Not that anyone asked me but the Green Bay Packer organization totally butchered the Brett Favre fiasco. The oddest part is all the people blaming Favre. The Green Bay Packers are the ones who decided Brett Favre was not welcome. Favre said right from the start of his return that he was fine with the team going in another direction. He simply decided he still wanted to play football, preferably with the Green Bay Packers. That left the team with three options. Put him on the roster, release him or trade him. The Packers are the ones that refused to acknowledge him. Right from the start McCarthy and the boys made it clear that Rogers was their quarterback and they did not want Favre even on the roster. I understand the usual cast of Favre haters will blast him no matter what he does. I also realize the Maddens of the world to expect a permanent red carpet from Mississippi to Wisconsin. When I sift all those folks out I am surprised to see so many that blame Brett Favre. Maybe they feel no football player can change their mind. Maybe there are just more Favre haters out there than I thought.
Let's go back to the begining. I am a life long Packer fan. I have stuck by them through thick and thin. I have seen moves made that ranged from awful to brilliant. In my oppinion the Packers owe it to us fans to go at least one more year with Favre. Simply because he was an all pro quarterback who led the team to the NFC championship game. A game they would lose in overtime to the eventual Super Bowl champions. In other words this team is so close to a championship they can taste it. To toss that out the window shows me one thing. The Green Bay Packer orginazarion knows Lambeau field will be full with or without Favre. They also know the stadium will be full if they make the playoffs or go 6-10. I am not saying they can't make the playoffs. They still have Grant and a pretty good defense. Without Favre they will be no where near the NFC championship game. I am sure the McCarthy gang will find a way to blame that on Favre this winter.
Taking wins and losses out of the equation let's look at the whole retirement debacle. When Mike McCarthy came to Green Bay it was no secret that Favre lobbied for someone else. His guy didn't get the job but Favre respected the decision and did nothing but play his heart out for the guy. Fast forward to the 2007 off season. McCarthy and much of the media blasted Favre for waiting so long to decide if he wanted to retire. I guess this type of decision is as important as what color Silverado to buy. McCarthy made noises then that he would as soon see Favre go away. He made it clear that the organization would not wait so long next year for a decision. Favre tried to comply with the teams wishes. He felt the answer was retirement when they wanted to know. No doubt he did feel that way at the time. Many football players do that time of year. As the season got closer Favre realized he still had the fire. Favre wanted to take one more crack at taking the Packers to the Super Bowl. Instantly the team said we are starting Rogers and we do not even want you here. So what did Brett Favre do wrong? Any football player can change his mind about retiring. Particularly when pressured into a hasty decision. He had no problem being released or traded. Some have reported he doesn't want to play for certain teams. If true, so what? Has he not even earned that right? I think he simply prefers to play for a team like the Vikings so he can show the Packers that he actually is still pretty good.
As a lifelong Packer fan I hope he goes somewhere like Tampa Bay and makes the playoffs Maybe McCarthy, Thompson, Murphy and the boys can sit around some bar watching the playoffs hoping Favre throws five interceptions. It is pretty clear they won't have any games to prepare for.
