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Favre Retires After 17 Seasons

Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre has decided to retire.

"I know I can still play, but it's like I told my wife, I'm just tired mentally. I'm just tired," Favre told ESPN's Chris Mortensen in a voice mail messasge.

"If I felt like coming back -- and Deanna [Favre, his wife] and I talked about this -- the only way for me to be successful would be to win a Super Bowl. To go to the Super Bowl and lose, would almost be worse than anything else. Anything less than a Super Bowl win would be unsuccessful," Favre said in the message.

"I know it shouldn't feel unsuccessful, but the only way to come back and make that be the right decision would be to come back and win a Super Bowl and honestly the odds of that, they're tough. Those are big shoes for me to fill, and I guess it was a challenge I wasn't up for. "

Mortensen reported that according to Favre's agent, Bus Cook, Favre informed Packers coach Mike McCarthy of his decision Monday night.

A sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer, Favre, acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons, led the Packers back to the NFL's elite. He retires with 5,377 carrer completions in 8,758 attempts for 61,655 yards, 442 touchdowns and 288 interceptions, passing Dan Marino's touchdown mark last season.

As a player Favre was known for his durability, his willingness to take risks and turn broken plays into big gains, as well as for the way his love for the game was evident in the way he played. He went to a pair of Super Bowls in 1996 and 1997, winning it all on his first try in Super Bowl XXXI, and was named to nine Pro Bowls.

He finished his career on a streak of 253 consecutive regular season starts -- 275 including playoff games.

Mortensen reported that Favre, who wanted the Packers to obtain Randy Moss when he was a free agent last season, had once again pushed for Moss to join the Packers.

Favre had spoken to Moss late last week and was willing to commit to more than just this season if Moss and the Packers could come to an agreement. But the Packers did not pursue Moss, who re-signed with the Patriots on Monday.

Source: ESPN

Brett is definitely the best QB the NFL has ever seen. I'm sad to see him go, but I'm also excited to see Aaron Rodgers take over this team

Best QB the league has ever seen..? That dude is still playing in New England... :D

At any rate, Brett at least is top 5 all time, all bullshit aside...The mere fact that he possesses several qualities you'd want in a QB ideally says that...And he played his last season like a man on fire, he looked good...He looked in his prime...Had one of his best seasons ever, and that's definitely a good note to retire on...

See ya in the booth Brett...

I think he was pretty good but I wouldn't even come close to saying he's in the top 5. Top 20 maybe. There were so many QB's that we've never seen that get forgotten like Baugh, Starr, and most definitely Unitas. But the thing with Favre, he did alot to get his team to the playoffs but once there he just always self imploded. He's got to have the record for most picks in the playoffs, he absolutely kills his team every year. It gets forgotten by the media because he's a nice guy and fun and always smiling but man the reckless chances he takes drove me nuts.

He was at his prime in the 90's under Holmgren when he cut down on Favre's freelancing. Since then yeesh... But I do give him credit for the Iron man thing.


Greatest I've seen:
Montana
Marino
Elway
Brady
P Manning (hate him but he is fantastic)

As they pointed out on ESPN, statistically, you can't shut him out, as he is #1 in so many categories...And that whole 'didn't miss a start in 17 years' thing is extraordinary too...But, kinda like what dl1 said, a lot of bad that goes on with him is swept under the bus cause when he's playing, and playing well, he's just so damn fun to watch...Even Brett himself said that he's not sure the way he did things is the way to do them, choosing rather to defer to Marino...

But...17 years...ONE Superbowl...Can't say that he didn't leave much to be desired...

My top 5...I'm definitely bias, cause although there were some great passers back in the day, to say that the quarterback position isn't 10x's more dynamic than it was back then is crazy...I tend to favor old school running backs over new school running backs because the way the game was played was different...Jim Brown regularly saw 8 man fronts...And when was the last time you saw a modern day back run like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPzbRJznNC4

At any rate, modern day QB's are Quad Core Processors w/feet and cannon's...You stick a Michael Vick into the vintage game, and we would be talking about him like he invented the position...

My top 5 are

1. Tom Brady - I mean, he's the prototypical QB...6'4"...225 lbs...Accurate as fuck...Can make every throw...CLUTCH as hell...Scary part..? He's only 30...Already a 3 time Super Bowl Champion...He could easily have 5-7 more prime years in him...And for no reason do I feel like he's gonna get worse...In an era where defenses have the power to absolutely dominate the game, where freakish Defensive Linemen with 4.5 speed are everwhere...Nobody scares more players than Brady...Shit, the league had not even seen clever defensive scheming until Buddy Ryan and the Bears came along...To ask myself if Brady could have succeeded better or about the same as other old school running backs given the same circumstances, I'd almost always say better...What can't he do that you expect a QB to do..? Nuff said...

The others need no explanation...

2. Joe Montana
3. Dan Marino
4. Steve Young
5. Warren Moon

Favre does hold many QB records and that is one reason why he definitely should be in the top 5 (he's in my top 3). The 17 seasons and only 1 Super Bowl may look like a deterrent but look at all the QB's that haven't made it to a Super Bowl like Marino. I think Elway only has 1 ring also. Favre knew how to win games when it counted. He has the most 4th quarter comebacks of any QB. Even with his picks, I think Favre is who I would want in clutch time.

A, can you explain why Moon is in your top 5? He's a good QB, but top 5?

Dan made it to a Super Bowl (Superbowl XIX) he just couldn't win that sucker...And I don't consider the fact alone that Brett only won one as a deterrent unless you look at the numbers as a whole...I mean, when Brett was on, he was ON...And just the same, when he was bad...He was BAD...A bad game for Tom Brady is usually 2 touchdowns, 2 picks and 250 yards w/58% passes completed...Brett is the very definition of a gunslinger...An admirable adjective for a quarterback when he's completing passes, and just as bad when he's completing them to the wrong team...

But again, I can't take nothing away from the man, he rocks..! But if I were putting a team together of All Stars, I wouldn't really put Brett in the front of those other guys I listed...I know he can be clutch, but he can break your heart just as easily...He's who I'd want if I held improvisation in high regard no doubt...

Ahh, Warren Moon...I knew you'd question that pick tt, which is why I love you... ;)

Warren Moon played 17 NFL seaons...The last 2 seasons he played a total of 3 games...So, technically speaking, more like 15...He is top 5 in every major category with the exception of touchdowns, in which he is 6th, 9 behind Elway for 5th...For example, his 49,325 passing yards are 12,300 yards off the leader, Brett Favre...Great numbers, right..? Here's the kicker...

Moon did not play a down in the NFL until he was 28 years old...

Because no NFL team wanted to draft a black QB seemingly, Moon went undrafted from Washington and wound up in the CFL...And I KNOW its not the NFL...But here are the numbers he put up:



And its no fluke, he threw for 3300 hundred yards in his first NFL season...He had great size, an amazing arm, and was decent with his feet...I know its not nice to think in ideals, but nobody can tell me that those 6 seasons as a Hall of Fame QB in Canada wouldn't have translated to some huge numbers in the NFL...He just suffered from the same fate as Dan Marino and Barry Sanders as to why you won't hear his name with the greats as much...

Good argument for Moon Ay! First time I've ever heard him mentioned as a top ten. And the stuff you said about Brady and Favre I couldn't have said better myself. The way I look at it when you compare a guy like Favre to guys like Brady and Manning is...when they lose a big game is the reason it was lost because Manning or Brady were just a disaster and blew the game almost single handedly? I really can't think of any game where that was the case. Sometimes I think their performances were sub-par but usually the rest of the team played semi awful too. With Favre, in a big game I'm just waiting for him to put a dagger in his own teams heart. You can almost set your watch to it. I remember talking to people after the NFC championship game a few weeks ago how happy they were to have the Pats play the Giants instead of the Pack. Not me, I was hoping to get Favre in the big game because I figured the Pats would have about 6 picks.

Like I said before he's a legend and he was fun as hell to watch but I wouldn't want him on my team. Already had a QB who liked to throw to the other team in Bledsoe, Favre woulda given me fits.

man, i really wish he won last season, it wuda been a great way for him to retire

I really wish Brady won last season it woulda been a great way for him...to go into...next...season. Yeah. :sick:

I personally thought that he still have about 3 good years left in him....

And come to see a few weeks later, it seems like he might make a return to the league...