While I try to avoid Wisconsin centric posts, I just could not stay silent on this issue any longer. The Brett Favre saga has come to a close. At least as far as the Green Bay Packers are concerned. Brett Favre is now a New York Jet. As a die-hard Packer fan, I must admit that I would've probably cried if Favre became a Minnesota Viking. I was also worried about him going to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, because the Packers and Bucs play each other in Tampa Bay during Week 4. This is the best case scenario for the Packers, yet I don't feel anything other than remorse, and I suspect many other Packer fans feel the same way. Brett Favre was the face of the Green Bay Packers for 16 years. I was 7 years old when he became the starting quarterback for the Packers, I remember how the entire state of Wisconsin would be elated with his success, and devastated with his failures. For the 16 years Brett Favre was with the Green Bay Packers, he WAS the Packers, he WAS Green Bay, he WAS Wisconsin. When Favre decided to retire last February it was a very emotional time for all football fans. His tearful press conference was one of the most bracingly poignant scenes I have ever witnessed.
This makes Favre's blitzkreig back into the NFL extremely painful for all parties involved. The Packers while they certainly missed their beloved QB, had moved on. Aaron Rodgers had waited in the wings for 3 years, and it was his turn to take the helm. People don't realize how much preparation goes into a football season. After the Packers heartbreaking loss to the Giants in the NFC Championship game, planning began the next morning. Less than a month later, when Favre announced his retirement, the Packers allowed for a brief period to honor their departing leader, but then it was time to prepare Aaron Rodgers for the staring job. That's what makes the recent columns of Gene Wojciechowski (especially this one) and the recent antics of Keith Olbermann on Countdown so frustrating. They act as if there are no two sides to this issue. If Brett Favre wants in, he gets in. Look, as a Packer fan for all 24 years of my life (neither Wojciechowski nor Olbermann can say that) even I can acknowledge that it's in the best interest of the franchise that Favre move on. He's 38 years old. Certainly he's still a young man, but 38 is practicaly geriatric in the NFL. At some point he was going to have to retire. There's no doubt that he's still a gifted QB, and he will rank among the top 5 at the beginning of the season. However, he RETIRED IN FEBRUARY. The Packers couldn't just sit around with their thumbs up their assess crying about it. They had to move on, and they did. For Favre to come back in the fashion he did was tremendously selfish and detrimental to the Packers team he holds so dear. Wojciechowski and Olbermann know this very well, but for whatever reason, they refuse to acknowledge it. They keep mentioning about how well Favre did last year, and no one is denying that. Favre had one of his best seasons ever, and I enjoyed watching him beat the living shit out of the Vikings and pretty much every other team that dared get in the Packers way (the Bears, Cowboys, and Giants serving as notable exceptions); however, he decided that he was mentally tired and he had enough. He could've stayed, and I'm sure Ted Thompson (the GM) and Mike McCarthy (the coach) would've welcomed him back with open arms. But he didn't, he retired. The reporting of Wojciechowski and Olbermann (whom, despite this area of disagreement, I still hold in extremely high regard) failed to consider that, and I don't really understand why.
Unfortunately, this all plays out like a Greek Tragedy. Favre has been traded to a team where the head coach, offensive coordinator, and the quarterbacks coach are younger than he is. John Clayton details how this is truly a lousy situation for Favre, here and here. I can't stress how sad of an end this is to this completely avoidable mess. I really hope Favre does well with the Jets. I will cheer for him almost as hard as I did when he was with the Packers. But know their is a great deal of damage, some of which may be irreparable, between the Packers and Brett Favre. Once again, this man was the leader of the most storied team in all of football (truly the New York Yankees of the NFL) for 16 years! Brett Favre was the most beloved figure in the state of Wisconsin. Now he's a New York Jet and he's alienated legions of fans that use to take his every word as gospel. Oh Brett, where or where did you go wrong?
