The Great Brett Favre Kerfuffle of 2008

[imisssergei 0]

You can't compare Yzerman and Favre retirements. Stevie was forced out due to injuries, Favre decided to leave.

Regardless, hockey players do this too, their teams just handle it differently.

Hasek, Neids, Teemu, Sundi, Sakic, Forsberg.....

[irishtemper14+25 11]

regardless, he just wants to play he loves the game so much....he wants to play for green bay but the coach and organization made Rogers their man which is stupid cuz I love Brett Favre

[GMRwings1983 8,803]

Favre has acted like a menapausal ***** for the last 5 years, and has been a distraction to this team and a circus clown with his post game press conferences and indecisiveness.

Finally it looked like the idiot retired, and then he comes back a month later and changes his mind and once again becomes a distraction to the team.

In the end, he might just turn out to be a great scam artist if he can get them to pay up.

If Yzerman ever acted the same way I would have been pretty pissed off, much like I was with Hasek and his decision making.

[Hockeymom1960 5,107]

Hockey players have always been more level headed than most other athletes. Red Wings especially seeem to be extreamly classy. And when you see other sports players act like that, it does make you greatful to be blessed with such respectable players.

I just wanted to say I like your sig!!!

[octopusonice 0]

I will likely get some hate mail from Wisconsinites on this one, but here's what I think regarding Favre:

It looks to me like Green Bay was tired of Favre having so much control over the team's future with his "Will I retire or Won't I?" routine that they decided to take it out of his hands this offseason.

I think they also feel that last year was an aberration and that they are not likely to the contender they were in 2007. Minnesota is going to be better, and they are not going to sweep the AFC South like they did the AFC West in 2007.

So if you think that Favre has taken you as far as he can, and you are tired of his antics, you make Aaron Rodgers the man and see what he can do.

[wingnut40 176]

I just wanted to say I like your sig!!!

The Lilja part or the other part?

[Danny=Badass 1]

Hockey players have always been more level headed than most other athletes. Red Wings especially seeem to be extreamly classy. And when you see other sports players act like that, it does make you greatful to be blessed with such respectable players.

I say Hockey players are the best in the world cause their humble and level headed and I personally don't give a crap about football.

Good post wingnut40!

[Packer487 3]

I will likely get some hate mail from Wisconsinites on this one, but here's what I think regarding Favre:

It looks to me like Green Bay was tired of Favre having so much control over the team's future with his "Will I retire or Won't I?" routine that they decided to take it out of his hands this offseason.

I think they also feel that last year was an aberration and that they are not likely to the contender they were in 2007. Minnesota is going to be better, and they are not going to sweep the AFC South like they did the AFC West in 2007.

So if you think that Favre has taken you as far as he can, and you are tired of his antics, you make Aaron Rodgers the man and see what he can do.

I guess I would ask exactly when Favre was unjustified in thinking about his future?

Three years ago, his wife had freaking cancer and he announced he was coming back right after it became apparent that she was going to be ok.

The year after that, he had a terrible year, the Packers had a terrible year, they were bringing in a new coach, presumably with his own philosophies. Would it not be natural to want to take some time to figure out if you wanted to go through the transition (and to find out if the team wanted you to be a part of the transition or if they were ready to rebuild)?

Then last year, for all everyone says he was playing the "Will I or won't I" game again, he let the team know by the Super Bowl that he'd be returning. It doesn't seem like he dragged that one out.

If Yzerman ever acted the same way I would have been pretty pissed off, much like I was with Hasek and his decision making.

It's a good thing you've never changed your mind about anything important, so you can stay up on your high horse about matters like this!

[DaKineMaui 8]

Favre has acted like a menapausal ***** for the last 5 years, and has been a distraction to this team and a circus clown with his post game press conferences and indecisiveness.

Finally it looked like the idiot retired, and then he comes back a month later and changes his mind and once again becomes a distraction to the team.

In the end, he might just turn out to be a great scam artist if he can get them to pay up.

If Yzerman ever acted the same way I would have been pretty pissed off, much like I was with Hasek and his decision making.

Well yer wrong on one count........No wait. Yer not.

[octopusonice 0]

I guess I would ask exactly when Favre was unjustified in thinking about his future?

Three years ago, his wife had freaking cancer and he announced he was coming back right after it became apparent that she was going to be ok.

The year after that, he had a terrible year, the Packers had a terrible year, they were bringing in a new coach, presumably with his own philosophies. Would it not be natural to want to take some time to figure out if you wanted to go through the transition (and to find out if the team wanted you to be a part of the transition or if they were ready to rebuild)?

Then last year, for all everyone says he was playing the "Will I or won't I" game again, he let the team know by the Super Bowl that he'd be returning. It doesn't seem like he dragged that one out.

It's a good thing you've never changed your mind about anything important, so you can stay up on your high horse about matters like this!

If Favre only delayed making a decision about his future after his wife had cancer, I think most people would be sympathetic, including myself. The problem is, it did not end there and in the eyes of many, Favre went to the well too often.

Once he's in his mid to late 30's, there's always going to be uncertainty about his future and there's always going to be a reason to 'think things over'. Since he's Brett Favre, no reason is too preposterous.

This is not about being able to change your mind or stopping to evaluate your future. This is about someone who habitually draws attention to himself after each offseason by creating drama about retiring or not. He's so good at working the media that Paris Hilton should hire him as a consultant.

As far as the Packers hiring a new coach with a new philosophy goes, that's life. It happens all the time in the business world. There's nothing special about it happening to Brett Favre. Boo frickin hoo.

I'm glad that in 2007 he made his decision by the time the Super Bowl. It's the least he could have done. Too bad he couldn't have done the same thing this year.

I'm not on a high horse as you say. I have had to make decisions, and in some of those decisions, I have had to change my mind. The catch is, whether it was a company I wanted to work for or a place I wanted to move into, no one was going to wait indefinitely for me to make up my mind.

Once the Packers allowed Favre an indefinite time to make up his mind on an annual basis, they lost control. They know Favre has them by the nads, and they are tired of it. The question is, how much and in what form will the team have to pay to make him let go?

[Guest Shoreline]

If Favre only delayed making a decision about his future after his wife had cancer, I think most people would be sympathetic, including myself. The problem is, it did not end there and in the eyes of many, Favre went to the well too often.

Once he's in his mid to late 30's, there's always going to be uncertainty about his future and there's always going to be a reason to 'think things over'. Since he's Brett Favre, no reason is too preposterous.

This is not about being able to change your mind or stopping to evaluate your future. This is about someone who habitually draws attention to himself after each offseason by creating drama about retiring or not. He's so good at working the media that Paris Hilton should hire him as a consultant.

As far as the Packers hiring a new coach with a new philosophy goes, that's life. It happens all the time in the business world. There's nothing special about it happening to Brett Favre. Boo frickin hoo.

I'm glad that in 2007 he made his decision by the time the Super Bowl. It's the least he could have done. Too bad he couldn't have done the same thing this year.

I'm not on a high horse as you say. I have had to make decisions, and in some of those decisions, I have had to change my mind. The catch is, whether it was a company I wanted to work for or a place I wanted to move into, no one was going to wait indefinitely for me to make up my mind.

Once the Packers allowed Favre an indefinite time to make up his mind on an annual basis, they lost control. They know Favre has them by the nads, and they are tired of it. The question is, how much and in what form will the team have to pay to make him let go?

For crying out loud..

I'm not even a Packers or Favre fan (I've only respected him, and hated him at the same time, in being a 49ers fan and watching how well he's played) and I can tell bulls*** when I see it. Get off his nuts already. Some people are indecisive, and the guy obviously loves the game. He needs more support in making the right decision for himself than he needs being bashed.

I've rarely seen so many sports fans this uncaring, unsympathetic, and this judgmental about a player they don't even know in person. Get over it already.

[Doc Holiday 0]

For crying out loud..

I'm not even a Packers or Favre fan (I've only respected him, and hated him at the same time, in being a 49ers fan and watching how well he's played) and I can tell bulls*** when I see it. Get off his nuts already. Some people are indecisive, and the guy obviously loves the game. He needs more support in making the right decision for himself than he needs being bashed.

I've rarely seen so many sports fans this uncaring, unsympathetic, and this judgmental about a player they don't even know in person. Get over it already.

If he is indecisive then why did he CHOOSE to retire?

He left, they promised another quarterback the starting position, then he comes in and is like "OH HAY GUYS I WANNA PLAY CAUSE IM NOT SURE" giving the Packers management serious problems due to his history with the franchise and the fans love for him.

If I'm wrong about how it happened please let me know.

[WingsallTheway 383]

I know its not a hockey topic, but the forum has been kind of dead for the past few days because nothing in the nhl is really happening, so i was wondering what your opinions are on Favre coming back to Green Bay. Feel free to move this topic if you like.

http://tsn.ca/nfl/story/?id=245217&lid...s=topStory_main

[Copenhagen848 58]

I hate the Packers but actually used to like Favre. I've completely lost all respect for him because of this cluster however, and I'm sure a lot of die hard Favre/Packer fans have also. Especially if he goes to Minnesota!

[GMRwings1983 8,803]

I can't believe some of you are defending him. Just because he had a great career doesn't mean that he can now act like an ******* and become such a distraction to a team he isn't even on.

This jackass should move to England and perform Hamlet on the stage. He's already had plenty of experience to play the part.

[octopusonice 0]

...Get off his nuts already. Some people are indecisive, and the guy obviously loves the game. He needs more support in making the right decision for himself than he needs being bashed...

Shoreline, All I am is a person writing in an online forum. Nothing I write, supportive or otherwise, is going to have any effect on Brett Favre or his decision making process. You say he's indecisive, I say he's a guy that has to always be in the spotlight, and can't let go of it, now that he is facing the end of his athletic career.

I've rarely seen so many sports fans this uncaring, unsympathetic...

Well, I've rarely seen an athlete make a soap opera out of his career decisions. Whatever disdain his detractors have for him is his own damn fault.

I can't even watch training camp coverage of my favorite NFL team without it being interrupted by inconsequential news about what Favre is doing next: (No news from Favre, Favre is getting on a plane, Favre just got a Big Mac, Favre just combed his hair). For awhile, the guy had his own section on the crawl at the bottom of the screen on ESPN2. Totally ridiculous.

...this judgmental about a player they don't even know in person. Get over it already.

If knowing someone personally is a criterion for having an opinion about them then you can't say anything good about them either, because you also probably don't know him. You might as well not have elections, courtroom juries or this forum for that matter. All involve one group of people forming opinions about other people that they do not know personally.

[Packer487 3]

I love that the title of this thread involves the word "kerfuffle". I didn't even know that was a word, but it's seriously awesome.

[Packer487 3]

If Favre only delayed making a decision about his future after his wife had cancer, I think most people would be sympathetic, including myself. The problem is, it did not end there and in the eyes of many, Favre went to the well too often.

That was the first time I can remember it happening. It was the first time the Packers felt the need to put out a press release that he had decided to return (the archives on packers.com confirm that), so I imagine that was the first time he seriously considered retirement. And it'd be hard to argue it wasn't reasonable. But most people don't even remember that as being a reason for the debate in his head. It was just ole Brett Favre waffling away.

Once he's in his mid to late 30's, there's always going to be uncertainty about his future and there's always going to be a reason to 'think things over'. Since he's Brett Favre, no reason is too preposterous.

This is not about being able to change your mind or stopping to evaluate your future. This is about someone who habitually draws attention to himself after each offseason by creating drama about retiring or not. He's so good at working the media that Paris Hilton should hire him as a consultant.

Again, when was he not justified for thinking it over. You admit that there's always going to be a reason to think about it, and then you rip him for it. He's a very high-profile player. His biggest problem is that he was willing to talk to the media about it. If you want to call him an attention *****, that's fine, but it's always going to be a story when a player of his caliber is considering retirement.

As far as the Packers hiring a new coach with a new philosophy goes, that's life. It happens all the time in the business world. There's nothing special about it happening to Brett Favre. Boo frickin hoo.

I didn't say he was belly-aching over it. I said it was natural to take some time to consider your future after the only sub-.500 season of your career. Was that year the beginning of the end? Did the Packers want him to be a part of their future? Were they ready to rebuild with Aaron Rodgers? Did he feel he could get back to an elite level? Would the new coach run a similar offense?

All legit questions, and waiting until March or April to make a decision is not at all unusual. As I pointed out before, John Elway didn't announce he was returning until June after they beat GB in the Super Bowl (and he didn't announce his retirement the next year until late April/early May). Steve Young didn't announce his retirement from the 49ers until mid-June. Michael Strahan didn't announce he was coming back to the Giants until after the preseason last year.

I'm glad that in 2007 he made his decision by the time the Super Bowl. It's the least he could have done. Too bad he couldn't have done the same thing this year.

It is too bad, but he didn't know 100% that he could commit to returning to play, so he did the responsible thing and hung it up. If he announced he was coming back and then realized his heart wasn't in it, suddenly he's Barry Sanders. That would've been a whole lot worse than this disaster.

I'm not on a high horse as you say. I have had to make decisions, and in some of those decisions, I have had to change my mind. The catch is, whether it was a company I wanted to work for or a place I wanted to move into, no one was going to wait indefinitely for me to make up my mind.

Once the Packers allowed Favre an indefinite time to make up his mind on an annual basis, they lost control. They know Favre has them by the nads, and they are tired of it. The question is, how much and in what form will the team have to pay to make him let go?

FTR, I didn't direct the high-horse comment at you. It was at GMR.

They didn't need to give him indefinite time to make up his mind. They could have said, "Brett, we'd love to have an answer before the Draft, but if you need more time to come to a decision you can live with, by all means, take it. Just let us know by the start of camp." That's the proper way to deal with a legendary QB (see Elway, John). If you push someone who is genuinely conflicted, there's a pretty darn good chance they're going to make the wrong call. The offseason could have proceeded like normal, with Rodgers QBing at the OTAs, and assuming the team drafts BPA like they claim to, it wouldn't have changed their philosophy there. The only difference would be that Rodgers wouldn't have felt like he had the starting job all offseason, so there'd be no chance of hurt feelings/resentment now.

I'd be all for moving on if GB went 3-13 last year. But they were one play from the Super Bowl and Favre was probably the second-best player in the league last year. It's stupid to not want him back.

If he is indecisive then why did he CHOOSE to retire?

Because the Packers wanted a decision and at that point in time he couldn't commit 100% to returning. So he did the responsible thing. He said it at his press conference, "I know I can still play. I'm just not sure I want to." Well, a few months go by and he changed his mind. Even from the time he retired, the Packers knew there was a pretty good chance it would happen.

[Guest Shoreline]

Shoreline, All I am is a person writing in an online forum. Nothing I write, supportive or otherwise, is going to have any effect on Brett Favre or his decision making process. You say he's indecisive, I say he's a guy that has to always be in the spotlight, and can't let go of it, now that he is facing the end of his athletic career.

Well, I've rarely seen an athlete make a soap opera out of his career decisions. Whatever disdain his detractors have for him is his own damn fault.

I can't even watch training camp coverage of my favorite NFL team without it being interrupted by inconsequential news about what Favre is doing next: (No news from Favre, Favre is getting on a plane, Favre just got a Big Mac, Favre just combed his hair). For awhile, the guy had his own section on the crawl at the bottom of the screen on ESPN2. Totally ridiculous.

If knowing someone personally is a criterion for having an opinion about them then you can't say anything good about them either, because you also probably don't know him. You might as well not have elections, courtroom juries or this forum for that matter. All involve one group of people forming opinions about other people that they do not know personally.

You don't even know WHY he keeps coming back. You have no informed basis for your judgment against someone you know little-to-nothing about. Because none of us know what went on behind the doors in the Packers franchise offices, nor behind the doors of Brett Favre's house, or wherever he stays, nor do we know his mindset. The only reasonable basis you have for being irritated is because you're tired of reading his name all over the headlines, which is really not much of an argument at all.

And much like the OJ and MJ cases, people think just because they watch TV they're suddenly all-informed -- news flash: they're not.

If you don't like turning to ESPN channels and reading his name, turn off the TV or find another channel.

Edited August 4, 2008 by Shoreline

[betterREDthandead 58]

What are the odds that the Packers trade Aaron Rodgers instead? He'd be a lot more appealing to a lot of teams as a long-term option without the drama, and the Packers might get more for him. If Favre looks like he's going to be around a little while, the Packers could groom Brohm instead.

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

how many times did they make the PO's after 99? blissfully mediocre? no way. How many times did they lose at Lambeau field? Something that never happened before. He only tied the record for INT's in a PO game at St Louis with 5, FIVE picks in one PO game! Big picks against Phila and NY Giants : when the pressure is on he's horrible. The only season I knew for sure he'd come back was last year, even though they sucked royally he was so close to all those records he just had to. I knew it. He can come back from a 3-13 team when there's records to be broken but doesn't want to come back to a 13-3 team.

Bart Starr played without the benefit of wildcard games and a watered down league. If you really want to discredit his accomplishments then by that token you'd better email the GB Packers and let them know they're only 3 time Champions because they weren't called "Super Bowls" back then. In fact the first 2 weren't called SuperBowls either so I guess that leaves us with XXXI.

heck, while you're at it email Mr. Illitch (I know you're connected )and let him know 1936, 1937, 1943, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955 don't matter either as there were fewer teams in the league back then. I mean, what's the cutting off period? When does the good football or hockey start? When are the championships valid? Only when ESPN says so?

Bart Starr has 5 Championships, one more than every other QB to ever play the game and 4 , FOUR more than Brett Favre. He thew 3 INTs in 10 PO games, 3 INT's out of 213 PO passing attempts. I seriously wonder where Favre would be without the benefit of the dink and dunk west coast offense he's run his whole career.

Last season he "showcased" his talent with a balanced team around him? Well , it ended the same way as it did in Phila just a few years ago on a suppossed "mediocre at best" team = with a horribly thrown INT into triple coverage of an NFL OT PlayOff game where a 17 year veteran has no business making. Do you realise on that throw against the Giants there were 4 WR running routes on that play? Every one of them was open except the guy he attempted to throw it to. yeah, he makes poor passing decisions allright, at the absolute worst times possible -- not the measure of greatness in my book.

This meme about how he gives them the best chance to win is BS, he had that chance last year and couldn't pull it out. He's done nothing in the PO's the last 10 years (3-7).

The 96 Packers were loaded with talent. I credit Reggie White with giving the franchise instand credability after coming to GB (with the Black players in the league) Think about all the Black free agents they got: Sean Jones, Seth Joyner, Santana Dotson, Desmond Howard (SB MVP), Andre Rison, Eugen Robinson. If Reggie doesn't come, they don't either. The defense was absolutely loaded. They game up only 12 more points all season than the 85 Bears.

First and foremost IV, you need to relax. I'm not ripping anything past great teams have, simply pointing out the obvious that a team is more likely to win more often with fewer teams to compete against. As for knowing Mr. I, where the hell did you come up with insinuating something like that. Bottom line, aside from Packer487 summing up my thoughts to your response perfectly.

You don't like Favre, fine....we get it. Common sense however states that you and Sal may not be correct though. I can show you stats for any great QB that suggests that they aren't flawless. Bart wasn't, nor any other QB. The truth is, for every rough stat you can find for Favre, I can post two for what makes him arguably the best to play the game. You may just have different criteria for that than most people.

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

What are the odds that the Packers trade Aaron Rodgers instead? He'd be a lot more appealing to a lot of teams as a long-term option without the drama, and the Packers might get more for him. If Favre looks like he's going to be around a little while, the Packers could groom Brohm instead.

That would make a ton of sense actually, but I don't see Thompson moving his first pick ever as the Packers GM. Rodgers is his boy, and I know he's still going to do everything he can to make sure he's starting for the Pack.

[octopusonice 0]

Again, when was he not justified for thinking it over. You admit that there's always going to be a reason to think about it, and then you rip him for it. He's a very high-profile player. His biggest problem is that he was willing to talk to the media about it. If you want to call him an attention *****, that's fine, but it's always going to be a story when a player of his caliber is considering retirement.

My remarks were more along the line that Favre is always going to come up with an excuse for why he has to delay his decision (and the ensuing media circus) on an annual basis. It makes you wonder what are the excuses in 2009 or 2010 going to be? I'll give him the benefit of the doubt about his wife; I will not give him the benefit of the doubt the other times.

When he does it this often, and when he can't make up his mind, he begins to look more like someone who needs public attention than someone who is legitimately contemplating their options. As long as he can walk, he's going to keep doing this until he's 50, or until the public sentiment is so high against him that he stops doing it.

I have watched football for over 30 years and have followed the stories of many football greats contemplate retirement: Staubach, Bradshaw, Montana, Young and Elway to name a few. All are comparable (some perhaps are greater) in their iconic status to Favre; none of them manipulated the media as much and none of them had the drama that Favre does.

[Packer487 3]

My remarks were more along the line that Favre is always going to come up with an excuse for why he has to delay his decision (and the ensuing media circus) on an annual basis. It makes you wonder what are the excuses in 2009 or 2010 going to be? I'll give him the benefit of the doubt about his wife; I will not give him the benefit of the doubt the other times.

He didn't find a reason to delay his decision last year. He announced he was coming back by the Super Bowl. If he was in such a hurry to get attention, he could've let it play out until at least the draft/start of free agency with no detriment to the team.

So if we're counting, you give him the benefit of the doubt 3 years ago, no benefit of the doubt two years ago (even though he announced he was coming back in a time-frame that was right in line with when all the old greats tend to announce a return), and last year there was no "waffle" since he announced he was coming back about a month after the season ended. Hardly enough to make the flip-flop this year "tiresome". People don't remember the reasons for it, just that there was drama the past few years.

When he does it this often, and when he can't make up his mind, he begins to look more like someone who needs public attention than someone who is legitimately contemplating their options. As long as he can walk, he's going to keep doing this until he's 50, or until the public sentiment is so high against him that he stops doing it.

It's amazing that he's the only high-profile athlete who has ever had trouble walking away from the game he loves.....oh wait.

I have watched football for over 30 years and have followed the stories of many football greats contemplate retirement: Staubach, Bradshaw, Montana, Young and Elway to name a few. All are comparable (some perhaps are greater) in their iconic status to Favre; none of them manipulated the media as much and none of them had the drama that Favre does.

Staubach and Bradshaw were pre-ESPN. Montana retired pre-internet. Young and Elway retired before the internet was as big as it is now. Young pretty much had to retire due to concussions (and even then he waited until (OMG) mid-June to announce he was hanging it up). Elway waffled himself on at least one occasion--after they won the Super Bowl, he didn't announce his return until early June (and the next year he didn't hang it up until late April/early May).

Of course the Favre stuff has been played out in the media more. Pretty much every high-profile story is, in the internet-era and the age of ESPNews. Elway is the only one of the examples you mentioned that could remotely be compared to Favre (at least the internet was around and his retirement wasn't due to injury) and it appears he had trouble making up his mind as well, though I have to imagine that winning back to back Super Bowls helped him into retirement.

[timothy1997 0]

ok what is going to happen? What does everyone think??

I think #4 is going to be traded to the Vikes but not til the tail end of Pack training camp. No way does the Pack allow #4 to have a ton of time to study the Vikes system before week 1 game against the Vikes. That game is a MNF game too. Might end up being the most anticipated and watched MNF game in quite some time.

Thats my prediction and sticking to it.