woodbuck27
07-17-2008, 03:16 AM
Brett Favre's retirement: What they're saying
ESPN.com news services
Updated: March 4, 2008,
Reaction from around the world of sports Tuesday to Packers quarterback Brett Favre's retirement:
"Brett's career accomplishments will be measured among the greats of the game for the balance of time. He truly was as gifted a player as I have ever seen, and as proud and amazed as I am of what Brett has accomplished on the playing field, the thing that impresses me the most is what kind of a man and leader he has become off the field since I have known him. I have taken great joy in watching him develop as a person and father -- perhaps even moreso than as a coach watching his quarterback. -- Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren
"His style of play was as unique as it was effective. I admired his skills, his leadership, and especially his love for playing the game. You knew he was having fun when he played, and that made him fun to watch. He set the standard at the position for a long time."
-- Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo
"What he has meant to Green Bay and that franchise and to the fans in Green Bay has been a tremendous rallying point throughout the 16 years he played there."-- Giants coach Tom Coughlin
"It's an honor to have competed against Brett Favre in his last game. Brett is by far one of the best quarterbacks I have ever competed against."
-- Giants cornerback Corey Webster
"He was the prototypical gunslinger type. He's the type of guy where, 'Oh, what's he throwing into that crowd for?' But he had intuition, toughness, resilience. It helped to have a good cast around him, which he often did. Those are all qualities which good quarterbacks have."
-- Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy
"I think this announcement comes about 17 years too late and I don't know if I will completely believe it until Green Bay opens the season without No. 4 lining up under center. In all seriousness, no one has given more to our game than Brett Favre. There is no player I respect more. He is one of the all-time greats to ever play in the NFL."-- Bears coach Lovie Smith
"In his case he realized that last year was an unbelievable season for him and the tragedy of it is that it ended with that interception [in the NFC Championship Game]. So he had to take the best and the worst and realize that if were to come back, he would have to try and duplicate this whole situation of last year and hopefully get to the Super Bowl, and I don't think he was really up to that."-- Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown
"As great a passer as he was, the thing I really admired was his toughness. His record for most consecutive starts will never be broken. It's one of the most amazing records in sports. I guarantee you, he gets an immense amount of respect from every quarterback in the NFL for that record."
-- Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer
"To me he's an ironman. He was around a long time. He played hard the whole time. He worked hard the whole time. He inspired and encouraged his team the whole time. He played through pain, he played through losses."-- Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour de France champion
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
ESPN.com news services
Updated: March 4, 2008,
Reaction from around the world of sports Tuesday to Packers quarterback Brett Favre's retirement:
"Brett's career accomplishments will be measured among the greats of the game for the balance of time. He truly was as gifted a player as I have ever seen, and as proud and amazed as I am of what Brett has accomplished on the playing field, the thing that impresses me the most is what kind of a man and leader he has become off the field since I have known him. I have taken great joy in watching him develop as a person and father -- perhaps even moreso than as a coach watching his quarterback. -- Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren
"His style of play was as unique as it was effective. I admired his skills, his leadership, and especially his love for playing the game. You knew he was having fun when he played, and that made him fun to watch. He set the standard at the position for a long time."
-- Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo
"What he has meant to Green Bay and that franchise and to the fans in Green Bay has been a tremendous rallying point throughout the 16 years he played there."-- Giants coach Tom Coughlin
"It's an honor to have competed against Brett Favre in his last game. Brett is by far one of the best quarterbacks I have ever competed against."
-- Giants cornerback Corey Webster
"He was the prototypical gunslinger type. He's the type of guy where, 'Oh, what's he throwing into that crowd for?' But he had intuition, toughness, resilience. It helped to have a good cast around him, which he often did. Those are all qualities which good quarterbacks have."
-- Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy
"I think this announcement comes about 17 years too late and I don't know if I will completely believe it until Green Bay opens the season without No. 4 lining up under center. In all seriousness, no one has given more to our game than Brett Favre. There is no player I respect more. He is one of the all-time greats to ever play in the NFL."-- Bears coach Lovie Smith
"In his case he realized that last year was an unbelievable season for him and the tragedy of it is that it ended with that interception [in the NFC Championship Game]. So he had to take the best and the worst and realize that if were to come back, he would have to try and duplicate this whole situation of last year and hopefully get to the Super Bowl, and I don't think he was really up to that."-- Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown
"As great a passer as he was, the thing I really admired was his toughness. His record for most consecutive starts will never be broken. It's one of the most amazing records in sports. I guarantee you, he gets an immense amount of respect from every quarterback in the NFL for that record."
-- Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer
"To me he's an ironman. He was around a long time. He played hard the whole time. He worked hard the whole time. He inspired and encouraged his team the whole time. He played through pain, he played through losses."-- Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour de France champion
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.