I just couldn't take it anymore

I'd been meaning to start this blog for about a year now, but deciding on a title, finding motivation to write consistently, and a few other things had gotten in the way... until this. While the picture at right, kindly sent to me by my colleague John Paul, pretty much speaks for itself, why should I let it speak for itself when I can rant about its subject at great length instead? In fact, one of my top five reasons for starting this blog is to provide an outlet for my Brett Favre tirades because I'm pretty sure everyone who knows me is sick of hearing them.

This latest flip-flop raises the same questions I've asked on an annual basis since the first time Favre threatened retirement 4-5 years ago. Can he really not stay away? Can he really not function without the hourly press conferences and all eyes focused on him? Is he afraid he'll forget what it feels like to throw carelessly off his back foot into triple coverage? A year ago, I wondered whether he just missed the outrageous, irrational lovefest that characterized Packers fans' feelings toward him, but now that he's successfully put an end to that, what's left?

It can't be concern for his legacy that keeps him coming back. Between the fact that he hasn't been a decent playoff quarterback since before the 2001-2002 season and the way he's shamelessly held on through multiple injuries to mow down every longevity-based record in the book, or maybe the way he deliberately, and very publicly, refused to mentor Aaron Rodgers, or maybe the way he has openly tried to gain revenge on the franchise--and, consequently, the fanbase--that let him hold on too long in the first place, I would argue he doesn't have a legacy left to tarnish. One Super Bowl victory 12 years ago and three consecutive MVPs in a between-era talent vacuum? Check the numbers on Kurt Warner, and you'll find a strikingly similar career trajectory for a much more humble, likable guy. If one draws out Favre's credentials over what's become a longer and longer career and examines them within the context of the extreme self-interest that has marked his last five years in (and out) of the NFL, I think he has to at least question whether Favre's a first-ballot Hall of Famer anymore. It would be hard to believe Brett Favre hasn't thought of this, but he just might be that blinded by his own self-concept. Think about it.