Dungy sides with GB in Favre matter

[motife]

DUNGY STICKS HIS NOSE IN FAVRE SITUATION
Posted by Mike Florio on July 17, 2008, 10:04 a.m.
Colts coach Tony Dungy, who apparently believes that his nice-guy image grants him a license to opine on matters involving any of the other 31 competitors within his chosen industry, has opted to speak about the current mess between the Packers and Brett Favre.

And Dungy is siding with the team.

“Being on both sides of the fence and seeing it both ways, I’m a little bit more on the team’s side,” Dungy told William Rhoden of the New York Times.

“When Brett told them he was thinking about retirement, they may have said, ‘If you’re out, you are out, understand that, because once we move on down this road, you’ve got to be out.’ Now he wants back in with them but wants back in on his terms.

“He’s saying, ‘I didn’t work out, I’m just ready to play now and I’m your best bet to get to the Super Bowl.’”

Dungy also provided some general observations that might soon have relevance to a certain veteran Colts receiver with two bad knees, and a certain veteran Colts quarterback who just had surgery on one of his.

“Understand that it is a business and that at some point it is going to come down to business over feelings,” Dungy said. “Players have to understand that it is going to come down to that, whether it’s Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott. Eventually, it is going to come to a point when the team says as great as you were, it’s diminishing returns now and we’ve got to move on. There’s a lesson for all of us — coaches, general managers players: You can be replaced.”

Though we really don’t think it’s Dungy’s place to get between the Packers and Favre (or any team and any of its players) on matters of this nature, Dungy is right.

The fact that Dungy would choose to speak on this subject also confirms our belief that there’s a prevailing sense in league and media circles that Favre is losing his battle with the team, badly.

While getting my toupee adjusted a haircut this morning, my barber compared the Favre versus Packers situation to Maxximus versus Commodus in Gladiator, with Maxximus owning the crowd and Commodus trying desperately to wrest it from him.

In this case, Favre used to be Maxximus. While trying, however, to exploit the crowd in order to get his way, Favre has become Commodus.

[digitaldean]

I remember the Montana and Young situations well.

There is NO good way for an All-Pro athletes career to end. In fact, the higher the profile the more abrupt / harsh the end to the career is.

Willie Davis, in a JSO article, said that he was happy he said no to all the teams who called him after he retired. He said that it was better to have a year left in the tank than someone tapping him on the shoulder to say "Willie, it's time to go."

[boiga]

Dungy actually had some more relevant points in that article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/sp...l?ref=football

He doesn’t think the Packers are the villains in this drama. When it was suggested that Favre needed to be “freed” from Green Bay, Dungy said, “Brett put himself in prison,” referring to Favre’s announced retirement.

And this one is probably one of the better summaries I've read of the whole situation, I at least I hope Brett still has some devotion to the team left.

“What little I know of Brett, my sense is that he bleeds that Packer green and gold,” Dungy said. “My sense is that he wants to play for them, but he wants to step back in, like everything was just the way it ended up last year. And they’re saying it isn’t that way anymore because of what you told us.”

[BallHawk]

Welcome to the forum, Boiga.

And Dungy is spot on in his assesment. Favre does love the Packers, he's just extremely frustrated with the situation....they situation he put himself into.

[motife]

Thanks for posting the link Boiga! Here's the whole NY Times article:

Sports of The Times
Favre Tests Future of Packers
By WILLIAM C. RHODEN
Published: July 17, 2008
With N.F.L. training camps about to open, the football-watching public has been treated to a bizarre and unexpected preseason scrum in Wisconsin between Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers. What began as a snit has become a barroom brawl, spilling into the street.

Six months ago, Favre was the warm and fuzzy story in frosty Green Bay, the field general who energized a franchise and led it to one victory from the Super Bowl.

Then Favre announced his retirement and rode off into the sunset.

To the consternation of some and the joy of others, No. 4 has ridden back. He is unretiring. The stunned Packers, who had made plans for life after Favre, are betwixt and between: they don’t seem to want him back but they don’t want him to play for another team, either.

Favre, for all his noise about wanting out, seems to want to stay and start without having to “earn” the job in the preseason. The Packers, to the extent they want Favre around, want him to stay and watch.

“Being on both sides of the fence and seeing it both ways, I’m a little bit more on the team’s side,” said Tony Dungy, the coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

Dungy has a unique perspective on a business in which athletes lease their bodies to sports teams that buy and sell, trade and cut them, often in pursuit of a championship, more often in pursuit of the entertainment dollar.

Dungy was an N.F.L. player and an assistant. After being fired as the coach at Tampa Bay despite winning records, he led the Colts to a Super Bowl championship.

He doesn’t think the Packers are the villains in this drama. When it was suggested that Favre needed to be “freed” from Green Bay, Dungy said, “Brett put himself in prison,” referring to Favre’s announced retirement.

“When Brett told them he was thinking about retirement, they may have said, ‘If you’re out, you are out, understand that, because once we move on down this road, you’ve got to be out,’ ” Dungy said. “Now he wants back in with them but wants back in on his terms.

“He’s saying, ‘I didn’t work out, I’m just ready to play now and I’m your best bet to get to the Super Bowl.’ ”

Favre has to unretire, file his papers and inform the N.F.L. that he wants to go back on the active roster. Then the Packers will have three options. They can keep Favre on the roster — although they can tell him to stay away from the team. Or they can cut him or trade him. From a public-relations perspective, these are terrible options for the Packers. But at this point, they should be less concerned with public perception and more concerned with moving on, without Favre.

For N.F.L. rookies eagerly preparing for their first training camp, the Favre-Packer row is an intriguing glimpse of the professional life that lies ahead.

“Understand that it is a business and that at some point it is going to come down to business over feelings,” Dungy said. “Players have to understand that it is going to come down to that, whether it’s Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott. Eventually, it is going to come to a point when the team says as great as you were, it’s diminishing returns now and we’ve got to move on. There’s a lesson for all of us — coaches, general managers players: You can be replaced.”

So what does Favre really want?

Does he want to jump to a team that is a quarterback away from the Super Bowl? That would be Green Bay or Chicago. Would Favre really play in Chicago? For the hated Bears?

Should Green Bay let Favre leave or make him stay?

“What little I know of Brett, my sense is that he bleeds that Packer green and gold,” Dungy said. “My sense is that he wants to play for them, but he wants to step back in, like everything was just the way it ended up last year. And they’re saying it isn’t that way anymore because of what you told us.”Favre wants to take one shot with a team he thinks can go to the Super Bowl. Who gives Favre a better shot than Green Bay?

Who gives Green Bay a better shot than Favre?

That’s what the Packers want to find out, and Favre is in the way.

Green Bay should set Favre free, and let us all move on.

Please.

[boiga]

No prob, and thanks for the welcome.

The NYT reporter should be embarrassed though: "Does he want to jump to a team that is a quarterback away from the Super Bowl? That would be Green Bay or Chicago."

Funny, if we were a quarterback away from the super bowl last year, I don't think Favre could help us.

[packinpatland]

“When Brett told them he was thinking about retirement, they may have said, ‘If you’re out, you are out, understand that, because once we move on down this road, you’ve got to be out.’ Now he wants back in with them but wants back in on his terms.

But they didn't say that, did they...........
There seems to be alot of shouldhave's, couldhave's, wouldhave's, mayhave's.......on both sides.

[RashanGary]

Dungy hit it on the head. The lesson here is "you are replacable". Brett dicked them around thinking he was entitled to play whenever and on whatever terms he wanted. I think there is a little shock here on Brett's part. He's sitting in Mississippi saying WTF just happened?

Dungy is one of the most respected people assoctiated with the NFL. I'm really glad he spoke out and I'm glad it was so relevant and reasonable.

[Harlan Huckleby]

“When Brett told them he was thinking about retirement, they may have said, ‘If you’re out, you are out, understand that, because once we move on down this road, you’ve got to be out.’ Now he wants back in with them but wants back in on his terms.

But they didn't say that, did they...........
There seems to be alot of shouldhave's, couldhave's, wouldhave's, mayhave's.......on both sides.

But the teams ACTIONS speak to the team's good will towards Favre.

Favre changed his mind several weeks after his retirement, and the team welcomed him back. Then Favre once again retired.

It may be true that the team did not specifically say, "This is your last chance to change your mind." But that's a little like having to tell your husband after you forgive him for an affair that he doesn't have any more get-out-of-jail-free cards. It's understood.

[RashanGary]

Favre also said in his interview that he knew by retiring that the Packers could move past and Favre would not be welcome back. It's hard to say he didn't have a clue when he said he did.

[oregonpackfan]

Willie Davis, in a JSO article, said that he was happy he said no to all the teams who called him after he retired. He said that it was better to have a year left in the tank than someone tapping him on the shoulder to say "Willie, it's time to go."[/quote]


Favre needs to read this quote.

[bobblehead]

I remember the Montana and Young situations well.

There is NO good way for an All-Pro athletes career to end. In fact, the higher the profile the more abrupt / harsh the end to the career is.

Willie Davis, in a JSO article, said that he was happy he said no to all the teams who called him after he retired. He said that it was better to have a year left in the tank than someone tapping him on the shoulder to say "Willie, it's time to go."

yet this has dragged on for 3 years.

[LL2]

Re: Dungy sides with GB in Favre matter

The fact that Dungy would choose to speak on this subject also confirms our belief that there’s a prevailing sense in league and media circles that Favre is losing his battle with the team, badly.

I wonder if this statement is really true, if it is then TT will not be affected.

[Pugger]

[quote="

Green Bay should set Favre free, and let us all move on.

Please.[/quote]

It would irresponsible for the Packers to just release a player of Brett's value without compensation. I have a feeling Brett doesn't want to be traded for fear of being shipped off to a losing AFC team!

[pbmax]

Dungy struck again in an interview with WMVP in Chicago. For those who believe that the coach would have it easy to switch from Rodgers to Favre as the starter, please read.

per JSOnline today,

http://blogs.jsonline.com/packers/ar...ett-favre.aspx

Dungy: "It's not that easy to do. I put myself in the coach's position, if Peyton had come to me in February and said, 'Hey, I'm retiring,' my whole emphasis to the team for the next four months would be, 'We can't regret not having Peyton Manning, we can't look back, we've got to win, here's what we're going to do on offense now, we're going to do everything that fits Jim Sorgi, we're going to move on, and we can't have the white elephant of Peyton Manning in the back of our heads.' And now, you come back, and well, he is going to be there, maybe he's going to be there for a few weeks, maybe he's into it, maybe he's not. It's not as easy as you think, just to say 'Okay, let's have him come back.' It's a tough situation for both sides, and by the same token, you've got one of the greatest players in the history of your franchise that you do want to take care of, so it's probably a no-win situation right now."