March 4, 2008

PACKERS ARE NO LONGER A GOOD YOUNG TEAM WITH AN OLD QUARTERBACK

The announcement was surprising, but only for a moment.  As much as you would like to continue to enjoy similar moments of joy there comes a time when you have to accept change.  Now is a good time for the Green Bay Packers to experience change.  They have proven over the two years since Mike McCarthy took over as coach that they were heading in the right direction, and quick.  This is a solid young team with a tremendous upside.  While it may seem odd that Favre would leave just as the Packers are about to join the elite of professional football it is the signal that the heir apparent must now step into the limelight.  Favre has had his turn—and an astounding one at that.  Now it’s time for Aaron Rodgers.  

It actually works perfectly.  The Packers can continue to add to their strong foundation so they can be competitive for many years to come—and they will be competitive no matter who stands behind center.  There will be much less drop-off without Favre now than they would have experienced at any time in the past half decade.  It’s a good time for Favre to leave—for both himself and the Packers.  They need to find out if Rodgers—or another young quarterback—can be the leader of this team in the years to come.

The timing of the announcement may seem somewhat surprising.  Not that this man chose to retire after a hall of fame career where he became the all-time passing leader in several categories, and tenaciously attained an iron man streak that rivals any in all other sport.  This wasn’t about accomplishments anymore for Favre. He had accomplished everything he could. The records were there.  The honour and the respect were there.  A championship had been won.  No, this was about human frailty.  About the body of a man that, after seventeen years of being the target for opposing defences simply wore down.  He said he was tired.  It’s as simple as that.

It may seem strange that such an emotional and driven man could accept that his last pass was a wobbler against the wind at Lambeau Field that was intercepted and ultimately was converted into the deciding points in a championship game loss.  But when stacked up against all of his accomplishments one bad pass just doesn’t seem to matter.

Thank you Brett.  As a Packer fan you made watching football an absolutely enjoyable experience.

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