Favre: The End of an Era

As a Bears fan, I always thought I would be ecstatic when Brett finally retired, but now that he has, ecstatic isn’t exactly how I would describe it. You see, for years and years Brett killed us. The Packers were 22-10 against the Bears during the Brett Favre era, so you can see why I kept waiting for him to leave. As a Bears fan, the Packers are your worst nemesis, and well, let’s just say that Brett Favre was my Darth Vader. In fact, before this year, the Bears had only defeated Favre 8 times in 30 chances. Many Sunday’s ended with a sour taste in my mouth thanks to good ole’ boy #4.

Then finally, it happens, he retires. My first thought is “YES!!” Then, after watching his press conference and thinking about it some, I realize that the NFL and all it’s fans just lost an icon. Some would argue he’s the best ever, maybe he is, maybe he isn’t, but he definitely played the game with a passion and excellence that you only see very rarely these days. He never missed a start, never missed a game, he’s the ironman of a sport that seems to specialize in injuries. He’s just a good ole’ boy from the south who just loves to throw the pigskin, and put his whole life into it.

For many years I watched Favre stick dagger after dagger into the Bears, but yet it’s still sad to see him go. Part of the reason is that I want the chance to beat him. Last year, we swept the series against the Packers….a season that was one of the best for Brett, and we beat him. That’s what you want, you want to beat the best when they are on top. I honestly thought Brett would be back next year, so I am a little shocked that he decided to retire, especially with his team showing many improvements.

But now the Packers move on to the Aaron Rodgers era. Will he be able to take the reigns, did he learn anything from Favre as he served as his understudy? Time will tell for Rodgers and the Packers, but for now, the Packers heart and soul will be hunting and fishing in Mississippi, not throwing TD’s in the NFL.

So, this is goodbye to a legend. When we play the Packers this year, it will be very different not to see #4 out there. The victories will be just as sweet, the losses will be just as bitter, but it will all be different. Just like when Sweetness retired, everything changes. Thanks for the memories Brett, you will be missed…..for the most part.