Mississippi Mud Dog: A Eulogy for Brett Favre's Career

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to say goodbye to a living legend, a future Hall of Famer, and quite honestly, the best damn player I have ever seen.

For 16 years, he has been labeled quite simply “The Man.” And for 16 years, he has given those tundra lovers up north a reason to enjoy the cold chill of Wisconsin.

He struck fear in the heart of every single coach he faced. He made defenses love him and hate him at the same time. He was the man who brought joy and admiration to the letter G.

For almost two decades, Brett Favre has razzled and dazzled his way to records that many thought were unbreakable. Who would've ever thought that a young kid from Mississippi would leave such an impact on the league?

Here's the story from the beginning...

In 1991, the Atlanta Falcons selected a young kid out of Southern Miss in the second round of the draft. Not much was known about him, except that he had a cannon for an arm.

It was something that the Falcons apparently weren't able to adjust to.

Favre played two games for the Falcons, notching four attempts, two interceptions, and a sack. After a mediocre start to his career, there were many who thought that the legend-to-be wouldn’t be able to recover from it.

Then Green Bay came calling, and the young Mississippi Mud Pie got a chance at a fresh start.

In his first full year with the Packers, Favre played all 15 games, starting 13 of them. In 1992, he went 302-471 with a 64.1 completion percentage and 3,227 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.

Pretty good recovery if I may say so myself.

Little did anyone know this was the start of something big.

As his maturity grew, so did his numbers. Favre started to show his dangerous side, and teams started to take notice.

The obvious goal for every team is to win the Super Bowl. In 1997, Mike Holmgren’s Green Bay Packers dispatched the upstart, upset-minded Carolina Panthers for the NFC Championship, then took out the New England Patriots in the big one.

The next year saw a rise of another QB powerhouse, John Elway. Elway knew what it was like to play in the Super Bowl, but he also knew what it’s like to get knocked on your ass several times.

The Broncos and Packers went down to the resurrection of “The Drive” that made Elway famous in the first place. And shockingly enough, it was Elway who was the hero of the night for Denver.

Favre lost that night, but still was a good sport about it. That’s when that respect that many felt the players lacked came back.

Now to the records...

Dan Marino figured he had done enough for people to remember his name. In the fall of 2007, they were saying his name a lot…but not the way he was hoping.

During a game against the Vikings, Favre made history by breaking the first of Marino’s records, with a quick, short pass to Greg Jennings for touchdown No. 421 and then No. 422 to James Jones in the fourth quarter.

But that wasn’t the only record that Favre surpassed in his final season. He also broke the record for career interceptions, though that one shouldn’t be entirely celebrated.

His biggest feat, though, came when he erased Marino’s name yet again by setting a new record for most passing yards in a career. A fitting end to a historic career…but not the way he wanted it to end.

On a nut-freezing day in Lambeau, Brett Favre’s final pass as a member of the Packers was an interception that gave the soon to be Super Bowl Champion New York Giants the ball and the win.

Brett Favre had thrown his last pass of the season…and it was an interception he should have never thrown.

No one knew, but many speculated, that this was the final time that No. 4 would be on the field for Green Bay. Two months later, their worst fears came to fruition.

This morning as I shook off the cobwebs from a concussion, I turned on my TV to hear the news that I had a hunch was coming. As reported on ESPN, Fox Sports, and Bleacher Report, Brett Favre is officially hanging up his grass stained helmet.

The end of a decade-and-a-half reign of Cheesehead terror has come to an end for Green Bay’s Golden Boy.

So let’s not remember the interception from two months ago.

Let’s remember the records broken along the way. Let’s remember determination, true grit, and all-around sportsmanship Favre displayed every time he stepped on the field.

Let’s remember the little boy who was living his dream and still played like he was a kid.

Let’s remember the smile, the laughter, the tears, and the tenacity of a young man from Mississippi.

For some, let’s remember the cold, snowy, winter mornings when he ran naked through the streets of Green Bay to prep for the game. For others, let’s remember the snowball fights on the field when the game was winding down.

For all of us, let’s remember that greatness is achieved one game at a time, and one man proved that this is still a game, and that’s how he approached it.

Finding a player with heart is hard; finding a player who plays with heart is harder. Luckily, we all found one in Green Bay.

Farewell, Brett. Your spirit will always be with us, and we will never, ever forget the Mississippi Mud Pie who gave us a reason to smile every Sunday—and something to talk about around the water cooler every Monday morning.