Where will Brett Favre Play in 2008?

Where will Brett Favre Play in 2008?

July 11, 2008

Football fans across the nation felt a collective tug of the heartstrings when Brett Favre announced in April he was retiring from football. I guess he imagined the tranquil existence of filling out his days tending his farm in Hattiesburg, MS. Then the itch struck that has to be crippling Aaron Rodgers and the top brass at Green Bay. For all intents and purposes, the organization has moved on. Brett hung up his cleats so they’ve spent the offseason building the offense around Rodgers and readying the team to open the next chapter in Packer lore. Hearing he’s ready to take the field is a disastrous turn. If they welcome him back with open arms, Rodgers gets shuffled to the backburner for some undisclosed period of time. Favre has pulled this "will he or won’t he play stick" more times than we can count so its safe to say Rodgers will be preparing for life on another team. If the Packers trade Favre or release him then he turns around to lead his new team deep into the playoffs, while the Pack is experiencing growing pains, heads will roll in the Packers front office. Not to mention the unthinkable, that Favre ends up with the quarterback hungry Vikings or Bears within the division. The tarred and feathered treatment might be just the prelude of things to come for McCarthy and Thompson. Adding additional spice to the situation is Favre announcement yesterday, saying he wants the Packers to release him so he can play for another team. With all these unappealing options on the table, let’s take a look at where Brett might end up if the dice roll that way.

Atlanta Falcons – Though it would be poetic for Favre to end his career in the city it all started, I’d say the Falcons have as much chance at landing him as Chipper Jones has of finishing the season over .400. Not gonna happen. It makes all the sense in the world for the Falcons. Allow golden boy Matt Ryan to sit for a year and learn from the tutelage of one of the greats. The reality is, Favre’s poor body couldn’t take the punishment that the Falcons swiss cheese offensive line would unwittingly inflict on him. Racking up a fistful of loses probably wouldn’t suit him too well either.

Kansas City Chiefs – They can’t even make up their minds between Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard. The last thing they need is another name thrown in the hat.

Miami Dolphins – The full-out rebuilding Dolphins could make an ideal trading partner for the Packers. One disgruntled quarterback for one unhappy twinkle-toes defensive end. One problem, Jason Taylor isn’t interested in closing his career in frigid, non-competitive Green Bay. Second problem, Favre is going to want to join a team that can compete. Cowboys South are certainly doing a valiant job assembling the pieces, but it will be years before they can actually play on the same field as the Patriots (assuming they ever will).

Washington Redskins – This possibility seems to be growing a full head of steam with the prognosticators, but ultimately it doesn’t pass the muster. Jason Campbell is suited up and healthy with able-bodied Todd Collins providing the supporting role (late season savior Mark Brunell escaped to the Saints). New coach and quarterback guru Jim Zorn has been working tirelessly to grow Campbell in the mold of past protégé Matt Hasselbeck. Putting Campbell’s development on hold for a year or two doesn’t put the team in the best position to win in the longterm.

Chicago Bears – The Packers cringe at the thought of Favre landing in their division yet the Bears are clearly the lesser of the two evils. They fell off badly from their Super Bowl run in 2006, and the dysfunction junction of quarterbacks fumble the core of that blame. Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton are not the answer to any question, yet the Bears perplexingly clutch onto vacant hope year after year thinking something will finally gel. The addition of Favre would shore up this forever-ailing quarterback situation, at least for one year, and put them toe-to-toe with the Vikings for the division lead.

Carolina Panthers – Reports came out earlier last week from Favre’s agent that he was looking for a move to the Panthers. Putting the pieces together, this one looks good on the surface. The NFC South is wide open. Plug in Favre, and the Panthers are a contender for the division crown. Carolina isn’t too far away from his home in Hattiesburg, and need I dangle the enticing prospect of Favre to Steve Smith? The one huge monkey wrench here is Jake Delhomme. He’s back and seemingly healthy, ready to take over the reigns of his team. I’m sure he wouldn’t take too kindly to getting pushed aside for a year or two to let Favre try his hand. The one wildcard in this equation is the job stability of John Fox isn’t the strongest. This could be a win or else season so bringing Favre on could be a job security move.

Baltimore Ravens – Throw this possibility up there with the Bucs and Vikings as the most likely destinations for Favre. They underachieved badly in their 07 campaign, but the core of the 13-4 team of 06 is still intact. The team that has always won games with their defense would be downright scary with a field commander like Favre on offense. Joe Flacco could benefit from a year manning the clipboard, gathering nuggets of wisdom from the old gunslinger. The Ravens stable of veteran talent has a brief window to take a serious stab at a Super Bowl before the inevitable youth movement kicks in.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Coach Gruden loves his quarterbacks. He’s a bit of a connoisseur of them, and Favre is the grand prize. The two worked together in Green Bay in the mid-90’s so Favre is very familiar with the west coast style offense that Gruden runs. Jeff Garcia is can still play, but he’s old and replaceable in a heartbeat for a quarterback of Favre’s caliber. The Bucs won the division last year and would have to go in as favorites to repeat with Favre wearing pewter.

Minnesota Vikings – This has to be the one that keeps McCarthy and Thompson awake at nights. With the addition of sack artist Jared Allen and the renaissance of second year back Adrian Peterson, the Vikings have become the chic pick to battle the Cowboys for the NFC championship. The one glaring question mark remains the shaky play of Tarvaris Jackson. Much has been written about his work ethic and his offseason conditioning. He might just bloom into his promise, but is this the year to take that gamble when you are this close to having a team that can bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Minnesota? This one just makes too much sense. If it does happen, expect the Cheeseheads to burn their Favre jerseys in effigy. This is a betrayal is on par with imagining Mickey Mantle playing for the Red Sox.

Green Bay Packers – Of course the fit that makes the most sense is Favre back to Green Bay. With Favre officially requesting a release from the team, this option is most likely a longshot. The bad blood between these two has been brewing for a while. Favre was livid when the top brass didn’t make a serious play to snare Randy Moss – twice. After looking at Moss’ numbers in New England, it looks like this beef had some substance to it. Brett has been feeling unwanted and unappreciated. Everyone down to his dear old mom has been beating the drum. Maybe the Packers front office have grown tired of the constant guessing game, wondering which quarterback will take them into next season. As much as the Packer faithful hate the thought of their beloved Favre shedding his green and gold, its past time these two parted ways to discover what the future holds for each.

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