By David K.
Remember in the movie Men in Black, that metallic, pen-looking device that Tommy Lee Jones would carry around? Then, whenever a citizen would see an alien, Tommy Lee Jones would pull it out, put on his sunglasses, have the person look directly into the gadget, and blast the memory of the creature right out his head. Can Agent K find me and take the exact same measures to erase this past year of football forever from my mind? Please?
Last off-season when Brett Favre unexpectedly announced his retirement from the NFL, I went into a deep state of shock, near depression, listened to Air Supply’s “All Out of Love” on repeat, removed the laces from my shoes, and went sans belt for several days. This time around, it was a completely different reaction.
When a text from ESPN woke me from my deep sleep at 8:33 in the morning, I just went back to bed, not thinking twice about it. I didn’t race downstairs to scour the internet for every story possible or turn on the TV to catch each and every tidbit on the situation. As a matter of fact, I still have not read a single story about it.
I guess what I am trying to say is- I just don’t care. Everyone expected Favre to hang it up, this time for good. In fact, it would have been absolutely shocking if the 3-time league MVP would have decided to return for a 19th season.
It was clear that towards the end of his first and only season with the Jets that Favre was just not himself. His arm strength was a shadow of what it used to be: especially near the end of the season when he threw nine interceptions and just two touchdowns as his new team lost four of their final five and fall short of the playoffs.
If Favre would have played for the Packers and not the Jets this past season, I guarantee I would feel differently. But the numbness that I felt this past season was an emotion I never thought I would experience while watching a Pack game or Brett Favre under center. And as much as I hate to say it, the drama of last off-season and seeing Favre struggle as a Jet has indeed slightly tarnished his legacy in my mind.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love Brett Favre more than I will ever love another athlete, man, or maybe even fellow human being. From all the memorable touchdown throws to his undeniable passion to play the game like a kid to his constant habit of asking himself questions and answering them during press conferences; Favre is an icon, a legend, one of the best to ever play the quarterback position. But is it time? Yeah, I think so.
Maybe someday soon modern technology will catch up to the movies and Will Smith will come visit me in a black suit, white shirt, black tie, and sunglasses and wipe away the 2008 season from my head. But I am not counting on it. Regardless, see you in Canton in 2014!