A real American never has to explain himself.
It could’ve been a quiet autumn for Brett Favre. The speeches were made. The tears were shed. All that remained was the last bootleg into the sunset—which is precisely where No. 4’s heritage got the better of him.
The prudent man knows when to walk away.
The pilgrim, on the other hand, knows that some roads can only be followed all the way to the end.
I’m no Favre fanatic. There’s a fine line between a comeback and an ego trip, and losing to the Raiders is no way to cement a legacy. But let’s give credit where it’s due. In a country that takes the present for granted, you need some serious stones to live out the meaning of the past.
Blind faith put the Puritans on the Mayflower.
It also put a Packer in the Meadowlands.
When the whole world says you’re wrong, it helps to remember that righteousness is little match for certainty.
A unique national ethos begets unique national icons. Ambition, audacity, arrogance—these were the sins that spurred the first settlers across an ocean and into the Void. Given our history, it’s no surprise that we value bravado in American jocks. It’s also no surprise that those jocks are so stubbornly wont to do things their own way.
In a perfect universe, ardor would always be tempered by restraint.
In this one, we usually have to settle for too much of a good thing.
If the choice is between crossing the line and riding the bench, I’ll take my chances with the gunslinger who hits on 16.
You can’t argue with a self-made man. The mavericks among us play by a different set of rules, answer to a different kind of critic. I’m thankful for Brett Favre because Brett Favre is American to the bone, for better or worse and all states in between. Our forefathers were the vainest bunch of misfits the planet had ever seen. They also had the common decency to live as if life mattered.
Forget those New England roots—John Winthrop sounds like he would've been right at home under center in East Rutherford:
For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world.
Because the only unholy pilgrimage is the one we don't believe in.
And if there's any fate worth praying for, it's that those who accuse us of faking it be ever just saying, is all...
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about 1 month ago
On this Thanksgiving man I am thankful for many things. On the top of that list is Brett Favre coming back this year man. No one can bring excitement to the game of football like Brett can man. Here's a toast to you Brett man, America's QB.
about 1 month ago
I am thankful for Brett Favre and all he has done for the game of football.
about 1 month ago
for Jets fans it has been a hard time. Are they to trust their savior? When the bag is over your head life is easy. Now the Jets want their fans to be true. What is a closet Jets fan to do? Do I dare take the bag off and call myself a Jets fan?
Now is the time to be true. No faking it -the Jets are calling you.
--->Jets---> 2008 ---> Believe it!
about 1 month ago
The day I heard Brett wanted to come back and play again, I was joyous. When he was traded to New York, I pulled out a Packers T-Shirt, crossed out the big G, and used a sharpie to incribe "JETS". I wore it to work the next day, just to let everyone know my true feelings.
I am very thankful to be able to cheer for Brett for one more season, one more game, or one more play.
about 1 month ago
Ryan, this is an excellent and timely piece. For me it has additional timeliness because I just started reading Sarah Vowell's "The Wordy Shipmates."
about 1 month ago
I want to make some kind of joke about Favre's French ancestry, but i'm too hungover on pumpkin-based deserts to make the joke work. Try it, and if you succeed, give me credit.
Great stuff as usual, Ryan.
from about 1 month ago
I'm thinking that the Choctaw blood might be more appropriate fodder around Thanksgiving time. But then again no one likes leftover turkey with a side of Howard Zinn.
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