One more footnote on Favre


Man, the Atlanta Falcons sure look smart for not keeping Brett Favre around long enough for him to mess up the franchise.

Just kidding.

In all seriousness, though, consider the destiny-altering implications of Atlanta's trade of Favre to the Green Bay Packers.

Atlanta selected Favre in the second round of the 1991 draft. He was the third quarterback chosen, a stupifyingly astounding possibility because of the two stiffs whose names were called ahead of his.

Hello, Lost and Found? Anybody turn in a Dan McGwire or a Todd Marinovich in the last 24 hours?

Naturally, the Falcons had no idea that a future Hall of Famer had landed in their laps. Their failing in this case involved an appalling lack of patience with a young quarterback. The first of the four passes he threw as a rookie was an interception. Perhaps thinking it an omen of things to come, the Falcons traded Favre to Green Bay in the offseason for a first-round pick and made what turned out to be one of, if not the most, lopsided trades in NFL history.

Guess what? It did not turn out well for Atlanta.

The Falcons wound up trading the first-round pick to Dallas. The Cowboys used it to obtain cornerback Kevin Smith, a solid contributor who earned All-Pro honors one season and played on three Super Bowl teams. The Falcons received the 19th and 104th overall picks and used them to obtain Southern Miss running back Tony Smith and Baylor defensive back Frankie Smith. Leave it to Atlanta to find the Smiths who can't play.

As for Favre, well, he did OK for himself. He retired Tuesday as the NFL's all-time leader in passing yards, touchdown passes, completions, attempts and victories by a starting quarterback. He also played in his last 253 regular season games (275 in a row counting the postseason), both of which are records for a starting QB. He also guided Green Bay to a victory in Super Bowl XXXI, played in nine Pro Bowls and earned three league MVP trophies.

Given his longevity and amazing productivity, it's worth wondering how different the last 17 years might have been for the Falcons if they had exercised more patience with him.