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Time for a legend to let go |
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Written by Marc Aceves | Patterson Irrigator
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Wednesday, 16 July 2008 |
Brett Favre has had a change of heart.
Four months after his tearful goodbye to the Green Bay Packers and the NFL, Favre has decided football remains in his system and he wants to play in 2008. So the NFL’s all-time leading passer has asked the Packers for his release to pursue employment elsewhere.
Sounds like a good idea.
But then, signing with the Arizona Cardinals sounded like a good idea to Emmitt Smith at the time, too. The NFL’s all-time leading rusher was past his prime at 34 years old, but he thought he still had some quality football in his system when he signed with the Cardinals in 2003.
Smith endured the two worst years of his NFL career at Arizona, rushing for 256 yards in an injury-plagued 2003 and 937 yards in 2004.
Smith later admitted that playing with anyone other than the Cowboys was a mistake. And for Favre, playing with anyone other than the Packers would be a mistake.
I enjoyed watching Favre play football as much as the next guy. But at this point, Favre has much more to lose than to gain by returning.
Favre is a surefire Hall of Famer and a legend in Green Bay, one of the most popular players ever to wear a uniform. But he’s said his goodbyes, and clearly the Packers are ready to move on without him.
Sooner or later, every player’s career must end, no matter how great they are, and no matter how much they love the game.
Favre said himself in March that if he came back, anything less than winning the Super Bowl would almost be a failure. He should think about that before he comes back. He should also think about the other things he said, that he was tired mentally and that he had lost some of the desire to make the physical and mental sacrifices it takes to be a great quarterback.
Has any of that really changed? Has Favre suddenly regained the passion, or is he just finding it too hard to live without the game? The Packers gave Favre all the time he wanted to make his decision, and he chose to retire after a season when the Packers almost went to the Super Bowl. That should tell Favre something. His mind and his body know that it’s time for him to go. It’s only his heart telling him to come back.
Favre left the game on his own terms, with his health intact, after a terrific season. If he comes back, he’s risking his health. And without question, he will also ruin some of the good feelings with which he left.
Favre turns 39 in October. He quarterbacked a great team last season — a team that won 13 games and hosted the NFC Championship Game.
Unless Favre signs with Dallas, Indianapolis, San Diego or New England in the next month, he will play for a lesser team in 2008 than the Packers were in 2007. That means his next employer will ask him to shoulder a greater share of the responsibility for success. That’s a lot to ask the oldest position player in the league.
Favre retired and then reconsidered. Now he wants to un-retire and resume his career. He ought to reconsider again.
He might even want to give Emmitt Smith a call.
- On the Mark is a column by Sports Editor Marc Aceves that runs every so often in the Irrigator.
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He should be the one to make that decision on his own legacy and life. Not the team, not me, and especially not you should have a say in this.