For the past couple of years, the same question gets raised in Packer country: Will Brett Favre retire? I have never been a fan of the Green Bay Packers. But I am a sports fan and appreciate great athletes. I've always considered Brett Favre to be one of the great ones. However, I just kind of get tired of the non-news stories that creep up in the offseason. It always feels forced with the Brett Favre retirement. If it feels like this first paragraph is going in circles, then you know how annoying such a conversation can become.
This kind of thing happens all the time with boxers. They retire and unretire. Remember how many times Larry Holmes came out of retirement to get pounded one more time?
It seems like the only person in the NFL that was being questioned about retirement for the past couple of seasons was Brett Favre. And to me, he has always come across as wishy-washy about the subject. That is part of the reason this whole situation annoys me so much, in addition to the fact that it's really not news unless he actually takes a position.
And in March, Brett took a position. Like in some relationships, if you break up with the girl, and she starts dating another guy soon thereafter, can you just go back to the girl and say, "Well, I change my mind. I want us to work this out and get together again?" Sometimes, I suppose. But can you blame the girl if she's just ready to move on without you?
You could rond up your friends and turn them all against the girl for not allowing you to get back together again. It's a pathetic move, but it could be persuasive. That's basically what Brett is doing by appealing to the fans lately with his interview with Greta van Susteren. He's saying how he isn't feeling welcome anymore. And it's like, dude, if you would have just kept your mouth shut and thought about what you really wanted to do with such an important decision hanging over your head instead of impulsively (apparently) telling the world that you're through, than we wouldn't be here today wondering.
The long, drawn-out saga of whether Brett plays or not just feeds into more and more talking about Brett Favre. And don't get me wrong, Brett deserves a lot of the talk he's received. He's a Superbowl champion. He's had so many classic moments, not the least of which includes his two Monday night performances: (a) the night in Oakland when he played on through the death of his father, and (b) last year when he threw that game-winning TD in Denver. He's a cult hero in Green Bay. He owns the town pretty much.
Had Favre kept his mouth shut and just stayed retired, the Packers probably would have built a statue of the guy in front of Lambeau before opening day this fall. He would have any gig on any football-related program he wanted. That's it. And now this.....you big loser. You just couldn't avoid making a mess out of your whole situation. Why risk ruining your legacy?
The guy finished last season with perhaps his greatest moment ever - that off-balance pass that helped beat Seattle and put Green Bay in the NFC title game? And guess what Brett - your interception late in the NYG game cost ended up ultimately leading to the Giants winning in OT. And it's no shame to go out that way. It's probably exceeding expectations that the Packers found themselves in the NFC title game anyhow, despite their great run last year. There are better teams than Green Bay, I'd be willing to argue. They were a good team. Not great. Just ask the Giants.
OK, so where does that put us? Brett leaves the team with his touching retirement address. Now, all of a sudden, instead of dodging the question as he so gracefully has year-in and year-out, now that it's too late, he wants to take a stand. Yo Brett, couldn't you have just answered us all clearly about this question about a million times ago when it was asked for the first time? I don't feel sorry for his at all.
I'm kind of anxious to see the CAL Bear, Aaron Rodgers, run the show in Green Bay. So are the Packers. He held his own in Dallas last year in that Thursday night game. It's time for a change. Besides, we had the same kind of situation out here when Steve Young replaced Joe Montana. And Brett, you're all right, but you ain't no Joe Montana, fool. Not even in the same sentence or zip code, even. And by the way, Steve Young? He went on to become a Superbowl Champion and first-ballot Hall of Famer. Guess that ended that debate.
No, I think Brett Favre laid a major egg with this one, and it's all over his face. I refuse to listen to his whining and complaining about not feeling welcome. He sure wasn't complaining during the glory days.......which were years ago, by the way, Brett. I think they ended right around the time that Terrell Davis was running roughshod over the Packers in the Superbowl. Gee, that was a while ago, wasn't it? How OLD are you, exactly Brett?
In conclusion, I'm sick and tired of the Brett Favre drama. Brett, you're wrong. You blew it and you know it. And trying to force the issue now makes you look worse and worse. If you want to play in the NFL at this point, you better get used to the clipboard and towel on the sidelines playing back-up to Aaron Rodgers. It's like Jerry Glanville told that rookie QB of his in Atlanta, "That's NFL: Not For Long." Brett, you're moment in the sun is over. Stay retired. Say you were taking crazy pills this week and we'll forget that this all happened. Seriously.
OK.....I'm through. I got that off my chest.
(PS - If there are misspellings, I'm not changing them. Unlike Brett, I'm not going to try and go back and fix everything. I can move on with my life, imperfect as it is.)
3 comments:
I actually talked some about the Favre situation on my blog before my favorite college players post. I agree with some of what you say, and not some of the other stuff. I'll respond more when I have time, though.
Hope you are doing well!
I'm curious about your take. I guess I just had a *moment* today where I was like, I'm sick of this crap already. Know what I mean? Lemme know what your take is.
A couple of things....some of it "devil's advocate," some of it how I legitimately feel.
Point 1: What if Favre was legitimately pressured by management to decide earlier than he was ready to do? In other words, if he needed until training camp to make a thorough and complete decision, and they told him they HAD TO KNOW before the draft, wouldn't it make some sense that his decision is reactionary and based in emotion rather than the substantial amount of logic and time needed to make such an important decision? There's a reason that crimes of passion are treated differently than premeditated murders, and in this case, I think Favre should be cut some slack IF he was pressured into deciding earlier than he was prepared to do so.
Point 2: I didn't take this interview situation as Favre trying to rally support as much as he was trying to clear the air. Nowhere does he say he deserves to start for Green Bay. He simply says he wants to come back to PLAY, and if Green Bay doesn't want him to play, then they should let him go. If he's such an icon, and he has meant so much to the city, what benefit do they get by overpaying him to "rot" on the bench? Why not trade him or cut him if they truly respect him and want to preserve his legacy? If they respect him, why not respect his wishes by giving him a chance to do what he wants- play in the league while he can still be successful doing so?
Point 3: Legacy to a player is often irrelevant. Seriously, these are athletes that are addicted to competition and "the clubhouse" like it's a drug. Sure, many of them are egotistical, and one can argue it's what helps them achieve greatness. But even more than that, they live for the competition, the thrill of the games (in spite of all the BS Monday - Saturday that Favre wasn't sure he wanted to endure.) So, this drive to compete keeps them wanting to play, even when they are shells of their former selves, washed up and often left for dead by most teams.
Point 4: It wasn't just Favre the past few seasons- trust me! Refer to all the discussion about Tiki Barber, or Michael Strahan, or Priest Holmes. Were those cases as high profile? Maybe not, but they were definitely covered in the media within the last year.
Point 5: Is your "Cal" fan persona showing through in this, or is it more just annoyance with Favre? I.e. this rant seemed a little more interesting when I remembered that Rodgers is a Cal guy, like yourself. :) I do feel bad for Rodgers, and Favre has said he does, too. However, tell me this- who do you think gives GB the best chance to win the Super Bowl THIS SEASON? That should be the management's primary focus. If it's Favre, he should be back. If it's Rodgers, they need to cut Favre loose to get Rodgers out of his shadow. If the difference is negligible, then let Favre go so they don't burn bridges with Rodgers.
I guess all I'm saying is that it's hard to take sides one way or the other when this still reeks of a big-time "he said, she said" situation. And, it's one where it sounds like Favre has previous history of distrusting Thompson. So, I'm not sure who is speaking the entire truth, if anyone. But I guess I tend to see Favre's point of view right now, and think you're coming down a little too hard on Favre. GB has to decide what is best for them, but I just can't see holding on to Favre as Rodgers' backup as something they could truly envision as "best for the team."
Feel free to respond! I respect your opinions, and here are mine. :)
Talk to you soon, man. Keep up the good writing.
Ryan B.
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