Brett Favre Sets 2 Milestones Vs. New York Jets: Did We Forget or Ignore Them?

America has heard all it can tolerate about Brett Favre since his first, albeit brief, retirement in 2007. Placing himself above his employers, and keeping everyone guessing whether he'll play again has been one of the most selfish episodes the NFL has ever seen.

At the New Meadowlands Stadium on Monday Night, Brett Favre accomplished two extraordinary NFL records we may never see broken.

Favre became the only quarterback ever to pass for 70,000 yards, and his fourth-quarter touchdown pass to new teammate Randy Moss was the 500th of his career.

Take a moment to examine these accomplishments. A player would need 14 seasons of 5,000 passing yards to reach the level Favre has set. Many players would be thrilled if they passed for 5,000 yards once, and very few could imagine doing it several times.

Today's NFL is a much more brutal sport than it was when Favre arrived as a rookie in 1990. Defenders are stronger, faster and quarterback concussions are becoming a weekly occurrence this season.

Even if another quarterback of Peyton Manning's caliber were to emerge in the future, it is unlikely anyone will play 14 healthy NFL seasons going forward, let alone 14 elite seasons.

Only two active players have thrown for more than 35,000 passing yards. Kerry Collins at 38,767, and Peyton Manning who has 51,737. 

These amazing records would be enough to overshadow a Vikings loss, even though they badly needed to win Monday night. It's not everyday we see such milestones reached. Sadly for Brett, an off-the-field issue was too large to be pushed to the side.

Last week, details of Brett's personal life with a former member of the Jets' organization were made public. He was alleged to have sent nude pictures of himself to a former Jets employee, Jenn Sterger. Sterger was a game hostess for the Jets in 2008, when the alleged incident occurred. She now works for the Versus sports network.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is investigating the situation, and will make any needed punishments.

Before Monday night's pivotal showdown versus the Jets, an apologetic and teary-eyed Brett Favre addressed his teammates, apologizing for any distractions he caused.

During the first half, the only points scored by either team, were field goals. In the second half, Favre and the Vikings offense awoke, and scored three touchdowns to make the game close until the end.

The ending was one we've all seen before, and have come to expect with Brett. Favre threw an interception in the final minute, which was returned by Dwight Lowery for a touchdown, sealing the game for the Jets.

Amidst all the controversy and horrific game-ending play for Favre, America needs to start admiring him again. Brett has given every ounce of energy he has left to the Vikings, a team who has real Super Bowl chances.

During the last few drives Monday night, you could tell Brett's arm was about to fall off. Tendinitis has been bothering him all season, but when he needed to, Brett fired passes with all his strength, ignoring the pain.

I understand why we are sick of Brett Favre. Nearly every ESPN/NFL telecast mentions him for one reason or another.

Take a moment to examine Monday night's game, and you'll see a man who accomplished all-time feats in his sport, possibly ones that will never be broken.

America needs to wake up and acknowledge Brett Favre's greatness. Tuesday morning, I awoke to headlines of, "Favre Blows it Again," and "Favre Apologizes to Teammates Before Game."

Instantly, I felt sorry for Brett, even embarrassed that fellow members of the media could be so blind.

Unfortunately in today's society, we focus too much on the valleys rather than the peaks, no matter how high we climb.