http://mvn.com/nfl-packers/2008/02/22/could-favre-actually-retire/

Could Favre actually retire?

By Andy Erdman | February 22nd, 2008

Lately I've been grappling with a thought that quite frankly scares me: Will
Brett Favre call it quits?

Reports that surfaced shortly after the Packers' devastating loss in the NFC
Championship claimed that Favre's decision whether he would return for a
17th season with Green Bay would come sooner than it did following the 2006
season.

Well, that didn't happen. It's now been 33 days since the season ended, and
Packers fans are again left waiting . . . and wondering.

General manager Ted Thompson told reporters at the combine that he finally
talked to the Ironman for the first time since the season ended this week,
and guess what? Favre still hasn't decided.

"I wouldn't want to speculate on a time (for Favre to decide)," Thompson
said. "But it's Brett's call. He, more than probably anybody I've been
around, has earned the right to decide . . we've been in conversation with
him and he understands the needs of the team and doesn't want to put the
team in a bad spot, so he's working through that."

On the one hand, Favre's return seems like a no-brainer. He finished second
in MVP voting last year after breaking a slew of big-time QB records; he
seemed to form important chemistry with his young, potential-filled
offensive weapons; he now, in Ryan Grant, has a legitimate running back to
help carry the offensive workload and keep opposing defenses honest; his
physical ability undoubtedly ranks him as a top-ten NFL QB, even at 38 years
of age; and most importantly, coming off a season that had the Packers
painfully close to the Promised Land, Mike McCarthy's young squad looks
poised to contend for a serious Super Bowl run. And the reasons don't end
there.

But then, and this is the thought that scares me, is it really a no-brainer?
Consider this: Favre's season, yet again, ended with a heart-wrenching
defeat in which he certainly deserves a decent portion of the blame (see
every Packers playoff appearance this decade). Can he handle another one
emotionally and psychologically? Then there's the cold factor. When the
weather dipped below zero, as it will continue to do in Green Bay come
December and January, Favre, well, looked really old. His heart didn't seem
to be in the game, and youngsters such as Kyle Orton and Eli Manning showed
a much better ability to adjust to the elements.

And what about the expectations? After finishing 14-4, Packers fans not only
want a repeat performance, but they want better. I know I do. I want a Super
Bowl. What happens if the breaks don't go Green Bay's way, as they did
throughout much of the early part of '07? What if, instead of starting 4-0,
they start 0-4? No doubt, Packers fans, like the bandwagoners many are, will
be screaming long and loud for Aaron Rodgers because Favre is past his
prime, they'll say. Can Favre handle the possibility of such a scenario?

The optimist in me says that Favre will return. The team's got too much
promise, Favre is too competitive and he's just being overly cautious before
announcing his return. He's probably working out four hours a day to
surprise everybody, I like to tell myself.

But the more realistic and practical side of me has doubts. I wonder about
his body. I wonder what's the hold-up after saying an announcement would be
quick in coming. I wonder about his confidence after yet another
heart-breaking loss where he could've made the difference, but didn't. I
wonder if he wants to go through yet another long and grueling training camp
and preseason. At what point does that become more work than it's worth for
a guy who's accomplished everything?

I don't like to think that way, though. The thought of a Favre-less Packers
squad is hard to even conceptualize. After all, I was but 12 years old when
Don Majkowski went down with an ankle injury, paving the way for one of the
greatest NFL careers of all-time.

In past seasons - pretty much from 2002-2006 - when Favre exercised his I'm-not-sure-if-I'm-coming-back-or-not-until-well-after-the-season-ends
option, my gut told me that he would definitely return. And he did.

This offseason, however, my gut feeling is dubious. Even after such a
thrilling and magical '07 season, Favre's return doesn't at all seem certain
to me. I have a sick feeling that this may be the end of an era.

I can only hope that my feeling is misleading. But is it? Because if I had a
gun to my head, I'd say that Favre will return.

I suppose only time will tell. And that's definitely something Packers fans
have gotten used to.

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