Do you not also hate it when absolutely nobody in the NFL booth will dare criticize a player who is quite obviously losing games for his team? Rodgers was awesome in relief of Green and Purple Jesus in the Dallas game... you know why? Because he's good and didn't try to do stupid things.

This website and others critique Grossman nonstop for the "F--- it I'm going deep" mentality... show some balls and call out Favre for the same thing.

Most overrated quarterback in the history of the NFL. I'd say he's lucky to be considered top 15.

Ha...I think you're thinking of another website that bashes Grossman, and to make that comparison is just weak. He may not have been as good as he once was at the end of his career, but last year he was still a Pro Bowler. At 38!

I was as annoyed as anyone when they wouldn't call Favre out but that time has passed.

hooray for sal pal.

you know, I bet other players kept playing when their parents died and I bet other players have had their spouses get sick.

They just didn't get the Four Letter blowing them over it.

Paolantonio provided some much needed levity.

I loved watching Brett Favre play -- I mean, watching someone who goes for it all is always exciting -- but let's face it, he got away with shit on the back end of his career that would get other quarterbacks cut, and that's just with regard to what he did on the football field. He was very well-protected to an extreme by football writers who should know better.

I'm not saying Favre should have dogged and hounded, but at least some reasonable treatment of his skills and weaknesses would have been nice in the past few years (and that's really not even getting his off-field stuff.)

Sal Pal is spot on. I remember reading a similar entry in his book and being a little surprised to see Brett's name on the list of overrated quarterbacks, but when you read it, it makes sense.
I forget who, but either Albom, Ryan, or Lupica put him top 3 on the Sports Reporters this morning. You can't be serious? Top 3?
Wilbon said it best after one of his bad games this season. Let's call it what it is. When he screws up and makes boneheaded plays, call him on it. He gets way too big of a pass.
Could you really count on him to deliver the game winning pass? Or maybe, in the back of your head, you were just praying he didn't throw a pick.

The guys that were/have been giving Favre a virtual bj are the same ones who, just 2-3 years ago, were saying he was washed up and calling for him to get out. Kudos to Sal Pal for calling them out.

The people who are questioning Sal Pal's timing on this are wrong. Essentially the same things were in his book which came out in the fall.

I watch far more football than any other sport. I admit I liked watching Favre play, and the media fawning got to me too. Favre rarely went for the safe pass, not likely to throw the 2 yd pass on third & eight. You never really knew what to expect when watching Favre it could be great or bad.

I just read the post comparing him to Ripken and I agree with what was said. I think Blanda had the career TD record when retired too, and Nolan Ryan had the career strikeout and walk records when he retired.

Where was Sal's bashing or 'reality check' of Favre when Favre was still playing? Might this bashing stem from the fact that Favre was much, much more successful in his career that Sal's boy McNabb? I guess winning 3 MVP's and a super bowl makes Sal Pal a jealous little boy.

This isn't the time to bash a QB who gave 17 years of his life to the game, who never missed a start, and was, outside of a painkiller addiction, a terrific face of the NFL.

As for the contention he's the most overrated QB in history? Are you nuts? He's a top 5er for sure.

If Favre was so great then he'd have a million commericals like Peyton Manning. The only ones Favre has are Wrangler jeans and the sensitive teeth one where he buys ice cream.

Oh and doesn't he do Levitra, too? You sly devil, Brett....

Hey AA, notice how nobody is agreeing with you and instead siding with Sal. That's because he's right. Brett Farve is the most overrated quarterback in the history of the NFL. ESPN and the rest of the media need to stop sucking his D

I never said I disagreed, but that it's pointless. Who the hell cares? He's still a first ballot HOFer and one of the best QBs ever. Sal is just grand standing for no reason but to get attention (perhaps for his book).

I don't care if you like him or not, he was an awesome Football player. Just like I hate Sean Singletary tonight but he's an amazing guard. It's not that hard to praise people and the media makes it hard either one way or another.

Wait, in order to be great, you have to have a bunch of commercials? I really hope you're being sarcastic. If not, can you please point out the countless commercials that Brady does?

And Favre is the most overrated QB in NFL history? Good god man, get a grip. How can a man be overrated as QB and be the only player to win 3 league MVPs and a super bowl ring?

Sal Pal, is that you?!

Brett Farve may be the most anonymous quarterback in NFL history, but only because no one named Farve has ever appeared in a game.

A bit better than "most overrated QB ever", I would believe.

This Farve fella should be relieved right about now.

AA,
I agree with you. You are right on. Sal Pal is upset because his boy "McNabb" can't even stay healthy for a full year. For those who say he can't make the game winning pass, I believe there was the 80 yard bomb in OT against Denver in October. To those who say he was overrated, what other NFL player has won 3 straight MVP's? To those who say he was overrated, who has the most TD passes in NFL history? What Hall of Fame receiver did Favre play with? What other Hall of Famer did Favre play with on offense?
Yes, his intereceptions speak for themselves, but he took chances, for better and for worse. As a Packer fan and a NFL fan, I have enjoyed the last 16 years. Should we have won more super bowls? I think Favre himself said that in his press conference.
(Favre did not change the play calling in Super Bowl 32 against Denver, going away from the pounding runs by Dorsey Levens, who had around 100 yds at halftime, Favre did not drop that sweet pass to Freeman splitting the seams on second down against Denver on that last drive, Favre did not play defense on 4th and 26 against Phil, etc)

Thanks for the Favre props. I am tired defending my favorite player of all time. No one can give him recognition in the sports blog world and feels compelled to make some lame John Madden joke.

The guy was loved by his teammates, played 275 games in a row when most QBs can not make it through one season, had 3MVPS, played the game all out and looked like he had fun while playing too.

Most Vikings, Bears, and Lions fans that I know, while hating the Packers and Favre, have the up most respect for Favre.

They only people who really have this backlash against Favre are the online sports culture who think Favre is over hyped by the media. Fine.

I understand where this comes from but is that not more an indictment of our sports media than Favre?

The All time NFL leader in passing TDs and Yards, retires after coming of an All pro season and most of the sports blog have nothing but hate.

Thanks for some perspective and yes, he was amazing to watch play.

Sal deserves a lot of credit for showing guts on this one. I cant think of another national mainstream media member that was willing to be critical of Farve. As for the timing, I think its safe to say that the ESPN brass wouldnt have given the greenlight for this type of article as long as Farve was still playing.

3 MVPS
1 Superbowl Ring
0 supporting cast.

F--K OFF.

288 INT
64 FUMBLES LOST
Dorsey Levens
Robert Brooks
Antonio Freeman
Mark Chmura
Ahman Green
Bubba Franks
Donald Driver
Javon Walker
Reggie White

F--K OFF

I saw that this weekend and it's ridiculous. First, the 288 picks that detractors like to tout. That number hardly tells the whole story. Here is how his picks rate when put into context:

Montana 2.6
Young 2.6
Aikman 3.0
Marino 3.0
Elway 3.1
Favre 3.3
Moon 3.4
Staubach 3.7
Kelly 3.7
Tarkenton4.1
Fouts 4.3
Jurgensen4.4
Starr 4.4
Dawson 4.9
Unitas 4.9
Griese 5.0
Bradshaw 5.4
Namath 5.8
Blanda 6.9

Do you hotshots know what those numbers are? Those are number of picks per 100 balls thrown. To put it into context, Favre threw 1 more pick per 300 throws, 10 compared to 9, than did Marino, and 1 more per 500 than Elway. Oh, yeah, he had a higher completion percentage than either of those guys, too – 56.9 for Elway, 59.4 for Marino, 61.4 for Favre

As far as how he did the past few years in the playoffs, in 2002 the Pack barely limped into the playoffs. After a year in which Favre was the runner up for MVP to Rich Gannon, his team, which was totally decimated by injuries and were on their 3rd string, got beat by Atlanta. In 2003, Favre played the entire season with a broken thumb (I’d like to see how many QBs could do that), yet managed to lead the league in TD passes for a record 4th time. Yeah, he should not have thrown that ball in Philly, but then again, the D should not have let him down on 4th and 24. And this past year, in which Favre was again a runner up for MVP, he took the youngest team in the NFL to the NFC Championship, much further than anyone ever dreamed. It was still a great season.

Favre was the MVP a record 3 times, all in a row, something never done before or since. Who cares how his years rank compared to other QBs – he was the best player in the league those three times! And he was a runner up twice. So he averaged either the best or runner up 5 times, or about once every 3 of his 16 years with GB. Not to mention, a record of 160 wins and 93 losses over 16 years, the best of any team during those years.

Look at what Favre had for both coaches and surrounding players since ’99. Four coaches since Favre started with the Pack, and only one has gone on to do anything. Ray Rhodes was an abysmal failure, who lasted one season and went on to no head coaching job. Mike Sherman did OK, but made some really bone-headed play calling in the playoffs and went on to no head coaching job. Imagine if Holmgren had stayed on how much better the team would have done? Same with receivers and backs. Not a single one since Holmgren left has gone to another team and made a name for himself. Favre brought up the level of play of guys that were basically average, not superstars.

It’s amazing how people want to try to denigrate this fabulous player’s legacy. The numbers speak for themselves. Anyone who has ever watched more than an occasional game with Favre in it knows that he brought a level of excitement to football that no one previously brought, or likely ever will again.

lets see.....
dorsey-retired shortly after superbowl run
robert brooks-injured for most of 96 season (including superbowl)
antonio freeman-also injured for several weeks in 96
mark chmura-released from team
bubba franks-released from team
ahman green-knee injuries, fumble prone, but had 2 or 3 good seasons
double d is legit
javon walker-had one good, injury free season b4 holdout
reggie-great player, but lets be honest he came near the end of his dominance

ron wolf said his biggest regret was not sourrounding brett with a better supporting cast

to go back to sal pals argument- the only thing im going to comment on is as much as i admire bart starr, look at his supporting cast compared to bretts, not even close and anyone who says different is an idiot that doesn't know football.

brett was flawed, he never clamed otherwise. that's what made him so beloved- the apparent contradiction of this great, vulnerable athlete. he went through more in his career on and off the field than most, all front and center in the media, and played through it all. not only was he the most exciting, albeit at times frustrating, player to watch, but i firmly believe that he gave his team the best chance of winning every time he stepped on the field. as a packer fan, i always felt they had at least a chance to win with favre at the helm.

oh and he also had a very promising debut on the bigscreen in a little flick called, "there's something about Mary" lol. now regardless if you're a petty hater or not, him trying to act, with his one line, had to be funny if you were a football fan......

and i haven't read (and don't plan on reading)sallys book, but how does he justify bashing barry sanders? i don't think he has a problem with their results (obviously) just how they play the game- for fun, not business (like manning)......what next, dale earnhardt as the most overrated nascar driver because he liked to pass on the outside??? oh i forgot, he already passed away, so you won't be able to grab any headlines with your national inquirer-esque claims with that one....give me a break- sal isn't being "courageous", he's seeking attention, good or bad, off of favre's name. im sure his book sales won't benefit from this at all. if it wasnt favre he was talking about we wouldn't be listening.

Oh, yeah, another thing for those that think Favre was "overrated" - he doesn't need to be "rated," as the numbers speak for themselves. Here is a breakdown of Hall of Fame QBs' ratings:

Young 96.8
Montana 92.3
Marino 86.4
Favre 85.7
Kelly 84.4
Staubach 83.4
Dawson 82.6
Jurgensen 82.6
Aikman 81.6
Moon 80.9
Starr 80.5
Tarkenton 80.4
Fouts 80.2
Elway 79.9
Unitas 78.2
Griese 77.1
Bradshaw 70.9
Namath 65.5
Blanda 60.6

For those that love to put Elway above Favre, sorry, but Elway doesn't even break the top 10. And Marino only beats him by a whole .7. Combine that with all the passing records he owns and the fact he has an NFL championship, and it's pretty tough to make a convincing argument that he's "overrated."

No doubt "The Gunslinger" is one of the most remarkable players in NFL history from many aspects, but even I am getting sick of the media incessantly gushing over him...it's like they can't stop kissing his ass...it's insulting to other players on the Vikings roster when every imbecilic announcer segues from whatever they are talking to the current interviewee to about what Favre means in some capacity...at this point, who cares? Favre has chosen to tarnish his legacy by his selfish and egomaniacal acts in the recent years, looked like a rat for his chop block last night against Houston, and it is high time people get over it and start treating him like any other 40+ year old QB in the NFL...he single-handedly cost them the 2004 NFC championship game against Philly.

Enough already...how stupid do the higher ups at ESPN, CBS, etc think the common guy is? He has other things on his mind than some prima donna's petulant, self serving antics.

G Dubbs