While Favre has always downplayed his push for his all-time records, there is no denying the fact that he is about to own some of the most hallowed passing records in history.

For the third straight year, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre has played the waiting game to decide if he would return to Titletown.

His decision process has become an annual event in Wisconsin. By judging the time frame that he took to make the decision this time around as compared to the previous two off-seasons, this may have been his easiest decision.

In 2005, when he waited until March 10 to announce his return, he had to decide if was going to return to a declining team that would lose many of its veterans in salary cap moves. In 2006, when he took all the way until late April to come back, Favre had to decide if he wanted to play on a team that finished 4-12 the previous year and would be playing the season with a roster full of players with only one or two years of NFL experience. And on top of that, the Packers would have a rookie coach in Mike McCarthy.

But this time around, he took just over a month to decide that he would return for the 2007 season, his 17th in the NFL and 16th with Green Bay.

Favre“s early announcement is an indication of how he believes the team improved over the course of last season. The Packers, the youngest team in the NFL, closed out the year with four straight wins.

“I am so excited about coming back. We have a good nucleus of young players. We were 8-8 last year and that“s encouraging,” Favre told close friend Al Jones of the Biloxi Sun Herald newspaper.

Favre did not hold a press conference. Instead, he let Packers GM Ted Thompson and his No. 1 wide receiver Donald Driver know with a phone call. Coach Mike McCarthy was visiting his daughter in Texas.

According to Thompson, Favre said, “I think I“ll give it another shot.” In previous years, Favre“s family has weighed heavily on his decision. This year, his family wanted to stay out of the way.

Plenty is on the plate this year for No. 4. Besides the $11 million salary and the camaraderie of playing football, Favre is coming back for an extraordinary finish to an amazing career. While Favre has always downplayed his push for his all-time records, there is no denying the fact that he is about to own some of the most hallowed passing records in history.

Brett has already rewritten the history book in several areas, including the amazing streak of 237 consecutive starts (257 including playoffs), a record for a quarterback. Plus, his 5,021 completions, 15 seasons with 3,000 yards passing, eight seasons with 30-plus TD passes and three NFL MVP awards are already records. He only needs 136 attempts to break Dan Marino“s record.

The three most distinguished records for NFL quarterbacks are sure to be in Favre“s resume by the conclusion of the 2007 season. Brett is only six touchdown passes from tying Marino“s career record of 420. Also, he needs just one win to tie John Elway“s career record of 148 career wins as a starting quarterback.

The only one with some doubt behind it is the all-time yardage mark. Brett is 3,862 yards behind Marino, but has eclipsed that total 13 times in 15 years as the starting quarterback in Green Bay.

While records are meant to be broken, legacies are not. Favre has an excellent chance to add to his in 2007. With a team that played very well down the stretch, this team should at least be a wild card and should challenge the Bears for the division title.

Sources have said that Favre and McCarthy agreed on the Packers pursuing some weapons on the offensive side of the ball. Oakland receiver Randy Moss will be the hot rumor for much of the off-season and California running back Marshawn Lynch is everybody“s favorite to be selected by the Packers in the first round of the draft.

In a weak NFC, a Super Bowl run is not out of the question. The wait is over. Brett is back and the time is now for the Green Bay Packers.

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