Favre Article

[MJZiggy]

Favre’s decision: ‘Iâââ� �šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢m in’
by Rob Demovsky
Source: PackersNews.com

Apr. 27, 2006

Brett Favre gave coach Mike McCarthy the news with a simple, two-word statement: “Iââ⠀šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢m in.”

“Those were the words he used,” McCarthy said Wednesday.

Now the question is, for how long?

If the veteran quarterback told the Green Bay Packers whether he intends for 2006 to be his farewell season, neither McCarthy, the team’s first-year coach, nor General Manager Ted Thompson is saying.

But the feeling among many in the organization on Wednesday, a day after Favre told the Packers he will play this season, was that there’s a good chance this will be his last year.

A month ago, Favre said if he did play this season, “it will be my last. There’s no doubt about that.”

“Oh my God, please don’t start that again,” McCarthy said. “Heââ� �€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s coming back to play this year, and I’m not even going to get into that.

“I can see why you’re asking, but we haven’t discussed that.”

Thompson said he didn’t ask Favre how much longer he intends to play.

“Iââ⠀šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢m just glad to get past this hurdle,” Thompson said. “Iââ⠀šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ll worry about 2007 maybe in a week or so.”

A source close to Favre said that twice since the end of last season, the 36-year-old quarterback told Thompson he felt it probably was time to quit. Both times, Thompson told Favre to take more time to decide.

Favre couldn’t be reached for comment on Wednesday, and he didn’t issue any statement through the Packers. His agent, Bus Cook, didn’t return phone messages seeking comment.

Favre may not make his first public comments about his return until the Packers’ post-draft minicamp, which begins May 5.

Favre will participate in the minicamp, but to what degree won’t be determined until next week, McCarthy said. Last season, Favre was allowed to skip all of the offseason activities in Green Bay and worked out with a personal trainer at home in Mississippi.

Favre is returning to a team that finished 4-12 last season, a year in which he threw a career-high 29 interceptions. How much of the problems were due to Favre’s play was difficult to say in part because by season’s end, the Packers’ roster was badly depleted by injuries.

“The games I saw, it was a combination (of Favre and the injuries),” said Ron Wolf, the former Packers general manager who brought Favre to Green Bay in a 1992 trade with Atlanta.

“You expect your quarterback to be able to make some plays. A couple of those games I saw early in the season, the Cleveland game and the Minnesota game, he didn’t make plays. Then the game in Baltimore (a 48-3 loss on Dec. 19), that was a disaster. By that time, really and truly, they didn’t have any players.”

Wolf said he wasn’t shocked that Favre decided to return, but was a bit surprised that it took Favre almost four months after the season to make up his mind.

“I think it’s probably a good thing for the Packers that he’s coming back,” Wolf said. “I would sure think you’d rather have him than somebody else. I mean, look at these other teams struggling at that position, and now they’ve got the key position in the game resolved. That should really help them.”

Wolf said he would still rate Favre as one of the NFL’s elite among active quarterbacks despite his play last season.

“Heââ� �€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s in great physical shape, and he’s young enough to come back,” Wolf said. “I think if he wanted to, he could go easily to (age) 40. I don’t think there’s any reason to believe he couldn’t do that.”

Asked how good he thought Favre is, McCarthy, who was Favre’s position coach in 1999, said. “I think he’s got plenty of gas left in the tank.”

Favre hinted during the offseason that he wanted Thompson to be more active in free agency to improve the team, but it’s possible he was simply using that as an excuse to buy time to make a decision. Thompson wasn’t overly active in the market, yet Favre still returned.

“The one thing that bothered me, and I talked to so many shareholders, was that people thought Ted Thompson must be telling (Favre) he doesn’t want him back,” Packers President Bob Harlan said. “Ted stated publicly and told Brett numerous times that he wants him back. Now this puts that to rest.”

News of Favre’s return was a boon to spirits at Packers headquarters as the team’s coaching staff and personnel department went over final preparations for this weekend’s NFL draft.

“Thereâà ¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s been a great feeling around the building,” Harlan said. “This is real good news that everybody’s been hoping for. We needed something like this. I think Ted and Mike needed something like this.”

[RashanGary]

LOL,

I think Mike and Ted are friggin extactic. With the new salary cap, I don't even think Favre is overpaid anymore. Without him GB is a friggin joke.

[No Mo Moss]

Thanks, good read. I needed something like this too, not just Ted and Mike.

[MJZiggy]

I think we all did, and reading the WBAY article on Driver helped out a lot too. ESPNothing SUCKS!

Driver Refutes Report He's an Unhappy Packer
April 27, 2006 06:53 PM

According to sources, Donald Driver is refuting an ESPN report that he, like Javon Walker, is unhappy with his contract and wants to be traded or released.

Driver has two years left on a five-year, $11 million extension he signed in 2002. That deal included a four-million dollar signing bonus. Since then, Driver has been the Packers' number-one receiver, and it could be argued that he has outperformed the deal.

Driver and his agent were talking to the Packers about his contract last December. Sources close to Driver said Thursday he has no plans to hold out or make any demands of the team to rework his deal.

[Joemailman]

It is amazing the depths to which ESPN has fallen in terms of reliability and integrity. Is it because they are no longer independent, but rather a division of Disney?