If Sunday night was the last time Brett Favre is seen as the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, it will mark the conclusion of a historically distinguished football career. The excellence of Favre is rooted both in the fact that he would make plays others couldn’t and ones which others would not have the confidence to even attempt. Many people believe that Favre is the greatest quarterback of all time, but that is simply a case of selective association not only through individual plays, but also by a glance at the statistics.Corey Webster illustrated my point when he intercepted Favre on the first possession in overtime, effectively giving the New York Giants the field position needed to kick the game-winning field goal. The thing that made the play so awful had nothing to do with the fact that he made a mistake when it counted or that he lost a big game because all legendary quarterbacks have done that, but rather that he even made the terrible decision to throw the ball with an enormous possibility of costing his team a trip to the Super Bowl.The pass itself was badly placed but there was not much of a window he could get the ball into anyway, which is something that a “greatest quarterback” would never do. The best players may lose because they are simply not as good that day but never because they are not as smart, and that was a moronic play by Favre. It is sometimes difficult to comprehend why there are so many Favre apologists, but there are various theories of why this epidemic continues to infect our American society. Favre supporters suffer from the condition known as the “Wow Factor,” or, as otherwise labeled, the Nolan Ryan Syndrome. The symptoms of this unfortunate disease include listing statistics that make the individual seem superhuman without ever considering the pitfalls in their performance. Both Brett Favre and Nolan Ryan are all time great players at their respective positions in their sports, but they are also both tragically overrated through a process known as selective statistical association. People who believe Ryan is the greatest pitcher of all time always list the fact that he has more than 5,000 strikeouts and 320 wins while ignoring the more than 3,000 walks and 280 losses he garnered. The same thing applies to Favre when people gloat about his record number of touchdown passes without mentioning his record number of interceptions and the amazing feats of athleticism he showed without contemplating the lack of intelligence he often exhibited.The one thing both Favre and Ryan had was a longevity that allowed fans the pleasure of enjoying the astonishing ability of these athletes with both their children and grandchildren. They were two of the most exciting players ever to play their particular games. That does not mean they were two of the greatest.
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