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Aaron Rodgers may have thought that getting to the NFL was hard. Now he has the task of replacing legendary quarterback Brett Favre.

Favre slapped down any notion of his counseling Rodgers. And not because it was beneath him.

“They have coaches,” said Favre. “Because I played 17 years and had a great career doesn’t make me an expert. The way I’ve done things worked for me, but it may not work for the next guy. I don’t want to be one of those guys who hangs around and, because of my status, (the Packers) can’t tell me no.”

Favre also added that, contrary to the perception we hold of him as being the ultimate fun teammate, he believes he’s fallen away from that. And that Rodgers could be the kind of leader Green Bay needs now.

“Hopefully he learned from me things away from playing,” said Favre. “How to be a teammate. I think the last couple of years I noticed things changing (in Favre’s relationship with his teammates). You can credit it to age, whatever. I’ve always enjoyed playing the game and cracking up and I didn’t do that as much. Maybe I’m not as good a teammate as I once was.”

It’s going to be jarring to not see Favre’s pigeon-toed gait as he goes from the sidelines to the Packers huddle in 2008. To never see him fake a ridiculous jump pass after handing off. To not see him pump, reload and throw a ball on a line so tight you could hang laundry off it. To see a green jersey with the no. 12 on it and not No. 4 taking meaningful snaps at Lambeau Field.

But every end means a beginning. Brett Favre’s done. But the Packers emergence as an elite NFC team isn’t.

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If, like me, you ever saw similarities between Favre and Huck Finn, you had to smile when, Favre said Wednesday’s coverage of his announcement was like watching his own funeral, just like Huck did.

“Now I realize what it’s like to die,” Favre said. “People honoring you, saying all these things. I’ve come a long way. Some of those old interviews, I thought I had it all figured out. Which I didn’t. But I was able to overcome my insecurities or whatever. I could play football. Because of that, I’m still here. Throughout the process, I think I’ve become a better person. A more likable person, I hope. As my skills maybe have diminished maybe I’ve picked up slack in other areas. I’m as proud of that as anything I’ve done on the field. I’m not perfect. Not even close. Nor will I ever be.”

Ya don't say
“Deanna said to me on the way over here, ‘You need to see life through the windshield, not through the rearview mirror.’ It’s so true, so important. I can recite every play we ran or called, near about every game I played in back to high school. Looking back I can’t say, ‘What if,’ or ‘I can’t remember that game or that play.’ There are other things in life I can’t say that about, things I missed. You can’t get them back. But from this day forward I hope to see things through the front windshield.” – Brett Favre at his retirement press conference.

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