Ryan Longwell was in disbelief.
After spending 11 seasons with Brett Favre, nine in Green Bay and two in Minnesota, Longwell, a long-time NFL place-kicker, had seen his friend play through countless injuries that turned body parts black and blue, a bitter divorce from Green Bay and his father's death, yet always yearn for that next snap under center.
But Favre was broken. The 2010 season with the Minnesota Vikings was among the most exhausting of his professional career.
A shoulder injury ended his historic streak of 297 consecutive starts in Week 13. He faced an NFL investigation into allegations that he had sent inappropriate messages to a former Jets employee while playing in New York two years earlier.