Favre Will Play Another Season - Awesome!

Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre ended months of speculation Wednesday when he announced he'll be returning for his 16th NFL season.

The second all-time leading passer in pro football history decided that he didn't want to end his career with a 4-12 record and a career high 29 picks hanging over him from last season.

With his announcement, everyone in Green Bay breathed a sigh of relief and now can look forward to the draft. With Ahman Green healthy, Charles Woodson signed and Vernon Davis or A.J. Hawk in their sights, Packer Nation has reason to be optimistic.

Outside of Green Bay, the reaction to Favre has been completely different. The majority of sports writers, columnist and football fans in general is one of negativity. I've read tons of columns stating Favre is not the same player, he doesn't have passion anymore and needs to retire.

To be frank, that's a load of horse dung! I agree that Favre isn't the same player who won three straight MVP awards and took the Packers to two Super Bowls between 1995-97. But even a 37-year old Favre is better than 90 percent of the quarterbacks in the NFL.

Also, Favre doesn't have the players around him he used to have. The talent level in Green Bay has thinned considerably. Unless football changed during the off-season, it's still a team game. No matter how good someone is, they can't do it alone.

The numbers speak for themselves: 4,678 completions on 7,610 attempts for 53,615 yards and 396 touchdowns. All those numbers are second in NFL history. By the end of this season, Favre could be numero uno in completions and TDs.

Questioning his passion is even more ridiculous. The guy has started an NFL record 221 straight games. He's played with broken bones, deaths in the family, his wife battling cancer and a host of other ailments and problems. Did he miss any games? Never! Did his level of play drop? NO!

Favre plays the game the way it should be. With the enthusiasm of a kid in the backyard. Does he throw the ball up for grabs at times? Does he take some chances that don't work out? Of course, but that's what makes Favre who he is. More times than not, his gambles pay off big time.

The QB from Kiln, Mississippi makes the league better and I for one, hope he stays in the game as long as his body holds up and the passion still burns inside. He's the face of the Packers, the face of the NFL and a truly amazing athlete.

As much as he's given to the game, let him decide when it's time to go. Why would anyone want to see Favre leave? It's crazy.

Enjoy it while he's here because when Brett Favre finally hangs up his cleats, pro football will never see his like again.