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If Brett Favre truly wants to be released, hold him hostage instead. Let the team willing to pay the most for him win.
Now that we know Favre has waffled, he no longer deserves the right to be released. And that's especially if the rumors from anonymous sources are true about the Packers welcoming him back in late March before Favre deciding (again) that he wants to stay retired.
Favre decided to retire on his terms, which is fine. It's hard to blame the Packers for moving on. You have to trust someone on their word, but when they come back and bite you (like Favre has done), it's time to bite back.
I would likely welcome Favre back on one condition: he plays only one year, and they give Aaron Rodgers a contract extension. Let the world know that this is Favre's last hurrah. But that's it. If Favre wants to come back in '09, the Packers should definitely move on. Trade him then.
But if Favre really and truly wants to be released NOW, too bad. He gave up that right when he reversed his decision to retire. The Packers can trade him to the highest bidder to help ensure the future well-being of the franchise.
That way the Packers can also decide where Favre plays. They don't have to let him play in Minnesota or Chicago. People may blame Ted Thompson and the Packers for not granting Favre's wish all they want. But simply letting him sign with the Vikings, in my opinion, would be the biggest faux pas the Packers could make. That definitely wouldn't be in the Packers' best interests. And no one could blame Thompson for that.
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16 comments:
I totally agree with you. Favre set this whole situation so he has lost his chance to choose where he wants to play. Obviously if there are several teams that are essentially offering the same thing (and none of them are in the NFC North) I think the Packers could then let Favre pick from those teams. In any trade scenario we make sure that part of the trade is that the team then cannot trade Favre to another team (a NFC North team). While I wish Favre would just realize that he should just stay retired, I doubt that happens know. I hope Favre can live with losing at least some respect from pretty much every Packer fan in the country.
Favre is the most undecided person in the world.Every year he is wishy washy, and the Packers need to move on.He has been there far too long , and Rogers has major talent, it's his time now.
Trade him away and lets start looking ahead, and not behind to 1996/1997.
I think Ted Thompson, for all the BS and second guessing he gets, is a pretty smart man. He's making the best out of a lose-lose situation.
It already turns my stomach to see Darren Sharper, Ryan Longwell, and Bob Ferguson on the Vikings. I know that if I saw Brett in a purple jersey I would become seriously unstable.
Why? The Viqueens are losers no matter which Packers castoffs they acquire.
seems like everyone is trying to make the best of a tough situation. i think thompson and mccarthy and favre will come to some sort of mutual decision.
but judging someone in favre's situation is very tricky--he's hardly the first professional to have difficulties in the months following retirement. never mind this is favre's passion and his one great talent. in that light a couple months of waffling means little to me. after 16 years he's earned the right to play football and he's earned the right to waffle a little. he's not saying he wants to kick rodgers to the curb. he saying he wants to play.
rk
"after 16 years he's earned the right to play football and he's earned the right to waffle a little. he's not saying he wants to kick rodgers to the curb. he saying he wants to play."
Playing pro football is not a right, it's a privilege. It is earned all year, every year, and no players can live off of their legacy.
There is no earned right to waffle. He shows a lack of commitment and has held the organization hostage. We drafted for the future based on Favre's determination to stay retired.
His saying he wants to play has no other logical meaning than to kick Rodgers to the curb. Favre is starved for attention and having his successor ready to take over is stealing Favre's limelight. Favre wants Rodgers to carry a clipboard and/or go away.
Favre's needy, clingy, attention craving and his inability to make up his mind leaves me to believe he's finally turned into a woman.
If the Packers are sincere about having "moved on"--then they should release him. Let Favre move on, too. Much has been made about the fact that can return but not as the starter. As far as I can tell, he hasn't asked to return to the Packers. He has taken their claim to have "moved on" very literally, and now is asking to do the same. TT is, as usual, talking out of both sides of his mouth--we've moved on; Brett is welcome to return. Can't have it both ways.
Thompson would be negligent in his duty as the GM to simply release Favre. Doing what's in the Packers' best interests vastly outweighs Favre's interests. The interests of the fans are best served by getting something for Favre or not letting any other team benefit without the Packers getting something of value in return. You have to think of the NFL and the teams as a business, an entertainment business, and run the business the best long-term plan for success.
You cannot "move on" and refuse to let Favre do the same. Everyone knows its a business, but the Packers aren't treating this as a business if they refuse to have an open competition at the QB position. If they are truly committed to Aaron Rodgers, fine--stop the whole Favre mess and simply let him go.
This isn't about not letting Favre move on - this is about protecting the team. Favre's rights are owned by the team - he signed a contract of his own free will and now he has to honor it. He didn't ask for a trade, he asked to be unconditionally released meaning that the Packers are giving up a valuable commodity (Favre's contract) for nothing so that Favre can potentially go to a team that would hurt the Packers - such as the Vikings or the Bears. That would be incredibly irresponsible of the Packers' front office to do that.
If Favre wants to move on he can - by staying retired. That was his choice. If he wants to un-retire he has to deal with the consequences - which is playing for the Packers in whatever capacity they deem appropriate or working with them to find a trade. He doesn't get to benefit by jerking the club around.
If you are uggesting it is in the best interests of this team to force an unhappy Brett Favre onto the sidelines, to hold the clipboard for a guy who has never won a single game in his NFL career--barely managed to get through a single game, or even a half!, without getting injured--then you are a fool. No matter how Favre conducts himself, it will divide the locker room, because there will be veterans who know Favre is the team's best chance to win. Furthermore, it is NOT the perogative of the front office to decide IF Brett Favre stays retired or not, however uncomfortable this makes them. The simplest solution is to release him. A trade might--MIGHT!--net a
3rd round pick. It simply isn't worth the grief. If this administration really believes in ARod as much as they say, just make the move, release Favre, and truly move on--rather than the lame lip service we've been getting so far from TT.
If only Brett Favre would just live his life exactly the way WE want--the way Ted Thompson wants, and Mike McCarthy wants--everything would so great. I mean, nevermind how you want to live your life, Brett--just stay retired so we can all avoid this momentary discomfort and get on with our pathetic little lives.
The way some people want to just make their own decisions about their lives, change their minds with no concern for how it inconveniences us.
Really--its just unbelievable.
The nerve of some people.
"If you are uggesting it is in the best interests of this team to force an unhappy Brett Favre onto the sidelines, to hold the clipboard for a guy who has never won a single game in his NFL career--barely managed to get through a single game, or even a half!, without getting injured--then you are a fool. No matter how Favre conducts himself, it will divide the locker room, because there will be veterans who know Favre is the team's best chance to win. Furthermore, it is NOT the perogative of the front office to decide IF Brett Favre stays retired or not, however uncomfortable this makes them. The simplest solution is to release him. A trade might--MIGHT!--net a
3rd round pick. It simply isn't worth the grief. If this administration really believes in ARod as much as they say, just make the move, release Favre, and truly move on--rather than the lame lip service we've been getting so far from TT."
Bus Cook, is that you?
In a business you do not release proprietary assets to your competitors just because it would be a nice thing to do (Favre is under contract). So some of you fans would have the Pack just release one of the top 5 QB's in the league to whomever, while he's still under contract, with ZERO compensation but the knowledge that you made Brett happy?
Brett these guy idolize you.
And you guys are saying TT's an idiot, LOL?
"The way some people want to just make their own decisions about their lives, change their minds with no concern for how it inconveniences us. "
I couldn't care less if Favre makes his own decision. I do expect him however to honor the contract he signed and to accept the consequences of his decision to retire in March and then wait four months to decide he wants to come back. Favre has multiple years left on his contract - he needs to honor that rather than demand to be unconditionally released.
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