Hasty Comparisons

With Brett Favre's retirement after a Week-17 loss to the Detroit Lions (Disclaimer: he didn't play), it was time for me to choose a new favorite quarterback. With the NFL's population of endorsement sluts, University of Michigan backups/Joe Namath wannabes, dog rapists, southern California pretty boys, and Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers seemed like the logical choice. I have always liked him anyway, seeing as that I've always been a Green Bay fan and he studied under the best for three years.

However, I wasn't counting on Rodgers's career being some kind of living proof on the effectiveness of Packers GM Ted Thompson's decision to end the legend's lifetime contract as starting QB. Throughout Green Bay's impressive run in the playoffs this year, the media harped on the "redemption" story line and fans played out the "Brett Who?" attitude (See: BrentFavre.com). I found this to be not only disrespectful--as a biased, lifelong Favre fan--but irrelevant. Sure, Brett ended the Packers playoff run in the 2007 season with an embarrassing interception in the NFC Championship game against the Giants in his last game ever in green and yellow. Sure, the Packers beat Brett's Vikings twice on the way to a 10-6 record and a #6-seed berth in the playoffs. (For the record, Favre is 2-2 against the Packers in his career. Not bad.) But the Packers were not out to prove they didn't need Brett; they were not out to make him regret ever playing for their rival Minnesota. They wanted to win it for themselves.

And they did. And with Rodgers winning the Super Bowl MVP, it was a beautiful thing. Despite Favre saying that he was predicting and wanting his former team to win it all, the media continued to force Brett Favre into the Super Bowl storyline. What's that? Aaron Rodgers has won as many Super Bowls as Brett Favre? Aaron Rodgers won Super Bowl MVP, something Brett Favre never did? So what? Talk to me when Rodgers throws 508 touchdowns, wins 3 regular-season MVPs, and starts 321 games in a row. And sure, you can even talk to me when Aaron wins his second Super Bowl.

For the record, I hope all this happens. I hope that, during the 2015 season, when Brett Favre is inducted in to the Hall of Fame on his first eligible ballot, Rodgers is on the way to his sixth Super Bowl victory in a row. I love Aaron Rodgers, and Brett should be welcomed back into the Packers organization by then anyway. As for right now, let's avoid the hasty comparisons.