OFFICIAL BRETT THE LIVING LEGEND THREAD

[woodbuck27]

I am pretty sure I remember the press conference. And the tears.

Football isn't boxing and you can't just step back into the ring where you left off and choose your opponent.

After a decade of flirting with retirement to get the Packers brass committed to winning now, it was clear his agenda conflicted with the Packers. It was a piece with the other power plays he had pulled as acting GM with the Packers. Thompson countered with a play of his own (plus M3 and Murphy) and got a 3rd round pick and one year of peace. Favre got his money and his payback a year later.

It was one of the ugliest business negotiations outside of a Hollywood divorce ever carried on basic cable. But the Packers got a Super Bow victory AND another half decade + of being talented enough to earn another one. It was a wise decision, poorly executed.

No one could ever say that Favre wasn't an emotional Pro athlete. Favre carried his emotions on his sleeve.

Hindsight is 20/20 and looking back on it all the real problem begins in my honest estimation when MM doesn't tell TT to make it clear to Brett Favre that there will be a change at QB in the 2008 season. That a decision has been made to move ahead with Aaron Rodgers.

Brett Favre then had to make a decision to either stay 'finally' retired , ask for his outright release or a trade.

It got really silly when he was offered what constituted a payout to stay retired, when he began to waffle again as he did RE: former retirements. If he wasn't going to be allowed to be the NO. 1 QB given his service to the Packers and he wanted to be an NFL starter. He deserved to be treated with proper honesty and respect. All the moaning and groaning on MM's part doesn't excuse the fact that he didn't stand 100% firm and inform Brett Favre well before TC was to open. That under no circumstance would he be the NO. 1 QB in Green Bay in 2008. That Aaron Rodgers was ready and couldn't be left on the sidelines any longer.

What was TT's part in this whole thing? As I view it now. Ted Thompson isn't emotionally equipped to deal with such things. I don't see TT as the strongest of men and in fact far from that. I believe that TT knew that MM wanted Aaron Rodgers in and IMO given all the circumstances that was a correct decision.

I agree with you pbmax. it was horribly and incompetently handled. It was one of those situations where the best thing was for both sides to just completely let go of the other and allow for 'come what may'.

What we suffered as Packer fans is a clear example of one side (the Green Bay Packers) trying to overpower another and that side (Brett Favre) balking. Brett Favre isn't an easy man to overpower.

He wasn't going to 'no retirement'. Think Amy Winehouse.

Certainly no retirement after coming so close again in the 2007 season to reaching his dream. Certainly not after a very near NFL MVP season. Brett Favre was never a Pro athlete that played it safe. He always went down swinging and that made him my kind of man.

Have you seen the great movie 'the Hobbit'? If Favre was acting in that movie he would certainly have played a part as one of the Dwarves. A fearless and at times careless fighter. Some Packer fans want to act towards him like he's an Orc of Isengard because of his mere humanity.

That man made some mistakes and for all those that live perfect lives. I ask you to first re-consider before exercising any option of throwing the first stone or joining in 'with the angry mob', to otherwise persecute Brett Favre. Those that take their Packer fan status to a level far too serious.

For the rest of you that are 'just as I am' or 'far from perfect'. Try to temper your judgements and admonitions. I promise you this. That is by far the very best stance.

GO PACK GO!

[pbmax]

What was TT's part in this whole thing? As I view it now. Ted Thompson isn't emotionally equipped to deal with such things. I don't see TT as the strongest of men and in fact far from that. I believe that TT knew that MM wanted Aaron Rodgers in and IMO given all the circumstances that was a correct decision.

I don't agree with this assessment of Thompson. If he was weak willed or unable to deal with emotional circumstances, then he would not have the draft philosophy he has. Not would he have the approach to FA he has.

There are are two other franchises who could have left their Pro Bowl QB at the altar because it was time to move on. The Patriots and the Steelers. The Patriots have done it before (though with an injury to Bledsoe to test drive Brady). And the Steelers just spent last year ignoring BenR and giving him an offensive coordinator and run game emphasis of their choosing, not his.

The Giants haven't had to do this with a QB since Simms/Hostetler so the jury is out there but I suspect they could do it. 49ers maybe as they benched Alex Smith, but he was not nearly the fixture the other QBs were. The Colts should be considered as well since Irsay engineered Manning's exit PLUS a tanked season to secure Luck.