So I don't know the news of Favre's retirement yet. All of a sudden, people are walking up to me and saying "Ha! Favre retired!"

"Packers are gonna be terrible next year"

"Good, Favre's washed up"

"Finally! 1/2 of the NFL's interceptions just left"

And so on. Whatever. They're just saying that because they (think they) are "cool". And I use the word "cool" loosely because a) DJ, AKA Dr. Cool, isn't like this, and b) because these people are people who we fans on FanNation call "homers". Homers are people that are usually frowned on on this site. These homers are basically Steelers and Eagles fans, so they really don't have reason to talk about being bad (more Philly then Pitt, and no offense to any Pitt or Philly fans...just when you compare them to GB this year). Anyway, there's nothing cooler than Favre tossing the ball up on the frozen tundra...

It's sad to see him go, but he's been here for 17 years. 17 years in the NFL, most of them without missing a start, has to take a toll on you. And not just physically. Favre said that he was "mentally tired" and could still play. I don't blame him. I don't think it's a question of if he can still play or not, but he's been getting nailed with injury and the media. Seriously, the last few years (before last) were downright terrible for Favre; he gets most of the blame. Then when the season is over, you think Favre-fest is over, but there's the "retirement-palooza" until he makes a decision. And when he said "yes" the last few years, he was criticized for coming back.

It's also surprising and strange to see him hang up the cleats. This is the man who said the team he has is the "most talented" he had. Nobody thought high of the Packers going into last season, and he did amazing. If not his greatest, one of the greatest statistical years he has ever had. And then he barely lost a chance to go to Arizona this year for the Super Bowl. Everything looked great for next year. When the retirement-palooza came around, it wasn't really talking about a retirement this time. It was, "Favre will come back and here's what he has; he could go all the way this time".

So with everybody looking for a great year for the Green & Gold, he suddenly said "I'm retiring". That doesn't mean the Packers won't do good. Aaron Rodgers looked good in their game against Dallas; he should be promising. But seriously, if you watched A.T.H. or 1st and 10, you'll get what I mean. They're all saying Favre's a competitor. And for him to stop when he is so close to the top of the mountain, it seems just unbelievable. It's hard to imagine Favre giving up so close victory.

Although I don't agree with either of the following statements, these things were brought up today too: Favre quit because of Green Bay not getting Randy Moss and it's a good thing that Favre retired because we remember this great year he had. Even though Moss would have helped a lot, not landing him shouldn't cause Favre to give up. Look at the guys he has to throw to right now. And I thing it was Blackistone on ATH that said that coming back would be risking another bad year; quiting now means he left on a high note. To me, there's no doubt in my mind that Favre would've had another great year.

So it seems like we are all acting like Favre didn't retire, but passed away. Why? Because this isn't like any other retirement. Favre isn't like any other NFL player. We tend to love him more than any other player because we can relate to him. All of the family struggles he's been through...I think we can all relate to Favre in one of his battles. He isn't like Terrell Owens. How many of us can relate to T.O. more than to Favre? We feel for Favre and in the process we start to like him. He is one of the few true role models left in sports. That is one of the reasons it is very hard to swallow his decision.

And the legacy he left behind. It is just amazing. In college he could have died in his car accident. As a rookie he sat on the bench and was a partier with the Falcons. Then he got traded, and an injury put him in. It's just amazing the way he went to the top.

So now there's a twist in this whole retirement. Football is Favre's life. He just stepped away from football. All of the experts are saying that he might (from now till the start of the season) figure out that he's missing something and that the retirement isn't worth it, he might decide to come back. That seems far from reality, but you can always hope. And I'm sure a lot of people will hope on this one.

For the sake of this blog, he's retired for good. Now where do we list him on the all-time quarterbacks list? He broke almost every single passing record there is to break. He is the only player to win 3 MVP's, and he did it in 3 years straight. The only thing that might make him stay from the top is having only one ring. If he won both of his Super Bowls, he would probably be higher on many lists. He could be the best, but I think he deserves at least a Top 3 spot, definitely Top 5.

To close this out, here's one more thing. People might be saying that he shouldn't go out with his last play an interception, but I think it would be fine. That kind of defines who he is: a gunslinger who always took chances.