Here is a sample of comments by Ted Thompson:

Thompson to the AP on Saturday, July 12, 2008: We've communicated that to Brett, that we have since moved forward," Thompson told the AP on Saturday. "At the same time, we've never said that there couldn't be some role that he might play here. But I would understand his point that he would want to play."

Thompson to ESPN on July 13, 2008: "It's not accurate," Thompson said of the AP report that Favre would come back as a backup. "We don't know what role that would be. He can come back as an active member of the Green Bay Packers."

Thompson press conference on July 28, 2008 speaking about where things were with Favre: “We have sort of agreed to disagree, and at that time he suggested he would probably delay coming to training camp for at least a couple of days to see how things worked out.

He asked me to present to you guys at some point, and I think now is an appropriate time, his reasoning behind that. His reasoning behind that is he cares very much about this team, cares about these players, his former teammates, so he doesn't want to do anything to disrupt from that.” (How is he welcome back to a team if the Packers are his former teammates?)

Thompson press conference on July 28, 2008, when asked if the Packers wanted Brett Favre back: “There are a lot of different scenarios and Brett and I talked about that. That's one scenario, where he comes back. We've said all along, we've never changed our message in this regard, that with his retirement and subsequent affirmation of that retirement, we have made a commitment to move forward.

He understands that. I'm not saying he's in total agreement, but as a football guy, he understands that, and that's where we are. What does that mean? Does that mean he comes back in a different role or something like that? That would just be determined as we go forward.”

Green Bay Press Gazette article on July 29, 2008: A source told the Press-Gazette that Murphy will meet Wednesday morning with Favre and his agent, Bus Cook, at Cook’s law office in Hattiesburg, Miss. “They’re asking him not to come up there,” the source said. “They don’t want him up there.”

I could make an entire book of quotes and positions, but I think you get the picture. The Packers are trying to take two stances. Ted Thompson doesn’t want to be perceived as the man that ran Brett Favre out of town.

Therefore, there are these comments that Favre would be welcomed back to the organization. However, it is clear they don’t want him back, and they don’t want him to report to camp. You don’t send the Packers' president to Mississippi to tell "No. 4" to stay there for $20 million if you wanted him back.

But they don’t want to release him, and they don’t want to trade him. They are hoping that if they make this as difficult and painful as possible, that he will just go away.

It is my opinion that the Packers believed that if they said Favre could come back as the backup, then he would never be open to that and he would stay in Mississippi. That way they could run him out of Green Bay without looking like they ran him out. They overplayed their hand, and now they have this PR nightmare. It is an absolute blunder and a stupid calculation.

5) The Packers won’t let him compete for the job

This is the most confusing part of the entire scenario. I understand that Brett retired. We can debate what his motives were for doing so, whether he was right or wrong to do that, and what effect that had on the Packers.

We can debate how the Packers should be reacting to that. I understand the wide range of opinions from "Favre can do no wrong" to "Favre’s antics have become annoying".

Favre has brought that upon himself with his stand-up play that adores him to fans and his waffling retirement that has become an annoyance to others. He made that bed and he has to live in it.

The problem is that people are allowing their emotions to cloud their common sense. The NFL is a league of competition. The goal of every team is to put the best 53-man roster together to win that season’s Super Bowl.

Al Harris is the starting cornerback from last season and this year heading into camp he holds that same position. But if someone beat him out by playing better in camp and preseason games, Al Harris would be demoted to the second cornerback spot or the nickel.

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