My Brett Favre Blog

After the NFL 2007-2008 season, Brett Favre (Green Bay Packers, Jersey No. 4), one of the best ever quarterback to play the game is expected to retire. His career spans 17 years from 1991 to 2008. A remarkable player, Brett Favre started in the NFL when legends and superstars played in the game.

He competed against, and even bested, some of the premier quarterbacks at the time such as Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Jim Kelly, Dan Marino, and John Elway. All of these players are retired and are members of the NFL Football Hall of Fame. But Brett's years playing football outlasted them all, allowing him to surpass many NFL records.

College and early NFL years

Brett Favre played collegiate football at the University of Southern Mississippi. In his junior season, he lead the Golden Eagles to an upset of the sixth ranked Florida State. In the 1991 NFL draft, the Atlanta Falcons picked Brett Favre in the second round as the third quarterback to be selected overall. Dan McGwire was drafted 16th in the first round by the Seattle Seahawks and Todd Marinovich was drafted 24th in the first round by the Los Angeles Raiders.

Brett Favre only played a handful of games for Atlanta then he was traded to Green Bay for a first round pick in 1992. He backed up Don Majkowski (nicknamed the Magic Man by the sports press) until Majkowski's injury in the third game of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals. By engineering a come-from-behind victory and Majkowski's injury, Brett Favre earned the right to start the fourth game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has not relinquished that position ever since.

The Best All Around Quarterback?

A case could definitely be made for Brett Farve as the best NFL quarterback of all time. He holds some of the most prestigious awards for his position:

* Most wins by a starting quarterback (NFL) regular season career: 159 (Regular season record: 159-93)

* Most career passing touchdowns: 440

* Most career passing yards: 61,556

* Most career pass completions: 5,368

* Most career pass attempts: 8,747

* Most career interceptions thrown by a quarterback: 288

* Most career games with at least three touchdowns: 63

Furthermore, he's taken the Green Bay Packers twice to the Superbowl, beating the New England Patriots in Superbowl XXXI (1996) and losing to the Denver Broncos in Superbowl XXXII (1997). Perhaps when making a case for the best quarterback, probably the strongest of his cards is his longevity.

Brett Favre owns the most consecutive start by an NFL quarterback. He hasn't missed a game since he started for the Green Bay Packers in 1992, the fourth game of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That was 253 regular season games ago (not including the 20 or so playoff games).

RL Aguirre is a writer/producer for KSPR-Perspective Radio podcasting online talk shows on movies comic books and local sports

In what appears to be the final chapter (for now) in the Brett Favre Vikings story, Favre was signed to a deal to make him the Vikings starting quarterback. The Vikes have long believed they were one great QB away from Super Bowl immortality, but does this really have them Miami-bound in 2010? Let's take a look at some finer points and mark a few games on the Minnesota Vikings 2009 schedule.

The Vikes are super mega solid at RB with Adrian Peterson. We all know that. The problem in the past is that teams looked across the line and saw Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels, so they loaded the line in an attempt to stop the run. Makes sense, but they can not do that so readily now. Now they see a 3-time MVP and Super Bowl winner breaking the huddle. I believe this can only help Peterson and the Vikings.

And now the Brett Favre Vikings, as I like to call them, because they are his team now, make no mistake about that, are immediately a bigger deep threat. Bernard Berrian averaged over 20 yards a catch last year on 48 catches from the inferior Rosenfels Jackson combo. That is the highest average for any receiver with over 35 catches! And now Brett Favre is winging it? Please!

Only two Tight Ends caught more TDs last year than the Vikes' Visanthe Shiancoe; a couple of guys name Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates. The arrival of Favre means Shiancoe immediately becomes a top-10 TE again this year.

Schedule time! Let's see, Brett Favre Vikings host the Aaron Rodgers Packers October 5. There are waaaayyy too many angles and dramatic possibilities to discuss here, but even if you are not a Packer Backer or a Vikings Fan, you have got to tune in to see this matchup. Playoff implications abound.

Then the Pack hosts the Vikes in Labeau Field on November 1, on All Saint's Day. So do not eat too much Halloween candy the night before, and break out your favorite Saint's relics, because this is going to be a monster. Brett knows a little about playing in Lambeau, and Rodgers was absolutely fabulous replacing the legend last year. I can't wait.

Brett Favre Vikings, wow, it doesn't sound right, but unless the flip-flopping Favre changes his mind again, get ready for some drama in Minnesota in 2009, and possibly a Super Bowl run.

You think you know Brett Favre? Check out 10 Trivia Truths about Brett Favre that you didn't know.

And check into http://www.FAVRE4VIKINGS.INFO for season long updates, stats and more.

Brett Favre has been waiting for this for over a year, when he joined the Jets. I always thought that he was going to make history and complete his Legacy with the N.Y Jets. Life doesn't work out the way you think it would.

Brett Favre got an opportunity from the Minnesota Vikings which was the Arch nemesis for Green Bay Packers (his former team - where he created his legacy). Everyone thought that Favre was on his way to destroy his legacy by playing for Vikings, but people forgot for a brief moment that Favre is a Living Legend, and legends don't go down so fast.

2010 is Brett Favre's year, and he will prove this to everyone, who has ever criticized him. The missing piece for the Vikings, was a top of the line QB, which they have now found in Favre. Even though we don't know if Favre is going to stay with the Vikings for the years to come, but he is here to extend his Legacy as Minnesota Vikings take on the Dallas Cowboys, in their home ground.

I feel assured of my NFL Prediction, for this game, as I watch the Vikings get a fabulous start on their way to what I believe would be a great Vikings Victory. Brett Favre has Turned 40 this year, and I believe deserves to win the SuperBowl this year in 2010.

Tony Romo is trying real hard, but at Half time has been restricted by the Minnesota Defense, which is as Solid as ever. I hope for the sake of NFL's History, that Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings take home the Super Bowl this year.

Looking for Real Time Super Bowl Predictions? Check out our NFL News

The current phase of the Brett Favre Saga focuses on Brett's move to the New York Jets NFL franchise team and how this will impact his family life as well. The Brett Favre family will continue to essentially be under a microscope by the media sector specific to New York City. This will be an enormous change from the more relaxed mid west style of living which the Favre family is accustomed to. Fortunately, the Favre family is quite likely already used to the tabloids and their ways. This should not affect his performance on the playing field, however when there is essentially no way to get away from it all in an atmosphere which resembles a circus, this it may just prove to be too much of a distraction.

The New York Jets have been somewhat overhauled as a team recently and this could provide a decent scenario for Brett Favre to fill a position within the team. Just how long it will take him to learn the plays and ways of the Jets is a very valid question. This could very well be the beginning of a bumpy ride indeed.

It is unfortunate that the end of his sixteen year career with the Green Bay Packers had to come to an end by the Packers turning him away when he chose to return from retirement after only a few months. Although there were not many National Football League teams interested in acquiring the aging quarterback, the New York Jets do appear to be genuinely willing to make some concessions and adjustments for the former NFC hero. One of the only things that have remained as a rock solid fact is that the Green Bay Packers are going to be led by the unknown quarterback Aaron Rodgers who just so happened to be the underling of the great Brett Favre for the last several seasons in Green Bay Packer Land.

What is left to now be accomplished by Brett Favre in his late thirties after displaying a fair amount of indecision regarding his retirement from the sport of professional football is an often asked question in the world of professional sports today. It appears that the most popular opinions are that Brett will very likely not be up to the same standards which most expected of him to be at during the peak of his career. Although during the 2007 NFL regular season his performance was outstanding, and he led the Packers to the NFC Championship game, his performance during that final game was of a particularly poor quality. Many observers considered that performance to be representative of the current level of his ability, which could spell a great deal of inconsistency for the New York Jets.

Could it be inevitable that the great Brett Favre winds up like so many professional athletes who should have quit while they were ahead? Such as the fabulous Johnny Unitas or the great Joe Namath both of whom should have quit the game sooner than they did, only to place a less than admirable finality on their respective stellar careers. On the other hand, Joe Montana one of the greatest National Football League quarterbacks to ever play the game managed to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to the AFC Championship game at the ripe old age of thirty seven.

The 2008 National Football League season will answer these questions and the answers will indeed prove to become history. The Brett Favre Saga is one of the great sports stories of the new century so far and his legacy spans a good twenty years already when one counts his collegiate and professional career as the ultimate quarterback number four.

Author Troy Sevine is a life long Green Bay Packer fan and a freelance writer who reaches hundreds of readers every day.

For the last 16 years, Brett Favre has not only been the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, but he has also been the "face" of the franchise. It's difficult to think about the Packers without thinking about Brett Favre, too. Favre and the Packers go together like a hand in a glove.

Some would say that there has never been another football player that meant as much to their team and their fans as Brett Favre did. In any case, there's no denying that he was the "face" of the Green Bay Packers franchise.

So, if Favre was the "face" of the Packers and he is now retired, that brings up an interesting question. Who will be the new "face" of the Packers? This is a question that I've seen kicked around quite a bit lately by Packer fans. And when the question is brought up, some great names are thrown around. Barnett, Tauscher, and Driver are just a few of the more common names I often hear.

But I have to disagree, respectfully.

If asked, "Who will be the new face of the Green Bay Packers?", I'd have to answer, "No one - at least not anytime soon!"

My favorite active Packer player right now is Donald Driver, but I don't think Driver or any other player on the team right now could be referred to as the new "face" of the Packers.

We have some talented players on our team right now, and we have even more up-and-comers with a lot of potential, but I think you have to be careful before you go calling a good (or even a great) player the new "face" of the franchise. I just don't think it works that way.

I think when someone is the "face" of the franchise, it's obvious. There's little room for differing opinions or dispute. It's just a fact, whether you like it or not. I don't think we vote for such a player. I think such a player has to earn that position. They have to step up into that position and claim it. They become the face of a franchise through leadership, through performance, through attitude, through commitment, and through domination. You don't earn that just by being a good player - or even a great one. You earn it because you have something special, something spectacular, something above and beyond the norm.

Brett Favre was (and is) special. I think people like him are few and far between. They are one in a million. When the next one comes along, we won't have to vote him in as the new "face" of the team. We'll just know that he is - and so will everyone else. It will be undeniable.

It's too early to declare someone else the new "face" of the Packers. It may not happen for a long time to come. I'm in no rush to do so. Besides, Brett Favre will always be the "face" of the Green Bay Packers to me - retired or not!

That's one guy's opinion - worth what you paid for it!

Chris M. Smith owns http://www.Favre4Sale.com, a Brett Favre fan and memorabilia site. He specializes in Brett Favre merchandise, including jerseys, autographs, helmets, footballs, cards, photos, game-used items, and other Brett Favre gear. He also features the latest in Brett Favre news, videos, articles, pictures, bio info, and retirement information. Visit his site: http://www.Favre4Sale.com

Copyright 2008 Chris M. Smith

Brett Favre learned the hard way what many people who work for a living have known for a long time: when your time is up, management claims go out the window. Before Favre came to Green Bay, most pro football players would rather go to Siberia for a vacation than play for the Packers. He has taken the Green Bay Packers to two Super Bowls, won one, and came ever so close to getting them to the Super Bowl last year. He's set every conceivable quarterback record, and has displayed a remarkable consistency from year to year in the most injured position on the field. So when Favre decided to "unretire," what did Green Bay do? They sent him packing.

So how does this relate to management? What does Favre's trading have to do with running a professional football team, or managing a business? The Favre debacle points out several management myths that I'd like to explore some detail.

Management myth number one: We reward good performance. Green Bay, like every professional sports team, and every business that I know of, holds this deceptively simple maxim as the cornerstone of their management philosophy. As Brett found out, what this really means when translated is: we reward you when you have value for us; when we perceive that the value is gone, so is the reward. Last year, Favre had one of the best seasons in his career: he set records for most touchdowns, yards, and added to his record of consecutive games played by a quarterback. Yet, this year, Green Bay decided that it would go with a four-year quarterback who never started a game, has been repeatedly injured, and that Favre would be his backup. While he is thirty-eight years old, Green Bay decided that last season was a statistical aberration, and that Favre could not repeat last year's performance: he had to go.

Management myth number two: our employees are our greatest resource. This mantra should be familiar to anyone who has read an annual report. It is repeated by every company so often that it has become standard boilerplate language in every policy statement, employee manual, and PR piece in existence. Unfortunately, the first thing most companies do when times get difficult is began hacking away at their greatest resource. The euphemisms are varied: restructuring, re-alignment, right-sizing, down-sizing, taking advantage of market opportunities, etc. In the case of a professional sports team, players are the greatest resource that a team has; without the players, there would be no sports teams, period. Brett found out the hard way that restructuring does not always refer to a player's contract.

Management myth number three: we would be loyal to our employees if they would be loyal to us. Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Unions were started because employers took advantage of their employees; they are perpetuated for the same reasons. Until the NFL players association began clamoring for free agency, and started striking to get management's attention, the players were locked into one team for life, with little chance of establishing market value for their services. The pendulum may have swung too far with players having little or no loyalty to a franchise, but as Green Bay demonstrated, there is little loyalty to one of the best players in the game when it is deemed that his time is up. Employees at most companies are confronted with the realization that employer loyalty goes out the door once times get tough. Ask any of the millions of blue and white collar workers who found themselves "restructured" or outsourced over the years, how much loyalty the company exhibited towards them.

Management myth number four: trust us, we have a plan. This one is closely allied with myth number three - the company has a plan and you're a part of it, until you're not. Brett found out that companies can change plans quickly, and then you're stuck holding the bag. You walk in one day, and you don't fit in, you've become expendable, you have been replaced by someone who fits the plans better (usually younger or in most cases - cheaper). As Brett learned, trust and planning don't often go together when companies change direction.

Management myth number five: We value your input. That's where most companies stop: what they don't say is: "We value your input, just as long as you keep it to yourself." Brett found out that you can change your plans, or have a change of heart, and then want to talk about it to your employer. He thought his employer would listen, because they said they would listen. They said it over and over again, most companies do-unfortunately, they don't mean it. What they meant was, we'll listen to what we want, and what happens to reinforce what we believe, otherwise, keep your opinions to yourself.

Management myth number six: We value you as a person. Right. Then why do the actions of so many companies scream out just the opposite? As Brett found out, and so many people know, you are a commodity. Commodities are used. When you cease to have value, you can be discarded. A corollary to this myth is, don't ever have the temerity to express your opinion to the public if it contrary to management's opinion. Brett did the unthinkable: he called management's bluff, and then went to the media to say that maybe he should have been treated a little differently.

Athletes, like entertainers, usually don't have to face the harsh realities of the workplace until they get too old or seem too outdated to stay relevant. Then, they find out what most people already know: companies, teams, management, call them what you will, often don't mean what they say, or respect their athletes or performers longer than their useful lives (there's that commodity aspect again).

The sad part about all this isn't the fact that a star athlete found out the hard way that management teams are looking after their (perceived) best interests, but that it occurs at all. Companies and teams in general would be better off if they actually meant some of the things that they declare in these six management myths.

As for me, I hope the Jets go 16-0, meet the Packers in the Super Bowl and beat them 74-0.

Author Biography

Peter Ponzio, the author of Children of the Night, is a CPA with over 30 years experience in Corporate Finance, holding positions as divergent as Treasurer, VP of Sales Administration, Vice President of IT, and General Manager of an internet start-up company in the late 1990s, and CFO at a subsidiary of a Fortune 100 company.

Mr. Ponzio graduated with a degree in English literature from Loyola University of Chicago, and an MA in Literature from Northwestern University.

Peter's website can be reached at http://www.peterjponzio.com

Brett Favre is a proven winner and leader at the quarterback position, his statistics and 17 years in the NFL speaks for itself. The season he had last year for the New York Jets proves he can still perform at a high level. The team Brett Favre wants to play for this year is the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings was good enough to make the playoffs last year despite not having a great quarterback. If the Vikings add Brett Favre to the team, it would make them one of the top teams in the NFL.

Brett Favre is a three time Associated Press MVP (1995-97). He is a sure hall of famer and his numbers thru the years proves it. He holds virtually every NFL career passing record, touchdown passes (464), wins (169), completions (5720), attempts (9280), and yards (65127). Brett also has the longest consecutive game stretch for a Quarterback (253).

Last year Brett Favre proved that his skills did not diminished. He had the the New York Jets looking like super bowl contenders for about 3/4 of the season. After eleven games the team was 8-3 and coming of big wins against the Patriots and Titans. Brett was throwing the football well and looked like his old self during this period of the season. People want to remember that he faded toward the end of the season, but they should remember how good he played for most of it. His statistics for last year was 522 attempts, 343 completions, 22 touchdowns, 22 interceptions, 3472 passing yards, 9 wins and was voted to the Pro Bowl, not bad for any quarterback playing in the NFL at any age.

The Minnesota Vikings despite all their problems at quarterback (going from Jackson to Frerotte back to Jackson) still had a successful season last year. The team managed to win the NFC north division with a 10-6 record, and hosted a playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagels. The team has one of the best defensive units in the NFC, and on Offense it has one of the best lines and running back (Adrian Peterson) in the NFL. The only thing the club lacks is a quarterback.

If the Vikings sign Brett Favre they would get a leader at the quarterback position that basically already knows their system. Last year with the Jets Favre had to learn an entirely new system of plays and signals. He struggled at first with learning and getting accustomed to the new system. If he signs with the Vikings he shouldn't have this problem, because the Vikings run a similar system that he used while playing in Green Bay.

In fact the offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell worked with Favre from 2000 to 2005, he was the offensive assistant (2000-2002) and quarterback coach (2003-2005) for the Greenbay Packers. Favre should fit in right away working with his old quarterback coach. Another key reason why signing Favre would make them better, is the fact that he will not have to carry the offense by himself. He will have help on this team he can hand the ball off to Adrian Peterson or throw it to his receivers Bernard Berrian and rookie Percy Harvin.

In conclusion I believe that Brett Favre is still one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. His performance last year proved he can still play at a high level. I feel that after watching the success of the Vikings last year, Brett Favre would be the missing piece to the puzzle. If he signs with Minnesota, the Vikings could possibly be representing the NFC in the next super bowl.

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If you are a Green Bay Packer's fan, then you already know that the name Brett Favre is synonymous with the Green Bay Packers. Even if you are just a NFL football fan, then you know that Brett Favre is an icon in Green Bay. You cannot help but like Brett Favre and you have to be excited to see him play.

Brett Favre is one of the best quarterbacks that has ever played the game of football and he is one of the most exciting players to watch. He plays with more heart and guts than just about every other athlete that has ever stepped on a football field. Many believe that if the coaches would allow it he might attempt to play defense as well as offense.

Brett Favre now owns just about every quarterback record out there, he has won a super bowl, participated in a few, and has played in well over 250 straight NFL games. He gets in the face of linebacker to tell them that their hit was good, he is not afraid to throw the ball deep or try to squeeze it into places that others cannot get it.

Brett Favre is known as a gunslinger and as a gunslinger he is compared to old west figures that are mainly played by John Wayne in the movies. Even after everything that Brett Favre has been through, his father passing away, his wife being diagnosed with breast cancer, and his brother in law having an accident that took his life, Brett had one of the best seasons of his career and for a 38 year old he had one of the best seasons possible.

Mr. Favre had always had fun playing the game and he plays it the way all athletes should play. He plays like a child would play the game and you can tell by the smile on his face that he enjoys it the same way a young child enjoys the sport. This is refreshing and incredible to watch. If all athletes played with the vigor and fun that Brett plays with just think of how exciting sporting events would be.

It is urged that all athletes watch Brett play this next season in order to be reminded of how they used to play the games they are now being paid to play. Brett will have a great season and with all the young stars surrounding him it should be exciting to see some of the wonderful plays that he comes up with. We can only hope to see more overtime touchdown passes on Monday night football and more underhand tosses as Brett stumbles away from a defender in the playoffs. We can only hope.

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Often times when a great player plays quarterback for one franchise for a very long time it is interesting to look at who played backup for him. Who developed into a starting quarterback of their own? Who had started at other places but was winding their career down here? Here we look at Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre's backups through the years.

1992: Brett Comes To The Green Bay Packers

Backup: Don Majkowski (University of Virginia)

Majkowski had started for the Packers earlier in his career and later on would start games for the Indianapolis Colts, he would also appear in a few games for the Detroit Lions.

1993: Brett's 2nd Year

Backup: Ty Detmer (Brigham Young University)

Detmer won the Heisman Trophy playing QB for the BYU Cougars and after backing up in Green Bay in 1993 and 1995 he would go on to start games for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1996 and 1997. He would also see playing time with San Francisco, Cleveland, and Detroit.

1994: Brett's 3rd Year

Backup: Mark Brunell (University of Washington)

Probably the quarterback that played behind Favre and went on to the most success (so far), Mark Brunell would later start games for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Redskins. Brunell made numerous Pro Bowl appearances, and in 1996 he led the league in total passing yards. Brunell also currently ranks in the all-time top 25 in the following categories: Passing attempts, passing completions, and passing yards.

1995: Brett's 4th Year

Backup: Ty Detmer - See Above

Backup: Jim McMahon (Brigham Young University)

McMahon had already been a starting quarterback for most of his career and had won a Super Bowl with the 1985 Chicago Bears. He would also be a sometime starter with San Diego, Philadelphia, and Minnesota. He also spent time with the Arizona Cardinals briefly before spending his last two years in the league backing up in Green Bay.

Backup: T.J. Rubley (University of Tulsa)

Rubley had starting experience with the Los Angeles Rams in 1993 but his time with the 1995 Packers would be his last in the NFL.

1996: Brett and the Packers win the Super Bowl

Backup: Jim McMahon - See Above

Backup: Doug Pederson (NE Louisiana)

Pederson would go on to see time as the starting quarterback with Philadelphia and Cleveland in 1999 and 2000 respectively before returning to be the backup in Green Bay again for the 2001 through 2004 seasons.

1997: A Super Bowl Loss

Backup: Doug Pederson - See Above

Backup: Steve Bono (UCLA)

Bono had prior starting quarterback experience for both San Francisco and Kansas City. Earlier in his career he had backup experience with both Minnesota and Pittsburgh, and after this one season in Green Bay he would spend two more years in the league (backing up for the Rams and the Carolina Panthers) before retiring.

1998: Brett's 7th Year and Mike Holmgren's last year as the Packers head coach.

Backup: Doug Pederson - See Above

1999: Brett's 8th Year and the one and only season Ray Rhodes was the head coach.

Backup: Matt Hasselbeck (Boston College)

Hasselbeck would go on to play for Holmgren in Seattle and lead the Seahawks to the Super Bowl, only to lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

2000: Brett's 9th Year and Mike Sherman's first year as head coach.

Backup: Matt Hasselbeck - See Above

2001: Brett's 10th Year

Backup: Doug Pederson - See Above

2002: Brett's 11th Year

Backup: Doug Pederson - See Above

2003: Brett's 12th Year

Backup: Doug Pederson - See Above

2004: Brett's 13th Year

Backup: Doug Pederson - See Above

Backup: Craig Nall (Northwestern State)

Nall would throw for four touchdowns in his only action in the NFL during this season. He would go on to backup Favre in 2005 before spending one final year as a backup in Buffalo.

Backup: J.T. O'Sullivan (University of California-Davis)

O'Sullivan saw no action for Green Bay other than two late game kneel downs, he didn't see any playing action at all in 2005 or 2006, but has gotten on the field for the Detroit Lions during the 2007 season.

2005: Brett's 14th Year

Backup: Craig Nall - See Above

Backup: Aaron Rodgers (University of California)

Rodgers is the current backup for Brett Favre and has been labeled the heir-apparent to take over after he retires ever since the Packers drafted him.

2006: Brett's 15th Year and Mike McCarthy's first season as head coach of the Packers.

Backup: Aaron Rodgers - See Above

Backup: Ingle Martin

Martin made it into the game for the final game of the year and handed the ball off one time and took two kneel downs.

2007: Brett's 16th Year

Backup: Aaron Rodgers - See Above

There you have it, Brett Favre's backups through the years. This is by no means definitive and focuses primarily on the quarterbacks who not only were on the roster but made it into the game at some point during the season.

A few observations:

Twice Favre had backups from small colleges in Louisiana (Favre's home state), with Doug Pederson being from Northeast Louisiana and Craig Nall being from Northwestern State.

The Packers have had two different ex-BYU quarterbacks backup Brett (Jim McMahon and Ty Detmer). The quarterback who spent the most years as Brett Favre's backup was Doug Pederson and he did it in two separate stints with the team (1996-1998 and 2001-2004).

Brett Favre himself was drafted by the Falcons, only to play sparingly and then be traded to the Packers in 1992. In 1993 the Packers drafted Mark Brunell who played sparingly for them and was then traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars where he went on to star for many years. He is one of the most durable quarterbacks the league will ever see, and these were the guys who backed him up.

Mark married his love of trivia and passion for football and came up with IQFB.com - Get Football Smart!

http://www.IQFB.com - stocked full of "hey, I didn't know that" information.

Brett Favre needs to play one final year in the NFL with his retirement at the end of the 2010 season a foregone conclusion. Favre owes himself one last season to soak up the NFL dream before he hangs up the cleats for good.

He owes nobody else anything, but after the way he played in 2009, he wouldn't do his career justice to walk away from a season where he posted 4,202 yards and 33 TDs with only 7 interceptions and an unfitting playoff exit. The New Orleans Saints deserve to celebrate winning the Superbowl, but they and everyone else know the Vikings had them. The Vikings demise was a classic case of a team beating itself.

Did Brett Favre throw an interception at the worst possible time? Yes, it would have been great to see one of the most reliable deep kickers get a shot at a 50 yard field goal. But, it wasn't Favre who blew this game. His teammates put the ball on the ground numerous times resulting in either a turnover or momentum lost. Had the Vikings as a whole not shot themselves in the foot, Favre would have had a date with the Superbowl and with everything said and done, they certainly would have had a great chance to capture the trophy.

Even though Brett and Co. didn't reach the pinnacle in 2009, they were definitely close enough for Favre to have all the motivation he needs to give it one more try. After all, 2009 was his first season with the Vikings and they gelled in short order. With the necessary experience and chemistry in place, 2010 has a legitimate chance at being just as successful, if not more so.

The three main problems for the Vikings are 1) the Favre-Childress relationship, 2) the Vikings defense, and 3) Favre's continued health.

Brett and Brad Childress battled over decision making authority, but Childress knows his ship's success is dependent on Brett Favre. Childress is stubborn and has control issues but #4 knows ultimately he will win out over the head coach. Also, before the season both can run over scenarios and iron out discrepancies before they happen.

The Vikings defense is an anomaly of sorts. Sometimes their defensive line is dominant. Other times, they can't pressure the opposing quarterback. The inconsistency reaches into their weaker secondary. A more reliable defense would be a tremendous lift.

The Favre doubters will hang their hat on that last interception, but truth be known, Brett exceeded even the biggest optimists opinions as far as his personal success. In fact, he became the Vikings' best offensive weapon - not stud Adrian Peterson. Beyond stats and leadership, his body proved true all the way to the end. Lasting another year will be difficult, but the ironman proved it's well within the realm of possibility.

Because I'm such a fantasy football fanatic, I'm often watching stats as they pour in online on my office computer chair. If you spend a lot of time on your desktop, read up on my reviews of the best computer desks workstations. With a bigger desk, you can even put a tv on one side and monitor your laptop or computer on the other.

In his 17 years in the NFL, Brett Favre has broken a lot of records, including most touchdown passes, most passing yards, most passing attempts, most passing completions, most wins by a starting quarterback, most consecutive starts, and most NFL MVP awards, just to name a few.

But, Brett Favre has broken yet another record - one that seems to have flown under the radar, for the most part. This was a record that he broke OFF the field.

League officials from the NFL have announced that Brett Favre football jerseys are now the all-time best selling jerseys in the history of the game. More #4 Brett Favre football jerseys have been sold than any other jersey for any player, including NFL greats such as Joe Montana, John Elway, Dan Marino, or Johnny Unitas.

What makes this record even more amazing is that Favre managed to break this record while playing in the NFL's smallest market. It could be said that football jersey sales are the greatest measure of fan popularity, because fans vote for their favorites with their wallets. In any case, this record is certainly evident of the fact that Brett Favre's appeal is wide-spread among the NFL fan base. He couldn't have set the all-time jersey sales record by only selling jerseys in Green Bay. It just isn't big enough, even with multiple jerseys being purchased by the same person.

That's right - many fans own several Brett Favre football jerseys, as there are many to pick from. There are home jerseys, away jerseys, throwback jerseys, pro-bowl jerseys, game-used jerseys, autographed jerseys, youth jerseys, women's jerseys, pink jerseys, and yellow sparkle jerseys. There are even Brett Favre football jerseys for your dog and your baby, so no one feels left out.

You may get left out, though, if you don't act fast. According to Reebok, the official outfitter of the NFL, Brett Favre football jerseys are so popular that they are selling at a 96% increase over the 2006 numbers. By comparison, Peyton Manning's jersey sales were up 29% and Tom Brady's were up 57% over the same period of time.

Mike Smith owns http://www.Favre4Sale.com, a Brett Favre fan and memorabilia site. He specializes in Brett Favre merchandise, including jerseys, autographs, helmets, footballs, cards, photos, game-used items, and other Brett Favre gear. He also features the latest in Brett Favre news, videos, articles, pictures, bio info, and retirement information. Visit his site to get your Brett Favre football jerseys today: http://www.Favre4Sale.com

Copyright 2008 Mike Smith

The Brett Favre Controversy is hitting the airwaves after his interview with Greta on her show - On the Record. Being one who is old enough to remember watching the Ice Bowl as a boy, and often would call Brett, Bart - by mistake through the years, I thought I would throw out a few thoughts.

There are always two sides to every story, and perhaps that is what makes this controversy so interesting. The story tellers from each side of it, Brett Favre and the Packer Organization, are usually honest and straightforward in their communication - so from my perspective there isn't a rat hiding somewhere, it boils down to a conflict of values. Values?

Watching football through the 1960s and 1970s it was rare that a good player would change teams. Once they were established, they stuck with the organization that they found a home with.

As the years went by, things begin to change. Players begin to simply display what is common in our culture - looking out for #1. Loyalty to a company or an organization become less of a value or priority. I'm not condoning or condemning this, just observing. I can see both sides of the coin: Players should factor loyalty into their decisions; Organizations should treat their key people with respect and reward appropriately. Of course the salary cap impacted all these dealings and decisions.

Honestly, I am more old school. Before we cheese heads condemn Brett Favre if our fears of him playing for another team materialize, we should also remember Reggie White. When he first left the Eagles I questioned his loyalty factor - how, after being an Eagle all those years, could he put on another jersey? As time went on though, I embraced his role with the Packers, and loved watching him play. Subtly my values were changing with the societal swing - Reggie followed his heart and it worked out for him, the Packers, and the fans.

The Brett Favre controversy is simply exposing the value shift that has transpired and become very accepted in our culture. Look out for #1. Players are looking for the most money or the best place for them; and organizations are trading and drafting with the consideration of individual players being overshadowed by the win-loss/profit margin - simply the way business is done now.

It seems the Packer organization has moved without Brett. I will still be a Packer fan. Brett changed his mind and now wants to play, the Packers should let him, he has earned it. If they don't want to start him, let him find another team to help. I will still be a Brett Favre fan.

When I heard about the Brett Favre controversy, initially I was disturbed. Now? I've decided I don't have to choose. I am a Packer Fan - always have been, and always will be. I mean a REAL fan - I wore green & gold living near Chicago through the 80's when the Bears were beating us up! I've also become a Brett Favre fan. He is fun to watch. I hope he plays next season. I hope he plays for the Packers. If he plays for another team, I will be cheering him on, and now have 2 team to cheer for. (Unless of course it is the Bears- every man has his limits.)

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Brett Favre is one of the famous NFL rookies to hit the circuit in the early 90s and the first ever edition of these cards was launched in the year 1991 where he appeared in the uniform of the Atlanta Falcons. Brett Favre Autograph cards are very popular among the card collectors and come in competitive prices.

Brett Favre cards are available on the Internet but these are limited version editions and are given on first come first serve basis. As these are popular as well as rare to get, obviously the price is little bit on the higher side but this doesn't restrict the collectors from purchasing them.

Here are some of the popular cards like the "1991 Wild card Draft 1000 Stripe#119 Brett Favre" and it is priced at $1800. The cards of this edition are not only rare but it is one of the most sought after cards of football in the last two decades.

The next popular Brett Favre cards edition is the "1991 Stadium Club Super Bowl XXVI#94 Brett Favre UER" which is priced at $600. This edition came out and was officially handed out in Minneapolis during the Super Bowl XXVI and it was not out of the pack, so buying the cards of this edition can be a daunting task.

Another famous of the many popular sought after Brett Favre cards is the "2009 Upper Deck#112B Brett Favre" which is priced at $135 and it is Vikings Rookie. It is included in the Upper Desk base set. It comes in the pack of SPx and the specialty of this card is that it captured the first moments of Favre as a Viking.

There is only handful of cards in the Upper Decks and if you are not lucky in finding the 112B cards and are a bit short on funds then 112C is the perfect solution for you. The "1991 Star Pics Autgraphs#65 Brett Favre", priced at $150 is the only Auto Favre edition which came out in the year 1991. Before buying it make sure that these cards have Auto on their back. Do not buy the ones having Auto on the front portion of the card.

Another popular Brett Favre cards edition is the "1992 Stadium Club #683 Brett Favre" and it is priced at $120. It is worthy investment, for any card collector who loves collecting Brett Favre Autograph cards, but before buying these cards don't forget to do some homework, do a thorough research online and make a wise decision.

The Brett Favre Saga continues. On July 23, 2008 it was reported that the National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell has now ordered the Green Bay Packers General Manager Ted Thompson to finally come up with a resolution to the unfortunate standoff between the Green Bay Packers and their retired, then un-retired star quarterback Brett Favre.

It has been made clear by Thompson that the team is fully committed to proceeding as planned, without Brett Favre as the starting quarterback. The Packers main intention right now is to start a completely untested in the NFL quarterback by the name of Aaron Rodgers; this is instead of openly taking back the 3 time National Football League Most Valuable Player Brett Favre.

It is somewhat understandable how frustrating it must be for the Green Bay Packers to have accepted the retirement of Favre as an understandable and logical decision, only to have him come back a few months later and announce that he has changed his mind and wants to continue to play professional football. There was no animosity on either side; it was just time for the 38 year old star quarterback to complete his NFL career. Unfortunately this decision was probably not as well thought out as it should have been. To announce your un-retirement just months after your retirement is a bit of an unsettling move for all involved. This is currently the center of what has become known as the Brett Favre Saga.

It is understandable that the Green Bay Packers National Football League franchise is first and foremost a business. To run a successful business many plans are carefully laid out and each portion of a plan affects other portions of the plan as well as other plans which are all in the grand scheme of things. In order to devise and test ideas and plans it takes money, and in the case of big business on a scale such as this it takes big money. To simply erase all the planning and arranging would certainly be a huge financial waste. And the fact that the beginning of the 2008 National Football League season is just around the corner certainly does not help matters.

The fact that Brett Favre has had such an outstanding career and has accomplished so much on such a grand scale is actually the other side of this coin. To choose to go with a whole new direction and offensive leader at this time, when the quarterback who led a thirteen and three regular season finish just last year is ready and willing to step back into the role of offensive leader, is highly questionable. This is questionable even when you consider the business and financial side of things.

To add to the unpleasantness of this whole situation, known as the Brett Favre Saga, the Green Bay Packers have now filed tampering charges against the Minnesota Vikings NFL team franchise. This is apparently the result of Brett having used his team issued cell phone to communicate with the Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress on several occasions apparently in order to discuss the possibility of him joining the Vikings as their starting quarterback for the 2008 NFL season.

Author Troy Sevine is a life long Green Bay Packer fan and a freelance writer who reaches hundreds of readers every day.

The Brett Favre family is made up of kind-hearted and caring people; the wonderful type of people that anyone would love to be friends with, or neighbors of. It is very reassuring to know that there are still good people out there who remain that way even when they have achieved both fame and fortune.

Brett Favre was born on October 10th, 1969 in the town of Gulf Port Mississippi into the family of Irvin and Bonita Favre. He was raised in the town of Kiln Mississippi which is a very small town in southern Mississippi. When he started high school he attended Hancock North Central High. It was there that Brett's father Irvin Favre was the high school football coach.

The team consisted of some excellent high school running backs so Irvin had strategically designed a run oriented offensive game plan which was quite successful. It was due to this game plan that Brett actually threw relatively few passes as the team quarterback. His father was quite aware of the fact that his son had a very real talent for accurately throwing the football, but as the excellent coach that he was he made the decision to stick with the running game plan because it was what was actually best for the school team. Brett wore jersey number 10 during his high school years.

It may seem kind of unlikely, but throughout his high school years Brett rarely threw more than a handful of passes in each game. His father's well devised and very well organized running game based on the wishbone style of offense was impressive to say the least. Brett also stayed busy as a member of the Hancock North Central High School baseball team as a starter since the eighth grade.

Both of Brett's parents were also high school teachers and he may have learned how to be such a good teacher and leader because of this aspect of his family. Small town life was very peaceful and Kiln was a very friendly place to grow up. Brett Favre's family provided an enriching home life in not only sports, but life as well.

Brett was the second born of four children to parents Bonita and Irvin. He has an older brother named Scott, and two younger siblings named Brandi and Jeff. The Favre family was known by all as a kind and helpful family. As far as scholarships went, the only one that was offered to Brett was one to attend Southern Mississippi. He graduated from college in 1991.

It was in July of 1996 that Brett Favre married his high school sweetheart Deanna Tynes. Deanna and Brett had been boyfriend and girl friend for approximately twelve years before they were finally to be married. The Brett Favre family consists of their two beautiful daughters by the names of Brittany and Breleigh. Brittany is Brett's oldest daughter and she was born on February 6th, 1989 when Brett was still a sophomore in college. His younger daughter Breleigh was born nearly 10 years latter in 1999.

Even the pros like finding tech bargains and laptops under 200 can do a lot by providing you with information you can use to fine tune your active lifestyle. Besides basic online research go on and enjoy an active and healthy lifestyle through workouts and training.

Brett Favre just simply has fun playing football. So much of the joy for fans and spectators alike is simply witnessing Brett kind of make it up as he goes in his approach to playing the game of professional football. How many times did he just blow peoples minds by throwing a lateral pass to one of his team mates at the very last possible spit second to avoid being sacked or tackled and then have the recipient turn a horrible loss into a huge saving gain in yardage. As serious of a big money proposition as pro sports are, nobody has reintroduced pure fun back into the game like Brett Favre has during his professional football career. As a fan I say thank you Brett for this. Pro sports can be so all about the money or personal promotion. This is part of how the ultimate quarterback number 4 has accomplished what he has. I am thrilled that we can continue to enjoy witnessing him play the sport even if it is in a uniform other than the Green Bay Packers.

Talent and the ability to make the huge play out of nothing are nearly magic at this level. The man has lived and breathed football for nearly his entire life. Brett is definitely known for his taking of chances, hence the danger factor. If chances are not ever taken however, then it is a bit harder to generate spontaneous magic in the game. This is definitive of Brett Favre's unique playing style. It is somewhat like the old saying that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Sure there is playing it safe, but then Brett Favre did not earn his way into the record books in such a phenomenal fashion by playing it safe.

Entertainment from spontaneity is a major part of this football hero's appeal. In this role he has been Broadway Brett Favre for many years before ever joining the New York Jets NFL franchise. This name just rehashes the old Joe Namath nickname, not exactly a stroke of nickname originality as it goes; but then again Brett was not involved in this decision. We could apply Hollywood Brett or President Brett just the same. Long live the Brett Favre Saga.

Author Troy Sevine is a life long Green Bay Packer fan and a freelance writer who reaches hundreds of readers every day. Troy also enjoys technology and writes articles on used laptops under 200 providing down to earth tech reviews for readers from all walks of life.

Born October 10, 1969, Brett Favre now has 14 years of National Football League experience. This Mississippi native was born in Gulport and grew up in Kiln, which was a very small town with less than 100 residents. This boy who grew up in a small town had nothing but big dreams that he would someday make come true. In his early years, the youngster grew up idolizing a pair of legendary quarterbacks by the name of Archie Manning and Roger Staubach. Having played football at Hancock North Central High School in Kiln, Favre began to get a taste of the game and he loved it. After attending college at the University of Southern Mississippi, he began making his way to the professional league.

One of the best known quarterbacks in NFL history, Favre began his rookie season in 1991 with the Atlanta Falcons. The following year, in 2002, he accepted a position with the Green Bay Packers where he remains today. Still retaining an active NFL contract after 15 years, Favre leaves little doubt that he is already a legend of the game.

Among the many recognitions that Brett Favre has received include being the NFL's only three-time MVP (Most Valuable Player), which he achieved consecutively in 1995, 1996 and 1997. Additionally, he is ranked third on the all-time quarterback wins list, holds the fourth highest winning percentage and possesses a home record. He started 205 consecutive games, which set a quarterback record. One of the most interesting facts about Favre's earliest plays is the fact that his first NFL completion was to himself in a September 1992 game against Tampa Bay. The event unfolded as Favre caught a deflection pass that he had just thrown before being tackled for a 7 yard loss.

Today, Brett Favre contributes to the NFL and also to the community. In 1996, The Brett Favre Fourward Foundation was established in order to provide aid to disadvantaged and disabled children in Wisconsin and Mississippi. Since it's inception, the foundation had donated more than $1.5 million to charities with the help of an annual golf tournament, celebrity softball game and fundraising dinners.

Also in 1996, Favre married longtime love Deanna Tynes and the couple now has two daughters. During his free time, Brett is an avid golfer and is a fan of televised nature programs, crossword puzzles and fishing. In recognition of his great accomplishments in the NFL, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle proclaimed November 29, 2004 as Brett Favre Day.

Bob writes for Fanfrenzyzone.com and GoAllOut.com. Where you can purchase a Brett Favre Jersey [http://www.fanfrenzyzone.com/nfl/brett_favre.html] or Packers Tickets

The 2008 pre-season training camp has begun right on time this week in Green Bay, and without legendary quarterback Brett Favre who is still in limbo as to where he will wind up playing football this year after changing his mind about retirement. This has created what is essentially a dark cloud over himself, the Green Bay Packers, and the National Football League in general. This is indeed a rather unfortunate situation after such a stellar partnership between Favre and the Packers.

There have been many discussions and polls and news stories about who is more in the right, Brett  or the Green Bay Packers. Should Favre have stuck to his decision to retire (or at least put more thought into it before announcing the retirement)? The answer is probably a resounding yes. Although he basically caused this mess, should the Green Bay Packers focus on starting an unknown and unproven quarterback to lead the team's offense (while turning an absolute cold shoulder to Brett Favre)? The answer is probably a resounding no.

The team marches on. This along with the fact that Brett Favre did retire could possibly make an interested individual stop and think that if he wants to come back, why not accept the role of second string quarterback to the unproven Aaron Rodgers. If he did this there would be a real likelihood that he would wind up playing more in the games than Rodgers anyway.

Brett Favre is probably not the type of person to let his ego stand in the way of him making a decision on this. This will however unfortunately greatly taint a perfect sixteen year relationship between Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers.

Maybe the ultimate end to this would be if Brett Favre did accept the second position. He would be back to playing professional football for the only team that he should appropriately be a part of (honor), and he would be helping the Packers by offering them his services as one of the great quarterbacks of all time. Helping the Packers in this fashion would be greatly appreciated by all Green Bay fans. There would be no shame in this because everyone understands retirement.

It is very rare and very special when a relationship develops between one professional sports team and one player which lasts for sixteen years and goes down in history as being so unique. An unfortunate tainted legacy indeed.

Author Troy Sevine is a life long Green Bay Packer fan and a freelance writer who reaches hundreds of readers every day.

Brett Favre Vikings jerseys were taking off before he was even an official member of the team. When the rumors started to pick up their pace, everyone assumed that Favre would sign with the team and resume his career. Then he dropped the bombshell, basically saying that you may as well return that Vikings Brett Favre jersey you purchased, because I'm staying retired and my career is over for good!

Everyone was pretty shocked with that result, and the team began to move on from their hopes of having him on board. That didn't last for long though, as we know. Very shortly after, when nobody even expected it at all, Favre decided to come back after all. Now Brett Favre Vikings jerseys are available from retailers, after much back and forth. Upon their release, they have immediately taken off as some of the most popular items available amongst any kind of NFL apparel.

Old number 4 definitely looks good in his purple and gold Vikings Brett Favre jersey. Of course, it's sill somewhat hard to imagine considering he spent so much of his career as a division rival of the Vikings. However, the time has come that he's with the squad and fans are embracing his presence.

The question of course remains how good he is going to be with the club. Now that he's on the team, fans wearing their Brett Favre Vikings jerseys have expectations of Super Bowl or bust. That's because the team was already extremely talented. They have one of the best running backs in the league in Adrian Peterson. Additionally, they added versatile offensive threat Percy Harvin in the draft.

The defense is extremely solid as well, which means that Favre won't have to be overly aggressive. He can let the defense shut down the opposing team, and he can let Peterson pile up his yards and eat up the clock. Then he can take advantage of openings and put up some points.

Finally the wait is over, and Favre is with the Vikings. We can put all of the drama and all of the back and forth madness behind us. It's time for him to show if all of the hype was worth it, and if he can really make a difference in the playoff and championship aspirations of the talented Minnesota team. If you're a fan of the Vikings, the time is now to pick up Brett Favre Vikings jerseys for yourself and your family members.

Don't delay, pick up the new Brett Favre Vikings jerseys today! In addition to new Favre Vikings jerseys, you can visit Discount Football Merchandise for all of your NFL team merchandise needs.

The Brett Favre saga may have begun on the second day of February, 2007 when it was announced by Brett Favre that he would return to play as the Packers star quarterback for the upcoming 2007 NFL football season. This announcement was made amidst much speculation that Favre would possibly retire at the time. This was great news for Packer fans around the world.

After the 2007 NFL season came to a close the Green Bay Packers finished with a regular season record of 13 wins and 3 losses. The team then went on to defeat the Seattle Seahawks with a victory score of 42 to 20 in the NFC divisional playoffs. This was followed by an unfortunate loss to the New York Giants in the NFC Conference playoffs with a score of 23 to 20. Favre was selected to play in his 9th Pro Bowl at the end of the 2007 season.

At the end of the 2007 season on March the 4th, 2008 Brett announced that he would indeed retire from playing professional football. This was understood and accepted as the star quarterback had played for 17 season's in the National Football League. All was well and there were plans now set to hold an official ceremony during the opening game of the 2008 season at which time Brett Favre's jersey number 4 would be retired by the Green Bay Packers as well.

Then in early July of 2008 it became news that Brett Favre wants to return to play professional football once again! This was taken as very happy news by all Packer fans and was quite exciting to think about. Then the rumors began as to how the Packers general manager Ted Thompson would let Favre come back, but only as a second string quarterback, and that the starting position was already filled by Aaron Rodgers a 2005 first round draft choice by the Packers. This particular decision is found to be highly questionable, if not totally absurd by all who follow the sport of professional football.

Within a few days and many various rumors flying around the media, it was announced that Favre had asked for an unconditional release from Green Bay so that he could play professional football with another NFL franchise team.

The Packers had already made commitments to moving on with the plans for the team having an essentially brand new quarterback, with no real NFL experience at all. There was overall commitment by all parties to the decision of retirement. All along though there were several hints by Favre that he really was not ready to retire and he seemed to be somewhat indecisive and unsure of his true commitment to the decision of retirement. In other words, he was having second thoughts.

Since the Packers claim to be committed to moving on with Aaron Rodgers, then Favre is simply going to have to petition the NFL commission to be reinstated into the NFL. This way he will be able to be traded or released by the Packers so that he can sign on with another NFL team. As a result there has become many NFL teams who want the star quarterback. This is understandable and all are very interested in having him join their franchise.

The bottom line is that the only logical place for Brett Favre to play in the NFL is with the Green Bay Packers with jersey number 4. Favre should be the starting quarterback and the packers should then continue with the momentum they had started with last seasons 13 and 3 regular season record. How could it be any other way? This is the Brett Favre saga as of July 21, 2008.

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Today I am 18 years and 331 days old. The last time Brett Favre wasn't the Green Bay Packer's quarterback?...I was 3 years and 172 days old. I woke up this morning to hear that Favre had announced his retirement, and in all honesty I wasn't that surprised because of what I saw last week from The Sporting Blog. Last week, there was a headline about Favre retiring, and it was supposedly a mistake, but stuff like that wouldn't happen for no reason on the Packers' official website.

Am I disappointed? Yes, I am; a little part of my stomach feels the twist that is the reality that these Packers will have to keep playing without Favre and his magic. I just cannot believe some of the disrespect I have heard about Favre, on television, from friends, online - everywhere today. One guy went as far as to say that Favre's lasting impression will be the interception he threw in the NFC Championship against the Giants this year, in overtime. Are you kidding me?

Dr. Z from Sports Illustrated needs to go see a doctor, after what he wrote earlier today. His headline reads, "Popularity, skills prevented Favre from true greatness". This guy thinks Brett Favre could have been greater - that is the message he wanted the reader to leave with after reading his article. As one of those ESPN guys said this morning, Brett Favre's career isn't just about his stats and being ranked number one in just about every conceivable category that is important to a quarterback. It is more about all of the great moments he has had: playing for his dad against the Oakland Raiders on MNF, that ridiculous pass to Greg Jennings the first play of overtime against the Broncos this year, and his shovel pass in snowy Lambeau in this year's NFC Divisional playoff game just to name a few.

Once Brett Favre started to play in the NFL, he didn't stop, stacking up 253 consecutive starts. Anyone who is going to tell me that Favre never had to deal with injuries, that's simply not the case. Favre was hurt in the game against the Cowboys, just this past season, sustaining an elbow injury AND separated shoulder, yet was still ready to go for the next game. Now that Favre has announced his retirement from the game, Aaron Rodgers will take over, and as a Packer's fan you can't feel that bad; he's been learning from one of the best for a few years now, and actually played very well when he had to step in against the Dallas Cowboys, completing 18 of 26 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown.

The one thing, to me, about Brett Favre that shines above other NFL quarterbacks, is that he is a personable guy, he made plenty of mistakes; he is human. I don't care what you say about him, Brett Favre will go down as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL of all-time.

Most of what I submit to this website can be found at my blog http://sportsnationblog.blogspot.com Please feel free to go check it out and take a visit. I love feedback from my readers so if you want to tell me something then email me at sportsnationblog@gmail.com

Unless you live an entirely media-free life (in which case you would not be reading this), you've heard the latest Brett Favre news. Doctors have told the Minnesota Vikings' quarterback that, if he is to return for a 20th professional season, he will require surgery on his left ankle.

According to several reports, Favre is confronted with a choice: Either have the procedure and return to the Vikings, or retire and put an end to his 19-year NFL career. The three-time NFL Most Valuable Player is reported to be weighing his options.

Favre's ankle, injured in the 2009 NFC Championship Game, is still swollen, and still hurts. He has sent test results to the famed orthopedic surgeon, Dr. James Andrews, who has opined that Favre cannot play without the operation.

"We have spoken,'' Favre said in an e-mail. "To play again, I would need the surgery, as I suspected. This decision would be easy if not for my teammates and the fans and the entire Vikings staff. One year truly felt like 10-much like Green Bay for many years. That's what I was missing in my heart I suppose, a sense of belonging.''

What does this sound like to you? Does it sound like Brett Favre has finally accepted the fact that not even he is immune to the ravages of age and is seriously considering retirement? Or does it sound like he is leaning the other way, considering yet another return, a legitimate shot at a Super Bowl, and a $12.5 million payday?

Sounds to me like he'll be back. I think he'll have the surgery, miss training camp (which he despises), and take one more whack at a Super Bowl victory. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

The thing that stands out most to me in this entire ordeal, though, is not Brett Favre's health, or the difficult decision he must make over the next few months. What fascinates me is the fact that, in the NFL offseason, just after the much-publicized NFL Draft, with the NBA Playoffs in full swing, a 40-year-old quarterback still manages to garner such a large share of the sports headlines.

Radio host and Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Stephen A. Smith often refers to Brett Favre as a "media whore."

I'm a big fan of Smith's, and I listen to his intelligent bombast nearly every weekday on the radio. I usually agree with his take on things. But in this case, I believe Stephen A. is wrong.

Without a doubt, Favre loves attention. He is at the end of a stellar career, one that will place him among the top 10 professional quarterback of all time. He has been in the limelight for nearly his entire adult life, and he is holding on to it with his teeth and his fingernails.

But Brett Favre is not a media whore.

Brett Favre is a media pimp.

Let's examine the pimp-whore dynamic for a moment. The pimp tells the whore where to go and what to do. The pimp uses the prostitute to increase his personal wealth. And if the whore steps out of line, the pimp exacts some punishment.

Brett Favre has led the media around by its nose for at least the past three years. He has told them where to go, and what to do when they get there. He has very likely used the media to increase his personal wealth. And if a reporter has the temerity to question Favre's motives, the quarterback has no problem with cutting off the reporter's access-which is tantamount to punishment.

Favre is not, by any means, the only media pimp in this country. Most members of that species seem to reside in the world of politics. Many people would argue that our President is one, and although I am one of a rapidly-dwindling number of Obama supporters, I'd have a hard time finding fault with that argument.

Media pimps are rare in the world of sports, but they do exist. Tiger Woods is one. Michael Jordan, even in retirement, is one.

Brett Favre is one.

Just you wait: this summer, Favre will have a surgical procedure on his ankle. He will show near the end of the Minnesota Vikings' training camp. He will begin the regular season as the Vikings' starting quarterback. And you'll hear about every step he takes during this process, because the media will tell you all about it.

Iceberg Slim would be proud.