Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS ó There is the way most NFL quarterbacks do things and the way Brett Favre did it.
Over 20 seasons he built one of the most exciting, colorful and drama-filled careers the league has ever seen, built on a ědonít try this at homeî style of play predicated on taking big risks in the gameís biggest moments.
No apologies needed for his three MVP awards, two Super Bowl appearances and NFL records for consecutive starts, victories by a quarterback, yards passing, completions, touchdowns and pretty much every other passing mark there is.
And none offered for his bitter split from the Green Bay Packers, careless interceptions in a pair of NFC championship games and refusal to cooperate with an NFL investigation into alleged tawdry messages sent to a game-day hostess with the New York Jets in 2008.
ěI hope that people admired the way I played, my passion for it,î Favre said Sunday after watching his Vikings lose in Detroit while a third-string quarterback named Joe Webb took the snaps. ěBecause I hold no regrets.î
Heís been called a gunslinger and riverboat gambler by those who watched him throw off his back foot, across his body to a well-covered receiver time and time again.
Like most great gunslingers, Favreís exit was messy and violent.
His final season was filled with turnovers and oddities ó the final play of Favreís career will apparently be a jarring sack by the Bears on a rock-hard college football field. On the same day players across the league were clearing out their lockers for the year, Favre was sued by two massage therapists who say they lost their jobs with the Jets after complaining about those text messages from the famous quarterback.
Favre led the Vikings to the 2009 NFC title game in one of the most memorable seasons in the franchiseís 50-year history. But his second season in Minnesota couldnít have gone much worse, and it appears the 41-year-old has finally worn out his welcome in a league that reaped the benefits of his talents for two decades.
ěI cannot think of any circumstance of where I would pick up the phone and say, ëBrett, do you want to come back next season?í ě said Leslie Frazier, who was elevated to head coach on Monday. ěI canít think of any circumstance where that would occur.î
Frazier and Favre are close. But after watching his quarterback struggle personally and professionally through his 20th season, Frazier thinks the time has finally come for him to retire.
If you believe that Favre is done for good this time or that heís heading home to Mississippi perhaps a year too late, there is no disputing this: The NFL will be a little less interesting without one of the leagueís biggest personalities.
ěI think that the history and what Brett Favre has done for this league it speaks for itself,î said Titans receiver Randy Moss, who spent four ill-fated weeks in Minnesota with Favre this season. ěIím a big Brett Favre fan, a big Brett Favre supporter.î