Oh, the frustration

The whole Brett Favre situation is really, really frustrating. There's no other way to put it. No one knows how it's going to play out. And until it finally does, be prepared for more and more frustration.

Maybe the most irritating part about it all is the inconsistent comments coming from Brett Favre and his family.

In what might be the text message heard 'round the world, Favre texted three simple words to friend and Biloxi Sun Herald sports reporter Al Jones: "It's all rumor."

I personally wonder if Favre actually bothered to put that apostrophe in a text message, but that's a story for another day.

If there's one group of people that really, really, really are looking out for the best interests of Favre, it's his family. One would think they'd convey a unified message, something that really expressed Favre's true feelings whatever they are.

But instead we're receiving mixed message. Favre says, "It's all rumor." But then Favre's brother Scott came out and told WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee, "I think it's 50-50. There's no doubt he can play. He's in good shape, he's working out, we know he can still play, he's healthy, so, if he did, it wouldn't surprise me."

And then Favre's mother, Bonita, came out and told WITI-TV the following: "He's felt like that for the last couple of years, that the Packers didn't really want him back. But nothing's been said. You know it's just been bits and pieces throughout the last couple of years, things that would come up, and it just didn't seem like they went out of their way to keep him. It was kind of like, 'You're done.' "

With messages like that, they're the ones that are going out and creating the media firestorm. Is that what they really want? Is that in Favre's best interest?

Then to add to all the mind boggling experiences, Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette writes, "Thompson visited Favre at his Hattiesburg, Miss., home in May and, according to sources, Favre would have un-retired at that point had Thompson asked him to come back. But Thompson never broached the subject with him."

Why is it Thompsons job to ask Favre to unretire? It's not. (And that's not to suggest that Demovsky thinks so) Is it just me, or is the ball pretty much in Favre's court? If he wants to play, fine. It's his call. If he un-retires, then the Packers will have to deal with it, no matter how unfortunate a situation they might be forced to deal with.

Now add in the Aaron Rodgers aspect, and it's enough to make a person go bonkers.

Should Favre come back, it will boil down to two things. He'll play for the Packers, or they'll trade him.

If he's traded, "Thompson would have to accept that he will forever be known as the GM who let an icon leave Green Bay," writes Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"Fans would never forgive General Manager Ted Thompson for trading Favre," writes the Press-Gazette's Mike Vandermause.

And that brings up another unfortunate situation for Thompson. He can't win. He'll either be ostracized for trading Favre or, if he didn't trade him, for stunting Aaron Rodgers' growth.

And there will be no majority. Fans will hear both sides of the story. Print articles, television stories, talk radio and Internet debate will rage with absolute vigor no matter what direction the Packers decide to take.

Vandermause writes in his article that if Favre comes back, that they should open up the competition between him and Rodgers. But it's not that simple. What if Rodgers wins? And at Favre's age, I believe he very possibly could (and, of course, I'm sure many people would debate that point as well). What would the Packers do then? Would they waste an entire preseason playing out a battle between Favre and Rodgers while letting Brian Brohm get just a fraction of the snaps? And what about Matt Flynn too?

Another option would be to trade Rodgers, which would put the future of the Packers squarely on the shoulders of Brohm. Are the Packers ready to do that yet? I'm not sure.

I'm not sure about anything right now. All I know is that it's all very frustrating.

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