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Imrem: The Hall of Fame speech Brett Favre should have delivered

Brett Favre is the third-greatest quarterback of the Super Bowl era, just behind John Elway and Tom Brady and just ahead of Joe Montana and Peyton Manning.

Unfortunately, Favre's induction speech at the Pro Football Hall of Fame didn't live up to all-time-great standards.

Why? Because the Packers' legend slighted the Bears' role in his success.

Here's some of what Favre could have and should have said in Canton.

"First of all I'd like to thank all the teams I played for, first and foremost of course the Packers, but also the Falcons, Jets and Vikings for their hospitality during my brief stops with them.

"Most of all I thank the Chicago Bears, and not just because I beat them like the rugs my mama used to hang in the backyard when I was growing up in little ol' Kiln.

"I especially thank the Bears for not drafting me out of Southern Mississippi, not trading for me after my first NFL season in Atlanta, not pursuing me as a free agent after my time in Green Bay and to this very day not trying to talk me out of retirement.

"Not much in football ever frightened me but it is frightening now to think what would have happened if Chicago made Atlanta a better offer than Green Bay did to get me in 1992.

"The Bears' headquarters never will be known as Halas Hall of Fame for quarterbacks, will it?"

Favre would choke up at the thought, take a long pause and chug from his bottle of water.

"Jim McMahon was my backup in one of our Super Bowls and after his seven years as the Bears' quarterback his body looked like it belonged to a Hollywood stuntman.

"I was known back in the day for running around and drinking my share of beer and there's no telling what a steady diet of Rush Street would have done to my career.

"But the real concern would have been the Bears' reputation as the place where quarterbacks go to die.

"Thank goodness I wound up in Green Bay's Cradle of QBs instead of Chicago's Coffin of QBs.

"Look what happened to Rick Mirer after the Bears traded for him. I could have become him, a failed starter, then an insignificant backup and then out of the league before I could finish a six-pack of Leinenkugel.

"Even worse, I could have become Jay Cutler, whose God-given gifts are as good or better than mine were and who has been called a gunslinger like I was.

"Sometimes at home sitting high up on a tractor, I wonder whether Jay ever wonders what might have been if he could have played for the Packers instead of the Bears.

"Oh, lordie, I could have been Jay Cutler, throwing to mediocre wide receivers behind mediocre offensive lines and coached by a different mediocre coordinator every 15 minutes."

Favre would fight back tears here at the vision of what might have become of him in Chicago.

"Man, I could have been any one of the million quarterbacks the Bears employed during my time in Green Bay - Moses Moreno, Henry Burris, Jonathan Quinn … .

"Gosh, folks, those Bears' quarterbacks meetings must have been scarier than a room full of Kardashians.

"So thank you to the McCaskey family for making this day possible by never bringing me to Chicago."

Now that's a Hall-of-Fame induction speech worthy of the third-greatest QB of all time.

mimrem@dailyherald.com

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  When he played for the Green Bay Packers, Brett Favre had a 22-10 record against the rival Chicago Bears. MARK WELSH/mwelsh@dailyherald.com/2006 file
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