 Respect the Favre For true fans of the game, fans that really understand the game...fans that have played the game – there is nothing so sweet as the bounce in Brett Favre's step during the 2007 Green Bay Packers, 3 – 0 start. For those other fans, the fans who have said that he's washed up, that his skills have diminished – hopefully they enjoy the view from such a poor perspective. Consider the typical Brett Favre numbers that have been put up this season, including the fact that Favre tied Dan Marino's record of 420 career touch down passes on what amounted to the go ahead score vs. the San Diego Chargers. What's the difference between the 2007 Brett Favre and the 2006 Brett Favre. The answer is simple; there is no difference. He is the same player he has always been. Even through the struggles, interceptions and frustrations of the past few years, this is the very same gunslinging football star and team leader that owns NFL records, multiple NFL MVP awards, a Super Bowl ring and the respect of all those who play (and have played) in the NFL. Yet still, there is obviously something different in Green Bay, Wisconsin this season. The evidence is presently on display as a supporting cast of young characters looking to soak up excellence and football wisdom like a sponge. It's true that competition breeds improvement, and with leadership from players such as Favre, Donald Driver and Charles Woodson, there is reason for great hope amongst the Cheese Heads. There can never be enough said about team chemistry, and it seems as if the Packers have concocted a mix that not only has the ability to win, but is showing tremendous potential for improvement! So what makes this (almost) 38 year old quarterback from Mississippi so special? Well, everyone's been trying to figure that one out for years...and years. If “The Favre” could be bottled and sold, it would have the Donald Trumps of the world shopping at Wal-Mart. Perhaps Brett Favre is the constant reminder of what makes the game of football so great. His passion is infectious, and his choice to be a passionate football player so many years ago presented a confidence that has created a legendary, hall of fame status before he's officially announced any “potential” retirement. And on the other hand, this same passion, confidence and refuse to lose attitude has also put him right at the top of the list for all-time interceptions – Football's definitive example of ebb and flow. It's the way of the football world (and at its essence, it's life); if you stick around long enough, you'll experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Still, in this game, there have been so few who have set themselves aside in order to put their team in a position to win. Brett Favre has taken risks in effort to win games, and such risks will reflect negatively on his career statistics. These stats have never seemed to be of any concern to #4. It has always been about getting the win; it has always been about getting better – about always being the best he could possibly be, regardless of the given circumstance. We all remember the Monday night game after his father died. We all know the tale of his near death car accident in which he had 30 inches of his small intestine removed, then went on to defeat Alabama as the Southern Mississippi starter, 6 weeks later. The pain pill addition, his wife's battle with breast cancer, his loss during Hurricane Katrina – we all know of these “things.” And through it all, he has never missed an NFL start once he was given the starting job. His story is Hollywood gold, and several studios may already have screenwriters compiling data to write an Oscar winning biopic on the life of this simple, Southern man. For now, however, it seems as if the story may have a few chapters left to completion. For now, proponent or opponent – three words: Respect the Favre.
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