SCOTT JACOBS

The morning that the Jets made their huge trade to acquire Brett Favre from the Packers– officially ending what felt like the longest, most drawn out process in recent memory– I was listening to talk radio.  All day, the analysts and sports radio talk show hosts were breaking down what it meant, how good the Jets could be, even what would happen to Chad Pennington.

And I remember vividly the analysts proclaiming that Favre made the Jets an 8-9 win team, 10 tops, but that was only if the stars truly aligned. He will make them better I remember them saying, but he will not make them great.

Not even a year later, the Jets were better, but not great.  They weren’t even good enough after an 8-3 start to make the playoffs, and they couldn’t break the 10 win mark.  I just remember thinking, for once, the analysts were spot on.  They had this thing pegged from the start.  Brett Favre was not what he once was.  The Jets found that out the hard way.

And so today, Brett Favre, the man, the mystery, the larger than life Wrangler Jean wearing quarterback from Mississippi called it quits– for good, leaving behind him the game that he just could not leave.  His last game, a disappointing loss to the Miami Dolphins.  His last pass, an illegal forward pass.  His final moment on the football field: running off the field as the Dolphins celebrated an improbable, unbelievable, unexplainable AFC East title.

It is what it is, were along the words that Favre used.  He looked frusturated, but not devestated. The experiment, playing for Gang Green resulted in a five win improvement from the year before’s four win nightmare, but it still cost Eric Mangini his job, and ultimately now that Favre is retiring for good, leaves the Jets with one heck of a mess at the QB spot.

If you’re a glass half full/glass half empty person, then it was only fitting that Favre’s final game netted him 20/40 for 233 yards passing, and one touchdown.  And he left the game he loved doing what he did best- throwing interceptions (three of them in fact).  For all of Favre’s greatness and for all of his remarkable records, he also leaves the game with the dubious distinction of being one of the NFL’s greatest risk-takers, and the career leader in all time interceptions.

Who could have possibly foreseen the former Southern Miss star becoming one of the NFL’s most iconic figures?  No one, that’s who!

But that was how Favre played.  Sometimes his decisions were baffling, other times shocking, but he darted that pigskin all across the the field during his long and illustrious 18 year NFL career, one of the most spectacular and exhilarating careers the NFL has ever seen.  Favre was a gritty, hard nosed player, whose passion for the game probably caused him to overstay a little longer than he probably should have, but that was who he was, a great player, who for the longest time refused to give in, and give it up.

He leaves the game with some remarkable numbers:

Ever since the start of the 1993 season he has played all 16 games each season, and holds the all-time record, a mark that may never ever be touched, never-mind threatened of starting the most consecutive games ever, 291 including the playoffs.  Constantly labeled a warrior, one of the most enduring memories of Favre was when he decided to play a Monday Night football game against the Raiders in Oakland, even after his father had passed away.  Number four had one of his greatest games that night, and dedicated his performance to his father, and that captivated a nation to embrace the man who was already larger than life in Green Bay.

Favre’s marvelous career began in Atlanta, where as a rookie he played in two games, going 0-4 on pass attempts, while throwing up a pair of picks, and a 0.0 QB rating.  Needless to say, the Falcons and most likely every other NFL team probably weren’t too devestated when Favre was traded to the Packers after the 1991 season.  Who could have possibly foreseen the former Southern Miss star becoming one of the NFL’s most iconic figures?  No one, that’s who!

It’s kind of entertaining, the idea that Favre started his career on a forgettable note, and ended it not on a magic carpet ride, singing “I’m going to Disney” but in a statement to the Jets that said he was done.  Favre started as a relative unknown and closed his long and incredible career almost as quietly as he started (at least the second retirement that is).

Favre’s dumbfoudningly insane numbers go like this: 273 regular season games, 5720 completions, 9280 incompletions, 65,127 yards passing,  464 touchdowns, 310 picks, and 169 regular season victories.  While many of his records were achieved during not his prime, but during the tail end of his long career, it’s undeniable that he earned everything he got.

So while we will never forget Favre’s horrible handling of a botched retirement with the Packers, and the summer long circus that followed it, until he was shipped to the Jets,  it’s important to remember that before he became a side show, Favre was the show.

A three time league MVP, Favre led the Green Bay Packers to a 35-21 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI, and at the time, few probably thought that would be his first and only Super Bowl title.  But after leading the Packers back to the Big Game the ensuing season, and losing to John Elway and the Broncos, Favre never got back.  He got close, such as the 2007 season when the Packers were a Favre pick away from possibly winning the NFC title, but never got over the hump.

So however you choose to remember him: just keep this one thing in mind: Favre was great.  He failed spectacularly, he succeeded epically, and he played the game the right way.  Like anybody, he made mistakes, many of them on the field, and a few off of it, but he was only human.  And while he probably should have hung up his cleats about three to four years earlier, his retirement as a battered Jet and not a glorified Packer doesn’t tarnish a legacy that stacks up there with any of the NFL’s greats.

So farewell Mr. Favre.  It’s been one hell of a run.

The show is over.  It’s the end of an era.

All of the dominant quarterbacks of the 1980’s and 1990’s have officially hung up their cleats, and moved on.  Favre joined that group today, and surely in due time he will join them in the Hall of Fame as a first ballot Hall of Famer.

It’s been fun.  It’s been interesting.

Photo: Reuters

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However, New York wasn’t the best place for him to get traded. Want media coverage? New York is the home of media coverage. If Favre could get all those reporters to the nowhere-land of Green Bay, imagine what he could accomplish in New York. All you have to do there is say, “Coach Mangini might have made a few mistakes last game,” and it’s a national story.

My man Colin Linnwweber hails from New York. He hasn’t commented much on Brett Favre yet, but you can never be sure. Colin is the blogging equivalent of the New York media. And since the average blogger is already as over-the-top as the New York media, that would make Colin like a New York journalist on acid, like Hunter S. Thompson on acid–or maybe like Hunter S. Thompson off acid, if that’s possible to imagine.

A selection of some of his past few article titles reads like so:

The “Idiot” Is Not Wrong…Edwar Ramirez Should Be Suspended
The 5 Most Villainous Athletes Of The Past Decade
Jose Canseco Is “Rotted Inside Out”
Injuries to Yanks Hughes and Kennedy are as real as Pam Anderson’s breasts
Manny Ramirez Is A Thug

What do you have to say about Favre now? Are you gonna jump on his bandwagon as he turns you into a “Super Bowl contender” like the New York media did with Eli Manning when they first got their hands on him?

Are you going to come crashing down on him the minute he becomes a distraction or doesn’t play well enough like the New York media had been doing to Manning with headlines like this every year until he won the Super Bowl?

SHOULD HAVE PASSED ON ELI DEAL
WHAT KIND OF MANN IS HE?
STRUGGLES FUELING QUESTION OF GIANT MISTAKE

Up in Green Bay, I know what those idiots are going to be doing: “Oh, no, Aaron Rodgers sucks! Lets throw bottles at him!”

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What’s up, JSB nation? I’m finally back from my family vacation to Cincy, and it looks like I missed some major sports news since I last posted.

While I was in the Queen City, riding The Beast at King’s Island and attending various family functions, I did manage to work in some sports. I went to the Reds/Rockies game the Sunday after I got there. Of course the crappy Reds got hammered, 11-0, but as it turns out it was Griffey’s last home game as a Red, so that was cool.

But other than catching a couple of nationally televised baseball games, that was the extent of my contact with the sporting world for the time I was there. So I thought I’d better do a little recap post to run down what I missed and give you my opinions on the major events that went down while I was up North.

Manny traded to the Dodgers
The circus sideshow known as Manny Being Manny is now exactly where it belongs-in Tinseltown. I was in a local sports bar down the street from my in-laws house when I heard the news, and I nearly choked on a wing bone when word came down that Ramirez had been dealt for Jason Bay, with Brandon Moss and Craig Hansen going to the Pirates in the three way deal.

For any of you who have been to Cincy, or eaten at Skyline Chili, you know that 3-ways are the best way to go. In this case the three way was not very tasty for Boston, but for some reason the Sox management couldn’t do a straight up, two team deal, so this was the only alternative.

My opinion: a deal had to be made, as Manny was quite clearly quitting on the team like he did at the end of the 2006 season. The fact that Boston had to give up so much to rid themselves of the headache he had become was an unfortunate byproduct of getting blindsided by his tired act. But at least they got a respectable left fielder (Bay) in return, a guy who will not a) quit on his team b) slap a teammate or shove an old man c) hide out in the Green Monster during games.

Look, I loved ManRam as much as the next Sox fans for the 7 1/2 years he was with the team, but enough was finally enough. His cute antics and sweet swing had finally been outweiged by his manic personality and ability to give up on his team at a moment’s notice, and when he failed to hustle on a ground ball during a no hitter, well that was the last straw.

As a result I say sayonara, ManRam. Good luck and no hard feelings, and I hope you enjoy life in La La Land. Because that’s exactly where you belong.

Favre finally dealt – to the Jets?!
This was the only sports story I could follow with any regularity while I was away, because it was freaking eveywhere! Every channel I tuned in on the radio during our 1,000 mile drive, every cable news channel, and especially on ESBFPN, it was all Brett, all the time.

By the time I got home, rumors were rampant that he was headed here to Tampa Bay to play for the QB-lover Jon Grunden and the Bucs. Thankfully that did not happen, as the Pack came to their senses and shipped the serial retirerer to the J-E-T-S so he can fail miserably in the city that doesn’t sleep. That way the whole world will be able to watch when he heads off into retirement #4 at the conclusion of the 2008 season.

(Maybe that’s his secret: he wants his retirement number to match his uniform number!)

The best part about this story: it’s finally over. Well, at least this chapter of it. Now we’ll have to sit through endless dissections of every game, play, TD and INT he throws while wearing that putrid green uni. Here’s to hoping he goes 13-37 with no TDs and 4INTs against the Pats in the second game of the season.

The Olympics and PGA Tournament get underway this weekend
WTF cares.

That about gets me up to speed on the major events that took place while I was gone. Now that I’m back I can get back to posting regularly, helping to balance out the inane ramblings of Colin and restoring some sanity to the blogosphere.

Thanks for your time and I’ll be back soon with a full post about my trip to Great American Ballpark.

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SCOTT JACOBS

Brett the Jet.

Jet Favre.

If he goes to a Mets game (Met Favre).

Broadway Brett.

Welcome to New York New Jersey Brett. Welcome to the Jets.

You wanted your release trade. You got it. Welcome to the Meadowlands. Welcome to second fiddle, where you’re not even the most important team in town. That would be the defending champion Giants. You’re not even the best quarterback in your area. That would be Eli Manning.

But hey, welcome to New York New Jersey. Enjoy the big city swampland. Take advantage of the laid back totally out of control, in your face every minute media. Enjoy hunting… for fake Rolexes and sunglasses.

At the young and crisp ripe old age of 38, Brett Favre is heading to a very impressive mediocre Jets team that is stocked with new free agent pickups and big signings. The Jets were 4-12 last year. Hey the Giants Dolphins were worse.

So welcome to the spotlight Brett.

Welcome to New York New Jersey.

Some people expect you to win the Jets a Super Bowl playoff game. Others aren’t even sure if you make the Jets the second best team in their division.

But hey, at least the Jets Vikings are leading ESPN’s poll which asks which team in the Favre Saga will have the best season next year.

The facts are this. Favre in green. We saw that for 16 years.

Favre in Gang Green and white. This is all new. It looks a little goofy.

Favre in a t-shirt and a plain NY hat: a little plain. It’s in a situation that’s been anything but.

“I don’t know these guys,” said Favre. “They don’t know me. It’s about the team. I hope that after today and tomorrow the distractions are at a minimum. I’m just one man. One of 53.”

He may be just one man. But that one man has a national spotlight centered on him that’s been blinding everything else going on in sports for the last month. And now that spotlight is as big as the Big Apple.

“I don’t know what I’m getting myself into,” said Favre.

No kidding Brett. You thought the Packers would just accept you back and you cried foul when they didn’t. You thought they would just release you when you pleaded. They didn’t. You cried foul. You thought they would trade you within the division, because you only play them twice a year. They didn’t. You were stunned.

So to say you don’t know what you’ve got yourself into actually makes sense.

Here, I’ll clue you in.

The Patriots went 16-0 last year. You won’t win the division.

The Bills were 7-9 last year. The consensus is they’ll win at least nine games this year.

The Dolphins, well, they’re eyeing Jets ex-quarterback Chad Pennington. A hanging chad helped determine the presidential election in 2000. A certain Chad would make for a very intriguing week one matchup between the fish and the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets! Pennington versus Favre? Now that would be interesting.

But back to your situation Brett.

The Colts, Chargers, Jaguars, Steelers, and Titans all made the playoffs last year. None of those teams took a major step back, so inevitably it looks like your Jets will battle just to make the playoffs.

If I were you, I’d be more concerned about ending your career limping.

Football isn’t exactly the sport where your body is built to play every game for such a long time.

Don’t you think you’re uh, pushing it Favre?

Then again, it’s not like this whole thing wasn’t pushing it. O wait, yes it was.

Hey, at least one chapter in this overblown mess is over.

Now the Jets and Brett get to write number two.

Can’t wait.

(Yeah right).

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SCOTT JACOBS

A gray haired Brett Favre had this coming. He did.

He’s totally naive if he sees it otherwise.

Brett Favre was asking for this. He was.

You don’t do what he’s done to a team, three offseasons in a row, and expect the team to just take it sitting down.

No. Enough is enough. Green Bay has stood up, said “stop!” and now they’re finally letting their actions prove it.

Brett Favre is not the Green Bay Packers. The Green Bay Packers make the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers have finally come to their senses and have made the decision that will define the next three-five years of their franchise: they’ve cut ties with number four.

Wayne Gretzky was the Great One. I’m ready to tab Favre as the Obnoxious One.

He just doesn’t seem to get it.

Yes, he was Green Bay football for 16 years, and he won them a Super Bowl, but…

He retired back in March. The Packers moved on. They implemented Aaron Rodgers into the starter’s role, and tweaked the offense to be about him. The players accepted Favre’s retirement and turned to Rodgers. This is now Rodgers team. Even if Favre did come roaring our of nowhere to demand a release after he RETIRED on the Pack.

You are allowed to change your mind in sports. I have no issue with that.

My issue is with Favre changing his mind this late into the offseason and throwing a noose aroound Green Bay’s neck saying start me or release me.

Now that stance has become, trade me to the Vikings, or release me so I can go to the Vikings.

But that’s not going to happen, and here’s the best part: Favre doesn’t sound like he wants to go to the Jets (one of the teams supposedly interested) because he’s a country guy and likes a low key situation. O, is that so?

Well, you’ve got ESPN following you around like an over-protective parent spying on her kid during their first date. Cameras in front of Favre’s home. Text messaging between Favre and Ed Werder. What’s next video messaging?

This thing has gotten so far out of control, its absurd.

Favre doesn’t want the media attention, he just wants to play football. But he wants to steal Aaron Rodgers job, or he wants to go to the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay’s hated rivals. No, that’s not worthy of some attention. Apparently according to the media, it’s worthy of the whole nation’s attention.

Another thing: Favre is 39.

Rodgers is young and hungry. Enough of this crap. Favre is old and a drama queen.

Green Bay needs to start over. They need to make this the Packers again. Not the Fighting Favres.

Whether Rodgers ultimately becomes a good player or not, I don’t know.

But don’t you think it’s worth the Packers finding out what they have? Instead of playing a 39 year old guy who is just asking to have his career ended with an injury, the Packers are doing the right thing going with youth.

After a while all good things must come to an end.

Brett has some great records under his belt. He’s done some exciting things.

But he won ONE Super Bowl with the Pack. That was in 1997. That was over a decade ago.

As Peter Griffin would say: cut the ambilical cord already.

And get Favre off of my television. Along with his annoying wife!

Tampa Bay, New York be careful what you wish for.

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SCOTT JACOBS

Sports is a business. Athletes say it. Coaches say it. General managers say it.

Loyalty is a thing of the past.

Players and teams don’t take things as seriously as they once did. Rivalries are self created by fans and the media.

Jason Taylor once signed a Tampa Bay Bucs Super Bowl Champions shirt for me, because I had nothing else on me.

He had been a Dolphin for life!

So when Brett Favre, who has taken the media on the roller-coaster sports ride of the summer, says he is contemplating accepting Green Bay’s stunning $20 million offer not to play, and to basically re-retire, it should not shock anyone.

Key word there: “should.”

But it does.

I am stunned. Shocked. A bit appalled.

Brett Favre is considering being bought off.

The only thing missing is him saying, “This was the only way it could end.”

Retired. Un-Retired. Reinstatement letter. No reinstatement letter?

And this could be the conclusion? Favre giving a shrug and taking $20 million (money he doesn’t need) to fade into retirement and join the Packers marketing and merchandising team?

That’s the price?

When an athlete says they have that desire to play it usually doesn’t come with the line– “unless you pay me X amount of dollars.”

When this story was first reported Green Bay looked desperate. They looked like the team that was a joke and their inability to handle matters was being scrutinized everywhere. But now, with Favre contemplating the offer, and claiming it just might be the best for all sides, he looks like the jerk.

It may not be intended, but it looks on the surface that he came out of retirement to milk the Packers for more money so he could re-retire agan.

It sounds ridiculous, but Favre has basically told the Packers that if he can’t play with them he wants to remain in the division. Why in the world would Green Bay do that! This is the same guy that said he doesn’t want to create a distraction. I’m begining to lose all respect for the guy.

If you want to play Brett, play!

The Packers will eventually deal you or release you. If you want all of this to go away as fast as it started, retire. But don’t take this contract. This doesn’t make you the hero, the good guy saving face for both the player and the franchise. No, this further promotes the “greedy athlete stereotype.”

Favre looks horrible right now.

The thought he’s mulling this over simply says I’m not that serious about this comeback thing.

If I were a team interested in Favre, my interest would disappear after hearing this.

What kind of athlete is bought off like that?

If Favre wants to work with the Packers in merchandising and marketing, shocking considering the two have been ripping each other back and forth this month, then fine. But let the contract be signed behind closed doors.

Green Bay offering to pay you $20 million not to play? That’s sick! And not in a cool gnarly way.

No, it’s sick when people are struggling to pay for gas, and closing businesses left and right, while you’re mulling over $20 million to leave the game you claim to love.

I love sports. I do.

But this is one of those nauseating situations where teams and players don’t get it.

Take the $20 million. Do it.

Give it to charity. Do some good with the money you don’t need.

But don’t take it, and claim to be the good guy.

You’ll only make me nauseas.

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SCOTT JACOBS

Manny Ramirez has said and done a lot of memorable things since inking an eight year $168 million free agent deal with Boston in 2000. But few will manage to top this gem of a quote that Manny had to say today:

“I don’t have any preferences,” Ramizez said in regards to where he would like to be dealt if the Red Sox decide to make a move. “I could choose a team that offers me the best conditions or one in the chase for the postseason. I don’t care where I play, I can even play in Iraq if need be. My job is to play baseball.”

Iraq? Really Manny?

Athletes say ridiculous things all the time, but this one, well, this is just insane.

If the U.S. Marines went up to Manny and said they need an outfielder for their baseball team in between bombings to go to Iraq, Manny would just be like, “okay, My job is to play baseball?”

Yeah, freaking right!

But its not the only moronic quote of the weekend.

Brett Favre is apparently totally naive.

“I had planned on reporting for the start of Packers training camp Sunday, but Ted Thompson asked if I would give him a couple of days to try to get the situation resolved,” said Favre about the circus he has created in Green Bay. “I agreed to do that. I don’t want to be a distraction to the Packers…”

Um, Brett, did you say, you don’t want to be a distraction to the Packers?

Because I’m pretty sure that’s what I read.

No, Brett, you haven’t been a distraction at all through this process. Green Bay is just playing a game, it’s called April Fools in July. They’re secretly testing how composed you can stay as they punk you into thinking that Aaron Rodgers is their starting quarterback. No distraction whatsoever.

ESPN sure doesn’t think so. Thanks to you they’ve had enough media programming to kill a cow. And I mean that in the nicest of ways- to the cow.

No Brett. No one thinks you’re a distraction. Not when you come in at the last minute demanding you want to play again and that the Packers need to release you. No, no scene there. See Brett, all these cameras that have been following you around are actually paid actors. They’re doing it for some SNL Skit. And Aaron Rodgers is the host!

You know Aaron, right Brett? The guy you left in charge. Or that’s the way everyone but you seems to see it.

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When I turn on my TV in the morning, I am now barraged with Titletown AND Brett Favre. (T.O. recently saved a reporter. Why doesn’t SportsCenter get on that?)

This morning, I was too tired to actually get up and do something else, so I kept watching even as the words “Brett Favre” crept accross the screen.

This is what I saw:

Not rumors about who he’s getting traded to. Not demands that the Packers release him. Just a few cliched answers by his teammates about who is going to be the starting quarterback.

“Yeah, Aaron Rodgers has been our starter this offseason… Brett Favre is a legend…”

You think?

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SCOTT JACOBS

The Green Bay Packers didn’t wait long to put Brett Favre in his place. The team announced today that they would welcome back the legend who never wants to leave, but not as the starting quarterback.

I commend them. I really do. There is no win either way here, but what makes Green Bay’s stance impressive is that they’re sticking to it. No one player is bigger then the team, and that is the message Green Bay is sending. Favre is trying to bully the team he’s played for 16 years with, into a corner so he can sign with whoever he wants.

Sorry Brett. It doesn’t work like that.

You’re either going to be a backup (highly unlikely) or you’re going to be elsewhere, but no, not on your terms, on Green Bay’s.

Just because you were great doesn’t give you leverage to spin the Packers on your little finger and point which direction you want to fling them. No, it doesn’t work like that.
Not anymore that is.

Green Bay has made their decision (for better of worse) and they’re sticking with Aaron Rodgers as their starter.

Rodgers has to be thoroughly relieved. Had the Packers brought back Favre I actually wouldn’t of been surprised if Rodgers publicy asked for a trade. Rodgers was a first round pick four years ago, and he nearly went #1 to San Fran before slipping way down the draft boards. Now he finally gets his shot and big bad Brett is going to take it away? No, I don’t think that’s fair.

Rodgers is not some guy who doesn’t know the system, doesn’t know the players. He’s been waiting in the wings, watching for years, and quietly hoping he would get his shot. Well, now here it is, and I am very impressed the Packers are sticking to that.

Favre still has the right to play football, but he doesn’t have the right to bully the organization that’s been so good to him. If he wants to end his career with another team, fine, so be it. No one wants to see that happen. Not at least purist football fans. But if that’s what he wants. Well, he’s earned that.

But the Pack also have the right to keep him in Green Bay.

They’re screwed into eternity either way as far as PR goes, so they should almost just bring Favre back and make him the backup. If he doesn’t want to be the backup, then fine, he can retire.

Green Bay gave him ample opportunities to play.

Favre said no.

Green Bay has put their foot down. It’s official: they’ve moved on.

This is getting ugly. No one wanted that.

But the Packers are doing the right thing.

They’re sticking to their guns. In a world of quick fix solutions, it’s certainly refreshing to see.

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SCOTT JACOBS

Poor, poor Aaron Rodgers.

It’s not often I actually feel sorry for an athlete, but there’s an exception to every rule.

Succeeding a legend is hard enough.

Succeeding Brett Favre is damn near impossible.

Because, well, the guy never wants to retire!

With word breaking out that Favre wants to be released from the Packers, Green Bay is officially in a PR slaughterfest. They’re damned if they do. They’re damned if they don’t.

If the indication is that they want to move forward and officially END the Brett Favre era, then I commend them. Aaron Rodgers has been sitting down long enough, don’t you think the Pack should find out if he can be “the guy?”

Meanwhile, “The guy” that has quarterbacked Green Bay’s offense for 16 years is once again not sure what the heck he wants to do.

It’s as ugly as it is stupid.

Favre retired. He cried at the press conference. It looked as official as retirement press conferences go. A mere few months later, he wants to come back (we think).

This story is 90% speculation, and 10% truth. Do we know for a fact the Packers don’t want Favre back? No. Green Bay hasn’t come out and said that. Do we know for sure if Favre isn’t pulling a Dan Marino (aka: exploring options elsewhere, before ultimately saying no)? No.

So the details are scattered all over the place, like a Brett Favre play when the offensive line breaks down. Does Favre really want to play for someone other then Green Bay? Does he really think this late in the season a team that has committed to it’s starting quarterback for months is going to just bring him onboard just because he’s “Brett Favre?”

This we don’t know.

But I reiterate that if the Packers think Aaron Rodgers is the guy, and clearly they’ve groomed him to be just that, then they need to cut ties. The Packers are a good team. They won 13 games last year. They came one drive away from a Super Bowl appearance.

But, they can’t constantly throw the keys to their franchise on the ground, and wait months at a time to see if Favre wants to pick them up. The Packers have to move on. Yes, I understand your window of opportunity in the league to win a championship comes and goes, but the Packers have set themselves up for Life After Favre.

They seem to understand that Favre can’t toy them around like they’re some kid of puppet. Favre doesn’t understand the concept that there’s no “I” in team. He has been dynamic, spectacular, downright inspirational in his wonderful future Hall of Fame career with the Pack, but it’s time to move on.

The Packers don’t want to bring Favre back, give him another year, and then find out a few years later, that they totally destroyed Rodgers confidence, thus setting them back five years or so.

Confidence is the ultimate tool for a quarterback. Aaron Rodgers is in the ultimate confidence cruncher. Sandwiched between Favre rumors, will he or won’t he come back and take your job, stories of successors to legends that have failed, Rodgers has had a very un-smooth, unsettling transition this off season.

If Favre wants to play he has every right to.

But, he shouldn’t be the one to tie Green Bay’s hand behind their backs. If Favre still has the spark and still thinks he can win a Super Bowl then maybe Minnesota or Tampa Bay or wherever could be a good fit for him.

But he’s tugged the Packers around enough.

It’s been glorious. It’s been fun. But now the Packers need to come out and say we’re done.

Remember, they’re the team, Brett Favre is just one player.

But you wouldn’t know that from the annual tug of war Brett puts on the Pack.

And another thing: if Favre was anything but a quarterback this wouldn’t be that big of a deal. But the QB is the engine and the smarts that make a team go. He’s the brain and the heartbeat of a team’s offensive attack. It’s easier to let say, a defensive lineman come back a few weeks before the season out of retirement. But the QB is too important. Confidence is too fragile.

Aaron Rodgers is already against the odds.

Let’s not build that electric wall any higher then it needs to be.

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