There’s a lesson to be learned from Randy Moss and Albert Haynesworth.  They are great examples of how talent can only carry a person so far.  Both had the raw physical ability to be, if not the very best, one of the best ever to play at their respective positions.  However, both men have lazy streaks that kept them from achieving their full potential.  Because of his numbers, Moss will probably still make the Hall of Fame, but he could’ve been remembered as one of the greats, instead of a guy who played when he wanted to.  Haynesworth, on the other hand, squandered Hall of Fame talent and will hardly be remembered as anything but an overpaid thug.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, there was Jerry Rice.  For the last two or three seasons of his career, Rice was the third or fourth option for his offense, and most players who commanded his salary would’ve been cut.  However, Rice was kept on the team not so much for his productivity but more for his leadership to the younger players.  His work ethic and practice habits provided an example for them to mimic.  He was the greatest wide receiver and one of the three or four greatest football players ever to play the game, and he showed up to work every single day as if his job were on the line.  Not only that, he played every single play as if it were the last play of the Super Bowl.

Neither Moss nor Haynesworth can claim that they have worked as hard as they could in their careers.  Throughout his playing days, Moss has consistently taken off plays when he knew the ball wasn’t coming his way.  He rarely blocked on running plays, and often jogged routes when he was the decoy.  He’s always been selfish and greedy, and now, at the end of his career, he’s been traded and cut and released from team to team to team because he’s a cancer in the locker room and the opposite of a team leader.  Physically, he was as gifted as Rice, but mentally, he lacked the drive, motivation, and discipline to live up to those standards.

Likewise, Haynesworth has always showed up at the beginning of camp fat and out of shape.  Even in college, he rarely practiced hard, and he’s always relied solely on his physical skills to carry him.  Granted, those physical skills were once tremendous, and had he had the work ethic of a Joe Greene or a Randy White, he would’ve dominated the league for a decade.  Instead, he had a couple of great seasons, always in contract years, and then a few above average seasons and a few forgettable ones.  At the end of his career, his head coach Mike Shanahan finally held him accountable for his behavior, benching him until he got his weight down, sitting him again when his attitude stank, and finally suspending him for the final four games.  Hardly the end of a career for a guy with Hall of Fame talent, but definitely the end for one with a welfare mentality.

Both Moss and Haynesworth are wealthier than I’ll ever be.  Their worst NFL contracts are probably more than I’ll make in my entire life, so in monetary terms, they were both successful men.  Unfortunately, that seems to be the only standard that matters these days, but that’s another issue altogether.  I still believe in the archaic notion that a person should be measured by the quality of their work, not just how much money they make.  In those terms, both Moss and Haynesworth failed to make the most of the natural skills they were blessed with, and while they did achieve some success on the field, both men failed to elevate their teams to championship levels.  That’s because champions are motivated by the desire to be the best in the world, and they work and work and work until they make that happen.  That’s the lesson of these two men.  Soon, they will be out of football for good and forgotten by most, and the league will be better off without them and their rotten attitudes.

In professional football, there is a small group of ultra-elite players who transcend even the Hall of Fame.  Players like Johnny Unitas, Jim Brown, Lawrence Taylor, Ronnie Lott, Jerry Rice, and Walter Payton changed how the game is played by their talents and work ethics.  The legends of these players have passed from generation to generation, and their names have outlived their playing days because of the brilliance of their performances on the field, usually against championship level competition.

The most difficult position in all of professional sports is NFL quarterback.  The speed and violence of the game combined with the inherent demands of the position make the job an amalgam of leadership, toughness, fearlessness, decision-making, and athleticism, more so than any other position in any other sport.  The great quarterbacks who have played the game at the highest level are all legends.  Fran Tarkenton, Terry Bradshaw, Roger Staubach, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady are some of the best of the best, and each one exemplifies what makes a great quarterback, and we could debate until the end of time who is the absolute best of them all.

However, if you look at the numbers, one quarterback, and only one, holds every single career record that matters.  For 20 seasons, Brett Favre played the position as well as anyone ever has.  Yes, those of us who follow the game grew weary over the last three or four seasons with the retirement/contract game he played, and yes, he might have sent some inappropriate pictures to a reporter, but on the field, he was a general, a surgeon, a gambler, a rock, and a little boy all rolled into one.  I’ve not enjoyed watching a quarterback play more than I enjoyed watching Favre, even when he was playing against my Steelers.  In fact, one of my favorite Favre moments came in the 95 season when Greg Lloyd came untouched on a blitz and absolutely crushed him.  Favre had to be helped from the field, went to the sidelines for one play, threw up from the pain, came back in the game, and then threw a touchdown pass.  That’s tough, the kind of toughness he displayed for 20 seasons, even at the end.

The game will not be as fun without him.  His sense of humor and love of the game made it a pleasure to watch him compete, and his willingness to put it all on the line every single play is why he was so great.  Yes, he threw more interceptions than anyone in history, but he also threw more touchdowns and won more games.  In the end, that’s what it’s all about.  Thank you, Brett Favre, for all of the great, breathtaking moments you gave us.  Thank you for playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played.  You will be the standard against all others will be measured for many decades to come.