On Monday, January 17, 2011, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre submitted his retirement papers to the NFL...for the third time in three years. Will this FINALLY be the last we see of Brett Favre? One can only hope. Everyone has an opinion on Favre...the way he played this season, his off-the-field issues, and his legacy. I'm so sick of this guy I don't feel like talking about any of it. I am excited for a Favre-less football season. Say it with me, "No more Favre! No More Favre!"
Sadly, Favre retiring doesn't mean we won't be hearing about the guy every week. Until the Packers win the Super Bowl with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback football analysts and experts will continue to talk about Favre and his legacy, and Rodgers will remain in the legend's shadow. Well, Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews, and Greg Jennings took care of that last night, as the Packers knocked off the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. I was shocked but thankful there was little Favre talk during and immediately following the Super Bowl. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers now has his first Super Bowl victory. He also won his first Super Bowl MVP. At 27-years-old, Rodgers has the same number of rings and one more Super Bowl MVP award than this predecessor. And Rodgers put on one of the best performances in a Super Bowl by a quarterback that I can remember. He threw for over 300 yards, completing 24 of 39 passes. He had at least six on-target passes that were dropped by his receivers, which could've put him over the 400-yard mark. Rodgers' quarterback rating of 111.5 was more than 30 points better than the Steelers' Ben Worthlessberger. He made the plays he needed to make, while making it look easy. Aaron Rodgers was great.
So with Favre out of the league and Rodgers finally out of the "Packers-Brett Favre" shadow, there should be few reasons to mention Favre next season. Unless CBS, Fox, or ESPN decide to torture viewers by convincing Brett to be on TV, next year should be the first Favre-less season in what seems like an eternity - and I can't wait.
But with Brett Favre can we really be sure he's not going to change his mind? What are the odds that Brett Favre decides to come back? I don't know, but I'm thinking there's little to no chance he plays in the NFL next year. At least that's what I'm telling myself.
