Watching Brett Favre never got old, even if he did.
He went from green and gold in Green Bay to green, white and gray in his beard in New York.
Like so many Hall of Fame players before him, Favre played a season that will be entered in the record books but not in many memory banks. In this case, he isn't any different than his pigskin predecessors.
No one remembers that Joe Namath finished his standout career with the Rams, O.J. Simpson with the 49ers, Franco Harris with the Seahawks, Earl Campbell with the Saints, Tony Dorsett with the Broncos, Mike Webster with the Chiefs, Thurman Thomas with the Dolphins, Reggie White with the Panthers, Joe Montana with the Chiefs, Art Monk with the Jets, Emmitt Smith with the Cardinals or Jerry Rice with the Seahawks.
And ultimately, in the years to come, when history is recalled and Favre's career is relived, no one will remember that he finished his career with the New York Jets.
It was a nice season, this past one, with a run that included back-to-back road wins over the divisional rival New England Patriots and the then-unbeaten Tennessee Titans. But it was a mostly forgettable season in which Favre made his biggest headlines in training camp, with his ongoing soap-opera drama with the Packers.
Now his time in New York, and his 18 seasons in the NFL, are history. He is retiring, in the words of his agent, Bus Cook, "for good."
A career that started in Atlanta, which few remember, and ended in New York, which few will remember, was marked by 16 seasons in Green Bay, which everyone will remember.
Favre became as synonymous with Green Bay as Vince Lombardi, another man who finished his Hall of Fame career with a different team (the Washington Redskins). Favre helped return the shine and Vince Lombardi Trophy to Green Bay. And his spot there, as well as in NFL history -- no matter what transpired over the past year -- is secure.
What will be remembered is Favre's ability and durability, his simplicity and complexity, his arm and his heart.
He gets his sendoff today as a Jet. But Favre is packing it in as a forever Packer.
