The end.

“It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.” – Boyz II Men

The end is always brutal for the greats. Regardless of the position…regardless of the sport, it’s never easy. It seems most great athletes try to catch lightning in a bottle one last time and recapture their prime.

Muhammad Ali attempted to do it when he fought Larry Holmes in 1980 for the world heavyweight title. His destruction, so complete that it forced legendary sports broadcaster Howard Cosell to detail of one of America’s greatest sports icons. As the rounds went by Cosell’s commentary became more cutting and ultimately sad.

Round 8: “Ali…the look of a terribly fatigued old fighter.”

Round 9: “It is sad to see this…Ahhhhh, he’s ready to go…this must be stopped. It is a sad way to end it. Legends die hard and Ali is learning that even he cannot be forever young.”

That was just a piece of Ali’s nadir. Cosell’s commentary throughout the fight bordered on depressing and turning into some sort of athletic eulogy but it spoke to a much broader issue. The greats hang on too long. Brett Favre proved to be no exception.

While ridiculed for his handling of retirement over the past two seasons, Favre possesses a similar gene owned by most great quarterbacks, thinking that there is still one more great throw left to make. Yet, he walked away (we think) for the final time.

Much like some of his contemporaries including Troy Aikman, Steve Young, Dan Marino, and Drew Bledsoe, the end wasn’t exactly pleasing to the eye. It never is for gunslingers.

Aikman and Young were ultimately forced out due to concussions; while Dolphins head coach Jimmy Johnson and a colossal 62-7 whipping by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the ’99 playoffs spelled the end for the legendary Marino.

Meanwhile, Bledsoe’s once promising career in New England ended thanks to Tom Brady becoming a Super Bowl hero and then in Dallas, when Tony Romo became Dallas’ new flavor of the moment.

Only a rare grouping of quarterbacks can get out of the game with some of their ego in tact. While Joe Montana petered out in his second season in Kansas City, he still managed to take an undermanned Kansas City team to the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

Then of course there is the story of John Elway, who remains one of the few athletes to literally go out on top. Thanks to a tremendous running game and great offensive line, Elway righted the wrongs of three Super Bowl losses in the 80s by winning two straight Vince Lombardi trophies and the Super Bowl XXXIII MVP.

Favre wasn’t as lucky as Elway or even Montana for that matter. The Jets lost four of their final five games including the season-finale against the Dolphins that ultimately gave Miami a division crown. Thus, instead of being a hero and carrying his team to the playoffs, Favre and the Jets were on the outside looking in.

Prior to his final game against the Dolphins, Favre uttered perhaps the worst motivational speech in the history of the NFL when he told his teammates, “hey, if it works out it works out…if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.” That sounded like a finished man to me.  The NFL is about being all in and the rifleman from Mississippi was far from totally committed; thus explaining his inability to make a timely decision.

While his less than enthralling speech and subsequent actions over the past few months hasn’t exactly been a template on how to handle the end of a career, it makes sense. Rarely does it end well for an all-time great; even the great Favre is no exception.