Brett Favre
posted by Brew City Bub @ 9:04 AM
20 comments
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
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20 Comments:
Bet you can guess what it would have read if he would have been traded to tampa bay.
Something tells me the "Hurt he couldn't let go from McCarthy and Ted" is going to pale in comparision to the beating he is going to take on an awful jets squad. Have fun Brett you truely are a attention-addict nutjob.
I, for one, feel that this is a sad, sad day. I really wish that some compromise could have been worked out between Favre and the Packers. I wish him well with the Jets. It looks like the Jets made a lot of improvements to their team during the off-season, so they may not be as bad as everyone thinks they will be.
For the thirty years of my life, I've been a Packer Fan. That relationship ends today. They are dead to me now. Long term, I am indifferent. In other words, years from now, I will probably feel the same about them as I do, say, the San Diego Chargers. I just don't care. However, in the short term, I would like to see them get their butts kicked every week just to kick TT to the curb.
In the end, all that matters to me now is "Go Brewers."
The caption next to Ted Thompson's picture should say "A$$ Packer"!
Anonymous:
1. I have a hard time believing that you'd be no more excited about a 3-0 Packers' start than you would be bed-shittingly nervous about a 1-2 Houston Texans' start.
2. What exactly did you expect Thompson, McCarthy, et al to do about all of this?
Anon, the Jets will max out at 8 wins.
I think Ted Thompson knows what's up. I've been an A-Rod guy from day 1.
dikembe,
the Packers will max out at 7.
Dallas = loss
Indianapolis = loss
AT Seattle = loss
AT Jacksonville = loss
AT Tennessee = loss
AT Tampa Bay = probable loss
AT New Orleans = probable loss
Atlanta = win
Houston = win
Carolina = win
Divisional record: 3-3 or 4-2
Total record: 6-10 or 7-9.
To answer your question #2, Brew City Bub:
Let's start by asking the question: why couldn't Favre have been re-admitted to the Packers?
Favre could have gotten back into form with the team without skipping a beat. It's not like he's been retired for a year. What of significance did Favre miss during the off-season? Mini-camp and OTEs? Had Favre been re-admitted to the team when he first started this whole unretirement thing, he would have been to training camp in plenty of time. Many NFL players have missed significant amounts of actual training camp due to hold-outs, etc., regained their form within a few weeks, and gone on to have a decent season. Missing some off-season workouts isn't anything.
In the case of Favre, if you forget about the fact that he retired for a few months, this year is not really any different than the last few years in terms of his football shape.
Did TT reject Favre because he thought Favre was so rusty, washed-up, and out-of-shape that he could no longer be a very capable player? I highly doubt it. If TT did think that, then he would have no problem with Favre playing within the division (and there wouldn't be any Minnesota trade clause for the Jets).
The only decent explanation for why he wasn't re-admitted to the Packers is because TT didn't want him there, at all costs. Why? The only true explanation that I can think of is that Mr. Rodgers is TT's guy, plain and simple. That's the only reason. TT wants it his way with the guys he picked, regardless of what Favre brings to the table.
I am not happy with the way that Favre handled the whole unretirement process. However, it is quite obvious that the Packers organization was entirely uncompromising in their position throughout this whole mess. Do I want a front office that is going to give in completely to what Favre wants? Of course not. Favre should not rule things.
So, to answer your question #2, what I expected out of TT/MM is the ability to make a compromise. Not to give in, but a compromise. On top of that, the compromise should have been offered right away, before things got out of hand.
What should they have said to Favre?:
“Look Brett, we're not very happy about this. We'll grant your wish for unretirement just this one time, but here's the deal: you will report to training camp and compete with Rodgers on an even-footing for the starting quarterback position. You will get 50% of the snaps with the number 1 and number 2 offensive units. Rodgers will get 50% of the snaps with the number 1 and number 2 offensive units. You are not named the starter; Rodgers is not named the starter; there is no named starter until the regular season begins.”
“If you win the competition, so be it. If you lose, we expect you to play behind Rodgers this year and deal with it.”
“If you win, you are the starting quarterback for 2008. This will be your last year, whether we win the Super Bowl or go 4-12. After this, you will head off into the sunset; no questions asked. Cappice?”
That way, they don't give in, but they meet Favre halfway. Everybody is somewhat happy, and all this crapola doesn't occur.
And to answer question #1:
Many people might have a hard time believing that, but that's the way I feel. I'm done with the Packers, for good, plain and simple.
dikembe,
I'm only an A-Rod guy as far as I'd like to see him break Barry Bonds' (a true jackass) steroid-induced home-run record.
>>“Look Brett, we're not very happy about this. We'll grant your wish for unretirement just this one time, but here's the deal: you will report to training camp and compete with Rodgers on an even-footing for the starting quarterback position. You will get 50% of the snaps with the number 1 and number 2 offensive units. Rodgers will get 50% of the snaps with the number 1 and number 2 offensive units. You are not named the starter; Rodgers is not named the starter; there is no named starter until the regular season begins.”<<
What makes you so certain this conversation didn't take place in some form only to have Favre reject the notion? I think we'll all agree that Brett Favre is the best option for the Packers this season. However, retaining his services this year is not in the best interest of the long term viability of the franchise, which just-so-happens to be Ted Thompson's primary job description.
Had Favre stuck around this year, they would have lost Rodgers for good. Then we're back to banking on the green and untested (Brohm) as the long term QB option. I'm as big a Brohm fan as you'll find, but he's clearly not going to be as good in 09 as Aaron Rodgers.
I also believe that the Packers gave Favre every opportunity to come back this past March, and by not committing before the draft, he forfeited any right retain his position as #1 starter with the team.
Many NFL stars end their careers in other uniforms (check out blogs.jsonline.com, it happens more often than not). This was just an instance where Favre was no longer as valuable to the Packers as he could have been to some other organization, and Favre didn't want to have to compete for his job. Incompatibility ends a lot of relationships, it just so happens that most of the he-said she-said shit doesn't make 24 hour sports news coverage.
In the end, I guess it comes down to a matter of personal opinion. I have more of a "win now" mentality than a "build for the future" mentality. I admit that part of that is loyalty built up for Favre after 16 years. I would have loved to see him go out by pulling a John Elway (with the Packers, of course; it's not the anywhere nearly the same if he somehow miraculously does that with the Jets). I really wish that Favre would not have retired. I'd rather deal with him waiting until mid-April again than with what ultimately happened. He rushed his decision and he made the wrong one (and I don't blame that on TT). He could have come back to a team that still has most of the pieces together from a 13-3 season. Granted, the schedule is tougher this year, and TT didn't make any key free agent acquisitions that would have pushed the team over the top. Nonetheless, he (and the Packers) would have had a decent shot at it. Anyway, personally, I would have loved to see them take a shot at a championship now over building for the future any day of the week. I don't trust the long-term future of the franchise, and frankly now, I just don't care anymore.
Speaking of long-time, franchise-defining players ending their careers in other uniforms, what the hell is it with #4s in the state of Wisconsin???
"dikembe,
the Packers will max out at 7."
Well then its a good thing I'm not a Packer fan.
One thing that has struck my mind, which may or may not be completely relevant, is how other franchises have done once they've lost their legendary or franchise-defining player(s).
What have the 49ers done since Montana/Young? What have the Broncos done since John Elway? Until now, the Cowboys haven't done jack since the days of Aikman/Smith (and they still have yet to win a playoff game). It took the Bears almost 20 years since Walter Payton to even get back to the Super Bowl. The Buffalo Bills made the Super Bowl 4 consecutive years with Jim Kelly and haven't done jack since then. Even the pathetic Detroit Lions used to at least make the playoffs more often than not when Barry Sanders was around. They haven't remotely sniffed the playoffs since he's been gone.
Granted, you don't need to have a franchise player to win the Super Bowl (see the Ravens with Dilfer), but a lot of time franchises seem to go to hell for quite a while after they lose their franchise player.
The number of anonymous Packer-fan comments is alarming.
Unless you're a regular poster with a nickname, identify yourself.
The Packers have always been tolerable. Packers fans, with their blind and illogical support, have always pissed me off.
Brett Favre has always been the Don Sutton of the NFL. Stop making this out to be Montana leaving the Niners, which was far less pathetic.
Who gives a shit, he's gone.
I am going to throw in my two cents on the recent disscussion
I would have to say that most of these teams after losing their franchise player also lost their coaching staffs/GMs or had poor ones to begin with. Particularly the Bears and Lions. One superbowl between two of the greatest running backs of all time? Something is wrong there. The 49ers put themselves in salary cap hell, and the cowboys got rid of Jimmy Johnson. The packers on the other hand still have their management I happen to think that Ted and Mike are quite good at what they did and we will really see how good they are. You cannot deny that Ted is a solid GM. The coaching staff as a whole is great at maximizing their players strengths while minimizing their weaknesses. Can you imagine the big 5 formation with a quarterback who can actually run? I guess we will see how good they really are without Favre and how good Favre is without the Pack’s system around him, but my money is on Ted and Mike.
Also this off season has been different than the last two for Favre physically. He was retired for most of it. He did not have the trainer with him every day planning his workouts and his meals and, no working out with high schoolers doesn’t count. Favre is an absolute freak of a physical specimen but he isn’t 30 anymore, or even 35, he is going on 39 and no doubt needed all of that training the last two off seasons to be his best. While I think by the time season starts Favre should be in good football shape for the Jets there is no guarantee that he will be as mobile as he was last year. In my mind Farve’s best intangible skill has always been his ability to keep plays alive by moving in the pocket, If that skill is compromised his value is greatly reduced.
My biggest problem with Favre is that he has proven that he is a nutjob. He retired way too soon and when he had his doubts about staying retired before the draft and wanted to come back. The team did welcome him back and planned a press conference. Favre backed out. At this point the Packers had to truly plan to move on without him. When he did announce his comeback plans, Ted and Mike where less than thrilled instead of being worshiped and welcomed back. So he went public and bashed the Packers management. He even said that if he couldn’t play for the Pack he wanted to play for the Vikings or Bears so he could beat the Packers, how is that for loyalty. The final straw was when he did his rockstar private plane into Green Bay, being a total distraction. Then came the 5 hour meeting with Mike and Ted, He wouldn’t commit totally to the team and when all three agreed not to leak anything from the meeting. There where quotes on espn from Favre about the meeting. Favre is a nutjob and most likely Packer Nation made him that way. A team cannot be run by a player and that is what Favre has tried to do. He gave Ted no choice but to trade him and they obliged but didn’t trade him to his desired team so that Favre couldn’t get what he wanted. That would set a bad precedent. Favre had/has God-like status in WI, imagine never having to pay for a meal and being mobbed wherever you go. It is enough to make anyone go crazy much less a guy like Brett. He fell in love with the attention he got both locally and nationally and lost it.
So in summary it is bittersweet that Brett got traded. It is the end of a true legacy in a time where nothing seems to last especially in sports. I remember no other QB for the Pack except the Majic man. Favre gave his body and played through pain more times than anyone can count and made watching football Sundays more enjoyable than few things in my life. But in the end everyone knew this day would come although few would imagine it in this way. If Favre had just shut up and been a team player I have no doubt he would still be on the Packers and the team would be better for it. But he is traded now and the Pack can move on. The Packers still have a chance to be a good team, and a decent chance to make the playoffs, especially given the division they play in. They have two big question marks in my mind. Obviously quarterback is one, and no doubt if Favre was back, the floor for this team would be much higher but he is not. So it is A rod’s job to lose. Personally I think the Porn star QB is as ready as he will ever be, he could be good, he could be bad, and he has an injury history. But I like him, because he has said all of the right things all of those years and during the Favre soap opera and because Ted likes him and I trust Ted. I also think that A-rod’s mobility will add a new dimension too the offence. My biggest concern other than QB is Al Harris. The Predator has been good but showed definite signs of fading last season and at age 34 a bounce back is less likely especially for a corner. If he declines more and the Pack cannot run their bump and run coverage, the D is going to have to adjust its scheme. This team is very deep and the coaching staff will maximize their talent. I think 9-7 is a good goal for the team and could win the division or a wildcard. No matter what, I am still a Packer fan, and will always have fond memories of one of the best quarterbacks of all time, but after the circus he created I am relived to see him leave. I cannot wait until the season starts as always and I cannot wait until Favre really retires and the Packers can honor him like they should and on that day we as fans can all laugh at Brett’s “career” with the Jets.
So...after ALL of that lipstick, here's the translation:
Favre, the overrated cheese ball, is a Jet and still the overvalued QB that Holmgren abandonned.
He blows, and the Jets won't even make the playoffs this season (I pray).
Bub, WTF? Let's talk some Dawgs football or the weak-ass 80s pix of Clausen that are getting far too much Web-play over the past week.
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