Brett Favre: My Only Criticism

I know, I know … it’s not right to criticize Brett Favre just one day after his retirement on March 5, 2008. After all, in his 17 seasons in the NFL, he set almost every major record for a quarterback: most touchdown passes (442), most yards (61,655), most completions (5,377), and most interceptions (288). Ignore that last one! Oh, he started 253 consecutive games, second most in NFL history behind only Jim Marshall of the Vikings, won a Superbowl, and was three time league MVP and a 9 time Pro Bowl selection. You get the idea. He was pretty good.

Criticizing Favre is like lecturing Albert Einstein on his penmanship (who’s going to take you seriously when they think you wrote S = MC2); or scolding Luciano Pavarotti for packing a few extra pounds that were really noticeable the last time he sang at the Met in tights (and he probably could have stood to lose a few pounds and inches); or suggesting to Lance Armstrong that yellow really isn’t his color (Lance — have you thought of switching to periwinkle bracelets?).

But I’m going to go ahead and barge in where angels dare not tread and criticize Favre. Brett: you threw off your back foot too much and in so doing you were a terrible example to a generation of young quarterbacks.

Many great quarterback coaches leave their pupils’ throwing motions alone. After all, there have been great college and NFL quarterbacks with a variety of throwing motions (hey Titan fans, there’s hope for Vince Young!). However, the great QB coaches always coach footwork. Length of stride — and of course — stepping into the throw; in other words, throwing off the front foot.

It just so happened the Brett Favre possessed one of the strongest arms that the game has ever known and that allowed him to break almost every rule and still deliver an incredibly accurate and well-timed football to his receivers — with velocity. This trait usually didn’t become a problem until the playoffs when the better teams tend to have better and faster defensive backs. To be fair, not all the teams that Favre led into battle would have had a prayer to make the playoffs in the first place had it not been for their gritty and talented starting quarterback. But it was playoff time when throwing off his back foot, maybe to elude a ferocious rush or buy time while a receiver came open — or maybe out of habit — sometimes resulted in painful interceptions for even Favre.

What does that have to do with young quarterbacks? Simple. Favre made everything look so artistic and effortless that it’s only natural thousands of young quarterbacks would rather look like Brett Favre than step into their throws like their coaches beg them to do in practice drills. Throwing off the back foot usually doesn’t work for mere mortals who just have “arms” connected to their shoulders — and not rocket launchers.

But I do have a suggestion on how Brett Favre can atone for his egregious bad example to the youth of American who play the quarterback position.

Here it is. Brett: just come back for one more year and model a new commitment to old school footwork!

Is that too much to ask?