Favre best ever? Maybe best highlight

San Francisco Chronicle - CA, USA - It is not an original thought to say that Brett Favre is Wisconsin's Joe Montana. Also its Ken Stabler, its Johnny Unitas, its Dan Marino, its Troy Aikman, its John Elway, its Otto Graham, its Sid Luckman ... oh, you get the idea.

The point is, everyone should have at least one of these "greatest quarterback ever" candidates, if only to make that first boilermaker at the corner tavern go down easier.

Favre's retirement Tuesday sparked another of those tedious and contrived "Is he the best ever?" discussions among TV and radio producers across the land. It wasn't designed to reach consensus or even to stir up thoughtful research, because these things never are. They are designed to get people shouting at each other, and at that, a Favre discussion is as good as you'll get.

Truth is, he isn't the best ever, and only a fool would argue otherwise. And by fools, we exempt Packers fans because they are entitled to their well-considered biases. Favre did for Packers fans exactly what Unitas did for Colts fans and Montana did for 49ers fans and Elway did for Broncos fans - give them championships to remember and memories to cherish. Packers fans, then, get to be wrong about their guy without penalties attached.

More objectively, Favre probably falls below Luckman, Graham, Unitas and Montana in terms of achievement and importance to the history of the sport, and, therefore, a proud member of that second group that includes Marino, Elway, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Sammy Baugh, and whomever your favorite quarterback happens to be.

And what's so wrong about that?

Quarterback value is essentially subjective. It isn't just about compiling numbers; otherwise the list would start with Favre and Marino and then Manning would obliterate them both.

It isn't about titles alone; otherwise the list would start with Graham and Bart Starr, and in any event penalizes players like Favre, Marino and Elway for not being better general managers.