Retirement Anxiously Awaits Brett Favre

In response to criticism of the Jets' downfall during the end of the '08 season, as well as comments from other Jets players, Brett Favre provided a weak and illegitimate excuse. His defensive response was "I have nothing left to prove." Is he serious? To say you have nothing left to prove implies that you have met and exceeded all significant accomplishments in your respective profession. Yes, he has the most passing yards in NFL history, but this is simply due, in large part, to a thing called "longevity." Throwing for the most yards does not mean you have nothing left to prove - it simply means you were able to stay healthier than the average quarterback. Brett Favre has won only one Super Bowl during his long career. Yes, just one . . . yet he says he has nothing left to prove? One would think you would not have the right to say you have nothing left to prove unless you have won at LEAST TWO! John Elway had nothing left to prove. If you really want to look at somebody had nothing left to prove, then look no further than Joe Montana or Terry Bradshaw, who won at least THREE or FOUR rings! And don't forget Favre's amazing collection of interceptions thrown, which he is ALSO the all-time leader in. It makes one wonder . . . if Joe Montana had played as many games as Favre, would HE be the all-time leader in interceptions? The answer would most likely be NO. The answer would also be NO for a large collection of other successful quarterbacks who did not have a tenure as long as Favre.

Without a doubt, Brett Favre was one of the most entertaining football players to ever step on the field, but he was not one of the greatest. He may think he has nothing left to prove, but no matter what, no respectable journalist will ever mention him as one of the top ten quarterbacks of all-time. Who would list him above Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Tom Brady, Steve Young, Roger Staubach, John Elway, Troy Aikman, Bart Starr, Dan Marino, and Johnny Unitas. All of these guys put up solid stats . . . and most of these guys, with the exception of the ring-less Marino, won more than one Super Bowl . . . and most of these guys averaged a lot fewer interceptions than Favre, also! Favre would probably be lucky to even be considered in the top 20 of all-time. The love and attention that he received from the loyal Green Bay Packer fans, as well as NFL fans in general, occasionally made him seem larger and greater than he actually was.

The simple conclusion here is this: Unless you have the greatness and proven success of a guy like Michael Jordan, you should not be caught dead saying that you have "nothing left to prove!"

The truth is, Brett Favre definitely has something left to prove. He has to prove that he knows when to say when. He has to prove that he knows he no longer has the ability to carry a team to big game. He has to clean out his locker and retire before he makes even a bigger mockery of himself than he already has.