Link <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>The current and former presidents of the Packers believe that Brett Favre will remain retired rather than return to the field for his 18th season, according to ESPN.com. "I keep going back to his retirement announcement and how sincere and heartfelt that was," current CEO Mark Murphy said. "I think it's pretty reasonable that, as an organization, we're going to move on." "What I remember about him is he was ready to retire, and that's how I feel today," former chairman Bob Harlan added. "I think down deep, that's exactly how he feels." ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported last week that Favre communicated his desire to return to coach Mike McCarthy, but that talks had not advanced to a substantive stage.</div>
The Packers front office makes me sick. Talk about manipulative. Why make Brett Favre's sincerity an issue here? Because they want to make Favre look like a bad guy if he isn't a good little athlete and do exactly what they want. I believe Favre was sincere when he retired and I believe he sincerely wants to play. You can't expect great competitive athletes to not be conflicted when it comes time to retire, especially when they know that they can still play. The two idiots quoted here know that, but they don't give a crap about Favre. Of course, that just goes to show their ignorance. The Pack was a game shy of the Super Bowl with the youngest team in the league and these idiots want to throw away a chance to make a legit run at the Super Bowl this year, so they can start Aaron Rodgers who may or may not ever be a good NFL QB. C'mon back Brett and go play for a contender that has a front office that isn't trying to ruin a franchise.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DolfanDale @ Jul 11 2008, 12:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>C'mon back Brett and go play for a contender that has a front office that isn't trying to ruin a franchise.</div> He <u>should</u> start for the Packers if he comes back. Most other teams that we might think of as "contenders" are probably all set with who their quarterbacks are right now.
http://sportstwo.com/NFL/Story/NFL/2610586 Favre asks Packers for release Friday, July 11, 2008 03:48 PM BRISTOL, Connecticut (Ticker) -- Brett Favre has asked the Green Bay Packers for his release, ESPN.com reported Friday.
Packers front office did this whole scenario soooo poorly........I am seriously considering rooting for whatever team Favre is on (if that happens) because the front office of my beloved home state team is making me sick.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Return of the Raider @ Jul 11 2008, 12:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DolfanDale @ Jul 11 2008, 12:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>C'mon back Brett and go play for a contender that has a front office that isn't trying to ruin a franchise.</div> He <u>should</u> start for the Packers if he comes back. Most other teams that we might think of as "contenders" are probably all set with who their quarterbacks are right now. </div> Good point, except Ted Thompson doesn't want to make a run at the Super Bowl. He would rather play for a tomorrow that may not come. The Packers have a really good team right now. By the time, Rodgers MIGHT be ready, the Packers window of opportunity may have shut. Someone is going to win the NFC Central and it won't be the Packers without Favre. Favre just needs to get on that team and it looks like it should be Vikings.
I really hope that Favre goes to the Vikings. That would make for such a great opening night, Monday Night Football Game. As for me, I have tickets for the other game that night... Denver @ Oakland. I will be sure to catch the highlights when I get home though. Favre could shift the power in the NFC North right over to Minnesota. Minnesota has defense, and a great running game. Replace that horrible Tavaris Jackson with Brett Favre, and you now have a serious contender for the NFC title.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (bangofan13 @ Jul 11 2008, 06:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Packers front office did this whole scenario soooo poorly........I am seriously considering rooting for whatever team Favre is on (if that happens) because the front office of my beloved home state team is making me sick.</div> I don't blame Thompson for just wanting it all to end. He's had to deal with Favre questions for the past 3 years, all the while he built up a solid young team. I think he was perfectly happy heading into another season with Favre as his QB, but he was just as ready to move on without him. He basically had two courses of action prepared and once Favre made his retirement official, he committed to that plan. That's completely justified and he shouldn't be criticized for not taking Favre's menopausal moodswings into account. Not enough people are calling Favre for what he is: an attention-whore.
^I would value your opinion if I didn't live in Packer Country. Thompson is beady eyed P.O.S. and kicked out a player who had one of his best seasons of his career last year. How you could call Favre an attention whore simply must just mean you are to blind to see the great player he is for the Packers and NFL.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (bangofan13 @ Jul 11 2008, 11:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>^I would value your opinion if I didn't live in Packer Country. Thompson is beady eyed P.O.S. and kicked out a player who had one of his best seasons of his career last year. How you could call Favre an attention whore simply must just mean you are to blind to see the great player he is for the Packers and NFL.</div> I get your emotional attachment to Favre. That's something that you're entitled to. But Thompson didn't kick out anyone. Favre retired. He kicked out himself. And Favre can be a great player and an attention-whore at the same time. The league is full of similar cases.
Favre was given a set date to make a decision so the long hiatus that we are used to would be avoided. And believe me, Packer fans got just as annoyed with the wait for his decision as other NFL fans did. I, as most Packer fans believe, believe Favre was pushed out. However, I do believe it is time to move on with Aaron Rodgers, but I can not help but feel that Ted Thompson is creating quite the large hate group among Packer fans. Is Favre an attention whore? Certainly not IMO. T.O. and Ocho-Cinco are attention whores. Favre just loves the game and has trouble saying goodbye.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chutney @ Jul 11 2008, 11:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I don't blame Thompson for just wanting it all to end. He's had to deal with Favre questions for the past 3 years, all the while he built up a solid young team. I think he was perfectly happy heading into another season with Favre as his QB, but he was just as ready to move on without him. He basically had two courses of action prepared and once Favre made his retirement official, he committed to that plan. That's completely justified and he shouldn't be criticized for not taking Favre's menopausal moodswings into account. Not enough people are calling Favre for what he is: an attention-whore.</div> I do blame Thompson for wanting Brett to go away. Ted Thompson's main job is to put his owner's team into the Superbowl. That is the bottom line! Ted Thompson is expected to have a stressful job. That goes with the territory. If you are saying that Ted Thompson's comfort is more important that the Packers winning the Superbowl, then I think there is a huge misunderstanding of what priorities are. If the Packers go back to the playoffs and go deep, then Ted's job is in no danger whatsoever. If anything, he is a hero. Many NFL players are attention whores. At the end of the day, all of that is irrelevant. Winning is all that matters.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Return of the Raider @ Jul 11 2008, 11:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chutney @ Jul 11 2008, 11:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I don't blame Thompson for just wanting it all to end. He's had to deal with Favre questions for the past 3 years, all the while he built up a solid young team. I think he was perfectly happy heading into another season with Favre as his QB, but he was just as ready to move on without him. He basically had two courses of action prepared and once Favre made his retirement official, he committed to that plan. That's completely justified and he shouldn't be criticized for not taking Favre's menopausal moodswings into account. Not enough people are calling Favre for what he is: an attention-whore.</div> I do blame Thompson for wanting Brett to go away. Ted Thompson's main job is to put his owner's team into the Superbowl. That is the bottom line! Ted Thompson is expected to have a stressful job. That goes with the territory. If you are saying that Ted Thompson's comfort is more important that the Packers winning the Superbowl, then I think there is a huge misunderstanding of what priorities are. If the Packers go back to the playoffs and go deep, then Ted's job is in no danger whatsoever. If anything, he is a hero. Many NFL players are attention whores. At the end of the day, all of that is irrelevant. Winning is all that matters. </div> I don't think he wanted Brett to go away until Brett committed to go away. That's the only reason I think Thompson's getting unfair criticism. The fate of the QB position affects his team's direction tremendously and he needs some sort of consistency there if he has any hope of having a successful offseason. Its not a matter of comfort, so much as its about Thompson's ability to do his job well. He can't do it properly if he's switching around his offseason approach every week over Favre's mood swings. It'd be a shame if the great work that Thompson's done over the past few seasons was completely forgotten because of this Favre crap.
Here's a great article that kind of backs up what I'm trying to say (link) Not only does it disprove this whole notion that Thompson wanted Favre out (Thompson was one of the deciding votes for allowing him to return), but it also shows how much of an affect his retirement/non-retirement has on the team's offseason plans.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chutney @ Jul 12 2008, 12:00 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>It'd be a shame if the great work that Thompson's done over the past few seasons was completely forgotten because of this Favre crap.</div> I really wonder why people care about Ted Thompson's feelings so much. It's more of a shame if Brett Favre is blocked from finishing everything he can possibly accomplish in the NFL. No one is going to remember who Ted Thompson is 30 years from now. Brett Favre is going to be remembered for the next 100 years, and enshrined in Canton. Favre is much larger than Thompson. In fact, Favre's body of work in his career dwarfs anything that Ted Thompson could ever hope to do in the public eye. Here is what we do know: 2007 Season 4155 yards 28 touchdowns 15 int's 95.7 rating and he was one interception away from a Superbowl. Don't tell me about his age, because the Raiders took a retread named Rich Gannon and went to the big game with him at the same age. Favre is a lot better than Gannon. If Minnesota gets Favre, then its basically Elway / Terrell Davis all over again. What kills me, is that Green Bay knows this, and still won't use him. They are willing to gamble on their future with Rogers, but won't use the sure thing in Favre. Mind blowing!
Being a Viking fan i would welcome Favre and a realistic shot at a Superbowl. Right now, sure we can contend for the NFC North but with our only piece being a reliable QB...I would welcome him whole-heartedly. I know there are many a Viking fan who don't want Favre, but that's only because thier so used to hating him for being on a rival they fail to see him for what he is....a Future HOF player who still has at least a couple years left in the tank who fills our most glaring need. How much better would Jackson be after learning under Favre for 1 or 2 years. Jackson has the tools to be good...but even better learning from someone great. Besides...wouldn't it be nice to see Favre's competitive fire blazing all over his former team...he won't be playing for money, just to win. And if he wants to do that in Minnesota it's all fine by me!!!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chutney @ Jul 11 2008, 11:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (bangofan13 @ Jul 11 2008, 06:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Packers front office did this whole scenario soooo poorly........I am seriously considering rooting for whatever team Favre is on (if that happens) because the front office of my beloved home state team is making me sick.</div> I don't blame Thompson for just wanting it all to end. He's had to deal with Favre questions for the past 3 years, all the while he built up a solid young team. I think he was perfectly happy heading into another season with Favre as his QB, but he was just as ready to move on without him. He basically had two courses of action prepared and once Favre made his retirement official, he committed to that plan. That's completely justified and he shouldn't be criticized for not taking Favre's menopausal moodswings into account. Not enough people are calling Favre for what he is: an attention-whore. </div> That's because Favre isn't attention-whoring. He's making a career decision while he's still able to make one. If he's going to come back, he has to do it now. Favre can't help it if the media is keeping this story front and center. The sports media is desperate for NFL stories during this time of the year and Favre is the biggest story going right now. Why? Because he's a future Hall of Fame QB. Are you going to blame him for being good? "Menopausal moodswings" is a great way to trivialize the decision making process of a Hall of Famer to end his career. If you don't understand the difficulty in Favre's making that decision, then you really don't understand the competitive nature. Besides, would you rather be talking about Travis Henry's weed problem or Matt Jones getting busted doing cocaine? Poor Ted Thompson. He has a team that was one game from the Super Bowl and the QB that could get them there won't stay retired and let him throw away the season. Thompson and anyone, in the Packers front office who agrees with him, should be fired on the spot. This is the NFL. When you have a team as good as the Packers are right now, you take your best shot at the Super Bowl. If Favre wants to come back, he should be back already. The question now should be, "Can the Packers offer the Dolphins what they need to part with Jason Taylor?"
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DolphinDale)</div><div class='quotemain'>That's because Favre isn't attention-whoring. He's making a career decision while he's still able to make one. If he's going to come back, he has to do it now. Favre can't help it if the media is keeping this story front and center. The sports media is desperate for NFL stories during this time of the year and Favre is the biggest story going right now. Why? Because he's a future Hall of Fame QB. Are you going to blame him for being good? "Menopausal moodswings" is a great way to trivialize the decision making process of a Hall of Famer to end his career. If you don't understand the difficulty in Favre's making that decision, then you really don't understand the competitive nature. Besides, would you rather be talking about Travis Henry's weed problem or Matt Jones getting busted doing cocaine? Poor Ted Thompson. He has a team that was one game from the Super Bowl and the QB that could get them there won't stay retired and let him throw away the season. Thompson and anyone, in the Packers front office who agrees with him, should be fired on the spot. This is the NFL. When you have a team as good as the Packers are right now, you take your best shot at the Super Bowl. If Favre wants to come back, he should be back already. The question now should be, "Can the Packers offer the Dolphins what they need to part with Jason Taylor?"</div> Fine, let's assume that Favre isn't doing it because he loves the attention (although I don't see how one belief is any more justified than the other). At the very least, you have to consider how selfish Favre has been through this entire decision-making process. The man's waffled back and forth on the issue, as if his team can just wait there patiently for him all year long. The fact of the matter is that constructing a 53-man roster requires a helluva lot of work and a change at the Packers' QB position trickles down to affect every other significant move Thompson has to make. That article I posted above does a great job of illustrating how Favre's indecisiveness is totally f'ing with his former team. They can't keep waiting for him and expect to put the best roster that they can, come the season opener. Favre seems either completely ignorant or totally dismissive of this fact. And excuse me if I can't sympathize with the man for having to make a decision that people make every single day. Even if you assume that athletes have a tougher decision because of their "competitive nature," its the same decision that athletes (in every sport) are able to make all the time without this stupid drama. Treating Favre like a special case is just a way to overlook his current mistakes, because of what he's done over the course of his career. I have a lot of respect for what he's done. But that doesn't stop me from calling it like it is: Favre is being a selfish idiot right now. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Return of the Raider)</div><div class='quotemain'>I really wonder why people care about Ted Thompson's feelings so much. It's more of a shame if Brett Favre is blocked from finishing everything he can possibly accomplish in the NFL. No one is going to remember who Ted Thompson is 30 years from now. Brett Favre is going to be remembered for the next 100 years, and enshrined in Canton. Favre is much larger than Thompson. In fact, Favre's body of work in his career dwarfs anything that Ted Thompson could ever hope to do in the public eye. Here is what we do know: 2007 Season 4155 yards 28 touchdowns 15 int's 95.7 rating and he was one interception away from a Superbowl. Don't tell me about his age, because the Raiders took a retread named Rich Gannon and went to the big game with him at the same age. Favre is a lot better than Gannon. If Minnesota gets Favre, then its basically Elway / Terrell Davis all over again. What kills me, is that Green Bay knows this, and still won't use him. They are willing to gamble on their future with Rogers, but won't use the sure thing in Favre. Mind blowing!</div> I don't really care about Thompson's feeling, I just hate these unfair characterizations that people are making: 1) Thompson hates Favre and is trying to run him out That's just idiotic, considering Thompson was one of the deciding votes for allowing him back on the team when Favre indicated he wanted to return for next year (again, in that article I posted above). In reality, Thompson's kept the door open for Favre his entire time with the Packers and has dealt with a lot of his b.s. pretty well. He hasn't applied that to an official retirement however, and I can understand why. You should be able to bank on a retirement to be definitive. 2) Thompson is willing to sacrifice a season because of his Favre-hate I don't think this makes sense, either. The reason he's being harsh with Favre now isn't because he hates him or something, its probably because he no longer trusts his word anymore. If he's going to continue to build this team properly, he has to be able to trust the players on his roster. And Favre's selfish indecisiveness has hardly inspired such confidence. Favre continues to get the benefit of the doubt, because of his career accomplishments. But I just can't defend a dude who's currently being such a jackass to his former team.
