Read This: Telling Timeline on Favre Situation

[Scott Campbell]

They are offering info to the media effectively to allow fans to view this and condone the possibility that they are sending the best option to win short term to another team and moving on

Or that no matter the consequences, you can't allow one player to hold your team hostage.

[Bretsky]

They are offering info to the media effectively to allow fans to view this and condone the possibility that they are sending the best option to win short term to another team and moving on

Or that no matter the consequences, you can't allow one player to hold your team hostage.

Never bought into the hostage theory

TT has a choice

[vince]

As much as I love Brett Favre for how he plays the game, this is more important than 'the now.'

If he comes back and starts, I will lose some respect for TT for succumbing to the star-struck fans and not taking the principled stance here. This is an incredibly difficult situation, but the team must come first, and they have the opportunity here to send a powerful message to the team.

Brett, take your ball and go home.

[Bretsky]

As much as I love Brett Favre for how he plays the game, this is more important than 'the now.'

If he comes back and starts, I will lose some respect for TT for succumbing to the star-struck fans and not taking the principled stance here. This is an incredibly difficult situation, but the team must come first, and they have the opportunity here to send a powerful message to the team.

Brett, take your ball and go home.

If Favre wants to play he should play

And at best or worst (depending on your view)....we'll take some draft pick

[Fritz]

Bretsky - I don't know if it was "brilliant" - that suggests that they are orchestrating everything and playing games. I don't agree. For this whole ordeal, TT and MM have played it close to the vest, not saying much (as is TT's style). TT has been getting ripped to shreds and the Favre family has contributed to this. My sense is that they are trying to set the record straight.

Also, I know a little bit about lying or "spinning" the truth. Sadly enough, I used to do that in my life. My ex-wife was also in insurance fraud investigator and I saw, from her, how people lie well and how they lie badly. So (and I'm not proud of this) I speak as a bit of an expert. And I can tell you this: If you're going to lie, or fudge or stretch the truth or spin it, you don't offer up any detail. It's the worst thing you can do.
It's the first rule of spin. Because if you get cross-examined you have to keep making up more and more to make it fit, and that's where people get tripped up. And we all know the media will be doing some serious cross-examining.

Therefore, I must conclude here that this level of detail - from two people speaking together - could not possibly be a lie designed to make Favre look bad. Now, as one poster accurately notes above, Favre may have a different sense of the "good conversation" TT and he had at lunch in Mississippi. But that's not challenging the essential truth of the timeline; that's one's perception of how things went, not what happened.

Note too that neither Favre nor his family have given any specifics as to why they feel TT was pushing Favre out. They talk about "feeling" and while what people feel is what they feel, there's no detailed fact to support that TT was blowing Favre off. Not til the press conference yesterday, anyway - at this point they seem a bit tired of the back-and-forth of Favre.

And you end by saying Favre will not reveal any timeline. Why not? He has never, in the past, hesitated to open up about what he feels or thinks about a number of subjects - Javon Walker, not getting Randy Moss, his painkiller addiction. It's part of what so many of us love about the guy. He's not political - he's pretty open, mostly.

So I conclude from this that TT and MM gave Favre a lot of consideration, they did feel he was their best chance to win this year, they were open to having him come back and in fact offered reduced reps in practice and borrowed a plane to fly to Favre's home (by the way, if you're lying that's a bad detail l to make up cuz it's so easily checkable), they were on the phone with him frequently, they sent an emissary and TT even went down for lunch. Are those the actions of people trying to ignore Brett Favre out of the game?

No. Ultimately, Favre seems unwilling to admit to his wavering. He wanted back, but he didn't feel 100% committed (which by the way Favre himself said a few times is necessary if you're going to play). And I don't blame him for that. That's human. But I do blame him for his apparent willingness to let his family (Mom and brother) air his grievances and allow them to suggest that he was forced out. Becvause he was not forced out, though now it seems that TT has run out of patience.

Nice post and analysis.

Yes, a good post

I don't see Favre offering up specifics because he's using the media to do his talking. Mortenson did report that Favre indicated that is not exactly how it went down in March but he didn't offer many specifics.

Clayton just reported that the mojo between BF and Thompson is deteriorating by the minute and it's become less likely that he can be a Packers.

The ESPN analysts seem to be split about 50-50 as to whether Favre will play in GB or somewhere else.

Sport Reporters was interesting. The last thing they said was something to the effect that the hottest girl in the school gets extra chances..

Especially if she's bisexual.

That would warrant UNLIMITED chances

Does this suggest that if Favre is bisexual he'd get more chances? (This is me playing straight man - ha ha - for Tank).

[pbmax]

I haven't gotten to the end of the Internet yet, but my sense is that T2 is still getting ripped to shreds. From CBS to ESPN and profootballtalk, most people either:

1) Believe the camp thing, as backup or open competition, is a bluff

2) Think Thompson is just CYA, just hoping beyond hope that Favre will retire

3) If Favre does come to camp, they are just trying to lessen the blow to Rodgers, since Favre will win out

In short, yesterday's interviews have had little effect. I think he was better off with the leaked threat of backup status from Friday and waiting. Now he has put the ball in Favre's court waiting for the unretirement letter.

It won't be clear until Monday's radio chatter, but yesterday, from a media managed standpoint was a wash.

I'd like to think the Packers are prepared to have Favre come in to be backup or compete, but I get the sense they are not. And waiting for Favre to decide to file the letter gives him the next move.

The one question that hasn't been asked, is why did Favre not also send a letter to Goodell when they mailed the release request to the Packers? Why did he want the request to be released public before he requested active status?

I hope Thompson was sandbagging, to let fans know they were confused and upset over this development. To let Favre continue to push this. I can't imagine Thompson, in the position he is in, not having played out this scenario several times in his head. It has to be the reason his is sitting on more than his usual pile of cap room.

Especially since he says he knows Favre reiterated a desire to play again to Campen after the aborted first unretirement and the current unretirement. He HAD to have seen this coming.

[GBRulz]

I dunno, just wish Brett could have done the talking instead of all this channeling crap.

His pilot has been unusually quiet. That guy usually has something to say.

Do you read officialbrettfavre.com ? I'm banned from there and they now require you to register just to read, so I haven't been able to see his comments. I'm sure he has plenty to say though. DavidPHX is his screen name.

[Bretsky]

Bretsky - I don't know if it was "brilliant" - that suggests that they are orchestrating everything and playing games. I don't agree. For this whole ordeal, TT and MM have played it close to the vest, not saying much (as is TT's style). TT has been getting ripped to shreds and the Favre family has contributed to this. My sense is that they are trying to set the record straight.

Also, I know a little bit about lying or "spinning" the truth. Sadly enough, I used to do that in my life. My ex-wife was also in insurance fraud investigator and I saw, from her, how people lie well and how they lie badly. So (and I'm not proud of this) I speak as a bit of an expert. And I can tell you this: If you're going to lie, or fudge or stretch the truth or spin it, you don't offer up any detail. It's the worst thing you can do.
It's the first rule of spin. Because if you get cross-examined you have to keep making up more and more to make it fit, and that's where people get tripped up. And we all know the media will be doing some serious cross-examining.

Therefore, I must conclude here that this level of detail - from two people speaking together - could not possibly be a lie designed to make Favre look bad. Now, as one poster accurately notes above, Favre may have a different sense of the "good conversation" TT and he had at lunch in Mississippi. But that's not challenging the essential truth of the timeline; that's one's perception of how things went, not what happened.

Note too that neither Favre nor his family have given any specifics as to why they feel TT was pushing Favre out. They talk about "feeling" and while what people feel is what they feel, there's no detailed fact to support that TT was blowing Favre off. Not til the press conference yesterday, anyway - at this point they seem a bit tired of the back-and-forth of Favre.

And you end by saying Favre will not reveal any timeline. Why not? He has never, in the past, hesitated to open up about what he feels or thinks about a number of subjects - Javon Walker, not getting Randy Moss, his painkiller addiction. It's part of what so many of us love about the guy. He's not political - he's pretty open, mostly.

So I conclude from this that TT and MM gave Favre a lot of consideration, they did feel he was their best chance to win this year, they were open to having him come back and in fact offered reduced reps in practice and borrowed a plane to fly to Favre's home (by the way, if you're lying that's a bad detail l to make up cuz it's so easily checkable), they were on the phone with him frequently, they sent an emissary and TT even went down for lunch. Are those the actions of people trying to ignore Brett Favre out of the game?

No. Ultimately, Favre seems unwilling to admit to his wavering. He wanted back, but he didn't feel 100% committed (which by the way Favre himself said a few times is necessary if you're going to play). And I don't blame him for that. That's human. But I do blame him for his apparent willingness to let his family (Mom and brother) air his grievances and allow them to suggest that he was forced out. Becvause he was not forced out, though now it seems that TT has run out of patience.

Nice post and analysis.

Yes, a good post

I don't see Favre offering up specifics because he's using the media to do his talking. Mortenson did report that Favre indicated that is not exactly how it went down in March but he didn't offer many specifics.

Clayton just reported that the mojo between BF and Thompson is deteriorating by the minute and it's become less likely that he can be a Packers.

The ESPN analysts seem to be split about 50-50 as to whether Favre will play in GB or somewhere else.

Sport Reporters was interesting. The last thing they said was something to the effect that the hottest girl in the school gets extra chances..

Especially if she's bisexual.

That would warrant UNLIMITED chances

Does this suggest that if Favre is bisexual he'd get more chances? (This is me playing straight man - ha ha - for Tank).

rule only applies to chicks

[Scott Campbell]

Do you read officialbrettfavre.com ? I'm banned from there and they now require you to register just to read, so I haven't been able to see his comments. I'm sure he has plenty to say though. DavidPHX is his screen name.

Banned? Oh, you're such a trouble maker.

No, I've never been there.

[GBRulz]

Do you read officialbrettfavre.com ? I'm banned from there and they now require you to register just to read, so I haven't been able to see his comments. I'm sure he has plenty to say though. DavidPHX is his screen name.

Banned? Oh, you're such a trouble maker.

No, I've never been there.

Yeah, I know!! Brett's pilot, David was telling people how you should only buy autographed Favre stuff through their website and that eBay was full of fakes. I mean, let's remember OBF is a store with a forum attached. So, I told him he was arrogant and I got banned for it.

Thank god Mad isn't sensitive as to what people say about him or we'd all be banned from here

[pbmax]

This is good news for the Packers if this reaction carries to other pundits and talking heads. I had not seen positive reaction to the timeline or Favre's other possible unretirement. It seemed to have a bigger impact on this forum than in the stuff I have read so far.

I don't see Favre offering up specifics because he's using the media to do his talking. Mortenson did report that Favre indicated that is not exactly how it went down in March but he didn't offer many specifics.

Clayton just reported that the mojo between BF and Thompson is deteriorating by the minute and it's become less likely that he can be a Packers.

The ESPN analysts seem to be split about 50-50 as to whether Favre will play in GB or somewhere else.

Sport Reporters was interesting. The last thing they said was something to the effect that the hottest girl in the school gets extra chances..

[Scott Campbell]

Yeah, I know!! Brett's pilot, David was telling people how you should only buy autographed Favre stuff through their website and that eBay was full of fakes. I mean, let's remember OBF is a store with a forum attached. So, I told him he was arrogant and I got banned for it.

Thank god Mad isn't sensitive as to what people say about him or we'd all be banned from here

So David probably wouldn't have let you get away with calling him Burrito Boy either.

[Bretsky]

I haven't gotten to the end of the Internet yet, but my sense is that T2 is still getting ripped to shreds. From CBS to ESPN and profootballtalk, most people either:

1) Believe the camp thing, as backup or open competition, is a bluff


I'D AGREE HERE; and honestly it is a bluff. Green Bay is not going to bench BF if he is here. The Media is not buying this for a minute and that is 100% from what I've heard.

2) Think Thompson is just CYA, just hoping beyond hope that Favre will retire

Well, honestly, Ted does hope Brett Retires; but I do think the media is taking what he said as sincere and they are not abusing him too badly today. The talk radio hosts nationally are hammering him though

3) If Favre does come to camp, they are just trying to lessen the blow to Rodgers, since Favre will win out

This might be true I guess; basically they have either decided or are deciding if Favre is their starter or if they are going to trade him


It won't be clear until Monday's radio chatter, but yesterday, from a media managed standpoint was a wash.

AGREE, but overall my perception was TT was getting hammered nationally before yesterday; now it's even ground

I'd like to think the Packers are prepared to have Favre come in to be backup or compete, but I get the sense they are not. And waiting for Favre to decide to file the letter gives him the next move.

Looking at the facts, Favre had his 2nd best year last year since 1996. ESPN mapped out about six stats showing that for their audience. If Favre is in Green Bay he's the starter. Right now it seems about 50-50 from the media as to whether he's back in GB or not.

The one question that hasn't been asked, is why did Favre not also send a letter to Goodell when they mailed the release request to the Packers? Why did he want the request to be released public before he requested active status?

After their last conference call, Favre felt like he was not welcomed in Green Bay so he just asked for his release. To me, that was kind of taking a shot at TT.


Especially since he says he knows Favre reiterated a desire to play again to Campen after the aborted first unretirement and the current unretirement. He HAD to have seen this coming.

I AGREE; TT is smart and knew this was a good possibilty. IMO his plan was not to let Favre back after the last debacle and we'll see if he sticks to it.

[RashanGary]

Favre's not going to open up because he never thought the Packers would come out and tell the truth. He thought he could spread a half truth in the media because TT has allowed every other player to do it. Instead, the Packers came out and told how it really went down.

Yeah, Brett will be silent. There is nothing he cna possibly say to help his cause if this story is accurate. IF it's not accurate he'll say so. Brett has never been one to keep his mouth shut about anything that would help him. Maybe he'd let a teammate go under the bus, but never himself.

[texaspackerbacker]

The Packers ain't a democracy. Thompson and McCarthy didn't need to do things for "PR" or whatever. All they needed to do--and all they did--was go with their guts--and let the chips fall.

If the Packers fall on their face--which I very much doubt will happen, they will get crucified no matter how much PR crap they might do. If the Packers win to at least as great an extent as last year, and Rodgers does well--as I thoroughly expect, they will be praised regardless of how the whole Favre mess has been handled.