The Saga Continues...

Brett Favre retired, again.

Okay, the title isn’t flashy but why is it hard to believe? Maybe it’s because we’ve seen this before. Maybe it’s because he told Peter King that he thinks he’ll have the urge to play again.

Last March, when Favre announced his retirement, I believed him. To get so close to play in another Super Bowl and then throw the final interception which ultimately cost your team the game cannot be a good feeling. Like Michael Strahan, John Elway, and Jerome Bettis, I’m sure Favre wanted to retire with another Super Bowl win. Who wouldn’t?

The fact is that it probably wasn’t going to happen anyway. The only reason that the Giants beat the Patriots was because of a freak catch by David Tyree. Yeah, I know that we don’t know what the outcome would have been if the Packers were there, but I think Favre wanted to be the hero to stop the juggernaut.

And you can’t be angry at Packers’ GM Ted Thompson for not wanting Favre back. Not because he has been more of a liability in the clutch over the last few years and not because he didn’t want to deal with his contract. It’s because he had a young quarterback in waiting who’s contract with the team was quickly coming to an end. Thompson knew that if he didn’t hand the reigns over to Aaron Rodgers this year, he never would. And if Rodgers numbers are any indication, he ultimately made the right move for the team.

So why does Favre still want to play? Maybe it’s the same reason that Joe Paterno keeps coaching; he doesn’t want to be forgotten. Well Brett, after all the drama you’ve caused I don’t think we can anymore. We all remember that one kid in preschool who cried about everything (a little easier for me, I was that kid). Having the word “saga” asphyxiated to your name is not always a good thing.

Maybe he fears that his records will be gone in a few years if Payton Manning stays on pace. People don’t always remember number two or three on a list. Records are meant to be broken. Maybe he should have played baseball instead, where every record has become tainted.

Retirement is like marriage. You’re still going to see beautiful women and want to chase them, but you know you can’t and you shouldn’t. We all know Favre still wants to play, but the question is can he resist the urge and do what his body, his fans, and his numbers are telling him? RETIRE!

If he came back to the Jets, the team was saying that he would fully have to participate in training camp. Favre hasn’t done that in years. He hasn’t been criticized publicly by teammates like he was by Thomas Jones. Favre has always had his own, giant island in Green Bay and it looks like staying in New York would force him to swim to the mainland.

And one more thing. We know an NFL team is going to have an opening at some point this year. There’s always a major quarterback injury that will open the door for Favre. And when this happens you can bet that Favre will have a decision to make. Can the fat kid guard the cupcake? Let’s hope he can.