Have you ever been in the Packer's predicament?

[Patler]

Favre needed to decide what he wanted to do, then get his butt up to GB and sit down with TT and MM face-to-face, saying "I can't stand not playing. I intend to apply for reinstatement. How are WE going to handle that?"

I have no disagreement there.

At the same time, the Packers could do the same thing right now. This is a huge distraction...and they have every right to do the same thing. Stop talking about how you want to preserve Favre's legacy and actually do something about it. If you truly have "moved on" and believe Rodgers is the future and a better choice than Favre now, then release Favre and let him do what he wants. He's earned that level of respect from Green Bay.

The blame is on both sides. I don't get why people are so adamant that one side or the other is fully to blame in this.

I think the problem that the Packers have right now is that they don't know if Favre really wants to play or not. Apparently they tried to go down there in March to work out his "return", should they do it again now?

Unfortunately, I think the ball is clearly in Favre's court. He needs to do something that is definite, firm and 100% reliable. Since he can't seem to do that, the Packers really can't do anything other than what they are currently doing. I really think there might be concern on their part that they could welcome him back, only to have him decide before the start of training camp that he really is retired.

[The Leaper]

I think the problem that the Packers have right now is that they don't know if Favre really wants to play or not. Apparently they tried to go down there in March to work out his "return", should they do it again now?

I don't think there is any problem with that. Favre clearly wants to play in 2008. He asked for his release so that he could play after the Packers told him they had moved on.

What else do you or the Packers need, Patler? Favre is 100% right now about playing in 2008...he has stated so publically and his actions to this point support his public statements. By all accounts, he made that known to the Packers weeks ago.

[MadtownPacker]

Re: Have you ever been in the Packer's predicament?

Ultimately, after some other things occurred, the first employee returned to her former position and the one who had replaced her moved into another position that she liked even better.

So in your story Favre gets his starting job back?

One other factor, you wanted her back. I dont think that is the case in GB.

[Sparkey]

This is a bit different direction, but the over-all issue is similar.

I used to play on a softball team that was "pretty good". Mostly buddies that played more for the enjoyment of competition than "winning at all costs". We would normally finish about the top third of the league each year.

Well, we added a player who made us a top tier team. The kind of player that, although he was average defensively, he could rip the cover off a softball.

Well, after about a month, he came to us and said he didn't really want to play any more. We asked why and got a few lame, mumblings of this and that and so we decided fine, then go. The next season we added a "new guy" to play his spot. Average player, but fun guy to play with. Anyways, two weeks into the season, previous guy wants to play with us again. We decided, sure what the heck, as he would make us a better offensive team. However, "new guy" lost a lot of his playing time and decided it wasn't fair and quit our team to join another. Well, a month later, the previous guy AGAIN, decided he wasn't having as much fun as he thought he should and left us. A few years later this same guy who had quit on us twice, wanted to play with our team again. He said he'd play 3rd again and when we said we already have a 3rd baseman, but we'll make room for you some place, he decided that wasn't good enough for him. SO we decided we did not need him on the team, because even though he made us better on the field, it created problems off the field.

The irony, the original new guy that was average, after a few years turns out to be one of the better players in the league.

[3irty1]

My father has a story similar to Patler's with a different outcome. My dad was a senior engineer at John Deere in Horicon. After being with the company 11 or 12 years in Horicon and 4 years in Dubuque before that, he decided he was tired of the way things were at Deere and took a terrific offer from Harley Davidson in Milwaukee. At first it seemed like a dream job. He got to wear jeans, the thrill of working with motorcycles instead of designing mower decks, etc. I was shocked when he told me he was leaving Deere to be honest. It just didn't seem like something my dad would do although it must have been a great offer and I was very happy for him. After about a month he realized that he made a huge mistake and being an engineer for Harley wasn't all it was cracked up to be. He contacted Deere about getting his old job back but someone had been promoted to his old position. They took him back but in a slightly lower position in of the mower deck group although he did get his old salary.

I asked my father how he felt about the Favre situation given his similar experience and he laughed and told me he was jealous of Favre. My dad was picking the job he hated less. Favre is pursuing what he loves most. But all the same my dad hopes that Favre will accept any job the Packers can offer him and see it for what it is: an opportunity to do the thing you love most (or hate less ).

[Patler]

I think the problem that the Packers have right now is that they don't know if Favre really wants to play or not. Apparently they tried to go down there in March to work out his "return", should they do it again now?

I don't think there is any problem with that. Favre clearly wants to play in 2008. He asked for his release so that he could play after the Packers told him they had moved on.

What else do you or the Packers need, Patler? Favre is 100% right now about playing in 2008...he has stated so publically and his actions to this point support his public statements. By all accounts, he made that known to the Packers weeks ago.

Oh, something simple, like requesting the NFL to remove him from the retired/inactive list and place him on the active list. Until he does that, he is retired whether he likes it or not.

[The Leaper]

Oh, something simple, like requesting the NFL to remove him from the retired/inactive list and place him on the active list. Until he does that, he is retired whether he likes it or not.

Well, if the Packers told him there was no chance of him coming back and that they couldn't envision him playing for anyone else either, why would he be in a rush to reinstate himself?

As Favre correctly points out...the Packers goal right now is to keep Favre off any football field in 2008.

Favre no doubt will reinstate himself if he views it as the only way to force the Packers into doing something. I'm guessing he was hoping that the Packers would give him the freedom to move on...just as they had.

[Patler]

Oh, something simple, like requesting the NFL to remove him from the retired/inactive list and place him on the active list. Until he does that, he is retired whether he likes it or not.

Well, if the Packers told him there was no chance of him coming back and that they couldn't envision him playing for anyone else either, why would he be in a rush to reinstate himself?

As Favre correctly points out...the Packers goal right now is to keep Favre off any football field in 2008.

Favre no doubt will reinstate himself if he views it as the only way to force the Packers into doing something. I'm guessing he was hoping that the Packers would give him the freedom to move on...just as they had.

Nothing happens until Favre is "unretired". The Packers can't release him until he is active. There is nothing to release. If he comes off the retired list, the Packers have to do something with him. If he goes through camp and doesn't like the situation, and the Packers refuse to trade him or release him, he simply retires again. That is not likely to occur.

It is up to Favre to do something. Nothing happens until he does.

[hoosier]

I think the problem that the Packers have right now is that they don't know if Favre really wants to play or not. Apparently they tried to go down there in March to work out his "return", should they do it again now?

Unfortunately, I think the ball is clearly in Favre's court. He needs to do something that is definite, firm and 100% reliable. Since he can't seem to do that, the Packers really can't do anything other than what they are currently doing. I really think there might be concern on their part that they could welcome him back, only to have him decide before the start of training camp that he really is retired.

I think MM was being completely forthright when he (reportedly) said the Packers have decided to go a different direction. Favre's reported flip-flopping back in March may have driven them in that direction, but at this point I can't imagine they'd want BF back, at least not as starter (and let's agree to forget Favre consenting to come in as backup), even if he COULD do something to demonstrate that he's 100% committed. If they did take him back they'd be getting an aging QB who could lose it at any time, and would be shutting the door on Rodgers, who at this point looks like the Packers' future. We have no way of knowing who would be a more effective QB in 2009, but in my view it would be a terrible decision to throw away a legitimate prospect in order to (a) appease the legend or (b) hope that he has one more magical year left in him.

[The Leaper]

Nothing happens until Favre is "unretired". The Packers can't release him until he is active. There is nothing to release.

I figured that he was still listed on the roster...just under the "retired/inactive" roster. I would think you could release a player at any time...regardless of which roster category they are under. The release in essense terminates the contract, which in fact is still active right now even if Favre is in "retirement".

If the Packers could not really release Favre, then why was that point never brought up before? Obviously, the Packers do not wish to release Favre for business reasons...but I did not see anything suggesting it was impossible for them to do so.

[Patler]

Nothing happens until Favre is "unretired". The Packers can't release him until he is active. There is nothing to release.

I figured that he was still listed on the roster...just under the "retired/inactive" roster. I would think you could release a player at any time...regardless of which roster category they are under. The release in essense terminates the contract, which in fact is still active right now even if Favre is in "retirement".

If the Packers could not really release Favre, then why was that point never brought up before? Obviously, the Packers do not wish to release Favre for business reasons...but I did not see anything suggesting it was impossible for them to do so.

Whether it is completely impossible or not (I think it is, only active contracts can be altered) the practical side is that nothing will happen, nor should he expect it to happen with the Packers until he "unretires". Further, why would any other team negotiate with him until he "unretires" in view of his previous waffling about retirement?

It really is up to Favre to do something. No one else will until he does.

[Sparkey]

According to NFL.com

In the NFL transactions section, it lists Favre as retired on March 4th.

The Packers did not place him on the retired/reserved list until April 25th, so any talk of them pushing him out is wrong.

Now, since Green Bay placed him on the Retired/Reserved list, he needs to formally request re-instatement in writing to be added back onto Green Bay's active roster.

This all has to do with how the league verifies and tracks current salary cap requirements for the teams.

[mission]

Yeah -- I broke up with a really hot video model named Charmaine.

Then I wanted her back.

She was engaged.

Got her to have sex with me once, but it was weird, and never again.

I fucked up.