Be All You Can Be

He was drafted in second round by the Atlanta Falcons in 1991. He spent the year on the bench and then in February 1992 newly-hired GM of the Green Bay Packers Ron Wolf traded a first round draft pick for him. The Packers had a starting QB in "The Majic Man", Don Majkowski. In the second game of that 1992 season he got into the game in the second half when Majkowski was benched for poor play. His very first play from scrimmage he threw a pass, it was deflected back to the young QB and went to a seven yard loss. Not the start he had envisioned. The very next week Majkowski tore ligaments in his ankle and was going to be sidelined for 4-6 weeks. The kid got a chance to start. Majkowski never got off the bench again.

This past Sunday Brett Favre broke Dan Marinos all-time passing yardage record, just has he had broken Marino's touchdown record earlier in the year. It was typical Favre, a 7 yard slant pass to his favorite receiver Donald Driver for the record. The most important thing to Favre is that the Packers won the game convincingly, they are 12-2 this season and now with Dallas losing to Philadelphia they actually have a chance to have homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Playoff football at Lambeau Field in January. Not a pretty site for visiting teams. And when Brett says that is really what is important to him, he really means it.

Just consider a few things about Brett Favre:

--Counting playoff games, he has now played in 271 consecutive game. During that streak he has played with shoulder separations, tendinitis in his elbow and he played most of 2003 season with a broken thumb.

--He has had 17 different backups in Green Bay.

--There have been, at current count, 209 starting QBs in the NFL since Favre began his streak.

--He has won 3 league MVP awards. He has 8 30-touchdown passing season, twice as many as his nearest competitor (Marino), and he has thrown a touchdown pass in 16 straight NFL playoff games, another NFL record.

None of these things really tell the story of Brett Favre. Watching him admit after a series of treatments for various injuries that he had become addicted to the painkiller Vicodin, seeing the pain and confusion on his face, wondering what was happening to him. In 2004 the discovery that his wife Deanna had breast cancer, her subsequent battle and victory over this dreaded disease. The loss of his family's home in Hurricane Katrina. And perhaps his greatest performance of all, watching him play on Monday Night football against the Raiders, the biggest stage in sports, the day after his beloved father Irvin has passed away. He threw four touchdowns in the first half and after the game watching a tearful Favre tell a national audience that his Dad would have wanted him to play, so he did.

These stories are the heart and soul of who Brett Favre is. He's a family man, deeply committed to his family and their well-being. He's a friend, the guy that if you needed something, no matter when or where, he would be there. He's a compassionate man, donating more time and money to such a wide variety of causes both in Green Bay and in Mississippi that it would take too long to document here. He's a big kid, running around the field, slapping teammates on the back and the butt, smiling and having the time of his life. He is without a doubt one of the toughest men to ever play this game at any position, playing through injuries that sideline most players for a game, if not for multiple games. He's a leader, make no mistake about it. This team belongs to Brett Favre and it will until HE decides to walk away, period.

The perfect ending to this season would be for the Packers to win the Super Bowl, Brett announce his retirement and ride off into the sunset ala' John Elway. I hope the Packers win, but don't leave just yet Brett. You can still play. Stick around as long as you can and believe me, you still can get it done. This particular version of the Packers has some great young talent and they are only going to get better. But they NEED #4 calling the shots. And we all want to see the greatest QB who has ever played the game play a couple of more years. Thanks Brett for everything.