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Favre gets a win, but is he leaving?
NFL.com wire reports
CHICAGO (Dec. 31, 2006) -- After shredding the Chicago Bears' first-team defense in an otherwise meaningless 26-7 victory for the Green Bay Packers, Brett Favre certainly sounded like a man who was ready to leave the game.
Standing on the 20-yard line with a group of teammates, Favre got choked up during a TV interview, saying he would decide "soon" whether he would return next season.
"It's tough. It's tough," Favre said. "I'm going to miss these guys and miss the game."
Still, Favre stopped short of saying he would retire. And the prevailing sentiment seems to be, why wouldn't he return?
After a fairly successful season in which he helped the Packers rebound from last year's 4-12 fiasco -- their first losing season with Favre under center -- to win their final four games and finish 8-8, teammates, opponents and even Favre's own family have said that they see no reason why he should retire.
He still has milestone to pursue: After completing 21 of 42 passes for 285 yards and a touchdown, Favre is only seven touchdown passes shy of breaking Dan Marino's career mark of 420. With the Packers' victory, Favre tied Marino for No. 2 in career victories (147) and is only one away from tying John Elway for the record.
And unlike last offseason, Favre won't have to decide whether he wants to play for a new coach and learn a new offense.
But while Favre maintains that he still enjoys loves to play, he doesn't seem quite as convinced as everybody else that he should keep playing. He exchanged handshakes and hugs with teammates before he was pulled in favor of backup quarterback Ingle Martin with less than two minutes remaining in the game.
Favre's left ankle has been bothering him since before the beginning of training camp and likely will require surgery in the offseason. He has hinted that the weekly grind of practices are beginning to wear him down.
Beyond that, Favre has said that he isn't pleased with the way he played this season, and doesn't buy the idea that the Packers have made as much progress as their late-season success might indicate.
On Dec. 29, Favre said the Packers still have "a long ways to go, and I don't have that much time."
Favre has said that he knows the team would like to have a decision as soon as possible, but maintains that he won't rush things. Favre waited until late April to inform the team that he was returning for this season.
Under first-year coach Mike McCarthy, Favre played more conservatively, cutting his interception total from a career-worst 29 last season to only 18 this season.
Favre wasn't flashy but was extremely efficient against Chicago, embarrassing the Bears despite not having No. 2 receiver Greg Jennings, who was inactive. In Jennings' absence, wide receiver Ruvell Martin caught seven passes for 118 yards.
In a conference call with the Green Bay media, Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher said he doubted Favre would hang it up.
"I hear that every year," Urlacher said. "When he retires, you know, thank goodness for us. But until then, I don't see why he wouldn't come back. He's had a pretty good year this year, they're winning games, he's playing well, their defense is playing well. I mean, I don't see why he wouldn't come back. So I'm definitely not counting on this being his last game."
Favre's teammates are generally working on the assumption that Favre will be back -- or, at least, that he should be back.
"I see no signs of Brett leaving, honestly," Packers linebacker Nick Barnett said recently. "He hasn't told us. I think if it was his last game, he would have told us. I see him coming back. Especially with so much potential we have coming into this next year."
Favre knows everybody sees the reasons why he should come back, but only his immediate family members see the way a difficult season really wears on him. The Packers were 1-4 and 4-8 at various points this season.
Then again, even his immediate family wants him to play.
"They've been a little quieter this year, but I'm sure they want me to play for the most part," Favre said. "From the outside looking in, even from the family standpoint, it's easy to say, 'Aw, go back and play.' Because as with most people, you really see the three hours of enjoyment or whatever -- the game. You don't really see all the other stuff."
So will he be back? Favre insists he really doesn't know.
"In some ways, I felt like, 'Yeah, why not give it another shot?"' Favre said. "In other ways, most ways, I've done a lot in this game, have had a lot of success individually and as a team that there's nothing left really out there for me. And I know sometimes people say, 'Come back and go out on top,' or all that stuff. But what if you don't?"
