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The legendary Brett Favre is finally retiring, causing all the cheeseheads in Wisconsin and beyond to shed a tear. Favre will go down as one of the greatest and most beloved quarterbacks in NFL history, but this is probably as good a time as any to "hang it up". Despite the fact that 'ol Brett probably "could" keep going, the timing is about as good as he is going to get. Here are a few thoughts on Favre and why this is an advantageous time to walk away.

AGE

No one will question that Brett Favre had a very good season last year. His statistics were good and he came very close to going back to the Super Bowl. That said, Favre is not exactly young. Prior to last year, there were questions whether he should still be playing. Age, combined with a below-average team made some wonder whether or not the Packers should "start over" or "go in a different direction" as the sports cliches go. Granted, no executive wants to be the one to boot Brett Favre, especially in Packer land. In addition, the fans weren't about to give up on Favre, given his legendary status, his streak of consecutive games, and his ability to excite the crowd with his rocket-like passes, even if they were for interceptions.

OPPORTUNITY

Despite the fact that the Packers did very well last year, the NFL is a very up and down league when it comes to playoff hopes and success. Few people picked the Giants to contend for a Super Bowl, let alone win it. The Packers were very close last year, but many things went their way throughout the season and there is no reason why they couldn't go from a playoff team to a losing record in one year. Plus, Favre could go from his excellent season to a sub-par performance and only add tarnish to his legacy. Few people can walk away from their sports like John Elway. Even the great Michael Jordan, who had an opportunity to walk away "on top", had to come back and turn in a few over-the-hill performances that were not exactly dominant. In other words, Favre has nothing left to prove. It would be one thing if he never won a ring, and the Packers had just signed a couple of marquee free agents to make a definitive run at a title. However, Brett has his ring and Randy Moss re-signed with New England. It is time to move on.

SO LONG AND THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

Yes, Favre could have still played, and probably been better than most of the quarterbacks in the NFL. But, it is probably best that he told everyone now and walked away while most people are still happy with him. Rather than toying with the Packers as he has done for the last few seasons, he is bowing out gracefully and riding off into the sunset. My only hope is that he doesn't change his mind next week, or pull a Joe Montana and have a couple lackluster seasons in another uniform. It has been fun to watch Favre, but do some hunting, and enjoy retirement.

Learn more about this author, Todd Pheifer.
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