Bart Starr won 5 Championships, 3 of which were in a row, and played in 6. Why isn’t his name listed above? For the reason I belong to the 49’ers Haters Society.
http://www.49erhaters.com/
Dan Marino had natural talent and was great. Bret Favre has a strong arm but never had a coach like Don Shula. Holmgren, not Favre lost several more Championship opportunities. I give all the credit to Holmgren for getting Favre up to his potential that Ron Wolf saw, but a better coaching staff would have resulted in more Championships. Could one imagine Favre on a Belichick team? Move over Tom Brady. I would put Terry Bradshaw among the top 5 and that would include Favre.
Favre should not retire. The youngest team in the NFL getting better every week, huge salary cap room, tons of cash in the bank. All Favre needs is a marque WR and the Pack is a contender. McCarthy is probably the best coach he has had, why leave.