Favre Retires...Again

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Brett Favre was the NFL's ultimate iron man for 19 years, inspiring coaches and teammates with unparalleled toughness and thrilling fans with a daredevil's verve and a showman's sense of the moment.

Yet the once-irrepressible Favre never looked older or more fragile than in year No. 20. The magic of last season, and most of his brilliant career, never seemed farther away.

It had to end some time. And Favre says that time is now.

The 41-year-old quarterback sat out Minnesota's season-ending loss to the Lions on Sunday with a concussion, and it appears that perhaps the toughest man to ever play in the NFL had his career end not on the field trying to rally the Vikings to another victory, but on the bench as a third-string rookie floundered in Favre's place.

No one -- not even Brett Favre -- can play forever.

"I know it's time, and that's OK. It is," Favre said after the 20-13 defeat. "Again, I hold no regrets, and I can't think of too many players off-hand that can walk away and say that. Individually and from a team standpoint, it was way more than I ever dreamed of."

He also retired in 2008 with the Packers and 2009 with the Jets, only to return to the field both times when the football bug bit him in the summer. He knows that there will be doubters again.

"I don't know for me if it's ever easy," Favre said. "I'm sure throughout this year, the comment has been made that, 'We'll wait and see in August or September' and that's fine. It's time. I'm OK with it."

If this indeed is the end -- for real, this time -- for Favre, one of the most colourful and celebrated careers in league history concluded with a season filled with interceptions, injuries and insults.

He was picked off 19 times this season and his 69.9 quarterback rating is the lowest of his career. The Vikings sunk to the bottom of the NFC North after starting the season with Super Bowl aspirations, coach Brad Childress was fired during the season and Favre was fined US$50,000 for failure to co-operate with an NFL investigation into allegations that he sent lewd photos and messages to a game-day hostess when both worked for the New York Jets in 2008.

Favre's reputation took a serious hit from the humiliating scandal, which tarnished the image of one of the league's most popular players. He declined to comment on the fine after the game.

His long-awaited union with receiver Randy Moss also was a spectacular failure and his cherished streak of 297 straight starts ended three weeks ago, with a sprained throwing shoulder making it impossible for Favre to let those famously zip-filled passes rip from his right arm.

And just for good measure, the Metrodome roof caved in to provide a perfect metaphor for Favre and the Vikings' 2010, forcing the Vikings to play "home" games at Detroit and at the University of Minnesota's outdoor stadium in December.

"It's been a wonderful experience for me," Favre said. "This year did not work out the way we would have hoped, but that's football. I don't regret coming back. I enjoyed my experience here."

He was listed as doubtful for the game against the Lions on Sunday, having failed to pass the necessary tests to be cleared to play during the week. The Vikings announced that he was inactive about 80 minutes before kickoff, and Joe Webb started his second straight game at quarterback.

"He's a guy who loves football to death. You can tell. He played up until he was 41 years old," Webb said. "I admire him, he's a great mentor for me. I'll always keep in contact with him."

The season started reluctantly, with Favre having serious reservations about coming back after having surgery on his ankle last summer. He also wondered if he could duplicate his incredible 2009 performance, which he called the best of his career.

Childress had to send three of Favre's closest friends on the team -- Ryan Longwell, Jared Allen and Steve Hutchinson -- on a private plane to Hattiesburg, Miss., to coax the old man into coming back for one more shot at a Super Bowl.

But that sensational 33-touchdown, seven-interception masterpiece he put together to help the Vikings reach the NFC title game last year was doomed from the start. Injuries to his two best receivers made it difficult for Favre to get going, and that indestructible body of his finally started to break down.

"All indications, when I talk with him, and we've had many, many discussions -- this is it," interim coach Leslie Frazier said. "I don't even think it'll be an issue in the future. I don't see any situation that's going to change his mind. You might say, 'We'll, we've been down that road before,' but it's different now. Things are different, in his life and in the organization's life as well."

The website Deadspin published the tawdry allegations about Favre's supposed advances on Jenn Sterger in October, and he spent the next two months sidestepping questions about it while being exposed to the kind of public humiliation that he's never had to deal with before.

His record starts streak ended against the Giants on Dec. 13. He was knocked out of three games this season -- against New England on Oct. 31 with a gaping wound on his chin, Buffalo on Dec. 5 with the shoulder injury and Chicago on Dec. 20 with the concussion -- and also played through two broken bones in his foot, tendinitis in his elbow and injuries to his neck, back, ribs and calf.

Renowned for his ability to recover quickly, Favre missed three of his final four games and played a total of less than two quarters over the final five games as the Vikings fell apart.

Childress was fired after a 3-7 start and the Vikings finished 6-10, putting them in last place for the first time since 1990. Favre's team also finished with a losing record for just the second time in his 19 years as a starter.

"One game, one season does not define me," Favre said. "There will be people saying it's a shame you went out that way, this and that.

"I am truly grateful for the opportunity that, by the grace of God, I got a chance to play this game and play it at a high level and I'm honoured. I hope that people admired the way I played, my passion for it, because I hold no regrets."

Assuming this is the end, Favre departs as the career leader in victories (186), yards passing (71,838), touchdown passes (508), attempts (10,169), completions (6,300) and interceptions (336). He was drafted in 1991 by Atlanta but never completed a pass for the Falcons before moving on to Green Bay, where he spent 16 seasons, won three MVP awards and led the Packers to a Super Bowl title in 1997.

After the Packers grew weary of his indecisiveness about retirement, they traded him to the Jets. He spent a forgettable season in New York before joining the Vikings in 2009.

There were a few highlights for Favre in 2010. He threw his 500th career TD pass against the Jets on Oct. 11 and threw for a career-high 446 yards to rally the Vikings from a 14-point deficit with less than five minutes remaining to beat the Cardinals on Nov. 7.

Favre got one last victory under his belt when he won the coin toss before the game Sunday. When the final whistle blew, Favre waved to the fans and jogged past his teammates, up the tunnel and into the team's locker-room.

"That's the thing every player and former player that I've talked to ... will tell you that what you miss is the guys, the fellowship, the bus rides, locker-rooms, winning and losing together, celebrating together," Favre said. "That's the things you're going to miss. If I sat here and told you I would not miss that, I'd be kidding myself. From a playing standpoint, there's nothing else left to do."

We'll see if he's really retired when next season starts ^.^

FINALLY. I am so sick of the 24/7 sports media coverage they give to this guy. Vikings could have done WAYYYY better without him this season. Hopefully Vikings get a good quarterback like Cam Newton or Andrew Luck in the draft because if they stick with Joe Webb they're fucked.

Affzilla. wrote:

FINALLY. I am so sick of the 24/7 sports media coverage they give to this guy. Vikings could have done WAYYYY better without him this season. Hopefully Vikings get a good quarterback like Cam Newton or Andrew Luck in the draft because if they stick with Joe Webb they're fucked.

Woah, woah, woah! As a Vikings fan I would agree that they should draft a QB next year, but not in the early rounds. Joe Webb is raw and has a great upside. He came out as a reciever, Chilly liked his arm and switched him back to his original position of QB, and since Frazier decided to start him over a veteran (Patrick Ramsey) then Frazier sees something too. Farve is, and always will be, one of the best QB's of all time and even he says that Joe Webb has amazing potential and should be utilized in some way every game.

With that said I think that if the Vikings do draft a QB, it should be in the later rounds and would probably be someone like Terrelle Pryor out of Ohio State just because he fit into their current offensive scheme and he'll probably slip into the later rounds because of his "overrated" tag. If they don't go that route then I say that they trade for Kevin Kolb. There's no way that the Eagles will want to pay Kolb that much money to sit for another season under Vick. If the Eagles do try and trade out Kolb, he'll be a hot commodity because the guy has potential, he just got outplayed by Vick.

No to talk about the real topic at hand: Farve retiring. Farve is done, trust me. The Ole Gunslinger got the shit beat out of him this season, and you could tell just by looking at him as the season drew to a close that he was drained. I think that Farve should retire, but ask for his contract be traded to Green Bay so he can retire a Packer just because that's where he really made his legacy. I'd love to have him inshrined as a Vike, but some things are really sentimental to people.

On a side note: As a resident of Atlanta, and Falcons fan, if your favorite team is in the NFC then your road to Dallas goes through us. Come on down to the Dome and get your asses handed to you so we can go to Dallas (another indoor stadium) and kick the ass of whoever is the best the AFC has to offer and get our first Super Bowl victory!

=)

As much as I'm excited to see an eventual showdown between the Patriots and the Falcons at the Super Bowl, I hate to pierce your bubble, buddy, but I'm pretty sure that the Pats will so totally kick the Falcons' ass if that happens!

But it's gonna be interesting to see the first playoff showdown between Tom Brady and the future Tom Brady, Matt Ryan. The kid is simply amazing to watch. No wonder the Falcons grabbed the #1 seed in the NFC this year.

Just sad though that the Buccaneers won't get to be in the playoffs because of that rule about division champions being included. The Seahawks are 7-9, dammit! No team with a losing record should be included in the playoffs! I'm hoping they'll fix that rule during the offseason.

EdgeHead wrote:

As much as I'm excited to see an eventual showdown between the Patriots and the Falcons at the Super Bowl, I hate to pierce your bubble, buddy, but I'm pretty sure that the Pats will so totally kick the Falcons' ass if that happens!

But it's gonna be interesting to see the first playoff showdown between Tom Brady and the future Tom Brady, Matt Ryan. The kid is simply amazing to watch. No wonder the Falcons grabbed the #1 seed in the NFC this year.

Just sad though that the Buccaneers won't get to be in the playoffs because of that rule about division champions being included. The Seahawks are 7-9, dammit! No team with a losing record should be included in the playoffs! I'm hoping they'll fix that rule during the offseason.

Brady's had a great season. How many attempts has he gone without a pick? 300+! Brady's on fire, but the AFC, in my opinion, can get real nasty when in comes to the playoffs. With defenses like Pittsburgh, Baltimore, New York, and KC's defense isn't half bad either, Brady's going to take a beating if he makes it to the Super Bowl. And just because Brady's playing well, it doesn't mean that Patriots defense isn't still shit. Baltimore and Pittsburgh are more than capable of keeping up with Brady's offense, but give either of those team (Ravens or Steelers) the ball last and the Pats are done. I'm more than impressed with what Brady's done during the season, but I don't have much confident in the team as a whole tbh.

And Matt Ryan is definitly the future Tom Brady if he keeps up like this. Mike Smith needs to loosen that leash on him though. They don't take enough shots down the field and at Boston that's what Ryan excelled at. Let him throw it up to Harry Douglas or Eric Weems (both faster than Roddy White imo) and they'll be lighting up the scoreboard in no time.

I too was rooting for the Bucs to make it into the playoffs. Morris has said all season that he wanted them to go 10-6 and they did which has exceeded everyone's expectations. I've been on the Josh Freeman bandwagon since day one and he hasn't let me down yet. 3000+ yards, 20+ TDs, and only 6 picks I believe? In his second year? Are you kidding me? That's amazing! Then they beat the Saints at the Superdome too? Even though they didn't get in, they have to be proud of themselves. They'll have a lot of confidence going into next season. And they're young overall so the future as a whole looks bright for this squad.

And about the Seahawks I have to smh. The NFC West is a joke and is an embarrassment to the NFC as a whole. The Seahawks shouldn't be proud to be in the playoffs because they'll go down in history as the first team in NFL history to get in with a losing record. Now they definite target on their chests because no one wants to be embarassed by getting upseted by Seattle. They'd better get themselves ready for a sure ass kicking because I'd hate to be the team to lose to them in the playoffs.