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.

Richard Dent: Hall of Famer?

Richard Dent is a name that used to instill fear into opposing teams and especially quarterbacks. His career started at Tennessee State, and after graduation he was selected by the Bears in the 8th round of the draft, 203rd pick overall. He played with the Bears for 12 years, and he spent 3 years playing for the 49ers, Colts, and Eagles. He retired with 137.5 sacks, which put him third behind Reggie White and Bruce Smith. He currently sits tied at 7th, with John Randle.

He finished his career with 137.5 sacks, 8 Interceptions, with 1 returned for a TD, recovered 13 fumbles, with 1 returned for a TD, and a safety. Dent was named to the Pro-Bowl 4 times, and was an All-Pro 5 times. He was the Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl XX against the New England Patriots. He was one of the main reasons that the Famous Bears 46 Defense was so dominant. For 10 years, he averaged over 11 sacks per year, and usually helped push the Bears to the top of the rankings in the sacks department.

This is the 4th year that Dent is one of the 17 finalists named to the Hall of Fame ballot. Will this be the year that he joins the other NFL-High 26 Bears in the Hall of Fame? A majority seem to believe that Darrell Green will get in as well as Cris Carter. Can Dent survive the cut down to the Final 6? Ray Guy, Ryan Zimmerman, and Paul Tagliabue could also make it to the Final 6, and let’s not forget about Art Monk and Andre Reed. Those are just a few of the top players that are on this years ballot, there are many more.

I honestly don’t like that the NFL has a minimum and maximum number of players they let in per year. That seems a little odd to me. If you deserve to get in, you should be in. But, that’s an argument for another day.

So, is Dent a Hall of Fame type player? Looking at his stats, his dominance for a 10 year period, his performance in the Super Bowl, I say yes.

Hopefully 2008 is a Hall of Fame year for Richard Dent.

Baseball Dynasty League

We here at NLS host a variety of Fantasy Sports teams and Leagues. Football, Basketball, Baseball, Hockey, Golf, etc. We are currently looking for two people to join our NLS Dynasty I baseball league. We have two orphan teams that are looking for owners.

You will need to become a member of NLS (registration is FREE). You can then check out all we have to offer. We offer Pay leagues, and some Free leagues as well. If you are interested in this Dynasty Baseball League, follow this link once you get to NLS. Dynasty Baseball I This specific league is a pay league, so read all about it and ask any questions!

Hope to see you there!