Brett Favre has decided to retire from the NFL after 17 seasons.
I will always appreciate Brett Favre for his competitive spirit, his love of the game, and the many passes he threw directly into the chests of Vikings defenders. He was unique, he was a thrower nonpareil, he was the only quarterback whose interceptions you could see coming even before the ball was snapped. He’d narrow his eyes, hunch his shoulders, and hurl the ball at an incredible velocity directly into triple coverage as if he hoped to throw it right through the covering cornerback.
I’ve told this story before, but it seems an apt time to repeat it. When Favre reached his first Pro Bowl, he entered the game when the NFC had the ball in the AFC’s red zone. I have no idea why we were watching the game, but we were, and as soon as he came in, I said “and here comes the INT”. Sure enough, Favre didn’t hesitate for a second, but took a five-step drop and then hurled a ball at about 500 MPH directly into an end zone blanket-covered by the AFC’s very best secondary.
Ladies and gentlemen, a moment of silence for Peter King and the OC, two men who are suffering today.
I’ll actually miss watching Brett play. I will not, however, miss the obsequious behavior of the commentators so smitten by him for lo, these many years.