No. 4 Favre-ever

After a glorious run 17 years, Brett Favre has announced his retirement.

While many are surprised by his decision, especially after his Green Bay Packers came oh-so close to play in Superbowl XLII, I am not surprised at all.

When the Packers went 4-12 and with Favre throwing a career-worst 29 interceptions in 2005, rumours started circulating that he had "lost it", and many thought that he should and would step away. After months of deliberation, he decided to stay put.

In 2006, things were going a little better, but his team barely reached .500 at 8-8. With two straight dismal seasons under Favre's belt, the NFL was so sure that he would retire after the season that, it rescheduled the Packers' final regular season game at the Chicago Bears to be broadcast live on TV. But he decided to play on.

Last season, Favre's play exceeded everyone's expectation and the Packers finished the season 13-3, tied for the best in NFC. Many are convinced that Favre had regained his magic and should keep on playing. Instead, he decided to hang up his helmet.

To me, Favre knows that his Packers aren't really a good team, and the 2007 season was a fluke. In fact, the Packers' performance in the NFC title game against the New York Giants was a microcosm of their play in the past three seasons. While they can be explosive on offense (a 90-yard TD throw to Donald Driver), they need a lot of luck (Driver scored because Giants' safety Gibril Wilson got his pursue angle hopelessly wrong) and otherwise they are going nowhere (they lost because the Giants intercepted a badly-thrown pass in OT). Favre knows that if he wants to go out on top, this year is probably the best opportunity for him in years to come. Hey, who knows when will be the next time the Packers to finish atop the standings again?

When Dallas Cowboys' reserve cornerback Nate Jones injured Favre's hand on a blind-side blitz in a regular season game in November, Aaron Rodgers, Favre's highly-touted backup and a former first-round pick, was finally able to showcase how good he is. When Rodgers nearly led the Packers to upset the Cowboys, everyone took notice, including Favre himself. And when he sees that the Packers will be in good hands in his absence, he knows it's finally time for him to step down.

Favre never sees himself as a superstar, and his friendliness and down-to-earthiness has won him the heart of fans of all ages. With his retirement, the NFL will have a hard time to find someone as charismatic to replace him as the next icon for the league.