Brett Favre Open Thread
by tgirschJuly 14th, 2008
I thought we were going to be spared the perennial Brett Favre retirement drama this year, but sadly that’s not going to happen. I’m a life long Packers fan, and I do love me some Favre, but it really is time for the team (and for Favre) to move on. So while I may be in the minority among Packers fans, I think the team is handling this very well. Even if he were to return, and they did let him start, this year would almost certainly be a disappointment — anything less than a return to the NFC Championship Game would be a letdown. It’s time for the team to move forward. I wish he’d retire gracefully.
Agree? Disagree? Don’t give a shit? This is the thread to discuss it.
I wish he’d retire gracefully too.
But, he’s still the QB that brought the Packers to the conference championship game. If it was any other QB, the press and fans would be cheering his return to the field.
I’ve only been half following this drama, because I’m trying to not to acknowledge that it’s like the biggest story in sports right now.
Here’s my quick thought though, if they don’t want him back, that’s cool. They don’t owe it to him to accommodate his wishes to the perceived detriment of the team’s longterm success. Aaron Rogers has been more than patient, and unless GB thinks they can make a title run w/ Favre, Rogers deserves his shot, and GB should begin building an offense around the young nucleus of Rogers, Grant, and Jennings.
However, they probably do owe it to him to not to hold him hostage, having him man a clipboard with a gun to his head. Although doing so would almost certainly improve some other mystery team, I’d say that they do owe it to him to release him and let him play somewhere where he is wanted. If they want him in a back-up role so that Rogers can benefit from his wisdom, they should just cut out the middle man and offer him a coaching job. Right now, they want the best of both worlds.
You can certainly argue that they owe none of this to Favre, that’s he’s acting like a primadonna bitch with a huge ego who thinks business decisions don’t apply to his inflated image of self. That’s fine. I’m speaking in terms of where I think GB should draw the line order to maintain their self-respect while not alienating the fanbase. I think the fan base would be okay w/ saying they don’t want #4 back, but they would draw line at denying him his life, liberty and pursuit of amazing touchdowns (and often even more amazing interceptions).
I keep hearing rumors that if he comes back, they’d trade him. That seems to make sense. (The rumor I keep hearing is Favre to Miami for Jason Taylor, which would be pretty cool.)
If they release him, I believe there’s a salary cap hit that comes with that, so it’s not something the team can be expected to do just because “it’s the right thing to do” (assuming that it is).
As for Rogers, I wonder how much confidence the organization has in him. They drafted two QBs this year. Plus, in 7 games, he’s already been injured twice, leading me to wonder about his durability.
Bottom line is, I don’t think Rogers is the future of the team, but I do think now is the time to start figuring out what that future is. Especially since you have a young and talented set of receivers, and a pretty good RB.
In my perfect world, Favre would change his mind (again) and decide to retire for real.
If it was any other QB, the press and fans would be cheering his return to the field.
I’m not so sure about that. The media has long had a love-fest for Favre. If anything, I think he’s taken less criticism for his retirement back-and-forth than he probably deserves, precisely because he’s well-liked by the fans and the media.
Very few guys know when and how to retire. Favre joins a long list of those that did not.
We’ll always have “There’s Something About Mary” tho…
Realisitically, I think Favre should be taking this chance to come back and mentor the young guys. Be a playing coach so to speak. However it seems that isn’t something that appeals to him.
If I’m the Packers, I don’t release him at all. Imagine him showing up with Chicago or Minnesota. I would trade him if the plan is to let him play somewhere else.
Yeah, the Favre retirement circus is rather tiresome - I heard that after the All Star break, he’s joining the Astros’ pitching staff.
The Jason Taylor option is interesting - though Favre probably doesn’t have much interest in playing for Miami. I wonder if they could work something out with a team like Baltimore who has kinda always just been a QB away from being a contender (obviously after the period in which they really were contenders, and champs once). The aging legendary D united with the aging legendary QB would be an interesting storyline.
Anyway, a little more on the Favre as a back-up idea. I think it is incredibly stupid for two reasons:
1. Guys like Favre don’t make good coaches. Favre was a special breed, both in terms of physical gifts, and mental make-up. Brett Favre doesn’t know how to make an average player great. Plus, he’s been in the locker room forever, how much more can the young guys benefit from his knowledge and presence - they’ve already had it. Favre is a do-er, not a teacher. Favre as a back-up QB is like Vlad Guerrero as a hitting coach, “See, the ball is gonna bounce three feet before the plate, what you gotta do is swing off the bounce and smash a screaming liner off the wall the opposite way. Ready, now you try!”
2. The back-QB is, per se, usually among the most popular players on any team, especially when they struggle, as teams tend to do with inexperienced QBs earning their stripes. Every INT, every fuck-up (and young QBs make a ton), this kid is gonna have one of the legends of the game looming, and the Favre faithful booing (perhaps) and chanting for #4. Hey kid, no pressure, you’re just gonna pinch hit for A-Rod, alright…
Seems like there’s more to lose than to gain, and that this idea was praised on its merits in the abstract without really thinking about how it would actually play out over the course of a football season.