This time, he really means it


When the Green Bay Packers’ official team Web site recently posted a ‘‘Favre retires’’ headline, it caused a panic in Cheesehead Nation.

The headline vanished into the Internet ether once concerned fans started bombaring the franchise’s switchboard.

False alarm, team officials said. They blamed it on a software glitch and said that the headline was part of a template created just in case quarterback Brett Favre called it quits in the near or distant future.

Besides, it wasn't as if Favre hadn't flirted with the idea on occasion these last few years. Remember his emotional post-game TV interview in 2006, when his tears were nearly frozen to his face as he walked off the field in Chicago? Given some of the late-game magic he engineered in his career, a comeback shouldn't have been especially surprising.

It would have been perfectly reasonable for him to continue playing on after leading the Packers to the NFC championship game in January, but Favre wasn’t kidding when he confirmed his retirement on Tuesday.

Besides, at 38 and with 17 seasons, three MVP awards, a Super Bowl ring and several NFL records to his credit, he’s earned the right to rest on his laurels.

The question now is where he ranks among the all-time greats.

He broke Dan Marino’s record for most career touchdown passes (442), John Elway’s mark for most career victories by a starting QB (160) and became the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards (61,655), completions (5,377) and attempts (8,758).

My all-time list of favorite QBs would look like this:

1. Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers
2. Favre
3. Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh Steelers (chrome dome, wobbly spirals and a winner's edge)
4. Bart Starr, Green Bay Packers (his stats aren't anywhere close to the top three, but he epitomized the term ''field general.'')
5. Elway, Denver Broncos
6. Dan Marino, Miami Dolphins (he threw a beautiful deep ball)
7. Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts (flat tops and high-top black cleats should never have gone out of style)
8. Joe Namath, New York Jets (Who would you rather have as a wingman and whose leftovers would you rather land? Namath's or Tom Brady's? Flip a coin)
9. Archie Manning, New Orleans Saints (great player on an awful team)
10. Joe Theismann, Washington Redskins (only because I'm a Redskins fan)

If we're talking about best quarterbacks of all-time, then Brady and Peyton Manning would naturally bump some of my favorites out of the top 10. But Brady and Manning already have most everything -- money, looks, fame, etc. -- so they'll have to live with me keeping them out of my top 10. It's about time somebody said no to them.

Who are your favorite NFL quarterbacks of all-time? Where does Favre rank?