It goes without saying that the world, me included, will miss Brett Favre.

After announcing last week that he was walking away from the National Football League, it made me feel a bit old. When he made mention at his press conference between sobs that "all good things must come to an end," his statement reminded me that he is human after all, and that nothing you love to do will last forever.

But I can't blame him for having the courage to walk away from the game at this point of his life. Sadly, Favre is among the last gun slinging, happy go-lucky, wild and crazy quarterbacks that made the NFL so enjoyable to watch.

And to this day I still beg the question: why did the Atlanta Falcons trade No. 4 to Green Bay in the first place?

At the time, starting quarterback Chris Miller was injury prone for much of his career. Aging veterans like Wade Wilson and Billy Joe Tolliver were not getting it done for the Falcons, either. You would think that drafting a quarterback at the time would make a lot of sense, right?

So, when the Falcons got Favre in the second round (33rd pick overall) in the 1991 draft, they wanted him to come in and do the impossible. At the time, Atlanta didn't have the patience or coaching personnel to work with Favre, and lacked common sense to build a team around the young talent.

When the Falcons grew impatient with Favre by the lack of productivity and maturity needed to help the team succeed, they sold their soul to Green Bay for a first-round draft choice.

Truth is Atlanta didn't even give Favre a chance in this town. The Falcons had a productive quarterback right in the palm of their hands and they foolishly let him go. Yet, I don't blame Favre for his exodus. He needed a fresh change of pace and a new prospective for something that he truly loved, and in turn Favre was blessed with the growth and experience that made him one of the greatest to ever play the game.

In 17 years with the Packers, the three-time MVP Favre re-wrote the NFL record books. Such accomplishments include 252 consecutive starts, 61,655 passing yards, 442 touchdowns, 160 career wins and nine Pro Bowl selections.

Perhaps it is what Favre did off the field which I respect most, though. I will always admire him for admitting to his family, coaches, teammates and organization that he had a serious dependence of painkillers early in his career, to which he checked into rehab. With a new lease on life after his stint in rehab and after earning the trust of all those surrounding him, Favre led the Packers to their first Super Bowl title in 28 years.

I am going to miss the things that made Favre such an outstanding football player. I am going to miss him carrying his receivers around after scoring a touchdown.

I will always remember him tackling former Green Bay running back Darrell Thompson in the end zone after scoring a touchdown.

Speaking of scores, I will miss Favre attempting to give a high-five to the referees after scoring a touchdown.

I am going to miss the courage Favre demonstrated in 2003 when he played the greatest game of his career against the Oakland Raiders immediately following the passing of his father.

Brett Favre was fun to watch. I will always wonder what it would have been like if he would have stayed in Atlanta and not boarded that flight to Green Bay.

But after such an illustrious career, it's clear that he was meant to play at Lambeau Field. It's the home of football gods, and Brett Favre without question is and will always be a legend.

Send e-mail to ericmcdonald@journalist.com.