A Fond Farewell

In a way, Brett Favre has been a victim of his own success. Through his play over the last two decades, Favre has ingratiated himself with the mainstream media. The media's over-the-top praise of Favre's play, once the reason to celebrate him, has now largely become the reason to hate him.
The sad part about Favre's narrative is he hasn't been an innocent bystander, simply playing the game and letting the media and fans talk about him. His yearly flirtation with retirement is really just a cry for attention -- which brings me to the sad part. Brett Favre didn't need to pander for that kind of attention. People cared about Brett Favre, they didn't need to be convinced to care about him. In fact, his flip-flopping retirement speeches made people stop caring. The exact opposite of what he was trying to accomplish.
In March of 2007 when Favre first retired, most NFL fans were willing to embrace him. While he wasn't universally liked, I think most football fans appreciated what he did for the game and could respect a Hall of Fame career when they saw one.
He came out of retirement shortly thereafter, and hence, the Favre apologists were born. These apologists painted Favre as a man torn between his body and mind. His mind desperately wanted to come back to the game he loved and played so successfully, but his body told him no -- he couldn't hold up. It was quite a heroic picture. Through sheer will and determination, Favre could overcome his body's shortcomings.
Then there was the other side, Favre's critics. They thought of him as an attention-seeking prima donna, concerned primarily with keeping his name in the news, more so than winning. In 2007, most people were on the other side. Now, approaching the end of 2010, they've almost all converted to this side.
While Favre can be criticized for his performance, ego, or various off the field issues, his willingness to play can never be questioned. Favre's consecutive game's started streak ended a week and a half ago when he failed to suit up and face the Giants. He tallied 297 consecutive starts, 321 including the playoffs.
A day before Favre's streak was snapped, the Metrodome roof collapsed. Before the collapse, the Metrodome housed 230 consecutive Vikings games, 91 less than Brett Favre alone. If that doesn't put Favre's accomplishment into perspective, I don't know what does.
Growing up as a Bears fan, I was able to see Favre play often. I watched him rattle off eleven straight victories against us in the 1990s, and then seven straight in the 2000s. I saw him amass a 23-13 record against us playing for both the Packers and Vikings. I hated Favre, but I couldn't help but respect him. And even after all his shenanigans, I still do.
So when he decided to give it a go against the Bears on Monday Night, I was thrilled. I wanted one last chance to beat Brett Favre. From 1992-2003, Favre was 20-4 against the Bears. From 2004-2010 heading into Monday's game, he was 3-8. We couldn't beat him in his prime, so now we have to settle on beating him at the end of his career. As a Bears fan, I want every victory against Favre I can get before he's done.
Speaking of which, I believe this is his last year. I've never believed that before, but now I finally do. He didn't start a game. That's enough evidence for me to believe he can't do it anymore. I'm glad the Bears pulled off one last win, and I'm glad I was able to witness Brett Favre's career.