After 17 NFL season Brett Favre has decided to hang up the helmet and retire. In Wisconsin this has become a winter tradition of Brett flirting with retirement and having cheese heads hang on his every word. But on March 4, 2008 what some may consider the greatest quarterback of all time said the words that may put Packers fans into a deep depression, “Im just tired and I just think it’s time.”

     Brett Favre single handily put the Packers among the NFL’s elite during his career. He retires with 5,377 career completions in 8,758 attempts for 61,655 yards, 442 touchdowns, 288 interceptions and an amazing 275 straight games played.

     Favre will be remembered more for the way that he played the game than for his impressive stats and his durability during his career. Watching Brett play you realized he didn’t care how many interceptions he threw or how many records he broke, the man only cared about one thing on the field and that was winning. He was willing to roll the dice on every single play throwing the ball deep into double coverage or forcing passes into tightest of areas. You could see it on his face after he scored a touchdown. His arms thrown up into the air sprinting down the field and jumping on his teammates, he was a kid trapped in an adult’s body. That’s the image that millions of football fans will have of Brett Favre when they describe his play.

     It’s a true honor to have witnessed a career like Brett Favre’s during my lifetime. Legends only come around once every so often who make such a big impact on their sport and to be able to be a witness and pass on your memories is a cool thing. As a youngster I was told by my dad of how great Muhammad Ali was, how much a celebrity Joe Namath was and how hard Pete Rose played the game of baseball. Now, I can pass along to my children the stories of how the game of football is supposed to be played. How one man took a town as small as Green Bay, Wisconsin and made it a house hold name across the country.

     “I know it shouldn’t feel unsuccessful, but the only way to come back and make that be the right decision would be to come back and win a Super Bowl. And honestly, the odds of that, they’re tough. Those are big shoes for me to fill, and I guess it was a challenge I wasn’t up for.” Those words and that decision would come sooner or later. Rather it was this year or next year everyone’s career will eventually come to an end. Its selfishness on the fans part to suggest he has more in the tank and will regret this decision. Favre seems satisfied with what he has accomplished in his career and he is able to look himself in the mirror and know that he gave everything he had to offer to the sport that he loves. Thanks for the past 17 years Brett its been a great show.