Brett Favre Retires from the NFL

Brett Favre always played the game with a smile on his face and he truly enjoyed the challenges and competition. Brett leaves the game after having one of the most successful and celebrated careers in the NFL. His accomplishments are so very many, it would take several pages to discuss each and every record and award.

Favre life was lived in front of the fans and media. From an addiction to painkillers, to the death of his father and the illness of his wife, football fans watched this certain first ballot Hall of Famer handle each bump in the road and come back even stronger. As celebrated as his career has been, it wasn't easy.

When Favre entered college at Southern Miss, he was in a horrific automobile accident that almost took his life. While the accident didn't take his life, it did take over 2 feet of his intestines and he lost nearly 40 pounds. Favre took the field a couple short months later to lead the Southern Miss to an upset victory over Alabama..

When Favre entered the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons, he had the reputation of a raw, gunslinger with little discipline. He was late for meetings and missed team photos because of the late nights Favre spent in the bars, partying and drinking. When the Green Bay Packers offered a first round selection for the raw gunslinger, the Falcons jumped at the chance to unload the undisciplined Favre.

What the Falcons didn't see in Favre, the Green Bay Packers management wanted in the worst way. ESPN reported that Favre failed the required physical that a player takes upon being traded and the Packers insisted that the doctors pass him. The Packers GM, Ron Wolf knew that Favre was the quarterback that could lead the Packers back among the NFL's elite.

Under the tutelage of quarterback coach Steve Mariucci and head coach Mike Holmgren, Favre was able to reign in gunslinging style to make him one of the best quarterbacks of all time. Wolf was correct in his assessment of Favre. Favre quaterbacked the Packers back to the cream of the NFL's crop and rewarded the believers with a Super Bowl victory.

Of all the records Favre holds, perhaps the most poignant is his consecutive game streak. Favre played one of the most physically demanding positions. Favre played with a broken thumb on his throwing hand, on gimpy knees, with arm and shoulder injuries that kept the greatest QBs on the sidelines, yet Brett played on.

When I think about Brett Favre's career, the one constant that pops into my head is the smile he wore on his face during the game. As long as there was time on the clock, Brett Favre always believed he could mount a comeback if his team was losing and insisted on being on the field no matter how much the Packers were winning by. His youthful exuberance probably makes him on of the most popular players ever in the NFL and it's quite hard to find any player or fan who speaks ill of the Packer great.

If this is indeed the end of Favre career, then congratulations Brett Favre. It was a wonderful ride and I'll be cheering for you when your Hall of Fame induction is announced. But somehow I can see Brett getting that itch late in the summer. I can see the boyish smile coming through and I can see Brett making a decision to play football again... and the NFL will better off for it.