Says Thompson of his handling of the Favre situation, ?I understand why there are people out there that think, Holy smokes, you're crazy."?
No kidding
No kidding
Man the Packers sure have screwed up the Favre thing..............
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Packers say one thing, do another as Favre mess lingers
By Gene Wojciechowski
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: July 28, 2008, 6:33 PM ET
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So unless he "misremembers" -- to use Roger Clemens' word -- Brett Favre once again confirmed all you need to know about the integrity, or lack of it, of Green Bay Packers management.
First of all, it did the very thing it accuses Favre of doing: It waffled. Actually, general manager Ted Thompson waffled.
A little more than two weeks ago, Thompson said Favre, who mis-retired, could return to the team "as an active member of the Green Bay Packers." Active, as in, on the active roster. But not as the starter.
But the truth is Thompson doesn't want Favre within a Sturgeon Bay of the Packers' training camp. He never did. All that talk of Favre's returning in "some role" was clumsy Thompson propaganda.
The latest proof is in Favre's Sunday interview with ESPN's Chris Mortensen. According to Favre, the quarterback asked Thompson if he'd be "welcome" if he reported to the opening of training camp. A reasonable question.
Thompson, said Favre, "was just about shattered. He said, 'Brett, you can't do that -- you'll get me fired.' I told him I'm not trying to get anybody fired. So Ted asked me to let the guys report and let's try to resolve this over the next two or three days." (On Monday, Thompson told the media that he interpreted the discussion differently.)
Thompson knows what would have happened if Favre had been issued a helmet and a jersey today. Everybody knows. Favre would have been the best quarterback on the field. Thompson knows what would have happened if Favre had been issued a helmet and a jersey today. Everybody knows. Favre would have been the best quarterback on the field.
Forget the three-ring media circus if Favre had reported. That's the least of Thompson's problems. His backpedaling and then reversal on Favre's supposed "role" with the team is the admission that counts.
Thompson isn't interested in putting the best product on the field. If he were, he'd let Aaron Rodgers, his handpicked successor to Favre, compete for the starting position. Sure, there'd be off-the-charts media and fan scrutiny. Isn't that part of it?
If Rodgers can't handle the pressure of Favre's presence and open competition for the job in July, what makes you think he can handle the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in December? But Thompson doesn't want the best man to win. He wants his man to win. So no quarterback bake-off.
At the very least, Thompson should have told Favre: "You want to come back? Fine. I think you're making a mistake, but it's your life and your legacy. If you do come back, it's going to be an open competition for the starting job. I give you my word we'll judge it as objectively as possible. But if Rodgers wins, you're the backup and you can't bitch about it. Deal?"
And at the very most, Thompson could have said: "You gave us 16 great years. Here's your release."
Instead, the Packers are trying to trade their best quarterback. I repeat, their best quarterback. Of course, Favre isn't good enough for them, but he is good enough that the Packers reportedly want a first-round draft pick in exchange for his rights.
This is what I mean by Packers flip-flopping. In March, Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy and assistant coach Tom Clements were telling Favre he could "still play at a high level." But now the Packers don't think he's worth the trouble? Yet they think the negotiations for his rights should start at a first-rounder?
If Thompson can get a second-round pick for Favre, take it. Maybe you add some sort of escalation clause -- if his new team advances to the conference championship game, the second-round pick becomes a first-rounder. I'm just spitballing here.
...Nobody has bungled this situation more than Thompson. From the disingenuous "We Care About Favre's Legacy" stance, to the convenient and false statement that Favre could return to the team, Thompson has written the textbook on mismanagement. The bottom line is this: If you believe in Rodgers as much as you say you do, you trade Favre. And it shouldn't matter where. If NFC North rival Minnesota offers the most comprehensive package, you trade him to Minnesota. If Chicago comes up with the best deal, then off to the Bears he goes. That way you get Favre's name off the roster and draft picks in your pocket. It's a win-win.
Favre didn't do himself or his image any favors by changing his mind on retirement. And he's taken considerable heat for it -- some of it deserved, some of it bordering on the hysterical.
But nobody has bungled this situation more than Thompson. From the disingenuous "We Care About Favre's Legacy" stance, to the convenient and false statement that Favre could return to the team, Thompson has written the textbook on mismanagement.
Thompson keeps insisting the Packers have moved forward, as if the mere act of saying the words makes it true. But until he does one of three things -- trade Favre, release Favre or welcome Favre back -- the Packers aren't moving anywhere, especially forward.
Time to make a decision, Ted. Now it's your legacy at stake.
Gene Wojciechowski is the senior national columnist for ESPN.com. You can contact him at gene.wojciechowski@espn3.com.
By Gene Wojciechowski
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: July 28, 2008, 6:33 PM ET
Comment
So unless he "misremembers" -- to use Roger Clemens' word -- Brett Favre once again confirmed all you need to know about the integrity, or lack of it, of Green Bay Packers management.
First of all, it did the very thing it accuses Favre of doing: It waffled. Actually, general manager Ted Thompson waffled.
A little more than two weeks ago, Thompson said Favre, who mis-retired, could return to the team "as an active member of the Green Bay Packers." Active, as in, on the active roster. But not as the starter.
But the truth is Thompson doesn't want Favre within a Sturgeon Bay of the Packers' training camp. He never did. All that talk of Favre's returning in "some role" was clumsy Thompson propaganda.
The latest proof is in Favre's Sunday interview with ESPN's Chris Mortensen. According to Favre, the quarterback asked Thompson if he'd be "welcome" if he reported to the opening of training camp. A reasonable question.
Thompson, said Favre, "was just about shattered. He said, 'Brett, you can't do that -- you'll get me fired.' I told him I'm not trying to get anybody fired. So Ted asked me to let the guys report and let's try to resolve this over the next two or three days." (On Monday, Thompson told the media that he interpreted the discussion differently.)
Thompson knows what would have happened if Favre had been issued a helmet and a jersey today. Everybody knows. Favre would have been the best quarterback on the field. Thompson knows what would have happened if Favre had been issued a helmet and a jersey today. Everybody knows. Favre would have been the best quarterback on the field.
Forget the three-ring media circus if Favre had reported. That's the least of Thompson's problems. His backpedaling and then reversal on Favre's supposed "role" with the team is the admission that counts.
Thompson isn't interested in putting the best product on the field. If he were, he'd let Aaron Rodgers, his handpicked successor to Favre, compete for the starting position. Sure, there'd be off-the-charts media and fan scrutiny. Isn't that part of it?
If Rodgers can't handle the pressure of Favre's presence and open competition for the job in July, what makes you think he can handle the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in December? But Thompson doesn't want the best man to win. He wants his man to win. So no quarterback bake-off.
At the very least, Thompson should have told Favre: "You want to come back? Fine. I think you're making a mistake, but it's your life and your legacy. If you do come back, it's going to be an open competition for the starting job. I give you my word we'll judge it as objectively as possible. But if Rodgers wins, you're the backup and you can't bitch about it. Deal?"
And at the very most, Thompson could have said: "You gave us 16 great years. Here's your release."
Instead, the Packers are trying to trade their best quarterback. I repeat, their best quarterback. Of course, Favre isn't good enough for them, but he is good enough that the Packers reportedly want a first-round draft pick in exchange for his rights.
This is what I mean by Packers flip-flopping. In March, Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy and assistant coach Tom Clements were telling Favre he could "still play at a high level." But now the Packers don't think he's worth the trouble? Yet they think the negotiations for his rights should start at a first-rounder?
If Thompson can get a second-round pick for Favre, take it. Maybe you add some sort of escalation clause -- if his new team advances to the conference championship game, the second-round pick becomes a first-rounder. I'm just spitballing here.
...Nobody has bungled this situation more than Thompson. From the disingenuous "We Care About Favre's Legacy" stance, to the convenient and false statement that Favre could return to the team, Thompson has written the textbook on mismanagement. The bottom line is this: If you believe in Rodgers as much as you say you do, you trade Favre. And it shouldn't matter where. If NFC North rival Minnesota offers the most comprehensive package, you trade him to Minnesota. If Chicago comes up with the best deal, then off to the Bears he goes. That way you get Favre's name off the roster and draft picks in your pocket. It's a win-win.
Favre didn't do himself or his image any favors by changing his mind on retirement. And he's taken considerable heat for it -- some of it deserved, some of it bordering on the hysterical.
But nobody has bungled this situation more than Thompson. From the disingenuous "We Care About Favre's Legacy" stance, to the convenient and false statement that Favre could return to the team, Thompson has written the textbook on mismanagement.
Thompson keeps insisting the Packers have moved forward, as if the mere act of saying the words makes it true. But until he does one of three things -- trade Favre, release Favre or welcome Favre back -- the Packers aren't moving anywhere, especially forward.
Time to make a decision, Ted. Now it's your legacy at stake.
Gene Wojciechowski is the senior national columnist for ESPN.com. You can contact him at gene.wojciechowski@espn3.com.
RBL.It seems to me they want to move forward without Farve.WHy cant he accept that without making a 3ring circus.Why would Thompson wanna make waves around camp or the country for that matter.
I see it the other way around.I know me and you see it different,were on the other side of the fence on this on.
A great hall of famer,that in all reality is on the down end of his career.Just cause last season was great does not guarentee a great one this year.
Just look at the years prior to last.
GB trying to move on,they just which farve would to without making a fool of him and the GB organization .Also ESPN,great for sports coverage,awful at sports news if you ask me.
Sorry,im not jumping on the Gene bandwagon.
New Packers president Mark Murphy, who might want to renegotiate his compensation package given the events of the past few weeks, is putting in some overtime in the Brett Favre fiasco.
Specifically, Murphy is flying to Mississippi in a last-ditch attempt to persuade Favre not to report to Packers training camp, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
Murphy will meet with Favre and agent Bus Cook on Wednesday morning.
?They?re asking him not to come up there,? a source tells the Press-Gazette. ?They don?t want him up there.?
But what can they offer him to keep him away? Nothing, other than his unconditional release. And our guess is that Favre and Cook will push Murphy hard for an outright release ? especially since Murphy?s personal visit to Mississippi is proof positive that the Packers are on the ropes on this one.
So let me see if I have this right...they tell Brett they dont want him, wont give him the release he wants, but are going to go visit him to say "pretty please dont make us look bad" as if he owes it to them?
The whole thing is comical...they sure are pretty friggin' worried about a guy they dont want and whom they apparently dont think can play any longer.
Specifically, Murphy is flying to Mississippi in a last-ditch attempt to persuade Favre not to report to Packers training camp, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
Murphy will meet with Favre and agent Bus Cook on Wednesday morning.
?They?re asking him not to come up there,? a source tells the Press-Gazette. ?They don?t want him up there.?
But what can they offer him to keep him away? Nothing, other than his unconditional release. And our guess is that Favre and Cook will push Murphy hard for an outright release ? especially since Murphy?s personal visit to Mississippi is proof positive that the Packers are on the ropes on this one.
So let me see if I have this right...they tell Brett they dont want him, wont give him the release he wants, but are going to go visit him to say "pretty please dont make us look bad" as if he owes it to them?
The whole thing is comical...they sure are pretty friggin' worried about a guy they dont want and whom they apparently dont think can play any longer.
Well just like I said when I opened this thread.........Thompson has now shown to everyone what a friggin idiot he is........not only does'nt he have a clue ......he has now played this situation so that he has lost almost all the value he ever had with Farve for a possible trade........
whats he supposed to do,can you blame him.
he doesnt want him going to his own division,which by releasing him will.
hed rather sit on him before reinstatment ,its a nobrainer IMO.
No one said farve sux here.
He might be old and Gb management odv. wants to go in another direction,thats been evident since farve said he was giving it up last year.
The packers know Favre in Minn is all there missing. They got the D and super running game. Only spot that needs help is Q B. And remember Vikes Schedule a tad easier. The Vikes with Favre finish ahead of the Pack. So if they think they want to make a point let him go where ever he can. Then try to beat him twice and you shut ever one up. But Of course lose two and people will hang in GB.
This has been a great ride!
More than a couple days have passed so there's another idea that didn't pan out for you.
The guy "that just wants to play" refuses to speak with the Jets or Bucs. lol Sounds like it was Minny or bust from the get go. Now, even the Bears are in the picture (that'll never happen).
poor Brett
:142smilie
Roger Dodger will come on his horse and clear it up
More than a couple days have passed so there's another idea that didn't pan out for you.
The guy "that just wants to play" refuses to speak with the Jets or Bucs. lol Sounds like it was Minny or bust from the get go. Now, even the Bears are in the picture (that'll never happen).
poor Brett
:142smilie
Roger Dodger will come on his horse and clear it up
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Im so tired of hearing about this everyday its sickening, I hope Farve goes to whatever team he wants on his terms and GB just deals with it, I cant see him lifting anyone to a superbowl.....he had a good year lastyear for sure, but does that erase the mistakes he makes and HAS MADE, this is a guy who often throws the ball up for grabs....he's a decent QB played alot of games, played through pain...but how he gets the BEST EVER REMARKS and he does no wrong backings I cant figure out. Wasnt HE the reason the Pack DIDNT go to the super bowl lastyear as he lasered a ball to the defender? Enough is enough Man RAM is gone to the Dodgers now lets get the guy moved or in pads with whomever.
Goodell going to continue to put Brett's reinstatement on hold. He says he likes the progress on Brett bending over, taking the blood money and become a puppet.
I'm playing the lottery this weekend. :00hour
I'm playing the lottery this weekend. :00hour
ESPN seems to think this whole thing will be cleared up by midday today or earlier. (whenever McCarthy has his next press conference)
Favre says of situation: 'This probably isn't going to work'
By Chris Mortensen
ESPN.com
Updated: August 5, 2008, 2:27 PM ET
Favre Unlikely To Practice TodayGreen Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre went into a meeting Tuesday morning acknowledging that he was at a "stalemate" with the team and believed the "best thing for this team is for us to part ways."
Consequently, Favre is unlikely to take the field for practice Tuesday afternoon, pending his second meeting with coach Mike McCarthy -- though sources told ESPN's Wendi Nix that Favre's wife, Deanna, and his agent, James "Bus" Cook, are encouraging him to practice.
"We're at a stalemate," Favre said. "Mike and I both agreed last night that me being out there is a distraction and will continue to be a distraction. We all know the reason I'm here is because the commissioner [Roger Goodell] reinstated me so we have a lot of things to figure out. It's simple and complicated, both at the same time."
Favre said the team once again rejected his request to talk to teams about a trade within the NFC North, preferably to the Minnesota Vikings or possibly the Chicago Bears.
Favre clarified reports that he and the Packers have backpedaled on the premise that there would be an open competition with Aaron Rodgers for the starting job.
"Mike told me, hey, we're a better team with you on it but wanted to know if I have a problem with an open competition," Favre said. "I don't have a problem with competing -- you know that, but Aaron should be the starter right now because he's been out here all this time. This is more than about an open competition and I can do that, absolutely, but this is going to be mass confusion and that's not good for this team.
"I'll practice my butt off, if it comes to that, and I think we all know what the end result will be, but this probably isn't going to work. And I truly understand that if I was in Mike's shoes, I'd see it basically the same way he sees it, I'm sure. And I think if he was in my shoes, he'd see it my way. I think we both agree on that.
"They want to know if I'm committed but I want to know if they're 100 percent committed. The problem is that there's been a lot of damage done and I can't forget it. Stuff has been said, stories planted, that just aren't true. Can I get over all that? I doubt it."
Favre, who officially returned from retirement Sunday, met with McCarthy for 5? hours on Monday night without reaching a resolution. The meeting went long enough that McCarthy had to postpone a planned briefing with the media.
Favre announced his retirement on March 6, and the Packers moved ahead with Rodgers, Favre's former understudy, as the team's new starting quarterback. But Favre, still under contract with the Packers, then followed through on hints that he was interested in a return to the NFL.
The Packers have attempted to work out a trade outside the NFC North, with the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers reported as likely suitors, but to no avail. And last week, team president Mark Murphy flew to Mississippi to discuss a marketing deal for Favre worth a reported $25 million. Favre has not accepted that deal, either.
Asked what stories have been "planted," Favre alluded to the reports that said he waffled on un-retiring in late March or early April. He said that's "just not the way it went down, at all."
He also expressed anger with the stories that alleged he had a team-issued cell phone that showed the Vikings were tampering with him.
"Again, that was bull on both parts," he said.
"Then," Favre said, "they tried to buy me off to stay retired."
He added, "So they can say they welcome me back but, come on, the way they've treated me tells you the truth. They don't want me back, so let's move on. I don't know where it's headed. We'll see."
ESPN's Chris Mortensen covers the NFL. ESPN reporter Wendi Nix contributed to this report.
By Chris Mortensen
ESPN.com
Updated: August 5, 2008, 2:27 PM ET
Favre Unlikely To Practice TodayGreen Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre went into a meeting Tuesday morning acknowledging that he was at a "stalemate" with the team and believed the "best thing for this team is for us to part ways."
Consequently, Favre is unlikely to take the field for practice Tuesday afternoon, pending his second meeting with coach Mike McCarthy -- though sources told ESPN's Wendi Nix that Favre's wife, Deanna, and his agent, James "Bus" Cook, are encouraging him to practice.
"We're at a stalemate," Favre said. "Mike and I both agreed last night that me being out there is a distraction and will continue to be a distraction. We all know the reason I'm here is because the commissioner [Roger Goodell] reinstated me so we have a lot of things to figure out. It's simple and complicated, both at the same time."
Favre said the team once again rejected his request to talk to teams about a trade within the NFC North, preferably to the Minnesota Vikings or possibly the Chicago Bears.
Favre clarified reports that he and the Packers have backpedaled on the premise that there would be an open competition with Aaron Rodgers for the starting job.
"Mike told me, hey, we're a better team with you on it but wanted to know if I have a problem with an open competition," Favre said. "I don't have a problem with competing -- you know that, but Aaron should be the starter right now because he's been out here all this time. This is more than about an open competition and I can do that, absolutely, but this is going to be mass confusion and that's not good for this team.
"I'll practice my butt off, if it comes to that, and I think we all know what the end result will be, but this probably isn't going to work. And I truly understand that if I was in Mike's shoes, I'd see it basically the same way he sees it, I'm sure. And I think if he was in my shoes, he'd see it my way. I think we both agree on that.
"They want to know if I'm committed but I want to know if they're 100 percent committed. The problem is that there's been a lot of damage done and I can't forget it. Stuff has been said, stories planted, that just aren't true. Can I get over all that? I doubt it."
Favre, who officially returned from retirement Sunday, met with McCarthy for 5? hours on Monday night without reaching a resolution. The meeting went long enough that McCarthy had to postpone a planned briefing with the media.
Favre announced his retirement on March 6, and the Packers moved ahead with Rodgers, Favre's former understudy, as the team's new starting quarterback. But Favre, still under contract with the Packers, then followed through on hints that he was interested in a return to the NFL.
The Packers have attempted to work out a trade outside the NFC North, with the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers reported as likely suitors, but to no avail. And last week, team president Mark Murphy flew to Mississippi to discuss a marketing deal for Favre worth a reported $25 million. Favre has not accepted that deal, either.
Asked what stories have been "planted," Favre alluded to the reports that said he waffled on un-retiring in late March or early April. He said that's "just not the way it went down, at all."
He also expressed anger with the stories that alleged he had a team-issued cell phone that showed the Vikings were tampering with him.
"Again, that was bull on both parts," he said.
"Then," Favre said, "they tried to buy me off to stay retired."
He added, "So they can say they welcome me back but, come on, the way they've treated me tells you the truth. They don't want me back, so let's move on. I don't know where it's headed. We'll see."
ESPN's Chris Mortensen covers the NFL. ESPN reporter Wendi Nix contributed to this report.
Five Favre scenarios
By Michael Silver, Yahoo! Sports
14 hours, 33 minutes ago
GREEN BAY, Wis. ? Shortly after Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy was scheduled to speak to a large gathering of reporters at Lambeau Field on Monday night, assistant director of public relations Sarah Quick entered through a side door and brought a hush to the crowded interview room.
?This is not a two-minute warning,? Quick announced cheerfully. ?But I?m here to tell you that I?ll be out later to give you a two-minute warning.?
Alas, the warning never came. Instead, the night ended with the Packers throwing a delay-of-game flag.
Rather than McCarthy coming out to shed light on the sports world?s sauciest soap opera, PR director Jeff Blumb emerged and added to the spectacle of the Brett Favre Circus, announcing that the legendary quarterback and his coach still were meeting and McCarthy wouldn?t meet the media until an undetermined time on Tuesday.
That meant the coach wouldn?t answer the one question on all of our minds. To borrow from Slim Pickens in ?Blazing Saddles?: What in the wide, wide world of sports is a-goin? on here?
A month into a saga that has brought Favre from retirement in Mississippi to reinstatement in Titletown ? with public and private sniping, trade talks and multimillion-dollar kill fees heightening the drama ? it?s still far from clear what?s really going down.
Did Favre get his job back, at Aaron Rodgers? expense?
Are the Packers, while seemingly embracing Favre?s return, still angling for a deal that could send him to another team, even the dreaded Minnesota Vikings?
Which side made a bigger mess on the PR front ? the quarterback who called his once and future bosses dishonest, or the seemingly confused organization that just hired Ari Fleischer as a consultant?
Most important, when Green Bay CEO Mark Murphy announced Sunday night that Favre would return to the team and that the Packers would ?welcome him back and turn this situation to our advantage,? what did he really mean?
Let?s break down the possibilities:
1. The Packers Sincerely Will Allow Favre and Rodgers To Compete. In light of the organization?s bipolar tendencies of recent weeks, it?s hard not to be skeptical of anything Murphy or general manager Ted Thompson says right now. But it?s quite possible that, given the circumstances ? no trade offers they consider overly enticing; a desire not to allow the Vikings to acquire Favre for nothing; the quarterback?s rejection of a reported 10-year, $20-million licensing deal and calling of the team?s bluff by choosing to report; commissioner Roger Goodell?s intervention ? the Pack?s powers that be caved and decided to go with the best player, Rodgers? feelings be damned.
This is what many Packers players would prefer, regardless of their loyalties; pure competition is the essence of football. But it still creates a very sticky situation, no matter how it plays out.
If Favre beats out Rodgers ? and given that he has missed the entire offseason program, it?s not the slam dunk that some portray it to be ? the Packers will have alienated an heir apparent whom they drafted in the first round and spent three years developing. Rodgers is signed through ?09, but in all likelihood he?d push his way out of Green Bay long before then. If Favre plays poorly, the team likely will be forced to stick with him for the entire ?08 season. If his bosses caved in this situation, do you think they have the guts to bench him, thus ending his record consecutive-games streak? Uh, no.
The best-case scenario for Green Bay? Favre plays well in ?08 ? and the Packers once again will be forced to deal with the same questions surrounding his future, without a clear-cut successor in place.
Conversely, if Rodgers wins the job, he?ll be in an unimaginably uncomfortable situation, with one of the greatest passers of all time looming on the sideline and the fans clamoring for a change at the first sign of struggle. Given that Rodgers was booed in a scrimmage at Lambeau on Sunday night, can you imagine how brutal it would be after he throws his first interception in a regular-season game?
2. The Packers Will Rig the Competition In Rodgers? Favor. Because Thompson and McCarthy clearly made a psychic shift toward the fourth-year passer in March, when Favre recanted on his initial decision to end his retirement, I wonder whether they?re truly open to reversing course. Telling Favre he has the right to compete for his job could be an effort to placate him ? and create leverage with trade partners such as the Vikings ? while sticking with the plan they?ve had in place all along. If a trade can?t be worked out, they might be thinking, perhaps Favre will become disgusted, take the licensing deal and retire after all.
The drawback, as noted earlier, is that if Favre sticks around it would create an uncomfortable situation for Rodgers once the season begins, not to mention a potential rift in the locker room if the fourth-year passer gets off to a poor start. Though Rodgers is popular with teammates, many of whom prefer him to Favre, a run of futility would affect his approval rating as sharply as it would his passer rating. That?s something to which Fleischer, late of the Bush administration, can certainly relate.
3. The Packers Will Trade Favre (Even If They Have To Make A Lousy Deal). Though head coach Brad Childress denied the Packers contacted the Vikings on Friday about a potential deal for Favre, I believe the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel?s report was accurate. Certainly, the Packers would listen to offers, and the team?s insistence that Favre is being welcomed back might merely be an attempt to jack up the stakes.
If that?s what?s going on, you have to give the Packers credit for gumption, for a lot of Green Bay fans will feel jerked around and betrayed if it turns out this was all about leverage. One thing to watch: If another team?s starting quarterback gets injured in the near future, you have to figure Favre very much will be in play. And while I know Favre has said he wants to go to an NFC North team so he can play the Packers twice a year ? think about that as the quarterback and his bosses do their best to convince everyone things are all warm and fuzzy ? that doesn?t mean Thompson can?t deal him to a team like the Jets or Bucs against his will.
Last year, remember, after Jake Plummer told the Broncos he was retiring, the Broncos traded their former starting quarterback to the Bucs for a conditional fourth-round pick. When Plummer, as threatened, elected not to report, the Bucs were off the hook for the fourth-rounder. However, Tampa assumed ownership of Plummer?s rights, meaning he couldn?t end his retirement and sign with another team of his choosing. If the Packers were to deal Favre under similar terms, they could prevent him from ending up with the Vikings or Bears in ?08.
Now consider one other possibility: Favre, too, may be bluffing about his desire to play for the Packers. He said some harsh things about Thompson, and to a lesser extent McCarthy, in his interview with FOX News Channel?s Greta Van Susteren last month. Perhaps he has overcome his bitterness and sincerely will embrace a return to the franchise for which he is an icon. But maybe Favre, in his heart, wants to leave Green Bay and stick it to the Packers (thus his desire to play them twice), and he is playing along in an effort to get the Vikings to bite on the Packers? trade demands.
4. The Packers Will Release Favre Before the Start of the Season. Assuming Rodgers is declared the winner of the competition, be it legitimate or rigged, and there are no sufficient trade offers, the team then would wait until a few days before the first regular-season game and grant Favre his freedom. That would put him in a tough spot, even if he were to sign with a team that features an offense with which he is familiar, like the Vikings. Oh, and by the way, Minnesota opens its season at Lambeau on Monday, Sept. 8. Again, it seems unlikely Thompson and McCarthy would go to this much trouble ? and create this much tension for Rodgers ? if this is the ultimate intention. But I suppose it?s possible.
5. The Packers Will Give Favre His Job Back, Consequences Be Damned. The franchise and its all-time passing leader are like co-dependents in a lousy relationship, and neither side can walk away. For years Favre has been conflicted about his intentions, overly sensitive when he feels he?s not getting enough love from his superiors and chafed when they don?t run the team the way he wants them to (i.e. not trading for Randy Moss after the ?06 season). Thompson, meanwhile, puts up a tough front but seems to live in fear of alienating Favre and his fan base.
Just when it seemed the GM had finally summoned the intestinal fortitude to stand up to the QB and make a clean break, he retreated into grovel mode. He seems to be running scared ? that Favre, by joining the rival Vikings or Bears, could come back to burn the Packers; that he?ll look like a chump for releasing a productive player and getting nothing in return; that the fans never will forgive him for parting ways with a legend. Instead of making a sound, if unpopular, business decision to begin the Rodgers era, giving a promising quarterback a chance to grow with an up-and-coming team the GM shrewdly has stocked with talented performers, it appears that he practically begged Favre to go away before reversing course and kowtowing yet again.
If this is in fact what happened, and things play out accordingly, Thompson will have done more than screw up his franchise?s succession plan at the most pivotal position; he?ll have exposed himself as a flaccid flip-flopper who doesn?t have the stomach for a standoff. I hope that?s not what?s happening here, but if it is, Thompson will get pummeled in the PR war he seems so desperately to want to win. Blumb, Quick and fellow assistant Adam Woullard are among the best in the business, but they can only do so much damage control ? especially if Favre gets his way and then starts whining about not being appreciated and questioning his desire to return in ?09.
Don?t laugh; it could happen.
And with all due respect to Ari Fleischer, there won?t be any way of spinning that into a feel-good story.
By Michael Silver, Yahoo! Sports
14 hours, 33 minutes ago
GREEN BAY, Wis. ? Shortly after Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy was scheduled to speak to a large gathering of reporters at Lambeau Field on Monday night, assistant director of public relations Sarah Quick entered through a side door and brought a hush to the crowded interview room.
?This is not a two-minute warning,? Quick announced cheerfully. ?But I?m here to tell you that I?ll be out later to give you a two-minute warning.?
Alas, the warning never came. Instead, the night ended with the Packers throwing a delay-of-game flag.
Rather than McCarthy coming out to shed light on the sports world?s sauciest soap opera, PR director Jeff Blumb emerged and added to the spectacle of the Brett Favre Circus, announcing that the legendary quarterback and his coach still were meeting and McCarthy wouldn?t meet the media until an undetermined time on Tuesday.
That meant the coach wouldn?t answer the one question on all of our minds. To borrow from Slim Pickens in ?Blazing Saddles?: What in the wide, wide world of sports is a-goin? on here?
A month into a saga that has brought Favre from retirement in Mississippi to reinstatement in Titletown ? with public and private sniping, trade talks and multimillion-dollar kill fees heightening the drama ? it?s still far from clear what?s really going down.
Did Favre get his job back, at Aaron Rodgers? expense?
Are the Packers, while seemingly embracing Favre?s return, still angling for a deal that could send him to another team, even the dreaded Minnesota Vikings?
Which side made a bigger mess on the PR front ? the quarterback who called his once and future bosses dishonest, or the seemingly confused organization that just hired Ari Fleischer as a consultant?
Most important, when Green Bay CEO Mark Murphy announced Sunday night that Favre would return to the team and that the Packers would ?welcome him back and turn this situation to our advantage,? what did he really mean?
Let?s break down the possibilities:
1. The Packers Sincerely Will Allow Favre and Rodgers To Compete. In light of the organization?s bipolar tendencies of recent weeks, it?s hard not to be skeptical of anything Murphy or general manager Ted Thompson says right now. But it?s quite possible that, given the circumstances ? no trade offers they consider overly enticing; a desire not to allow the Vikings to acquire Favre for nothing; the quarterback?s rejection of a reported 10-year, $20-million licensing deal and calling of the team?s bluff by choosing to report; commissioner Roger Goodell?s intervention ? the Pack?s powers that be caved and decided to go with the best player, Rodgers? feelings be damned.
This is what many Packers players would prefer, regardless of their loyalties; pure competition is the essence of football. But it still creates a very sticky situation, no matter how it plays out.
If Favre beats out Rodgers ? and given that he has missed the entire offseason program, it?s not the slam dunk that some portray it to be ? the Packers will have alienated an heir apparent whom they drafted in the first round and spent three years developing. Rodgers is signed through ?09, but in all likelihood he?d push his way out of Green Bay long before then. If Favre plays poorly, the team likely will be forced to stick with him for the entire ?08 season. If his bosses caved in this situation, do you think they have the guts to bench him, thus ending his record consecutive-games streak? Uh, no.
The best-case scenario for Green Bay? Favre plays well in ?08 ? and the Packers once again will be forced to deal with the same questions surrounding his future, without a clear-cut successor in place.
Conversely, if Rodgers wins the job, he?ll be in an unimaginably uncomfortable situation, with one of the greatest passers of all time looming on the sideline and the fans clamoring for a change at the first sign of struggle. Given that Rodgers was booed in a scrimmage at Lambeau on Sunday night, can you imagine how brutal it would be after he throws his first interception in a regular-season game?
2. The Packers Will Rig the Competition In Rodgers? Favor. Because Thompson and McCarthy clearly made a psychic shift toward the fourth-year passer in March, when Favre recanted on his initial decision to end his retirement, I wonder whether they?re truly open to reversing course. Telling Favre he has the right to compete for his job could be an effort to placate him ? and create leverage with trade partners such as the Vikings ? while sticking with the plan they?ve had in place all along. If a trade can?t be worked out, they might be thinking, perhaps Favre will become disgusted, take the licensing deal and retire after all.
The drawback, as noted earlier, is that if Favre sticks around it would create an uncomfortable situation for Rodgers once the season begins, not to mention a potential rift in the locker room if the fourth-year passer gets off to a poor start. Though Rodgers is popular with teammates, many of whom prefer him to Favre, a run of futility would affect his approval rating as sharply as it would his passer rating. That?s something to which Fleischer, late of the Bush administration, can certainly relate.
3. The Packers Will Trade Favre (Even If They Have To Make A Lousy Deal). Though head coach Brad Childress denied the Packers contacted the Vikings on Friday about a potential deal for Favre, I believe the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel?s report was accurate. Certainly, the Packers would listen to offers, and the team?s insistence that Favre is being welcomed back might merely be an attempt to jack up the stakes.
If that?s what?s going on, you have to give the Packers credit for gumption, for a lot of Green Bay fans will feel jerked around and betrayed if it turns out this was all about leverage. One thing to watch: If another team?s starting quarterback gets injured in the near future, you have to figure Favre very much will be in play. And while I know Favre has said he wants to go to an NFC North team so he can play the Packers twice a year ? think about that as the quarterback and his bosses do their best to convince everyone things are all warm and fuzzy ? that doesn?t mean Thompson can?t deal him to a team like the Jets or Bucs against his will.
Last year, remember, after Jake Plummer told the Broncos he was retiring, the Broncos traded their former starting quarterback to the Bucs for a conditional fourth-round pick. When Plummer, as threatened, elected not to report, the Bucs were off the hook for the fourth-rounder. However, Tampa assumed ownership of Plummer?s rights, meaning he couldn?t end his retirement and sign with another team of his choosing. If the Packers were to deal Favre under similar terms, they could prevent him from ending up with the Vikings or Bears in ?08.
Now consider one other possibility: Favre, too, may be bluffing about his desire to play for the Packers. He said some harsh things about Thompson, and to a lesser extent McCarthy, in his interview with FOX News Channel?s Greta Van Susteren last month. Perhaps he has overcome his bitterness and sincerely will embrace a return to the franchise for which he is an icon. But maybe Favre, in his heart, wants to leave Green Bay and stick it to the Packers (thus his desire to play them twice), and he is playing along in an effort to get the Vikings to bite on the Packers? trade demands.
4. The Packers Will Release Favre Before the Start of the Season. Assuming Rodgers is declared the winner of the competition, be it legitimate or rigged, and there are no sufficient trade offers, the team then would wait until a few days before the first regular-season game and grant Favre his freedom. That would put him in a tough spot, even if he were to sign with a team that features an offense with which he is familiar, like the Vikings. Oh, and by the way, Minnesota opens its season at Lambeau on Monday, Sept. 8. Again, it seems unlikely Thompson and McCarthy would go to this much trouble ? and create this much tension for Rodgers ? if this is the ultimate intention. But I suppose it?s possible.
5. The Packers Will Give Favre His Job Back, Consequences Be Damned. The franchise and its all-time passing leader are like co-dependents in a lousy relationship, and neither side can walk away. For years Favre has been conflicted about his intentions, overly sensitive when he feels he?s not getting enough love from his superiors and chafed when they don?t run the team the way he wants them to (i.e. not trading for Randy Moss after the ?06 season). Thompson, meanwhile, puts up a tough front but seems to live in fear of alienating Favre and his fan base.
Just when it seemed the GM had finally summoned the intestinal fortitude to stand up to the QB and make a clean break, he retreated into grovel mode. He seems to be running scared ? that Favre, by joining the rival Vikings or Bears, could come back to burn the Packers; that he?ll look like a chump for releasing a productive player and getting nothing in return; that the fans never will forgive him for parting ways with a legend. Instead of making a sound, if unpopular, business decision to begin the Rodgers era, giving a promising quarterback a chance to grow with an up-and-coming team the GM shrewdly has stocked with talented performers, it appears that he practically begged Favre to go away before reversing course and kowtowing yet again.
If this is in fact what happened, and things play out accordingly, Thompson will have done more than screw up his franchise?s succession plan at the most pivotal position; he?ll have exposed himself as a flaccid flip-flopper who doesn?t have the stomach for a standoff. I hope that?s not what?s happening here, but if it is, Thompson will get pummeled in the PR war he seems so desperately to want to win. Blumb, Quick and fellow assistant Adam Woullard are among the best in the business, but they can only do so much damage control ? especially if Favre gets his way and then starts whining about not being appreciated and questioning his desire to return in ?09.
Don?t laugh; it could happen.
And with all due respect to Ari Fleischer, there won?t be any way of spinning that into a feel-good story.
Thanks Ted ?We?re moving on? Thompson. Ya just sent possibly the best player in the history of the franchise packing. I hope Favre signs with the Bucs and provides you with more sleepless nights, particularly on the 28th of September.
Good luck finding some has been, or more likely ?never was? QB to backup your boy Rodgers, cause you?re probably gonna need him the first time he?s blindsided by a blitzing linebacker. Right about then, it might just hit you that having a guy that always got back up was a luxury you took for granted. But his fans never did.
Trench
Good luck finding some has been, or more likely ?never was? QB to backup your boy Rodgers, cause you?re probably gonna need him the first time he?s blindsided by a blitzing linebacker. Right about then, it might just hit you that having a guy that always got back up was a luxury you took for granted. But his fans never did.
Trench
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- Feb 23, 2005
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:shrug: why is everyone blaming the packers??
its favres fault for retiring and then saying he wanted to come back?
is there something im missing?
he put this organization in a bind and everyone is jumping all over the packers organization
its favres fault for retiring and then saying he wanted to come back?
is there something im missing?
he put this organization in a bind and everyone is jumping all over the packers organization
- Jun 11, 2007
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FARVE knew damn well lastyear he wasnt done, what made him want to come out?? the fresh cut grass or was it the fact Rodgers finally was getting a shot?
HE's AN ATTENTION WHORE AND ACTS LIKE A FU(KING LITTLE KID.......LETS SEE THE GREAT FARVE had to COMPETE for the starting job and he walks!!!!! GOTTA LOVE THE CONFIDENCE THERE!!!!
Dude, you're harshin my mellow...
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=VVUqlZT-H1o
So long BF :sadwave: Trench is gettin :00x26
Cuz Brett makes the game fun :mj11:
He falls into that "John Daley" picture that many like.
