I've had nearly 24 hours to digest the departure of Brett Favre from the life of an NFL quarterback, and his entry into regular-guydom.

Perhaps because I live in the world where our job is to spit out facts, its easier for me to allow the truth that he's not coming back to sink in, because its our job to nail down those certainties and report them to you.

But there's one fallacy in what I described above: Brett Favre has never left regular-guydom.

And that's what has made him far and above the most beloved player the Packers, and the world of football, have ever seen.

Tell me you haven't taken a moment in the last 16 years,  you're in your living room, basement, yard, the park, somewhere, and risking embarassment, you drop back to pass, doing your own Jim Irwin or Wayne Larrivee impersonation, and toss either a football of thin air or piddle-throw a pigskin to yourself as one of a gajillion receivers Brett Favre threw to in his career, for a touchdown to win a Super Bowl on the final play.

I know I have. 

I even practiced my own play-by-play call, in case Favre played long enough for Larrivee, my mentor and friend, to retire after a long and storied career of his own (probably another 25 years), and I got to call that game.

A game that never happened, despite all of Brett's dreams, hopes, and incredible efforts.

The way he put out that effort was just like we all thought we'd want to, eschewing the system's demands to keep things short and safe, sending jet-powered missiles 75 yards through apertures smaller than the Biblical eye of a needle into the hands of a guy wearing the same jersey color.

Something Brett Favre did more than any other quarterback in NFL history.

He probably also threw more underhanded, scrambling, falling down, getting the snot knocked out of him touchdown passes than any other signalcaller - part of his NFL records for touchdown passes, yards, wins, and the pre-established gajillion number of other categories.

He even did things we'd never dream of doing, but wish we, and every other NFL quarterback, could do.

He got in the face of legendary defensive linemen when they sacked him.

He high-fived referees.

He even Lambeau Leaped...once.  It was about as top-shelf of an effort as most of us wanna-be yahoos could ever hope for.

But he did it.  And at least one everything else you could ever want to accomplish in the sport.

On his most human day, the day after his father died, he had his greatest day as a pro.

On one of America's scariest days, that of Hurricane Katrina, he helped re-establish lives with his foundation.

And the way he did all that...all that...puts him in the pantheon of all-time quarterbacks, even if he was the most mistake-prone of the Mount Rushmore of signalcallers.

That's why, as a quarterback, I'd still put Johnny Unitas (a fellow three-time MVP who more more NFL titles) as number one.

But not as my favorite football player.  Or the most loved football player in the history of the game.

Easily, easily, that's Brett Favre.

Ride the tractor off into the sunset.  On second thought, attach a sidecar and let us drive it for you while you enjoy your favorite beverage.