leadership | Big Owl's Tree

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.

Warning: this entry will contain lots of profanity and is not suitable for children, naive idealists, emotionally sensitive precious snowflakes, and most Democrats.

To the cowardly backstabbing Democrats who are now criticizing the president for compromising with Republicans on tax-cuts, let me ask you a few questions? If this issue was so goddamned important to you, why did you delay voting on it until after the fucking elections? The answer is because you inaccurately thought that by not taking a stand before the elections you wouldn’t marginalize the electorate and wouldn’t offend voters. How did that strategy work out for you? In 2008, you were elected by a populous that expected and demanded a change in how leadership acted, and in 2010, you were kicked out for being spineless wimps with no ability to demonstrate executive-level decision making on tough issues. No, the compromise the president agreed to is not perfect, but compromises by their very nature are not perfect. At least the president had the fucking balls to act. You pathetic sniveling cowards can’t say the same.

I’m as hard and critical of conservatives as anyone. I have pissed off and alienated friends who can vouch for that, but I’ll give conservatives this much: they know how to draw a line in the sand and say this is our fucking turf. Democrats cannot say the same. For two years you controlled House, the Senate, and the White House, and you still couldn’t get your heads out of your asses well enough to pass legislation that you now claim is vital to the survival of the middle class. If you cared so much about the middle class, maybe, just maybe, you would’ve acted before the elections and shown some goddamned leadership, instead of doing the politically expedient thing and delaying action. That’s the same old same old that we voted against in 2008 and again in 2010. Guess what? We’ll do the same motherfucking thing in 2012, so every single spineless, gutless, wishy-washy motherfucker in Washington had better take notice that we want action, not bullshit.

Also, why the fuck should the president stand with you bastards on anything? You sure as fuck haven’t stood by him. How many of you tried to distance yourselves from him leading up to the election because his popularity had waned? That’s self-interest, not loyalty, so don’t be surprised when the person you turned your back on during a tough fight does the same to you. You are a disgusting bunch of elitist pricks who maneuver and contort for whatever seems to be the most politically advantageous at that moment. That’s not leadership.

I applaud the president for working with Republicans to find a solution. Raising taxes on anyone, right now still asshole deep in a recession, is stupid. Extending unemployment benefits for people who desperately need to survive until more jobs are created is smart, so the president gave a little to get a little. See how this works? Get your fucking self-serving heads out of your liberal-guilt-ridden asses, stop wringing your manicured hands, and get this motherfucking country moving again. We have real problems that need to be addressed, and we need leaders who are willing to take action, even at the risk of it not being popular. That is leadership. Get it?