The man who has been the Green Bay Packers' starting quarterback for all but three games of the last 16 seasons, the only quarterback an entire generation of football fans even remember quarterbacking the Packers, is retiring.

Packers GM Ted Thompson said in a statement: "The uniqueness of Brett Favre— his personality, charisma and love of the game — undoubtedly will leave him as one of the enduring figures in NFL history."

We couldn't agree more Brett, good luck in whatever you choose to do from here on out. You will be missed and always remembered. I also am glad to see you go out on top, never leaving like Montana did.

Favre emerged as the Packers' quarterback after Don Majkowski went down with an ankle injury in the third game of the 1992 season, stepping in and rallying Green Bay to a 24-23 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on a sunny Sept. 20 at Lambeau Field that was the start of an era. Favre started the next game — a 17-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lambeau Field on Sept. 27, 1992. No one else has started at quarterback for the Packers since. He has started 255 consecutive games, an NFL record for quarterbacks that will most likely never be broken.

Favre ends his 17-year career as the NFL's career leader in several passing categories, including 61,655 passing yards, 8,758 passing attempts, 5,377 completions, 442 touchdown passes and 160 victories and with one championship to his credit leading the Packers to a 35-21 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI on Jan. 26, 1997.

For us its the end of an era, when gunslingers ruled, when the game was more than X's and O's. You just never knew what Brett might do, it might be an amazing sidearm toss after an escape to lead his team to victory, or it might be an interception creating a loss, but it was always fun to watch, something that is missing in today's game.

So long Brett and thanks for the ride.

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