As crazy as it sounds, I remember September 20th, 1992 quite vividly. I was in the hospital that no longer is operational (Ravenswood) for what appeared to be an Asthma attack. It was my freshman year of high school and there I was stuck in a hospital room. As you can imagine, there’s not much for a 14 year old kid to do besides watching TV. So there I was watching Green Bay vs. Cincinnati. Don Majikowski, a Wisconsin favourite with his blonde mullett and Polish descent, goes to the turf with an injury. No one knew then that the guy replacing him would probably go down as one of the best quarterbacks the NFL has ever seen. I recall my dad saying, “That Favre (FAV-REY) guy is going to be good someday..”. My response was, “Yeah right dad, who is this guy anyways?”. The Packers, led by Favre, come back to beat the Bengals on a Favre touchdown throw to a guy named Kitrick Taylor. Once again, Dad was right and I was wrong.

Who ever would have imagined that the following week would start a streak that lasted 17 years and 253 games at starting quarterback? I never did, but over that time, I (a Chicago Bears Fan) became a glutton for punishment for 2 weeks of each NFL season. As a Bears fan, you knew you were doomed when Favre was on the field. At any point of the game or anywhere on the field, he could change the game.

What I liked most about Brett Favre was his ability to excel no matter who was around him. Think about some of the receivers, lineman, and running backs he had at his disposal. He looked great throwing to a guy like Sterling Sharpe or Donald Driver, but would complete the same throw to guys like Ruvell Martin, James Jones, and Robert Ferguson. He had one of the premier tight ends to block and catch for him in Mark Chmura, but also had to depend on guys like David Martin, Tyrone Davis, and Donald Lee. He had a good running attack with Ahman Green and Dorsey Levens, but still excelled in the passing game with Samkon Gado, Vernand Morency, Edgar Bennett, Noah Herron, DeShawn Wynn and Brandon Jackson. He made offensive lineman like Mike Flanigan, Frank Winters, Mark Tauscher, and Chad Clifton better and relied on them when they were still developing. Take guys like Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, and Ryan Grant and he made what looked like average careers and entries into the “Where are they now?” category into premier NFL athletes.

More importantly, Favre respected every aspect of the game and was a “guys guy” on and off the field. If you think about it, here was a guy from one of the most rural towns in Mississippi and transplanted into the desolate reaches of the Midwest. You’d think it be quite difficult to adjust and go from eating crawdads and mud bogging to a place where everyone wears bright orange in November and the daily diet consists of cheese and brats. Not only did Favre adjust, he became one with the fans and the town. He never seemed to get too involved with annual rivalries against Minnesota or Chicago, yet played the game as he would play any other while still understanding the importance as the fans understood it. He also had a great relationship with his former head coach (Mike Holmgren) and placed credibility for guys like Steve Mariucci and John Gruden in their attempts for future head coaching jobs. While his relationship was tense at times with Holmgren and it wasn’t often uncommon to see Holmgren’s approach model the approach a parent would use with a child, they were both successful as Favre developed into one of the best. Comments like “No more rocket balls please?” eventually led to “Its your offense, run it”.

Not only was Favre a great ambassador for Wisconsin and the Packers, he was human. He made a position that is considered one of the toughest in all of professional sports seem like it was just another day at the park. He stepped onto the field like a guy who just woke up from a massive hangover and toss 4 TD’s on a team like it was nothing. When he scrambled, it looked like something any father would do when playing a quick touch football game in the yard as 5 kids were on the chase. Sure, his free-style personality led to excessive drinking and addiction to pain medication, but he overcame the issues and took full responsibility for them. He even was able to go out and throw for 399 yards and 4 TDs the day after his father passed away..

Favre always had the advantage when it came to his arm and even though this led to “gunslinging” (as he called it) and a high interception total, he still got the job done and encompassed 275 total wins. To Favre, 60% of the time worked all the time.

I won’t miss Brett Favre when it comes to a Bears vs. Packers matchup, but beyond that I’ll miss the guy for all his accomplishments and what he was able to do on the field. While most fans (especially in Chicago) are happy to see him depart, I’d bet that the flipside of that coin has some sorrow attached to it.

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