Once again, SI.com is devoting its home page to the news of Brett Favre’s retirement. It is also the lead story on ESPN.com and Yahoo! Sports. Favre's Retirement
We have seen this before, no?
The rumor prompts two immediate question, and then a third.
Question #1: Is it true? The source is anonymous, though said to be familiar with the situation. The Vikings, as of this hour, have not confirmed the story, nor has anyone out of Favre’s camp.
Question #2: Will it last? Even if it is true today, that doesn’t mean that it will be true tomorrow. We have seen Brett retire – earnestly, tearfully retire – before. Yet he has always come back and put on the pad again when it was time for the season to start. Perhaps this story will follow the same trajectory.
Question #3: What does it mean? Yet what if it is true? What if this really is the end of the road for #4?
After such a banner performance in 2009, is he really willing to hang it up? After coming so close to the big game, can he really bring himself to walk away? It’s hard to imagine that this is really the end for Brett.
Perhaps he saw Don Banks’ Power Rankings (see earlier post) and is positioning himself to get signed by the Jets again!
If it really is the end of the line, it will be interesting to see how Favre’s reputation and legacy take shape over the next few years. I believe that his brand has been damaged somewhat by his indecision, and especially by his move from the Jets to the Vikings. He will retire with more wins than any other QB in NFL history, yet only one ring. How will he stack up, therefore, with Starr, Bradshaw, Montana, and Elway? Was he really a great winner, or just remarkably durable?
For all the unanswered questions, I am reasonably sure of this. If Favre doesn’t come back for the Vikings, I believe the Packers instantly become the class of the NFC North. But that’s another story, and we’ll save that for another post.
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