Favre's accomplishments earn respect from rival fanbase

By: Chad Ruter

Posted: 9/24/07

At 1 p.m. Sunday, I did something I never thought imaginable as a die-hard Chicago Bears fan.

My confession will likely carry severe repercussions from my Bears fan brethren, but I am willing to accept the consequences.

The dirty deed: I cheered after Brett Favre threw a touchdown pass.

My immediate reaction was to call my brother, a Packers fan, and admit my guilt. His response was quiet and simple, "It was only a matter of time before you came around."

Only a matter of time? I have waited 15 years for Favre to drill a pass into the back of his running back's helmet, walk off the field in disgust and never be seen on the gridiron again.

Instead, I wake up on a sunny spring morning in April and pick up the newspaper in hopes of good news, only to find out that ol' No. 4 will don the green and gold one more year.

In the past, my hate for Favre was slightly more than my dislike for Saddam Hussein but a step short of my disdain for former Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez. If I saw Favre walking down a sidewalk, I would have hit the gas and smoked him with my driver's side door.

After I finished clapping for his touchdown pass, I thought for a moment why I hated him. Was it because he played for the hated Packers? Was it because he always seemed to beat the Bears?

And then, the answer hit me like a blind-side sack from Brian Urlacher. I am 100 percent, no questions asked, jealous of what Packers fans have.

When he takes the field every Sunday, Cheeseheads flock to Lambeau Field, or to the comfort of their collective couches, to watch the grey haired, good-ole-boy from Mississippi play the toughest position in professional sports, and play it harder than anyone to strap on shoulder pads.

What do Bears fans do - pray that Rex Grossman breaks his arm in a freak pre-game accident where Staley the mascot goes crazy driving the medical cart? It has gotten to a point that when the offense takes the field, the only thought running through my mind is "Do not turn it over."

We have suffered through 23 different quarterbacks during the Favre dynasty, with names ranging from the good (Jim Miller and Erik Kramer), the bad (Craig Krenzel and Kordell Stewart), the ugly (Cade McNown and Jonathan Quinn "Medicine Woman"), to the unknowns (Peter Tom Willis, Cory Sauter and Henry Burris).

During that same time since Favre took over for the injured Don Majkowski in 1992, he has started 240 consecutive games, thrown nearly 800 more completions, 10,000 more yards, 172 more touchdowns and a mere 15 more interceptions than all 23 Bears' quarterbacks combined.

On top of those outrageous statistics, he is arguably the most respected player in the NFL. Take Sunday's win over the Chargers as an example.

With the Packers leading 24-21 with 1:10 remaining and the ball on the 3-yard line, the consummate veteran handed off the football on two consecutive plays when he could have broken Dan Marino's record of 420 career touchdown passes.

Instead of throwing an end-zone lob to Bubba Franks like he has hundreds of times, the selfless Favre ensured his team a 3-0 record, knowing good-and-well that next week will bring another game and another chance to eclipse the record.

Even more, Favre told Marino in an interview on the CBS pre-game show that he does not consider himself in the same class as the famed Dolphins quarterback. A compliment from one legend to another that shows just how humble No. 4 is.

My fellow Bears fans may hate me, cry for my resignation as a fan or flat out shoot me, but I will not be happy until we have ourselves a quarterback like the one Green Bay has.

So from now on, outside of the Bears/Packers games or a situation where the Packers winning will keep the Bears out of the playoffs, I will cheer for Brett Favre because of the amazing player he is - and I won't even think twice about it.