Packer Fans and the Favre Saga

As a Packer fan, I foolishly never thought I’d be commenting on Brett Favre again. It seems to me that people either love him or hate him. I fall right down the middle and actually look at him as a player. Not a god. Not a devil.

But now that there are the “rumors” that he could once again come out of retirement, here I am once again talking about him. You have to admit one thing, the guy is never boring. Not in the way he plays and not in the hype that follows him.

In case you haven’t heard, Favre asked for a release from the Jets way back in February when he retired. It was finally granted late Tuesday night after the Jets had finally secured a quarterback. The Jets couldn’t have kept Favre because they couldn’t afford him under the salary cap this year. A release was the only option.

Now the “rumor” is that he could go to Minnesota, something he wanted to do last year when the Packers decided to play hard ball. But who is more stubborn? Packers GM Ted Thompson or Favre? Rumors have swirled that the two have butted heads from the beginning, with Thompson wanting Favre gone so he could bring his new favorite Aaron Rodgers on the scene. Last year, Thompson finally made that happen. To make darn good and sure that Favre couldn’t play against Green Bay (and perhaps because Thompson wanted to stick it to Favre a bit more) he put a clause into his trade agreement that if the Jets traded Favre to any NFC North team, they would give Green Bay three first round draft picks.

So you know the Jets weren’t doing that!

However, Favre retired. (I know… again.) And asked for his release. The Jets, now secure with a new quarterback, granted it. That leaves Favre a free agent should he want to return to football. (I can hear Ted Thompson gnashing his teeth as I write this.)

Favre, for his part, said, “At this time, I am retired and have no intention of returning to football.”

Those three words (”at this time”) are what has everyone reeling.

For my part, I think Favre very much could come back to the league. After all, he’s the same age as my favorite Kurt Warner, who just got re-signed with the Cardinals. Since the Vikings are missing a great quarterback at the moment, it might make sense for him to go there.

Will Packer fans be pissed? If they are anything like me, they will be reminded of a very ugly part of their history, where a GM and a player couldn’t treat each other with respect. It won’t diminish the player’s records, but it does bring back a whole set of issues that have nothing to do with the spirit of the game.

All last year we were reminded about “the Favre saga” every single game. Packers Coach Mike McCarthy even went so far as to compare Rodgers physical stats to Favre. Like…. who cares? Can everyone just shut up and play?

I was looking forward to a season where Rodgers would stop trying to jaw about being a great quarterback and just show us he is. I was looking forward to announcers to calling the game that played before them, and not one that happened a few years before with another quarterback. I was looking forward to people realistically looking at the Packers, and not “what they were” or “what they could be.”

But now? I am filled with a combination of fascination and dread at the thought of having “the Favre controversy” brought back to the NFC North once again. One thing is for sure, I’m never saying “the Favre saga” is done ever again!

Image: Bauer-Griffin