DETROIT This was not the way Brett Favre's starting streak of 297 games should have ended not with his name listed on a sheet of paper designating him as "inactive."
It wasn't supposed to happen in a transplanted game played in mid-December at a neutral-site stadium with no real home crowd.
Sadly, strangely, that's what we got for the NFL's all-time iron man maybe the all-time iron man in all of sports.
Favre's unimaginable starting streak officially ended 90 minutes before kickoff of Monday night's game between the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants at Ford Field, the home stadium of the Detroit Lions.
Vikings coach Leslie Frazier designated Favre as inactive, putting him out of the game and elevating Tarvaris Jackson to the starting job. A crowd of reporters began tweeting and posting the news the instant the inactive list was posted.
Brett Favre and "inactive" do not go together. It's like calling Paris Hilton "camera-shy."
There are a lot of ways Favre can be described for the way he has played quarterback since he came into the NFL in 1991 with the Atlanta Falcons, but "inactive" should not be his exit line.
Better he should have left any other way a touchdown pass, a Super Bowl victory, even a last-play interception. Favre should have left with the ball in his hand, squeezing one last drop of hope out of it.
He could not play in Monday night's 21-3 loss to the Giants because of symptoms related to a shoulder injury sustained a week ago. Favre felt a tingling sensation, and numbness in his right hand.
When Favre and Frazier had their final meeting Monday, the decision made itself. Frazier said there wasn't much emotion involved because of the nature of the injury.
"Not really, because it was a health issue," Frazier said. "Because of his health, it was a no-brainer. You couldn't put him out there."
Favre was composed and almost stoic as he stood at the podium a half hour after the game.
"I've played with a lot of stuff," he said. "I think this one was a little different. I had to be more cautious."
What did he feel?
"Relief, in a sense," he said. "It's been a long time. I'd really rather play. It's just my nature.
"It's not really a flood of emotions. I don't feel like I could function well enough."
In the end, the streak was self-perpetuating. Every game Favre played, he added to his own streak. The history he was chasing was his own, and that took away some of the sting of the streak ending.
Favre was asked if he felt he has done enough to be satisfied if the streak and 20 seasons were fulfilling.
He answered quickly and directly.
"Absolutely," he said. "I could have said that five years ago. I love to compete. I don't like to lose. But it's been a great run. I never dreamed of playing 300-plus games.
"I just dreamed of playing in the NFL."
Favre has vowed that this will be his last season. A core of teammates visited him at his home in Mississippi during training camp and convinced him to come back.
From the beginning, a season that could have been a victory tour became a forced march in quicksand and sinking steadily. Suddenly, he looked his age 41 and getting older by the hit and game.
He had 10 touchdown passes against 18 interceptions going into Monday night's game, and the Vikings were 5-7 and out of playoff contention.
The magic Favre wove in 2009, when he came out of retirement after one season with the Jets to sign with the Vikings, enticed him to continue playing. He threw 33 TD passes against seven interceptions and led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game last season, where they lost to the Saints in overtime.
An interception late in regulation deprived the Vikings of a chance to win and go to the Super Bowl.
The magic was missing early this year and never came back. The Vikings lost the opener to the Saints and didn't recover. Favre clashed with head coach Brad Childress, who was fired after 10 games and replaced by Frazier.
Ultimately, Favre met an opponent he could not overcome age.
He had forged his streak with a steely will, iron-clad resolve and a cheeky, kid-like exuberance that made him an iconic figure for the ages. But finally, he became mortal.
There was something strangely jarring about watching Favre on the sideline Monday night. He wore a dark Vikings sweat suit and purple stocking cap. He morphed into the role of inactive player
