Wednesday, July 16, 2008

The Brett Favre saga















Different year, same topic, entirely different issue. Brett Favre's retirement has been a subject that has been spoken about for a long time. For the last 3 or 4 offseasons, the rumors usually ran rampant about Favre's retirement while he pondered it, with the Packers permission, for as long he needed to decide. This offseason was a bit different, as the Packers supposedly asked Favre to make his decision before the draft, mainly due to the status of QB Aaron Rodgers who hasn't seen any playing time in three years. Rodgers' contract runs out at the end of next season and the Packers apparently want to see what they have in Rodgers before that contract runs out. After all, he was a 1st round pick, and was groomed to be the quarterback of the future. How would it look, just wasting a 1st round pick without that guy ever seeing the field?

This past season, Favre was a positive story as he went through a rebirth of sorts. He had a good season for the first time in three seasons, and led the Packers to the NFC championship for the first time since 1998. The Packers came within an eyelash of an Sb appearance last season with Favre throwing lasers all over the place and leading the team much like he has done over the past decade. Those positive memories have quickly turned negative over the course of the last week and change as now it is essentially Favre vs the Packers. No matter what the result is, it can't be good, unless Favre just re-retires and calls it a day. And with how much Favre changes his mind, that's very much a possibility.

After the season ended with Favre's INT to Corey Webster in yet another playoff failure, he rode off into the sunset capping off a hall off fame career. Now---he's baaaaaaaaaack. Now the Packers are stuck in a situation they don't want to be in as it has the potential to be a public relations nightmare. They don't want him back on the team but they don't want to go elsewhere because 'they're concerned about his legacy'. Favre asked for his release, and the Packers denied it. That was a clear choice as he could end up in the same division. Could you imagine Favre hoisting up an SB trophy as a Chicago Bear? Can you imagine the backlash? Many fans believe the Packers should just release him, but because Favre is a legend doesn't mean the Packers should put him over what's best for them. He is under contract, the Packers have his rights and he just has to deal with it. Releasing him makes absolutely no sense for the Packers.

Favre allegedly wanted to cancel his retirement a month after he retired, and the Packers in an effort to bring him back were going to fly a jet out to get him. They were going to bring him back to Green Bay to announce him coming back, when he then retired AGAIN, leaving GB thinking that he was gone for good.

So let me get this straight. After retiring not once, but twice in the same offseason, Favre now comes out of retirement and feels entitled to just come back and get the starting job handed to him because he's Brett Favre? Brett Favre is a legend, a great QB, a first ballot Hall of Famer, but he is not bigger than the Packers organization. The Packers have moved on, like they should have, and he just has to deal with that. Not everyone is going to bend over backwards for Brett Favre even though he seems to feel as though he is entitled to it.

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