OPINION

By Vinnie Iyer

updated 2:08 p.m. ET March 4, 2008

When I was up in Green Bay in January for two consecutive weeks covering the Packers' playoff games against the Seattle Seahawks and the New York Giants, I got to experience what it really means to be at Lambeau Field. First it was the snow, and then the extreme cold.

Through those same games, first a divisional playoff win and then an NFC championship loss, I also saw all the emotions of Brett Favre and how much playing for the Packers means to him — and how much he means to both the Packers and their fans.

From the fans I talked to, it was clear that the day Brett Favre decides to retire would be the saddest day in Green Bay, one that should be memorialized with an annual local holiday.

It's appropriate that Favre became the NFL's ultimate ironman at its most important position because like his two baseball counterparts, Lou Gehrig and Cal Ripken, Favre's great accomplishments on the field still pale in comparison to how much he was loved as the face of a franchise.

Despite his prolific statistics, durability, longevity and competitive fire, Favre won't go down as the "best quarterback in NFL history." Passer rating and championship wins mean everything, and everyone will point to his inconsistency with some interception-filled seasons and only "one" Super Bowl ring. But Favre is solidly in the top 10, with a good case for being the "most beloved quarterback in NFL history."

Looking back, it's hard to picture Favre, the gritty gunslinger from a little town in southern Mississippi, becoming a star anywhere other than in a slightly bigger town in the North.

Favre might be stepping down as a venerable NFL quarterback, but the way he played like an excitable teenager and carried himself with such a laid-back demeanor, you couldn't help but think he was much younger. It was as though he and classy wife Deanna were slightly older versions of the high school star quarterback and homecoming queen.

But eventually, the big man on campus must move on, and so the Aaron Rodgers Era begins. Rodgers has had a long time to study behind a great quarterback, so all won't be lost with the Packers' passing game.

But while Rodgers or anyone else might be OK replacing Favre on the field, it's impossible for anyone in the game — Tom Brady and Peyton Manning included — to match the level of esteem Favre has earned within the community of Packers fans. Favre isn't just the star player Packers fans have looked up to and whose replica jersey they've worn -- he was part of their extended family.

As you still regard No. 4 as No. 1 in everything, yes, it's a sad day, Green Bay. But you can bet many others in towns big and small are shedding a tear with you.

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