Favre has no plans on hanging them up
For the past couple years, the hot topic around NFL circles was when Brett Favre would officially retire. However, after a fantastic 2007 regular season at age 38, Favre is showing every indication that he’ll return for an 18th season in Green Bay.
“Each week, I bring more stress on myself wondering if this is too good to be true,” Favre told the Sun Herald. “I want to continue the streak and winning. When I talk about the streak, it’s not the (consecutive) starts; it’s the hot streak we are on. Then, I ask what can I do better?
“I am trying to enjoy it because this could be my last game in Green Bay. For the first time in three years, I haven’t thought this could be my last game. I would like to continue longer.”
Amazing what winning will do for a player; good for Favre. Retiring should be his decision and his decision alone – not the media’s. Obviously he can still play at a high level and after this year, nobody should question whether or not the game has passed him by. You tell us when it’s your last game, Brett.
Why would he???
He plays for one of the youngest teams in the league and they went 13-3. He will have a great chance to maybe extend his great streak of games, which if he does come back and plays through the whole year nobody will even have a chance at breaking it. I truly believe he will come back and play very well with his great recieving corps, plus he will start the season with Ryan Grant as the starting running back.!!!! However, I will say that in two years I think Brandon Jackson will start for the Packers and he will play well. People need to give this guy one more year and I think he will prove many people wrong.
I am hoping for Aquib Talib in the 08 draft for the PACK – Go PACK!!!!!
Nick
I’m really of two minds about this. I love Favre for all that he’s given us over the last 15+ years, but seeing Rogers play a little during the Dallas game has me excited for the future as well.
I think in some ways, Favre has been training this team for Rogers to take over. If he had left in 2005, Rogers would have gotten slaughtered. It took a tough as nails veteran QB to survive that season. Much of the next year wasn’t much better. With the exception of O-line and (as you mention, Nick) CB, the team now has a solid young foundation to build on. They also have the experience of playing with a legend and a total professional.
I don’t think enough has been made of just how much Favre brings to the team in terms of character, leadership and professionalism. As a coach, you just kill for the chance to have your young players be around a guy like him – they absorb his attitude. They mimic has preperation. It establishes a culture in a team that you just can’t create without that sort of rare individual being present.
I still think we need to upgrade the guard talent, but Ted and Mike have proven me wrong plenty of times. Maybe these guys just needed a little more time to come together. Go Pack!!
I think the Packers made a mistake when they drafted Rodgers. Not that he wasn’t worth a first round pick or he won’t be a good quarterback, but their decision to burn a first round pick on a QB signaled the start of the “when will Brett retire?” era. Maybe it started a little earlier, but the pick pushed up the discussion to the forefront.
In retrospect, with a player like Brett, I think you keep building the team around him (there are more than a few players we could have taken with that pick that could help us now) and once he decides to hang ‘em up, you grab a vet in the offseason to help you transition to the young QB that you draft for the future.
As for Favre, I don’t see any reason why he should retire. If not for Brady’s monster season, he probably would have won the MVP and the Packers are still a young, up-and-coming team. I hope he plays another two or three years – I think his game will stay about the same for a few more seasons. (Though hitting 40 is a mental wall that might be tough to ignore.)