Brett Favre wants Green Bay to release him

[Zen653]

Brett Favre wants to resume his career somewhere other than Green Bay, where the Packers have committed themselves to Aaron Rodgers. The question now becomes whether the Packers should play nice with the former face of the franchise and grant him his release, or place him on the roster and trade him to a bad AFC club where he would be unlikely to hurt the Packers. One rumor has the Packers talking trade with the Miami Dolphins. Green Bay would receive Jason Taylor and a fourth round draft pick, the Dolphins would land Brett Favre.

Steve Young On Brett Favre's Request - ESPN Video

If I'm Green Bay, I'd trade him. There's no sense in letting a valuable commodity sign with a division rival when you can send him to a bad team in the other conference and add a player or a pick or two. The Packers did not become one of the model franchises in the league by letting emotion get in the way of good business acumen. If the Packers release Favre, he'd probably sign with the Bears or Vikings, and the Packers wouldn't even land a draft pick out of it. I say send him to the AFC and let his new team worry about keeping the over-hyped, interception machine happy. Favre has no one but himself to blame for this situation; he's the one who announced his retirement after being asked several times by the Packers brass whether it was for real. Now he needs to deal with the consequences.

[MGGPackerFan]

Zen, we're in total agreement that this mess is of Favre's own making, and he should've stuck with his retirement. I can understand your point of view on trading him but I wouldn't do it. I would release him. Ted Thompson will eventually have to do so with his recent decision to "allow Favre to join the team as a backup," should Favre actually join the team.

From the Packers' angle, I ask myself which decision is riskiest, trade or release. Both are risky, but trading him away shows that Ted Thompson is dictating with brute force. Thompson wants to dictate, of course, but he wants to appear less forceful to Packer fans and teammates loyal to Favre. Releasing Favre is also risky, but it gives the appearance that Favre is in control of his own destiny. Today, Thompson put Favre in a tough spot without appearing so forceful by allowing Favre to join the team if he wants, letting Favre seem to dictate his own actions. Thompson knows he can't keep Favre if Favre chooses to join the team as a backup. I doubt Favre would do so, but if he does, imagine the scenario. Rodgers can't focus on being the starter with the legend standing behind him. If Rodgers throws his first interception with Brett behind him, fans will say it might as well be Brett starting if anyone's gonna throw interceptions. God forbid Rodgers gets injured with Favre behind him, and Favre has a great game. Then the receivers start complaining, and it just gets worse and worse. But trading him is not an option for Thompson. He's like a politician who doesn't want his reputation tarnished forever by making the worst decision, but maybe tarnished temporarily by making the least harmful decision. If the Packers trade a legend who came off of a great season, then Aaron Rodgers won't be the only player looking over his shoulder. The whole team will question their futures, lose focus and thus end in setbacks. The Packers can't make that risk.

We also have to view this issue from the Viking, Bears, or any other organization's angle. At first, I believed signing with the Vikings or Bears would be the biggest headache to be avoided. It's a headache, and it needs to be avoided, but let's think about it. If I'm in the Vikings or Bears organization, I'm asking myself about the pros and cons of signing Brett Favre, should he actually be released. Favre has the name recognition for instant fan support and the chance to help a team win, but win how much? Some key issues against Favre are longevity, salary, a new system, and fan support. Suppose Favre signs with the Bears. Do the Bears have the same amount of talent as the Packers on offense? Can Favre learn the system quickly? Even if the answers are yes to the last two questions, what if they don't win? If the Bears manage to go 12-4 and win the Super Bowl, then it's a job well done while the Packers face a permanent scar on the organization. If they lose in the Super Bowl, it doesn't show a promising future because there are no guarantees on Favre's longevity. If the Bears went 8-8, then the players and fans would question the decisions within the Bears organization, why they signed a legend with a history of risky plays when the money could have been used to make deals that other teams made. Then signing Favre is a decision that may cost Lovie Smith or someone their job.

Now suppose Favre signs with the Vikings, a better team than Chicago with a better chance. Again, if they go 13-3 and win the Super Bowl, then job well done. (Notice that, in signing a 38 year-old legendary QB, there can be nothing short of a Super Bowl immediately, due in part, to the question of Favre's longevity.) If they go 13-3 and lose the Super Bowl, then once again, what is in the future for the Vikings and Brad Childress, a 39 year-old QB who's thinking about hanging it up again? I believe these Bears and Vikings scenarios are topics that we need to bring up for good discussion, being possible but not probable. Some people in the media always hunt for bigfoot, and then they stop hunting for it when someone spots the chupacabra. For instance, no one is talking about Favre's dome stadium record anymore. The big story is that he could come back and beat the Packers twice. But if he signed with the Vikings, it's possible but not probable that they could lose 8 games next season at the Metrodome if we bring up the dome discussion again. I'm just making the point that these subtopics have possibilities, but I have serious doubts about them. If I'm wrong, I'll eat crow.

The last issue regards most Packer fans' "immunity" to Favre's risky habits. For most of us, if he throws a pick, he throws a pick, and we have to live with it. It's like medication that has initial side effects. After a while the body gets used to the medication, and the sides effects are either very short lived or they don't exist anymore. If Favre does join the Vikings, Bears, or whoever, the fans better get used him fast.

P.S.-I'm sorry for such a long post. I can really get long winded.

[BroncosThunder]

Brett lost a lot of people who held him in high regard after this ego show. I have grown so tired of Brett Favre that I even dislike that I am writing about him now. When you retire you are retired. Teams move on that is life and Brett's ego couldn't handle life after Brett Favre. I think he planned this out after last season because his ego wanted people and fans to beg him to come back. I think he loved all the talk about whether or not he would come back. Now he needs to do one thing for everyone to be happy...stayed retired Brett. Look up the word in the dictionary I do not want to sit through two press conferences of you saying you are retired. He put the Packers in such a difficult position now and I can't believe he would even consider playing for another team where is the loyalty?

[djwhokid]

Most great athletes have big egos but Favre tried to undermine Ted Thompson on almost EVERY decision he made (lobbying for Randy Moss, Steve Mariucci, Mike Wahle, etc...)

Have you heard Tom Brady (a true class act) undermine his GM when he traded away Deion Branch or released Lawyer Milloy? What about Peyton Manning after the Colts didn't re-sign Edge James?

This is why you don't let players (particularly superstar players) become GM's. Imagine if Ted Thompson allowed Brett Favre to make some of these idiotic decisions he was lobbying for? The Packers would be a 5-6 win team.

This is no different when Jordan underminded GM Jerry Krause with the Bulls. If Jordan had his way, the Bulls would have kept Charles Oakley instead of trading for what they needed, a true center in Bill Cartwright.

But Jerry Krause did cave into one of Jordan's threats. The Bulls didn't trade the declining Scottie Pippen for the draft rights for Trace McGrady because Jordan threatened to retire.

It was a stupid move (even though the Bulls won a championship that year). Jordan left at the end of the year and Pippen was traded for some guy named Roy Rogers.

Jordan's work as a GM/player with the Wizards speaks to his ineptitude making silly moves like trading away Rip Hamilton and drafting Kwame Brown.

Honestly, Jordan as a GM was a disaster. On par with Isiah Thomas work with the Knicks.

[djwhokid]

The Madden curse strikes again!

[MGGPackerFan]

DJ, you made some good points about Brady and Jordan. BTW, you had to show the Madden cover. I planned on buying Madden for the first time in 3 years. Now I don't want it...

Really, Zen you were right. What was I thinking? They have to trade Favre. This is all part of Favre's psyche, like when the Pack is down 14-0 and he starts throwing the ball everywhere.

I'm coming out of retirement = interception.
I'll only return as the starter = interception.
Going on FIX New's Greta Van Susteren = almost intercepted.
Talking to Brad Childress and Darrell Bevill on a Packers' cell phone = just stupid.
Threatening to go into camp = interception.
Favre getting his chance to play somewhere = td, for him anyway.

So in the end, Favre throws 1 td, 3 int and is sure to lose the game. Thompson has done his job well. Favre looks like an idiot, and it's time get some value out of all this trouble. I used to defend Favre to no end, and I never saw the day when I'd insult him so much. I still love the guy and always will, but I'm ticked off right now.

[TylerDurden]

Sighs. Traded to the Jets for a conditional draft pick. Breaking on ESPN.

What a ridiculously horrendous move for both my Jets and Brett. He should have stayed retired.

The Jets still suck, and adding Favre is just another affront to the still-muddled Quarterback situation with Pennington and Clemens. Zero respect at all shown for those guys. The Jets don't have the balls to trade them or buy them out. Its impossible to conclude that the Jets were somehow just 'one piece away' from a championship run and that Favre's the guy.

And I'll say this...those New York *******s that show up to the game every week will boo Favre off the field the first time he throws an interception. They don't deserve him.

I need to find a new team. I flirted with Dallas last year, but its impossible to love such a bandwagon team without feeling like a bandwagon fan. Perhaps the definitively post-Favre Packers.

[Zen653]

Sighs. Traded to the Jets for a conditional draft pick. Breaking on ESPN.

I'm surprised the Packers couldn't get more for a first ballot Hall of Fame quarterback still near the apex of his game. The man was the runner-up to Tom Brady for league MVP honors last year.

What a ridiculously horrendous move for both my Jets and Brett. He should have stayed retired.

I'm glad he's back in the league. I want to see as much talent on the field as possible and Brett Favre is easily a top 10 quarterback. He could still play for another 2-3 years at a Pro Bowl level, and another 2-3 years after that as a serviceable replacement level quarterback. I don't understand the desire to jettison such a highly talented player out of the NFL.

I agree that for historical purposes it would have been nice for Favre to spend his entire career in Green Bay. I also understand that he handled this situation abysmally and left the Packers in a near-impossible position. But six weeks from now, the fans and the national media will get over this, and will move on to something else. Meanwhile, one of the greatest players of the last couple decades will be back out there generating high television ratings as he entertains us for at least another season (and probably more.) Players are entitled to second guess their retirement. If Favre wants to continue his career, he should be able to do so without drawing the inane ire of fans.

The Jets still suck, and adding Favre is just another affront to the still-muddled Quarterback situation with Pennington and Clemens. Zero respect at all shown for those guys. The Jets don't have the balls to trade them or buy them out.

I doubt the Jets will keep all three of Favre, Pennington and Clemens. At least one of those guys will be traded or released. I think it would be great if the Jets turned around and dealt Favre to Minnesota or Chicago. The Packers would be livid, and then we'd get some real drama, as Favre tries to help his new team beat out the old one. I'm not sure if the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement allows a team to trade a player almost immediately after acquiring him.

More likely, Favre will be the Jets starting quarterback this year, and at best, will lead the Jets to the sixth seed in the AFC playoffs, and a first round exit. New York has improved at several positions but not by enough to beat out the Patriots for the division title, or to seriously contend for a championship. San Diego, Indianapolis and New England are still the heavyweights of the conference. Jacksonville could be good too.

I need to find a new team. I flirted with Dallas last year, but its impossible to love such a bandwagon team without feeling like a bandwagon fan.

Aren't you a bandwagon fan by virtue of shopping for a new team? What ever happened to team loyalty? Of all the things a franchise could do to offend a fan, you pick the acquisition of Brett Favre as the reason to abandon your team?

I'm not at all happy with the way the Patriots comported themselves last year, on or off the field. I didn't like their cockiness, I didn't like their lack of sportsmanship, and I certainly didn't like Bill Belichick's cheating. As a result, I didn't particularly care that the Patriots lost the Super Bowl. I thought it served them right. But that doesn't mean I no longer root for them, or that it's time to find another team. Over a sports fan's lifetime, there will be many highs and lows. Weathering the lows is what makes the highs feel that much sweeter. Enduring the post-Bird, pre-Garnett lottery Celtics teams made me appreciate this year's championship title all the more. I doubt anyone can feel the same type of exhilaration as a frontrunner fan. You know the type - the people who generally root for the Yankees, Lakers and Cowboys, but sometimes like the Red Sox, Bulls and Patriots, or whoever it is that seems likeliest to win.

[TylerDurden]

What ever happened to team loyalty?

Its a long time coming. Much more to do with management decisions and fan behavior than anything that occurred on the field. That incident last year where the fans cheered at Chad getting injured was probably the real final straw.

I won't root for a classless organization. I hope Brett can go on to the field and rock the place deep into the playoffs. But the decision to trade for a legendary quarterback with at best two quality years left, bring him onto a team at least two years away from serious playoff contention to deal with the vicious idiots in the New York press is almost unforgivable.

[Zen653]

That incident last year where the fans cheered at Chad getting injured was probably the real final straw.

True, that was pretty bad. New York fans tend to be a boorish lot in general. A Yankees fan told me the other day that he hopes Joba Chamberlain drills Kevin Youkilis in the head with a 100mph fastball, leaving him brain damaged and paralyzed. I don't know what it is about the New York sports experience that brings out the worst in people. During the NBA draft, the Knicks fans at Madison Square Garden mercilessly booed their own draft pick as he was being interviewed.

[djwhokid]

Brett Favre is easily a top 10 quarterback.

Nope. Brett Favre had a fluke year last season. He is on the decline while he has lost some zip on his passes.

He is still a quality QB, but not a top 10 quarterback.

I don't understand the desire to jettison such a highly talented player out of the NFL.

Ummm, maybe because the Packers are a 10-12 win team with a promising young QB in Aaron Rodgers?

The Packers are going to win that division easily. Detroit Lions? LOL! The Vikings would be good with a QB, they should sign Chad Pennington. The Bears have a decent squad, but I wouldn't worry about them.

[LongtimeBravesFan]

Originally Posted by Zen653

I agree that for historical purposes it would have been nice for Favre to spend his entire career in Green Bay.

Have you forgotten his year with the Falcons?

For some reason I've never liked Farve. Probably because he beat Alabama when he was at Southern Miss.

I used to be a big Falcons fan. Even when they hired Marion Campbell a second time. Then they brought in that idiotic, no class Jerry Glanville and I dropped them. I felt a bit cheated during their Super Bowl season when I was no longer a fan. But I did get a lot of pleasure watching the Titans miracle run.

[djwhokid]

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8...-on-Favre-saga

FOXSports.com has learned that the Packers will employ former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer for one month as a consultant.

Fleischer, who was President George W. Bush's official spokesperson for a majority of his first term in office, is now president of Ari Fleischer Sports Communications, a joint venture with IMG.

Great hire IMO. Never can have enough qualified individuals on the team, even if it is for only a month.

[Zen653]

Have you forgotten his year with the Falcons?

I didn't even know about it. I thought Favre had played for the Packers his entire career. The 2 game blip with Atlanta should make it easier for purists to accept Favre's transition to New York, much like the half season with the Marlins would make it easier for Padres fans to see Trevor Hoffman in another uniform.

[LongtimeBravesFan]

I think the Packers will be hard pressed to win 12 games with a quarterback with very little actual game experience.