it wasnt farves fault that he threw so many picks he was running for his life. he didnt hurt the team by coming back but he should have made the decision sooner. the packers could use him to teach a young qb.
This "running for his life" stuff is one of the most persistent and least true components of Favre mythology.In 2004, behind arguably the best offensive line the Packers have ever had in franchise history, Favre had a total of 65 sacks/knockdowns/hurries.
In 2005, despite throwing many more times, especially from behind in the fourth quarter, he had 104 sacks/hurries/knockdowns.
That's an increase of 39, which rolls out to about 2.5 extra sacks/hurries knockdowns per game.
Now, that doesn't exactly fit my definition of "running for his life". David Carr, down in Houston, had MUCH shakier protection and didn't feel a need to heave up it for grabs 29 times. In fact, in the history of pro football, there have been many, many bad quarterbacks playing behind really bad lines who didn't throw 29 picks in a season. Only three people in history have thrown more than that in a single season and only one in the last 40 years.
So I think it is totally Apologist to simply write off one of the worst seasons by a QB in NFL history to "running for his life" simply because his line was a notch below the best line in franchise history.
I've seen every game Favre has ever played. I've recorded lots of them and rewatched them. I'm telling you straight: Last year, his mechanics and footwork sucked, his decision making was almost non-existent, and he was a bad quarterback. If you took that #4 jersey off him and just judged him on what he was doing he didn't look like a very good quarterback.
The Favre Legend has some powerful mojo, and it causes people to not always see the MAN clearly. Favre has been put on a pedestal by his adoring fans, and a pedestal is not a natural place for a man. Inevitably, he'll fall off, and the higher the pedestal the more horrific the fall.
I think that Favre fans will be in for a very difficult year this year. I think that Packer fans will realize at some point that a change needs to be made.