Have you ever been so blindly immersed in a situation that you can’t trust your own opinions? As a huge Green Bay Packers fan but an equally manic Brett Favre fan, that’s the position I have found myself in ever since it was confirmed that Brett wants back.
However, I’ve since gathered my breath and am now ready to be objective with the situation’s analysis. I will also offer a solution to the Packers unprecedented, but not irreparable mess.
The Truthful Analysis
1. Green Bay should have been prepared for this
A lot of people had a good idea Brett Favre might want to play come July – fans and teammates included, but especially Ted Thompson, Mike McCarthy and other members of the organization, including Aaron Rodgers.
Favre’s wanting to come back to the Packers (and that is what he wants), isn’t the bombshell it is portrayed as. The time line and nature of the communication between Favre (or his proxies) and the Packers is irrelevant. Anyone familiar with Favre’s personality and habits knew this could happen. Green Bayshould always have been holding a plan B(rett).
The finality of Brett’s retirement (did you notice how quickly that jersey retirement was planned) and Rodger’s iron-clad guarantees from the Packers is management’s fault. They should have moved a little more slowly and cautiously into the future, because the landscape of any situation in professional sports can change in a heartbeat. Although remember, when it comes to the man anchoring the offense, the Packers haven’t had to worry about that for 16 seasons.
2. Brett Favre was indeed feeling pressured to retire
Ted Thompson wanted an answer about 08-09 from Favre before the crowd had even jump started the first frozen car battery after the NFC championship loss at Lambeau. Does anyone believe athletes truly looking to get out of the game usually bawl at a spur-of-the-moment press conference? Despite a couple of robotic quotes from Favre about “it being over,” did it ever really look or sound like he wanted to stop playing football for the Packers? It looked a little more like he was trying to come to grips with a horrible medical diagnosis he had no control over.
3. Ted Thompson has his own “itch” – to prove to the football world that he is a genius for handpicking the new face of the franchise, Aaron Rodgers
It is no secret that relations between Brett Favre and Ted Thompson have never been warm and fuzzy. Something Favre said in his interview with Greta Van Susteren sums up their relationship pretty well. When asked about how he gets on with Teddy Bear, Favre responded, “We don’t go out to dinner or sit around and shoot the bull or anything.” Enough said. Favre doesn’t have the brotherly, fatherly, friendly relationship with Thompson that he is used to with other managers, coaches, players and innumerable NFL contacts.
It isn’t that Thompson doesn’t want the Packers to be successful. He just wants to see them be successful with his boy Rodgers. He doesn’t like the fact that he, GM almighty, has to work in the shadows of a living legend. And Thompson especially doesn’t like the fact that here, in 2008, he still hasn’t put his stamp on the Packers and the league by proving his genius with the selection and development of Aaron Rodgers.
Even after last season’s successes, Thompson would like to see Favre retired so he can move forward with his experiment. With the formal filing of tampering allegations against Minnesota, Thompson even seems to be attempting to sway public opinion further away from Favre by implying he’s a traitor of the worst sorts.
4. Favre is not suddenly showing his true, villainous colors. The reason he faces a backlash from certain Packers fans is because they are just like
him – emotional and stubborn
If you have recently heard someone from Packer Nation describing Brett Favre as selfish, or a man-diva, or whatever the knock may be, it is because they have been hurt by him. Almost everyone in Wisconsin assumed Favre would come back in 2008-09.
What, after the blockbuster year he had – why wouldn’t he? After a few of the young bucks started to show true promise, why wouldn’t he? After they were so ******* close to the Super Bowl, how couldn’t he?
But then came the retirement rumors and the subsequent press conference – and that hurt Packers fans like a kick to the jewels. It took a while, but they worked on getting over it. They worked like hell to get used to the idea of watching a Packers game with someone other than Brett Favre playing quarterback. It wasn’t easy, but after a few months of taking in the loss of their legend, after a few months of drinking and talking until they convinced themselves it might not be that bad to see what the Rodgers kid can do, a number of fans thought they had found a sense of closure on the issue.
The fans locked up their emotions as to not be hurt by their hero again. Now this? They aren’t going to have their hearts stomped on again.
Come on Brett, you could have just never retired. You could have unretired in later March. Everything could be just fine right now. Why didn’t you just figure it out sooner?
Well, Favre answered that question in his interview with Van Susteren. There was definitely an implied timeline for his answer, and he gave his honest one back in March. But now he’s also being honest – he’s unequivocally ready to throw everything he’s got into the upcoming season. And be assured, he still has a lot of heart and talent to put out there.
A few months back, a Rodgers vs. Favre staring quarterback debate was laughable – and it hasn’t gained any credence since that time.
Despite the suddenly anti-Favre sentiments some radio callers and Wisconsin bloggers have been expressing, these opinions truly do not represent the majority of Packer fans. Most would love to have Favre back to give them two more years of the excitement they are used to him providing on a weekly basis.
5. Brett Favre will either be a Green Bay Packer or force himself to accept a retirement that’s time hasn’t come
Forget the request for a release from the organization, forget the Vikings rumors and forget the public bickering with Ted Thompson. Brett Favre wants one thing and one thing only – to play as the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers this season. He doesn’t want to uproot his family, learn a new offense, leave Donald Driver and a legion of younger guys he was just getting to know – and he doesn’t want to call anywhere home except for Lambeau Field.
He knew he wouldn’t be released, and that is why he asked for it. He doesn’t want to be traded, which is why he is not immediately applying for re-instatement. In fact, Favre’s agent says the next move is up to the Packers. Will they really, without wavering an inch, turn their back on one of the best quarterbacks currently in the league. A solid, reliable quarterback and leader is hard to come by – the position is often a revolving door with few guarantees.
For the past 16 seasons, the Packers have enjoyed a solid oak door. To have Favre now be on the outside of that door knocking and knocking and knocking to get back in is truly a sad thing.
The Solution
Despite how complicated the “Favre/Packer Standoff” has been portrayed by the media, there is a solution that, if executed delicately, can satisfy most parties involved – you can never please everyone.
Favre needs to be taken back as Green Bay’s starting quarterback. His age doesn’t matter, his legend doesn’t matter and at this point, his legacy does not matter. All that matters is his experience, durability, physical toughness, natural talent, leadership abilities on the field and extreme drive to win. As of the end of last season, it is Tom Brady, Payton Manning and Brett Favre who sit atop the NFL’s quarterback talent.
That being said, here is how Favre ends up starting next year.
1. Favre, at some point, needs to privately and then publicly give some props to Ted Thompson for something. After the way he tore into Thompson during his interview with Van Susteren, Favre needs to pay the big guy a little lip service – even if it is unfounded. Bottom line, airing out the team’s dirty laundry on national TV necessitates a little conciliatory ass-kissing – even though I believe Thompson has been dishonest with Favre.
2. Brett’s contract should be restructured to include a timetable of two years - currently he is signed for three more seasons. He makes that commitment now – he will play the next two seasons. That helps to guarantee this sort of off-season uncertainty will never happen again. Next year’s “retirement” decision is already made for Favre. Barring injury, he is the quarterback in Green Bay through the 2009-2010 season.
3. Aaron Rodgers can now see a definitive light at the end of the tunnel – the light that, unfortunately, Ted Thompson has been promising him prematurely. Rodgers contract is up soon. Extend Aaron’s contract, as silly as this sounds for someone who is totally unproven, so that he will still get the inheritance promised him by Ted Thompson. Also, a little extra green in the black and white legal pages should rub a little salve on his wounds – even though he already makes a good living.
4. Favre shuts up and lets Ted and McCarthy run the PR on this one. No media leaks or comments from Brett, management or anyone else. This needs to be an internal matter, taken care of behind closed doors until everything is finalized.
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This is not that complicated. Several months of minor offensive restructuring in the off-season is not going to make or break a team – not going with the best quarterback will. Favre is clearly the best quarterback.
Even Newt Gingrich, veteran of analyzing and solving intense political situations - which is what the Green Bay scenario has turned into - alluded to the simplicity of the solution as he lobbied for Favre’s return on his website this week.
“I understand that the Packers have made plans to build the offense around Aaron Rodgers, but plans are made to change,” wrote Gingrich.
Any team rifts that may have aligned during this whole scenario will be lost in training camp and preseason, and fans will forget the whole ordeal as well – as long as this is taken care of sooner rather than later. Hell, it might only take that first Monday-night victory to forgive and forget.
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