The tale of Ted Thompson's historical blunder can be reduced to one word: fiasco. That's what he started when Brett Favre, one of the best quarterbacks ever to throw a football, decided to flip-flop on his decision to retire.
Yes, Favre should make up his mind before he calls the press conference next time, but Thompson has handled this pivotal situation with astounding incompetence. Here's a quick breakdown of his mistakes in the Favre comeback saga.
First, Favre announces he wants to come out of retirement and play for the team he's led for 16 seasons. Any normal, sane GM would happily accept the news and get Favre ready for training camp.
What does Thompson do? He says that he'd rather have a second-string QB of Grossman-like skill start for the Packers than the three-time MVP that led Green Bay to one Super Bowl already, and would happily get them to another.
At this point, I have to mention the amazing excuse that Ted used for his illogical decision. He wants to protect Brett Favre's legacy. Brett threw for over 4,000 yards last season, while at an age most players retire before. His legacy doesn't need protecting, and if it did, it wouldn't be Thompson's responsibility in the first place.
Next, Thompson instigates an investigation of the Minnesota Vikings because Favre was chatting with a good friend who just happened to work for them. Thanks to this scandal, Brett is now essentially blocked from playing in the NFC North. Also, Thompson refuses to release Favre, and he is even hesitant to trade him to a halfway-decent team.
To top it off, the Packers say that if Favre returned to them, he would be sitting the bench behind Aaron Rodgers. If you still question my opinion of Rodgers' readiness to lead my favorite team, see paragraph two.
Then, to add to the outrage, Ted is now offering Favre $20 million to stay in retirement. Why is he doing this? Simple, Brett Favre is amazing. There's no way he'll play second-fiddle to Rodgers, and he will be incredible regardless of what other team he would end up on.
No matter where he goes, Favre would come back to haunt Thompson. Therefore, he wants to get rid of him and remove evidence of his error.
How should this process have gone? Brett Favre calls up the Packers saying, "I want to play again." The Packers GM responds, "Sure! I'll go tell Rodgers to get back to the bench so we can have an Pro Bowl quarterback lead us to the Promised Land."
See? In three sentences, the Packers have an amazing QB again, Ted Thompson looks good, and there is no media firestorm.
Ted Thompson, you've obviously messed up. I, being the diehard Green Bay fan that I am, hope Favre goes to the Vikings and makes sure no one forgets why he's there. I hope he makes you look bad, preferably without making the Packers look bad.
Besides, with Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson on one team, who could stop that offense? Patriots, step aside.
Mr. Thompson, you may have one more chance to mend the error of your ways this Monday. The entire NFL will be watching you as you make the biggest choice of your career.
Most importantly, the fans will be watching, and they'll remember who's responsible for next year's QB situation. The fans don't forget, and the fans don't forgive. You remember that, Mr. Thompson. Remember that.
36 comments Last one added 2 months ago — Leave a Comment
Emery Songer 11 months ago
I tend to have a slightly different take on who's to blame here. But I agree that if Favre continues to pursue playing, this is the biggest decision in this GM's career. A make or break move. But we really won't know until we see what kind of season and/or career Aaron Rodgers has. He seems to be confident.
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Andrew Kaake 11 months ago
I don't for a second say that Favre is totally innocent, considering the bobble on the retirement in the first place. I suppose you're right, though. How many great QB's have come from second string to greatness? Enough to give Rodgers a chance...just not on the Packers.
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Sean Crowe 11 months ago
Favre retires...they make plans to move forward with another QB.
Favre tells them he wants to un-retire, they make plans to move forward with him. He changes his mind. They go back to the original plan.
Favre calls the team and says he wants to un-retire again. What the heck was Ted Thompson supposed to do?
Favre caused this entire situation. They should have just traded or released him. Let him disgrace his legacy in a Bears or Vikings uniform....
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Jason Cottier 11 months ago
First off Brett is the one whol wouldn't work with Rogers to make him a better quarterback...Favre isn't a Packers man, or he would have helped groom his replacement. The guy is one of the greastest, no doubt about it, but now he is too good to help out a new young quarterback...Not only that, but keep him on the fence year after year to make sure he gets no experience at QB in a game. There just has to be a time when you have to let your young quarterback bloom, if he's going to. With Favre keeping them guessing year after year up to the last minute whether he's going to come back or not, there just has to be a time when you gotta let him go. With his announcement that he retired that was it. Some people just get tired of getting jerked around and not knowing.
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Andrew Kaake 11 months ago
Please share me your tales of Brett Favre not helping Aaron Rodgers.
Besides, do you honestly think Favre knew he was retiring at the beginning of the season? He didn't know he was retiring until about a week before he called the press conference. Most of the guessing for his retirement was due to the media hype, and not him saying "I'm done" at the end of every season.
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Jason Cottier 11 months ago
When they drafted Rogers, Favre said...It's not my job to help groom my replacement...that's what QB coaches are for. A great QB should share his knowledge with the younger player, but he was too much about himself. Did he honestly think they would replace him if Rogers got better, he would have to be amazing for Favre to take second string. Only great things could have came from teaching. Say Bret wants to play this game for years to come...He keeps playing and Rogers gets tired of it. The Packers could then trade the QB that is showing some promise, and get Favre more players to surround him. It was just extremely selfish of Favre.
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Brittni O'Ryan 11 months ago
I agree with you Jason. And as far as Andrew wanting to know tales of when Brett didn't help Aaron, last season..Packers Vs Dallas in Dallas..Favre was playing horrible..got"hurt" Aaron went in for Brett, played much better(was very nervous, as anyone would be)..Brett came back out and just stood off to the side with a pissed off look on his face..Never once did Brett go over to Aaron and try to help..
Brett, is one of the greats- It's a shame that all "greatness" is being erased by his spoiled rotten DIVA-behavior. Shame on him and all the Packer fans that encourage it.
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Jason Cottier 11 months ago
"Packer fans" that encourage that behavior aren't real Packer fans...they are Favre fans. For years I thought I was a 49ers fan, but I came to the realization that I was a Jerry Rice, and Steve Young fan. It is just something you don't realize til it comes down to it.
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Joshua Skaar 11 months ago
You seemed to have forgotten to mention Favre's first unretirement scare, before the draft.
And Thompson is not an idiot for wanting to see what his investment in Rodgers would produce. He used a first round draft choice to pick a guy they hoped would be Favre's replacement, and comparing Rodgers to Favre is like comparing lump of coal to fresh crap.
Rodgers has the potential, he's been groomed by a solid head coach and QBs coach in Green Bay. His biggest downfall is the fact that he's a liability in the health department.
I'm glad Favre is back, because with him the Pack have the best chance of winning (if he performs as well as he did in 07)
But Thompson is not an idiot for doing his job.
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Joshua Skaar 11 months ago
Also, Favre has not won a Super Bowl in over 10 years.
And as last years Giants can prove it's not an individual effort. When Favre and the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI no one knew they were watching one of the greats. They just were thinking "Hey, this kids fun"
So, if you rest your entire super bowl dreams on Brett Favre and not the Packers organization, RUN BY TED THOMPSON, then go be a Bears fan. All they have is Devin Hester, and he was the only reason they even SCORED in the Super Bowl
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Andrew Kaake 11 months ago
In this day of Tom Brady dominated football, everyone should know that what round you go at makes no difference once you get to the NFL. Potential is nice, but it doesn't usually get you to the playoffs. Even the three Bears QBs last year had potential.
By the way, I don't rest all super bowl hopes on Favre. Since the Packers finally signed Ryan Grant to a 4 year contract, Green Bay will have one of the more solid running backs in the NFC. They also have an awesome defense.
If your question is whether or not I trust Ted Thompson to do his job correctly, the answer is, at this point, a resounding "No." And being a Bears fan would be against the fiber of my being- no offense, Emery.
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Sean Crowe 11 months ago
Didn't Ted Thompson build the team you think is a Brett Favre away from the Super Bowl?
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Shaun Ahmad 11 months ago
This is an ignorant piece of work. Who do you think drafted AJ Hawk, Greg Jennings, signed Ryan Grant, and brought on Charles Woodson. Thompson has been an excellent GM and no GM in the history of the game has ever been put in the position he has been put in by Favre. Get off the guy's back.
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Dixie Richardson 11 months ago
I love this article!! I couldn't have said better!! Hey, TT should be careful, he ain't family yet!! Go Packers!!
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Andrew Kaake 11 months ago
Thank you, Dixie. Mr. Thompson should have gotten the point when Packers fans started rallying to support Favre's reinstatement.
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Michael Inglis 11 months ago
I couldn't disagree more with everything you said. First off, Ted Thompson didn't start this fiasco, Favre did but retiring on impulse (day after not getting Moss) and then realizing he still wanted to play.
Thompson has every right to want to move on from the Favre era if he wants to. The Packers are more important than Favre. From what I hear, most packer fans are fine with moving on.
If Favre did play for the Packers this year and he didn't win the Super Bowl (which he probably wont) then the entire season would be a waste. Favre would probably retire again and Rodgers still wouldn't have any experience, thus setting the orgainzation back another year.
The Packers are playing for 2010 and beyond with Rodgers. Every year that Favre is there and doesn't win a Super Bowl the franchise is taking a step back. He hasn't won a Super bowl in 10 years, and the odds are if he plays this year he wont win again.
Explain to me how Rodgers has Grossman like skills?
I do agree that offer Favre the backup job is insulting and they never should've said that.
The Packers offer him money to stay retired was idiotic, and a bad idea. However, what's worse is that Favre seriously considered accepting the offer. I mean come on, first he says I'm retiring, then he says I want to play again, and lastly he says: well if you give me money I might stay retired.
What the hell is that, does he want to play or not? If he did accept that money I would've lost a lot of respect for him.
Both Favre and the Packers have made some poor decisions in this whole situation.
Andrew, Thompson may turn out to be a terrible GM but we wont know until the Rodger's era is over. IF he wins a Super Bowl or two then I doubt you'll have the same opinion.
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Andrew Kaake 11 months ago
I do believe that part of the reason Favre retired is because the Packers wanted an answer immediately. Let's be honest, you're always going to feel tired at the end of a season, especially when you could have gone to the super bowl, if it wasn't for an interception in overtime.
Thompson could do what he wants to, or he could win. And last I knew, fans wanted Favre back- I speak as one.
Even if he didn't win the super bowl, playing wouldn't be a waste. It would put his records farther away from Peyton and Tom's reach.
Rodgers doesn't have a lot of experience- he also lacks some skill. He is like Grossman in that they both have "potential", and that both the Packers and Bears would stick to them in spite of logic.
This situation was bad, and was handled horribly.
And yes, Aaron Rodgers may be a future super bowl QB, but Brett Favre might be one, too.
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Jason Cottier 11 months ago
Even if he didn't win the super bowl, playing wouldn't be a waste. It would put his records farther away from Peyton and Tom's reach.
You should have kept that to yourself. You sound less and less like you care about the Packers, and more about Favre...He is an idol to you as well as many, but you should realize that in a few years they could improve to just as good as they are now...if not better.
How many people thought the 49ers would crumble without Montana.
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Kevin C. 11 months ago
ok
explain to me how this is all his fault?
hes been a great gm these past years and has been there to support brett
he wants to come back, thats not his fault and he gotta do whats best for the pacs
and i dont blame him for offering 20 mil to stay home,
you cant just turn down a legend like that. you gotta do something
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Tim Parent 11 months ago
I think there's enough blame to go around for this "fiasco".
First off, Brett has thrown this team in to turmoil following his "I'm retiring/not retiring" flip-flop. He's done nothing but distract the Pack as it gears up for what was going to be a tough season under an unproven QB. Now, Brett has made it an even tougher place to play, not to mention making it a complete circus.
As for Thompson, by allowing Brett the opportunity to compete for the gig also shows a complete lack of understanding of the GM job. He's said from day one, "I'm behind Rodgers" but now, he's flip-flopped and is going to let the two duke it out for the job, as if Rodgers stands a chance of beating Brett.
Forget the Cheesehead, if Thompson wants to clean the egg of his face, he'd initiate a trade, let Rodgers take the helm, chase the circus out of town and move on. Let Brett do what he does in Minnesota or anywhere else for that matter.
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AJ Johnson 11 months ago
Sorry, but you're just plain wrong on this.
Favre has held the Green Bay franchise hostage the last 3-4 years with his talk of "maybe this was my last year", and then not giving them a decision until AFTER the draft! Favre is feeding his super-sized ego and proving that he is just your average, run-of-the-mill prima donna athelete. I don't have a problem with a guy changing his mind, heck, I don't even have a problem with him changing it twice! But to be as wishy-washy as Favre has been this last half-decade is just ridiculous!
Ted Thompson, the worst GM in history? More like, Brett Favre, the most selfish QB in history! Personally, I hope they trade him to the Viings, so the Packers' D can force him into permanent retirement!
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Cudahy Baconman 11 months ago
The question of Brett's retirement has been an continued object of media-franchise questions / discussion the last 4-5 seasons. Maybe he got tired of answering the same questions. I know I got tired of hearing the same question. If the situation were reversed and Brett has said he was playing this year AND now changed his mind the Packers would be in a much worse situation. I understand the Packers desire to move forward ( Although their best chance of competing is with Brett! ) but Ted, quit the corporate double talk baloney and let him go play. AND Ted, don't frett, Brett's legacy will endure long after your retirement to Boca. Cudahy Baconman
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Daniel Muth 11 months ago
News flash. Green Bay's not particularly good. They needed every inch of Favre's amazing season last year to get where they did. If those championing Rodgers expect him to produce 4,000 yards and 28 touchdowns this season, they will be sorely disappointed. Thompson and the Green Bay front office were instrumental in Favre's retirement in the first place. Granted, Brett shouldn't have done it, but the front office NEVER asked Favre to come back, and had been hinting for years that they wanted to go in another direction. The fans where complicit in this as well. From the posts that I've read, at least 1/2 of Green Bay fans preferred that Favre retire. Brett let this pressure force him into a bad decision.
Couldn't agree more. Thompson handled this poorly at best. Now he's saying that there will be an open quarterback competition after the job was promised to Rodgers. Favre's flip-flop ended weeks ago. Now it's Thompson who is doing the same after burning any credibility he had in the first place. Favre is a player who wants to play, so his turn-about is at least understandable. Thompson is paid to MANAGE. Something he is falling woefully short of accomplishing.
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Dan Ferranti 11 months ago
The author is right. There was only one play with this situation. When Favre decided he want to play again, Thompson should have come out and said if Brett wants to play the door is open. He should have then left it up to the coach to decide if it would be an open camp battle or Favre would come back as the starter.
Yes, what Favre did is somewhat selfish. He is in part to blame for the fiasco. In a sense he put himself above the team but it can also be argued that he is the team. He has been the face of the Packers for a decade and a half and is loved by the fans. I think when people think about the Packers Favre comes to mind immediately. He is still playing at a high level as evidenced by the 6th highest passer rating in the league. The team is not getting a dog back.
I think the GM underestimated the backlash from the fans. And some of his moves are just foolhardy (see: saying Favre could come back as the back-up and 10 year/$20 mil marketing contract offer to not play). Ridiculous!
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James Stengert 11 months ago
Cudahy, just how would the Packers be worse off if Favre said he was comming back and then changed his mind?? Maybe they would not have drafted two quarterbacks, picks they might now have to throw away because of salary cap and quanity issues. They would have suddenly gotten an extra 12 mil to spent on free agents and waiver wire players as we move closer to the season, or perpaps they could negotiate longer term deals with some of their good young talent. Mr. Thompson might not have been called a liar on national TV......James Campon would not have tire marks on his back (Thrown under the bus).....hmmmm...... ????
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AJ Johnson 11 months ago
Everyone on Favre's side seems to think he is well within his rights to retire and then unretire and expect to get his job back. Please, tell me, what company would allow you to retire from a high ranking position, fill that position, and then allow you to come back after four months and demote the guy who replaced you before he even had a chance to go to work? Favre is a pathetic, whiny, baby, and those of you who support him are the reason that athletes act this way. The next time you hear a player hold out for more money, or refuse to play unless he's traced, or complain that $16M isn't enough to support his family, shut your mouths and realize that you helped create the monster!!
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Shaun Ahmad 11 months ago
You do realize that it would not matter at all whether Favre came back or not had the Packers roster not been so good. Who developed that roster, which includes the best young defense in the league? Ted Thompson. He has been one of the best in the game in assessing and drafting college players. He may not have handled the Favre decision perfectly in the eyes of many, but to call him the worst GM in the history of the game is completely ignorant.
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Jerry Desaulniers 11 months ago
The way Ted handled this was a fiasco as you said. But he is one of the best GM's in the NFL. I'm not a pack fan but recognize the talent he assembled. Credit where credit is due, great career, big mistake.
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Marcus 11 months ago
I tend to side with the Packers on this one. The Packers can't be held hostage by this diva like behavior. However, since Favre is back-the soap opera continues. We'll see what happens.
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sean maysonet 11 months ago
For those who say T.T. had every right to want to move in another direction...sure...okay...I can agree...even if his direction is not the logical one...BUT...to not allow Favre to go somewhere else...somewhere he wants to go...is horrendous...they owe him at least that...T.T. had no right to try to force him into staying retired...It's Brett's, and any persons right for that matter, to A. change their mind and B. do what they want. Ted is not his father and Brett is not under 18 years old. I have no idea who the heck Ted thinks he is, but if I met him in person, I'd have Tom O'leary and Jack Johnson waitin for him.
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Andrew Kaake 11 months ago
Ted Thompson may or may not have great skills in certain areas of management. The point remains, however, that his career will most likely be defined for the future largely based off of how he handles this situation.
By the way, I'm glad they finally signed Grant to a deal, but it shouldn't have taken so long.
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Ricky Bobby 11 months ago
FIRE ted thompson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he bullied Brett Favre by pushing him to retire.
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Luke boby 11 months ago
Brett Favre is the best QB ever.
Ted Thompson is the worst GM in NFL History and will be for ever
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Collin Whitchurch 11 months ago
Well written article, but I must disagree. People have their different opinions on the Favre controversy, but Thompson is an incredibly competent GM. I wrote this article before even discovering your article of the exact opposite opinion. Feel free to check it out if you're interested in an opposite look on the subject
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/45280-ted-thompson-knows-what-the-heck-hes-doing
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Andrew Kaake 11 months ago
I have read that article before, and I believe I commented on it. I liked it; it does illustrate Mr. Thompson's skill in talent spotting. However, his career will probably be remembered by his actions in the Favre saga more than for rebuilding a spotty Packers team. Sad, but true.
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max kraft 2 months ago
So I happen to be looking on Google and come to this article. I laughed when I saw TT as the worst GM in the NFL. I know its a year gone by since this whole saga played out, but when you look at it the only thing that could have went better is the Packers record, even though it wasnt Rodgers fault. Rodgers had a great year, over 4,000 yards passing.As for Favre...I love him, but he put the Jets in a spot for them to make the playoffs and he later put them in a spot where they had no chance. All I gotta say is that TT is not one of the worst GMs. He knows what hes doing and in my opinion hes in the top 5 for GMs in the NFL.
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