Does anyone know what John Elway does for a living now that he is no longer leading the Denver Broncos down the field and into the end zone with a helicopter spin en route to a Super Bowl win? Or how about Joe Montana? What’s he doing to make a buck? In fact, come to think of it, I don’t know what most of the great quarterbacks who played when I was a kid are doing now. Jim Kelly, Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham ... where did they all go.
I can find some of the guys I used to watch who are no longer in uniform, but that’s only because they chose to remain connected to the game in some fashion. Troy Aikman works for FOX as an analyst. Steve Young is also an analyst with ESPN and Dan Marino is in the CBS studio on Sundays, again, as an analyst.
There aren’t many quarterbacks who I grew up watching that are still playing the game, in fact, there was only one until March. Now, they’re all retired and living their lives however they choose. At least that was how it was going to be, until recently when word got out that Brett Favre had an itch to play again.
The quarterbacks who came before Favre did it right. They realized it was time to walk away, some for medical reasons, some because they couldn’t play at the level they were used to anymore. Either way, they walked away and stayed away. Well, at least they stayed out of uniform.
Favre is the last of the group of quarterbacks I grew up watching. Needless to say I am a big fan and enjoyed the opportunities I had to watch him play the position. Many times he was great, many times he was awful, but no matter the end result, he was always in a Green Bay uniform.
The reports are that Favre wants to return to the NFL, after his four-month retirement, to play for the Packers. However, Green Bay seems ready to move on with Aaron Rodgers who has been a backup to Favre for the past four seasons. Either way, with Favre or without him, I don’t envy the position of the Packers front office. It seems like a lose-lose situation from where I’m sitting at this desk.
On one hand, you have one of the greatest to ever play the position knocking at your door, actually texting as it were, asking to play again. On the other hand, you have a guy who has paid his dues who seems to have been the consummate team player waiting for his opportunity to lead your franchise. What do you do?
As much as I would enjoy seeing Favre play another season, maybe two, I don’t think that will happen with Green Bay and if that’s the case, it’s not worth it. Sure Montana played for another team after the 49ers and Moon and Cunningham bounced around a bit after memorable years in Houston and Philadelphia, but they did it all before giving a retirement speech. Even the great Joe Namath and Johnny Unitas played for teams other than the ones where they grew to enormous fame and popularity, so that’s not the issue, although it would be horrific to see Favre in a Detroit Lions jersey or a Carolina Panthers uniform.
In this instance the whole issue is that Favre, a sure-fire Hall of Famer, took time after the season, consulted with family, looked at his future and decided to call it quits — and he did it in the national spotlight. I listened to the retirement speech on the radio on the way to cover a game. The whole sports world was overcome by clips, photos and recordings of is press conference. He went out on top. Granted, he didn’t win the Super Bowl, but he’s done that. He helped the 2007 Packers go where no one thought they would by reaching the playoffs and he led them to the NFC title game. The entire country watched and listened as he said goodbye to the NFL. He went out on top. Now, he wants to come back.
Elway didn’t come back. Neither did Montana, Kelly or Cunningham. In fact none of the quarterbacks I have mentioned ever came out of retirement once they walked away. Well, Aikman did, or we thought he was going to, but that was for a lotto commercial. Anyway, those guys all walked away from the game the first time and it has left us all to remember them as the greats they were.
With all the speculation about his future and the status of his retirement, Favre is making it hard for us to do that. We can easily forget the season’s of 20-something interceptions and talk about the Monday Night game against the Oakland Raiders, but with something like this tacked on to the end of his career, it’s going to be hard to remember the Monday Night game.
Sports
Column: They did it right
- Sports
-
-
McKinley nets 800th win
Bob McKinley hit a major coaching milestone Saturday afternoon.
-
WHS wrestlers see success at district meet
The Weatherford wrestling team traveled to Springtown Saturday to compete in the District 8 Wrestling Championships.
-
New designation, same foes for WHS
Despite rumblings of a major shake up in the Class 5A infrastructure for the next two years, the University Interscholastic League (UIL), for good or bad, chose indifference regarding plans to create a Class 6A. As alignments for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 UIL seasons were announced Thursday, most area schools were affected in varying degrees, but none less than Weatherford High School.
-
Paschal edges WHS teams on Senior Night
With nothing to lose and an opportunity to play spoiler, Paschal's Lady Panthers took the floor loose and energetic on Friday, and did indeed put a crimp in Weatherford's plans for a postseason spot at Kangaroo gymnasium.
-
WC recovers, wins late over Navarro
Not to be outdone by the Lady Coyotes late-inning heroics in their opener last week, the Weatherford College baseball team had plenty of drama in its opener, as well, as it launched a final-inning 3-run barrage to beat defending national champion Navarro College, 8-7.
-
Area sports schedules — Week of February 6
It is official. With the start of area prep baseball and softball scrimmages in the coming week, as well as Weatherford College playing its baseball season-opener on Saturday last, the busiest time of year, sports-wise for Parker County, has emerged.
-
Weatherford College Baseball Preview
When Jeff Lightfoot started the Weatherford College baseball program almost a decade ago, he wasted no time in building a winner — and fans have gotten used to the Coyotes being a part of the postseason.
So with the start of each season comes high expectations, all with the hopes of getting that elusive first Junior College World Series berth. Lightfoot has a JUCO World Series title as a coach at Eastfield College in Mesquite in 2001.
-
WC snags WHS diamond standout
It is not the first time, and certainly will not be the last that a metaphorical baton, in this case, a baseball student-athlete has been passed from Weatherford High School to Weatherford College. Groomed on the diamond for the past four years by WHS head coach Terry Massey and assistant Jason Lee, senior Trooper Reynolds confirmed his scholastic and athletic intentions at the next step on Friday, signing a national letter-of-intent to Weatherford College.
-
Softball era begins at WC
The crowd on hand Saturday at the Weatherford College Softball Complex was already standing-room only for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, a full 30 minutes before the first pitch was thrown to open the inaugural regular season of the WC Lady Coyotes softball team. Fans and well-wishers were strewn from the concessions mezzanine behind the first-base line, through the packed stands and even into the Lady Coyotes dugout.
-
Basketball briefs - Jan. 29
Arlington Lamar hill too steep for Roos
Staff Report
Weatherford found some offensive punch in the fourth quarter of their District 4-5A match at Arlington Lamar on Friday, but the hole was too deep by then, as Weatherford dropped the contest to the Vikes, 57-39.
- More Sports Headlines
-





