Brett Favre

Cardinals · Post by **Cardinals** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 4:24 pm

What an asshole

Mets · Post by **Mets** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 5:34 pm

Someone should send him some pain pills and tell him to stay at home.

So much for the "There's Something About Mary" sequel.

Cardinals · Post by **Cardinals** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 5:44 pm

FoxSports.com's Jay Glazer reports that the Packers won't release Brett Favre, as he requested Friday. They would rather trade him or make him Aaron Rodgers' backup.
That's not the only scoop Glazer has. Glazer writes that Favre was set to un-retire in late March, with both GM Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy's approval. The Packers even chartered a jet for Favre to announce his return, but Favre changed his mind yet again two days before the scheduled announcement. The Packers

What an asshole times fifty seven here. Maybe people will realize he's a jerk now?

Giants · Post by **Giants** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 6:47 pm

If that last part is really true then I'd be so down for Favre as Rodgers' backup, especially because Rodgers really really sucks, trust me on that.

Yankees · Post by **Yankees** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:13 am

This is unbelievable...

So Brett Favre wants to play football again? Hasn't he earned the ability to? He's played hurt, he's played mourning, he's played with good teams, he's played with horrendous teams, he's played in every freaking game, he's won a Super Bowl, he's coming off an amazing season which ended bitterly...he has TOTALLY earned the right to decide when he's done playing football.

I hate this argument of people who get pissed off when people unretire, or decide to finish their career some place else. Brett Favre has decided he wants to continue to do what he loves to do - it's his goddamn life, and someone will pay him good money to do it - why on earth should people give him shit for it? If you decided that you wanted to retire from selling car insurance - then realize that you miss selling car insurance, and you're still good at it, and someone wants to pay you to do it - why the fuck wouldn't you do it?

How does this make him an asshole? Like on what f'd up planet is a guy who has literally given everything he's had to a team (physically and emotionally), has decided he still wants to do what he loves, be considered an asshole when he says he wants to do it again?

Phillies · Post by **Phillies** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 12:26 pm

the way brett has handled this situation is AWFUL. if i were mccarthy or thompson id be pissed off too. that being said, id tell aaron rodgers to pick the clipboard back up, im trying to get one of those big shiny rings because jesus christ of football is coming back.

Yankees · Post by **Yankees** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 12:46 pm

I'm sorry - what the hell was awful about it?

He tried to keep it on the DL that he wanted to come back. It leaked (obviously the front office trying to get people to tell him to stay retired). The front office told him, "Sure you can come back, and you can back up Aaron Rodgers without a fair fight for the job." He said, "Go fuck yourself, if that's the case I'd like to be released." And, again, he sent that request via mail, so no one would have to know. And again the front office of the Packers leaked it.

As far as I can tell - and please let me know what I'm missing - Brett Favre tried to discreetly say that he wanted to rejoin the Packers. It leaked, and the Packers told him that he didn't deserve to start - pretty much rendering the fact that he was the franchise meaningless. So maintaining the fact that if he's going to play, he'd like to in fact play (crazy, I know), he again tried to quietly ask for the ability to seek employment where he could wear a helmet and not a hat - and then it got out again.

I'm confused - Brett Favre has decided he wants to play football. The Packers have told him that he would not play football for them. He has asked for the ability to play football elsewhere. Could he have held off on his decision for a few months? Sure - that might have been easier. But then everyone would have yelled at him for holding the team "hostage" by not making a decision.

Someone PLEASE tell me what I'm missing here. Why on earth shouldn't Brett Favre be able to play football if he wants to, and is still capable of doing it?

Astros · Post by **Astros** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 12:52 pm

If he comes back, he's going to suck, he should stay retired. I mean he is the Madden cover boy this year. I rest my case

Phillies · Post by **Phillies** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:13 pm

didnt you read what JP posted? he was ready to un-retire in march and bailed again. that is why the word awful works in describing how he handled the situation. if he came back in march do you really think the pack uses a 2nd round pick on brian brohm? i dont.

Yankees · Post by **Yankees** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:22 am

Dude, he didn't "unretire" in March. He retired in March. He was going to announce that he was coming back, and had a change of heart. How's that awful? He did it early enough that the Pack had an entire off-season to prepare. They asked him to make a decision early so they could move on - he did out of respect to them. It was the wrong one - that's what happens when you make the ultimate competitor make a decision in March. The closer the season gets, the more he wants to play.

C'mon dude, if you're gonna go at him and call one of the most respected athletes of our generation "awful," make sure your story is right.

Mets · Post by **Mets** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 10:43 am

Farve coming back to the Packers this year probably sets them back 2-3 seasons...that's the problem, even if they make it to the playoffs next season.

Mets · Post by **Mets** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 10:44 am

PS...I have spoken to 3 seperate Packers fans, and they say the same thing. They love Farve, but they see the big picture, and would rather look to the future.

Yankees · Post by **Yankees** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 11:35 am

Oh absolutely - not like the Packers lost an insane NFC Championship Game they had a shot to win against a clearly inferior opponent who was playing out of their ass. And then not like THAT team didn't upset the Patriots or anything.

Sets them back 2-3 years from...winning?!?! Did anyone else notice that they won 14 games last year? Or was that just a mirage? Am I going crazy? This entire conversation is almost surreal...

You're right though, screw an NFL title - let's rebuild for 3 years! That whole rebuilding thing is working out REALLY well for most NFL teams. Look to the future? WHY? Why not throw Favre out there with PRETTY MUCH THE SAME GD TEAM (including a terrific young WR taken in the draft) - who was also one of the youngest in the league last year and will probably be better? If your friends are indicative of Packer fans, they should rename it to "Rebuilding Town." Good lord - if sports has taught us anything lately, if you have a snowballs chance in hell at a title you better take it.

Mets · Post by **Mets** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:19 pm

I think my friends realize that the Packers probably overachieved by 3-4 wins last year.

If they have anything going for them, it's their division.

Whose to say the Packers can't win with Aaron Rodgers? I guess we'll never know since Farve takes 99.5% of all snaps.

Anyway, I really don't give a shit. Never been a Green Bay fan, never will...I'm just tired of Brett Farve dragging this retirement thing out for the 5th straight year. From now on, make him wait until training camp before he announces anything.

Go Eagles!

Yankees · Post by **Yankees** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:38 pm

Overachieved? They had the best point differential in the NFC by 15! They outscored their opponents by 144 points! If anything they should have been 15-1 because they shouldn't have lost to the Bears twice!

And, one last time for the peanut gallery, THE PACKERS ASKED HIM TO MAKE A DECISION IN MARCH.

Mets · Post by **Mets** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 1:06 pm

They asked him to make a decision because they didn't want him to be a distraction during the offseason as he goes back and forth about playing again.

And what happens, he's a huge distraction.

If it wasn't for the Public Relations hit, they'd cut his ass. I won't discount his on-the-field numbers, but even Packers fans are tired of the "The Brett Farve Emo Show".

And they would have lost the first game of the season if the friggin' Eagles could have caught a punt without fumbling. So we can't talk about "Should-have's".

Like I said, I really don't care, I'm just sick of hearing about it, and it interrupting baseball coverage.

Yankees · Post by **Yankees** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 1:55 pm

Ok, I wanted this to be over - but you've flipped on the "insane" switch - and I can't let it slide.

First of all, last time I checked, fumbles happen in football. The team that usually avoids fumbles at critical opportunities have a better chance of winning. We can "should have" the shit out of any season in any sport. The fact is that the Packers had the third best point differential in the league - they earned their record, and any positive shit that happens because of it. Usually the team that has the third best point/run differential in any of their sports has a top 5 record. Normally when you outscore the other team, you win the game. It's not that hard a concept.

Last year Favre held out and his team went to the NFC Championship. You know who they lost to? The Giants. The Giants had the other big retire/not retire decision of last year (Michael Strahan). Did you know the Giants won the Super Bowl? Yea - holding out REALLY appears to hurt the team in the long run.

And how is this Favre's fault? He tried to hold off on his decision - they told him to make one. He clearly was not in any place to make it at that time - he was waffling on it until he didn't show up for a plane to Green Bay to announce his comeback. Then he tried to unretire quietly, and the Packers turned it into a shitshow. What the fuck do you want from him? Like seriously? The dude's old, and he plays the toughest position and he plays every game. He's going to feel like crap for a few months after the season. If you ask him to make a decision when he's still recovering, he's probably going to not want to play at that time. But when he's also one of the best competitors in the history of the game (well aware they don't make a statistic for that), the closer the season gets, the more he'll want to play.

Cardinals · Post by **Cardinals** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 2:07 pm

He needs to make a decision at that time because the draft is in April. It affects draft strategy big time either way- if he's back or if he's not. Do the Packers take Brohm if Favre is back? I'm going to go out on a limb and say no.

I don't see how anything in sports or business like this is "earned." He absolutely has the right to play as long as he wants. But he does not have the right to hold a franchise hostage. How many years have we had the Brett Favre farewell tour? 2006-2007 we had the tears in Chicago after that Sunday Night game. Then he comes back - great. At least he didn't retire.

This year I don't blame him for being mentally drained - that's a really tough way to be knocked out of the playoffs at home throwing an interception on your supposed greatest season that you've had individually. Problem for me is that he decided to go ahead and retire. I don't care if he was pressured into it. I'm sure he knew he would have an itch. He should have said let me get back to you in April. I mean, hell, if he waited two weeks, his decision would have been different. What's the worst that happens if he tells Green Bay's brass to wait? They would be the only villain if they tried to cut him or trade him- which they would NOT do while he was still an active member of the Packers.

So then he decides a few weeks after he retired that he wants to comeback and Green Bay says hey, okay. Then he says no, nevermind. Is that not jerking the franchise around? He is the leader of the team.

If he wants to come back, great, I think he's an asshole for how he handled this whole situation. He's taken the Packers on an emo shitstorm and now everybody looks like an asshole. I think plenty of people are assholes, so if he wants to comeback, great, but he's an asshole. Everybody celebrated his career, Madden threw him on the cover, everybody had their Brett Favre heartstrings pulled.

So now we'll have to do that again? Great. I'd have zero problem with this if he didn't retire, unretire but then change his mind, then demand to be released. He is under contract with the Green Bay Packers. If Green Bay chooses to make him the backup, well guess what, he's under contract with Green Bay- that's the deal he signed- tough shit Brett.

Yankees · Post by **Yankees** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 3:08 pm

He needs to make a decision at that time because the draft is in April. It affects draft strategy big time either way- if he's back or if he's not. Do the Packers take Brohm if Favre is back? I'm going to go out on a limb and say no.

They should have asked him which way he was leaning. Not forced him to make a public statement.

I don't see how anything in sports or business like this is "earned." He absolutely has the right to play as long as he wants. But he does not have the right to hold a franchise hostage. How many years have we had the Brett Favre farewell tour? 2006-2007 we had the tears in Chicago after that Sunday Night game. Then he comes back - great. At least he didn't retire.

How did he hold the team hostage? He screwed them up so bad that they...made the conference championship? I'd argue he's "earned" the right to compete for the starting job - not just immediately be relegated to clipboard carrier.

This year I don't blame him for being mentally drained - that's a really tough way to be knocked out of the playoffs at home throwing an interception on your supposed greatest season that you've had individually.

Um...thanks for making my point for me?

Problem for me is that he decided to go ahead and retire. I don't care if he was pressured into it. I'm sure he knew he would have an itch. He should have said let me get back to you in April.

HE DID HE DID HE DID HE DID HE DID HE DID. They said make your decision now. Also, what the f is one month going to do - he didn't make his decision until July.

I mean, hell, if he waited two weeks, his decision would have been different. What's the worst that happens if he tells Green Bay's brass to wait? They would be the only villain if they tried to cut him or trade him- which they would NOT do while he was still an active member of the Packers.

HE DID HE DID HE DID HE DID HE DID. They told him to make a decision. Out of respect for the team he made a decision - now, because he made a decision out of respect for the team, he's getting TOTALLY villified for it. It's unbelievable. He asked the team to cut him so he could quietly seek employment. The Packers are the one's that made this stupid.

It would have been so easy! They could have had a press release that said: "As a franchise, we have decided to move on with Aaron Rodgers as our quarterback. We have honored Brett Favre's decision for his outright release. We can not begin to thank Brett for the years of service, and the legacy he has carved here at Lambeau. Whatever uniform he dons in the future, he will be a Packer forever."

Outside of Packer fans who want to win a Super Bowl (those crazy people!), who would have been upset by this? No one!

Just so I'm clear - when the Packers asked Brett to make a decision, one well ahead of when he was prepared to, he's an asshole for respecting the team's wishes and making the decision he thought was right at the time?

Yankees · Post by **Yankees** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 3:48 pm

Didn't even see these nuggets:

So then he decides a few weeks after he retired that he wants to comeback and Green Bay says hey, okay. Then he says no, nevermind. Is that not jerking the franchise around? He is the leader of the team.

Again, they asked him to make a decision WAY ahead of when he was ready to decide. And now we're pissed off at him because he did? That seems fair. And it was months, not weeks.

If he wants to come back, great, I think he's an asshole for how he handled this whole situation. He's taken the Packers on an emo shitstorm and now everybody looks like an asshole. I think plenty of people are assholes, so if he wants to comeback, great, but he's an asshole. Everybody celebrated his career, Madden threw him on the cover, everybody had their Brett Favre heartstrings pulled.

Almost totally laughable. I mean, nothing above makes sense. In fact, as Gene Wojiewhatever of espn.com very nicely laid out, it has been almost totally the Packers fault.

Can we get an exact definition of "emo shitstorm"? And please demonstrate how Favre did that to the Packers? Considering, THE PACKERS ASKED HIM TO MAKE A DECISION AND HE HONORED THEIR REQUEST BY DOING IT - even though he told them he really wasn't ready.

So now we'll have to do that again? Great. I'd have zero problem with this if he didn't retire, unretire but then change his mind, then demand to be released. He is under contract with the Green Bay Packers. If Green Bay chooses to make him the backup, well guess what, he's under contract with Green Bay- that's the deal he signed- tough shit Brett.

Do what again? Do fucking what again? Lead them to a conference championship when he's 1,000 years old? Win a Super Bowl? Make a Pro Bowl? Play in every game since he put on the uniform? Restore the Packers to the NFL elite?

And Favre TRIED TO AVOID ALL THIS. He told the Packers he made a mistake. He told them he wanted to start for them. They said tough noogies. Not only are you not our starter, we won't even give you a chance to do so. And instead of respecting Brett, they leaked it and then announced this publicly.

And then Brett tried to avoid it all again by quietly asking for his release - via fucking letter - that's the quietest way he could have done this without walking to Chicago and whispering in Thompson's ear. And then they tell everyone again.

So I'm going to sum this up - Brett Favre is an asshole because:
1) The team asked him to make a decision, and, the fucking nerve of the guy, he actually honored their request - though he told them he really was in no condition to do so.

2) He tells the team he wants to play, quietly, via fucking text message, and the team says, "Hey World, Brett Favre wants to play football again. Tough shit - you're not starting!"

3) Realizing that text message was not quiet enough, Brett sends a letter to the Packers saying that he wants to actually play. The Packers say, "Hey world, Brett wants his release now that we won't start him! Can you believe this asshole?"

I mean - am I missing something? The team went through the full cycle of this last year and made the f'ing conference championship - in a completely dominating fashion. Not only that, but his teammates LOVE THE GUY. He redefined "leadership."

The Giants lay off Strahan, and he makes his decision to retire in June - after the draft - and everyone lauds him. The Packers FORCE Favre to make a decision, admittedly the wrong one, and he makes one in July (almost exactly one month after Strahan), and he's the asshole.

Unbelievable.

Mets · Post by **Mets** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 4:05 pm

1. We can speculate all we want, but unless someone works for the team or is related to Brett Farve, I'm not sure exactly how we can be sure of what happened.

2. Farve is an employee. If I'm an executive officer, and my board of directors asked if I was going to retire before they released their budget forcast, and I said yes...do you think they'd let me come back to the same position 4 months later? Doesn't matter how many billions I made the company.

3. As an employer, if you hold a key employee under contract, do you let them go to a competitor?

4. Is the company in the wrong for making the employee decide? When you're dealing with a multi-million dollar investment, I would say not.

5. Have the Packers released a statement saying that they were officially going to make Brett Farve a back-up if he returned? I've been trying to avoid all Farve coverage, so I hadn't seen it.

Mets · Post by **Mets** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 4:27 pm

Disregard point # 5. I just checked Rotoworld.

---------------------
Brett Favre, speaking on Fox News, says he was told that playing for the Packers "was not an option" but the Packers said they couldn't "envision him playing for any team."
----------------------

Yankees · Post by **Yankees** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 4:35 pm

F me...

1. We can speculate all we want, but unless someone works for the team or is related to Brett Farve, I'm not sure exactly how we can be sure of what happened.

No, this has been widely reported.

2. Farve is an employee. If I'm an executive officer, and my board of directors asked if I was going to retire before they released their budget forcast, and I said yes...do you think they'd let me come back to the same position 4 months later? Doesn't matter how many billions I made the company.

And if you were still performing as one of the top 5 whatever-you-are's in the world, I'm sure they'd find a place for you. That was a dumb statement, moving on...

3. As an employer, if you hold a key employee under contract, do you let them go to a competitor?

Good grief - I guess at some point the business world and the real world HAVE to diverge... So, yes, if you want to be an asshole GM and be villified for being a dick for the rest of your life, you have a point here.

4. Is the company in the wrong for making the employee decide? When you're dealing with a multi-million dollar investment, I would say not.

If the employee is not pulling his weight, absolutely. Favre didn't quit - he was making his decision whether or not he was. If a top executive was performing as one of the 5 best in the world, I'm sure the company would let him make his decision - if it weren't affecting his production. Well, Favre was one of the best 5 qb's in the league last year, so that statement has no bearing here.

5. Have the Packers released a statement saying that they were officially going to make Brett Farve a back-up if he returned? I've been trying to avoid all Farve coverage, so I hadn't seen it.

Yes, yes they have.

Mets · Post by **Mets** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 5:23 pm

Royals wrote:
2. Farve is an employee. If I'm an executive officer, and my board of directors asked if I was going to retire before they released their budget forcast, and I said yes...do you think they'd let me come back to the same position 4 months later? Doesn't matter how many billions I made the company.
And if you were still performing as one of the top 5 whatever-you-are's in the world, I'm sure they'd find a place for you. That was a dumb statement, moving on...

Hahahaha....apparently they did find a place for him...it's called back-up QB...aka...Senior advisor & consultant to the future leader.

Seriously, the thought of the Packers making him a back up is hilarious. Does anyone actually believe that if he officially unretired and came to camp that he'd be taking back up snaps? And even if he was a good sport about it, claiming his retirement was a faus pas, doesn't anyone really think that he won't be starting by week 3 anyway?

This whole discussion is interesting, but completley moot. Let him unretire & report to training camp. The Packers have 3 options: Use him, Cut him or trade him....In either event, he get's what he wants, & that's to play.

Yankees · Post by **Yankees** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 5:35 pm

Haha - touche salesman, touche...