OFFICIAL BRETT THE LIVING LEGEND THREAD

[pbmax]

No he didn't 'again'.

Brett Favre has explained that retiring and not over and over in extreme.

The Green Bay Packer certainly couldn't take Favre seriously and that. They might use that though to their advantage in de-commissioning Brett Favre. Am I the only Packer fan that saw that angle?

PACKERS !

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.

[MJZiggy]

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.

This ^

[Scott Campbell]

[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!

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

Woodbuck,

I am/was a big Brett Favre fan, but the guy was mostly (if not totally) at fault for how that went down. If you don't see that then you simply aren't being objective. Favre has another side to him then that includes selfishness, anger, stubbornness, and entitlement that we couldn't (or at least I couldn't) see through all the laughter, fist pumps, and touchdown celebrations throughout the years.

Favre has a great personality and he makes it easy for you to like him. The way he used to play the game made football extremely fun to watch, but unforgettably that will not be my only memories I will have of him. I will also remember him going on national TV to throw his life long team under the bus, sending pictures of himself to a cheerleader, and retiring from the Jets clearly to escape his contract with them to play for the Vikings.

If Brett was such a wholesome good guy like we all thought he was then what happened to honoring your contract? Didn't he call Javon Walker out for not honoring his contract? I find it funny that he retires from the jets, who then promptly release him, just so he can sign with the Vikings. What happened to his principles that he supposedly once felt so strongly about? Or are we supposed to believe that retiring from the Jets after the season was b/c "he couldn't commit to the team at that present time." Take off the Brett Favre sun glasses bro and enjoy the good times and realize the bad.

[ThunderDan]

You write that 'you' would call for the heads of TT and MM if Brett Favre returned in 2008.

This sentence that you wrote I think clearly illustrates your issues. I did not write that. I think you see a post from someone who you label a "Favre Hater" and you are so ready to write another novelle that you don't realize what was truly written.

I wrote that if BF retired and TT & MM did nothing but hope that BF would unretire for the 2008 season I would call for their jobs. TT and MM have to run the franchise. When BF retired, meaning isn't employed by the Packers anymore, they had to address the QB position.

And boy did they, the promoted ARod right away and even drafted 2 QBs (Brohm and Flynn) to make sure that they had a QB on the roster who could play. That's what a competent management team does. They don't sit on their asses and hope their future HOF QB who retired will come back and save the franchise in 2008.

[PackerBlues]

Yep, Brett's fault that everything went sour between him and the Packers. He should have been thrilled to just play out his final couple of good years with a team that went into rebuilding mode. Honestly, why would Favre, the first NFL player to win three consecutive AP MVP awards, get upset if his team decides to rebuild instead of trying to field the best team possibe for a push at the Super Bowl? I mean seriously, the man only allowed the Packers to restructure his contract a couple of times to free up money for free agent signings and such...... how dare he assume that the Packers front office would ever give a crap about what he thought.
If only Brett would have happily accepted the way that Thompson wanted him to lie down for the last couple of years he had left in him. He could have sat on the bench behind his replacement.......using that competitive fire we all loved so much, to keep the bench warm for Mr. Rodgers.

Unreal, lol. I am sorry, but I have to laugh at how people complain about Favre because of how he left the Packers, or because of where he went after he left. It takes two to tango kiddies. Yes, things would have went much smoother with a lot less drama if Favre would have either retired when Thompson pushed him towards it, or just sat on the bench as a second string to a freakin rookie. But we are talking about Brett Favre. While some may want to cherish memories of "Favre throwing his team under the bus" (lmao, really?) or for sending pics of his wiener to a cheerleader (like you have never sent a pic of your wiener to a cheerleader...), I choose to remember Favre for the amazing things he did while he was a Packer, such as playing the best game of his life the day after his father died. Or, hey.....do you remember watching him play in two Super Bowls? That was pretty freakin kewl!
I seriously think some of you are either to young to know what you are talking about, or you have a huge problem with empathy. If you were to put yourselves in Favre's shoes at the time that he left GB, if you were honest with yourselves, you would have likely have done a lot of the same things he did. Why stay with a team that is going to be rebuilding up until you retire? Especially, if you still feel that you have a few good years left in you? As for Favre going to the Jets, your damn right i would have made a back door deal with the Jets if I was in Favre's shoes. Why wouldnt Favre have wanted to play for the Vikings? I know damned well why Thompson didnt want Favre playing for the Vikings, lmao!!!! I have to wonder what might have been if Thompson had had the balls to simply release Favre, and put his money where his mouth was. Im guessing that if Favre hadnt had to waste a season playin for the Jets, he would have had one more ring....with the Vikings.

In the end, Favre was the same man that we all knew and loved, just in a different uniform. You cant blame him for wanting to continue to play, or for wanting to continue to win. The only thing you can bash him for, is for not allowing Thompson to push him into retirement, or for not wanting to sit on the bench for his last remaining couple of years. That is what it all really boils down to.

Oh, and as for Rodgers saying that it is past time for Favre to come back to the Packers so that they can retire his Jersey.......LMFAO. Get out of town with that garbage. Perhaps after M3 and Thompson are gone, lol.....but otherwise, I would just as soon see Favre retire as a Viking, its no less than some Packer "fans" deserve.

[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.

[Pugger]

Good lord. Woodbuck here believes BF was forced to retire. Nonsense! If MM and TT thought he couldn't play anymore they wouldn't have gave a damn if he played for a divisional rival. Had Favre not retired after the 2007 season I truly believe he would have been our starter. But once he did retire and held that teary press conference MM went full speed ahead with Rodgers and never looked back. Back then the Jets were not the mess they are today. Brett showed he could still play and performed well until he got hurt. Heck, they were headed for the playoffs before he injured his shoulder. He then pretended to retire again. The reason I say 'pretend' is he asked NY to give him his release. Retired players do not make this kind of a request. It was plain he wanted out of that contract so he could go to the place he wanted to go all along - MN - so he could stick it to the franchise that made him a multimillionaire. He got his wish and joined the Vikes but tossed yet another INT and screwed the queens out of a SB berth and Rodgers played lights out a year later and won it all. I think we got the better end of this deal. BTW, I believe MM was the driving force behind wanting Favre to stay retired more than TT ever was.

[Fritz]

Yep, Brett's fault that everything went sour between him and the Packers. He should have been thrilled to just play out his final couple of good years with a team that went into rebuilding mode. Honestly, why would Favre, the first NFL player to win three consecutive AP MVP awards, get upset if his team decides to rebuild instead of trying to field the best team possibe for a push at the Super Bowl? I mean seriously, the man only allowed the Packers to restructure his contract a couple of times to free up money for free agent signings and such...... how dare he assume that the Packers front office would ever give a crap about what he thought.
If only Brett would have happily accepted the way that Thompson wanted him to lie down for the last couple of years he had left in him. He could have sat on the bench behind his replacement.......using that competitive fire we all loved so much, to keep the bench warm for Mr. Rodgers.

Unreal, lol. I am sorry, but I have to laugh at how people complain about Favre because of how he left the Packers, or because of where he went after he left. It takes two to tango kiddies. Yes, things would have went much smoother with a lot less drama if Favre would have either retired when Thompson pushed him towards it, or just sat on the bench as a second string to a freakin rookie. But we are talking about Brett Favre. While some may want to cherish memories of "Favre throwing his team under the bus" (lmao, really?) or for sending pics of his wiener to a cheerleader (like you have never sent a pic of your wiener to a cheerleader...), I choose to remember Favre for the amazing things he did while he was a Packer, such as playing the best game of his life the day after his father died. Or, hey.....do you remember watching him play in two Super Bowls? That was pretty freakin kewl!
I seriously think some of you are either to young to know what you are talking about, or you have a huge problem with empathy. If you were to put yourselves in Favre's shoes at the time that he left GB, if you were honest with yourselves, you would have likely have done a lot of the same things he did. Why stay with a team that is going to be rebuilding up until you retire? Especially, if you still feel that you have a few good years left in you? As for Favre going to the Jets, your damn right i would have made a back door deal with the Jets if I was in Favre's shoes. Why wouldnt Favre have wanted to play for the Vikings? I know damned well why Thompson didnt want Favre playing for the Vikings, lmao!!!! I have to wonder what might have been if Thompson had had the balls to simply release Favre, and put his money where his mouth was. Im guessing that if Favre hadnt had to waste a season playin for the Jets, he would have had one more ring....with the Vikings.

In the end, Favre was the same man that we all knew and loved, just in a different uniform. You cant blame him for wanting to continue to play, or for wanting to continue to win. The only thing you can bash him for, is for not allowing Thompson to push him into retirement, or for not wanting to sit on the bench for his last remaining couple of years. That is what it all really boils down to.

Oh, and as for Rodgers saying that it is past time for Favre to come back to the Packers so that they can retire his Jersey.......LMFAO. Get out of town with that garbage. Perhaps after M3 and Thompson are gone, lol.....but otherwise, I would just as soon see Favre retire as a Viking, its no less than some Packer "fans" deserve.

In case you've forgotten, one of Brent's "retirements" occurred after a 13-3 season. How was that rebuilding mode?

[MJZiggy]

Yes, things would have went much smoother with a lot less drama if Favre would have either retired when Thompson pushed him towards it, or just sat on the bench as a second string to a freakin rookie. But we are talking about Brett Favre. While some may want to cherish memories of "Favre throwing his team under the bus" (lmao, really?) or for sending pics of his wiener to a cheerleader (like you have never sent a pic of your wiener to a cheerleader...),

I seriously think some of you are either to young to know what you are talking about, or you have a huge problem with empathy. If you were to put yourselves in Favre's shoes at the time that he left GB, if you were honest with yourselves, you would have likely have done a lot of the same things he did. Why stay with a team that is going to be rebuilding up until you retire? Especially, if you still feel that you have a few good years left in you? As for Favre going to the Jets, your damn right i would have made a back door deal with the Jets if I was in Favre's shoes. Why wouldnt Favre have wanted to play for the Vikings? I know damned well why Thompson didnt want Favre playing for the Vikings, lmao!!!! I have to wonder what might have been if Thompson had had the balls to simply release Favre, and put his money where his mouth was. Im guessing that if Favre hadnt had to waste a season playin for the Jets, he would have had one more ring....with the Vikings.

In the end, Favre was the same man that we all knew and loved, just in a different uniform. You cant blame him for wanting to continue to play, or for wanting to continue to win. The only thing you can bash him for, is for not allowing Thompson to push him into retirement, or for not wanting to sit on the bench for his last remaining couple of years. That is what it all really boils down to.

Oh, and as for Rodgers saying that it is past time for Favre to come back to the Packers so that they can retire his Jersey.......LMFAO. Get out of town with that garbage. Perhaps after M3 and Thompson are gone, lol.....but otherwise, I would just as soon see Favre retire as a Viking, its no less than some Packer "fans" deserve.

The little problem with your logic above is that Favre DID retire. That left the team in kind of a stupid position, no? Also, as I recall, no one asked Favre to warm the bench, just to compete for the starting position. Speculation is that he may well have lost that competition and evidence in hindsight supports that position. Everyone knew he could still play, though not to the level he could when he was younger, and not in the cold in Lambeau with the season on the line it seems. So if they keep him, they lose Rodgers and we're sitting here now excoriating TT for letting the future walk out the door for an old QB who freezes when the mercury falls or let the dude go off to a dome where the weather isn't a factor. I'm pretty sure that they did the right thing, because Favre's final year was exactly as I'd have predicted. Beats us twice and then loses when it's all on the line. And you're right Favre is the same guy, but not the one you think. He's the guy who cheated on his wife repeatedly and got himself hooked on painkillers at the height of his success. The same guy who created a "will he or won't he" drama for how many years? By the time he actually retired (the first time, anyway) I was almost rooting for it because I was sick of the annual circus. The guy couldn't take a dump without the media focusing on him and he brought a whole lot of that on himself. So if he wants to retire a Viking, that's fine by me. They can retire his "Thanks Ted" jersey.

[PackerBlues]

In case you've forgotten, one of Brent's "retirements" occurred after a 13-3 season. How was that rebuilding mode?

yeah, sorry......im not going to do the research for you, if you cannot remember that far back, were not a fan at that time, or you were/are still in diapers......thats your problem.

[ThunderDan]

yeah, sorry......im not going to do the research for you, if you cannot remember that far back, were not a fan at that time, or you were/are still in diapers......thats your problem.

Actually, I think you are wrong. The Packers had one losing season when Favre was QB. We had a rough patch in 2005 & 2006 when we turned over a roster because of the Sherman drafts. But 2 years later we were in the NFC Championship game.

1992: 9-7
1993: 9-7
1994: 9-7
1995: 11-5
1996: 13-3 Super Bowl!!!
1997: 13-3 Super Bowl Loss!!!!
1998: 11-5
1999: 8-8
2000: 9-7
2001: 12-4
2002: 12-4
2003: 10-6
2004: 10-6
2005: 4-12
2006: 8-8
2007: 13-3

[Fritz]

yeah, sorry......im not going to do the research for you, if you cannot remember that far back, were not a fan at that time, or you were/are still in diapers......thats your problem.

Maybe you missed the sarcasm. What you wrote in your own sarcastic post was "He should have been thrilled to just play out his final couple of good years with a team that went into rebuilding mode. Honestly, why would Favre, the first NFL player to win three consecutive AP MVP awards, get upset if his team decides to rebuild instead of trying to field the best team possibe for a push at the Super Bowl?"

My point is that you're wrong. One of Favre's many retirements - his first officially announced retirement - came after the 2007 season, when the team went 13-3 in the regular season and then beat Seattle in the playoffs before losing to the Giants.

That's not a team in a rebuilding mode. That's Favre walking away from a 13-3 team.

[Patler]

Maybe you missed the sarcasm. What you wrote in your own sarcastic post was "He should have been thrilled to just play out his final couple of good years with a team that went into rebuilding mode. Honestly, why would Favre, the first NFL player to win three consecutive AP MVP awards, get upset if his team decides to rebuild instead of trying to field the best team possibe for a push at the Super Bowl?"

My point is that you're wrong. One of Favre's many retirements - his first officially announced retirement - came after the 2007 season, when the team went 13-3 in the regular season and then beat Seattle in the playoffs before losing to the Giants.

That's not a team in a rebuilding mode. That's Favre walking away from a 13-3 team.

Yup, the guy who said his only reason for playing was to win another Super Bowl, officially retired from a team on the verge of getting there after a 13-3 season.