Brett Favre Retires, Ends Tortured Stay With Jets

Brett Favre has offically called it quits, and this time, it might be for good.

The 18 year veteran and three-time NFL MVP, ended his career by informing the Jets that he was done playing football.

This is the latest in what has been a strange year for Favre. He retired last March in a tearful good bye to the Green Bay Packers, then changed his mind in July, wanting desperately to play again.

The Packers did not want to commit to another year of Favre's "should I or Shouldn't I retire" skits, trading the disgruntled player to a desperate New York Jets team.

Favre got off to a great start in New York. He was welcomed as a hero in New York after the club had to live with the mediocre play of Chad Pennington. However, after an 8-3 start, the Jets fell apart.

Favre threw nine interceptions in his final five games and was drawing the ire of his teammates. The Jets finished 9-7, missing the playoffs, and watched in desmay as Pennington led the Dolphins to the AFC East Title.

Favre was never really welcomed in the Jets clubhouse. Lavernous Coles did everything in his power to make the MVP feel unwelcome by not adjusting to the way Favre played. Late in the season, Coles ripped Favre to the San Francisco media, claiming that a ball machine had more zip on passes than Favre did.

At the end of the season, Thomas Jones and Kerry Rhodes ripped Favre for being too distant from the club and not taking responsibility for his poor play down the stretch.

The Jets have a lot of problems now. They have really no answer at quarterback. Kellen Clemens was underwhelming in his lone season as a starter in 2007; Brett Ratliff has no experience and Eric Ainge is a rookie.

In free agency, the prospects don't look too good. Kerry Collins is a terrible big game quarterback; Jeff Garcia has no arm strength and is a system quarterback; Byron Leftwhich is always getting injured, and Rex Grossman was a disaster for the Chicago Bears.

Will this be Favre's offical good bye? One never knows with Brett. Don't bet against him changing his mind again come June when he finally signs with the Minnesota Vikings, the team he really wanted to be with when the 2008 season started.