Heard in the Cheap Seats

 When I first heard the news that Brett Favre had retired, my initial inclination was to write a post that would be a fair, balanced look at his career.  I was thinking something along the lines of “How should the NFL history books remember Brett Favre?”

But as I start to write, I simply can’t conjure that post.  The reason?  I know how history should remember Brett Favre-for what he did on the field.  There is certainly plenty of criticism out there to be had for Brett Favre.  His tendency to throw an inopportune interception is well documented and the stranglehold he put on the Green Bay Packers organization four of the last five years was simply unfair.  In some people’s minds, this may impact his legacy–and rightfully so.  In my mind, his legacy boils down to what he did on the field. 

The image I have seared in my mind is Brett Favre dashing down the field, both arms raised, with a huge grin on his face.  The funny thing is this image is not linked to any one event.  Nope.  It was so commonplace for Favre that it’s the enduring image for many fans.

Favre played the game of football with a joyfulness I have never seen before.  Sure, that joyfulness, coupled with his cannon arm and unquestionable will translated into enormous success on the football field.  But what sticks in my mind is the passion he brought to the game of football.  At no time was this passion on better display than this past season, when an aging Favre paired up with a seemingly rag tag group of teammates and took them to the brink of the Super Bowl.  In his final year, the essence of Favre was never more evident.

Many people may question the timing of Favre’s decision.  His team is on the rise and he clearly has not lost the ability to perform at a high level.  But I don’t.  Favre was always a player that poured his heart and soul into the game and when that no longer was in the game, the essence of Favre was gone.  Some say it is a shame to see Favre fade off into the sunset having his last pass thrown being an interception.  But what better time is there for Favre to ride off into the sunset?  It would be more of a shame to see Favre play a season when the one thing that made him special was no longer in it–his heart.