Ron Wolf Says Favre Is the Best Green Bay Packer

Presented without introduction: Ron Wolf was quoted by the Green Bay Press-Gazette last week as saying the following:

When I got here, Don Huston was the greatest player ever to play for the Green Bay Packers. I think everybody will tell you now, the greatest player ever to play for the Packers is Brett Favre. That's his legacy.

There's so much going on in these three short sentences that it will probably cause three hours of discussion and debate, but one thing is certain: Wolf and Favre are indeed forever linked, "connected at the hips," as Wolf said. My first reaction to this interview is that it is oddly self-serving; Wolf is saying that the first major player acquisition of his tenure as General Manager in Green Bay is the greatest player in franchise history.

I think a strong argument can be made that Brett Favre is the most talented player to ever play in a Packers uniform, though Sterling Sharpe and others may beg to differ. Where I would draw the line, however, is in the semantics of the "greatest player" argument and how that title is defined. I feel that playoff success is one of, if not the most important quality in a greatest player argument. That is even more crucial when assessing the quarterback position, simply because every play's impact is maximized in the postseason. So when taking that into consideration, I think you can decipher who my #1 Packer of all time is:

Bart Starr.

Just look at his playoff statistics: 10 games, with a 9-1 record; a 61% completion percentage; 15 TDs to 3 interceptions (plus one rather memorable rushing touchdown); five NFL championships and two Super Bowl MVP awards. And he did all this while calling his own plays.

Favre's records are staggering. His longevity and toughness are legendary and may never be equaled. In the prime of his career, he was the most dangerous player in football. But you're not the greatest if you don't play great in the postseason, when it matters the most, and Favre did not play well in the playoffs after about 1998. My vote goes to Starr.