The Brett Favre Saga

I'm sorry, but I can't take it anymore.

You see I truly, honestly, sincerely tried my hardest NOT to write about Brett Favre's latest retirement battle with himself and the Green Bay Packers. I have always believed that this is just Brett Favre's latest shenanigans and that it will all die away when the pigskin starts flying and the hits start landing. But training camp has already started, and Brett refuses to go away.

Here's the deal: I am really sick of Brett Favre. He decides holds a press conference a week after the Packers' last game (a gut-wrenching, OT loss to the would-become Super Bowl Champion New York Giants, in which Favre threw an OT interception). In this press conference, he announces that he doesn't have the heart anymore, that he's not committed to football, blah-blah-blah. He cries, the media writes a whole bunch of sappy Favre stories, and all is good and well. 

Haha, says Favre. Gotcha! Naw man, I was just kiddin' about this here retirement. I'm actually feelin' like playin' some football now! Well guess what Brett, if I'm the GM for the Packers, you've worn out your invitation. We asked you to come back. We asked you to play. But you said no. And now you want back? No thank you, sir. I will kindly take my Aaron Rodgers, Cal grad and apprentice to Favre for the past 3 years, and go to the playoffs without you (you heard it here first). I don't care if you're a Hall of Fame caliber quarterback, bringing you back disrupts our Aaron-specific offensive plan, destroys our current team chemistry, and wrecks the confidence of our future quarterback (Brett's gonna have to retire at some point). Thanks, but no thanks Brett.

But this is where the situation gets complicated. All of a sudden, Favre says, "Release me." Okay, but there are some implications. The Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears, both of whom are in the Packers' division, are one good quarterback away from being playoff quality teams. If you look at the Vikings, they're one good quarterback away from being a Super Bowl quality team. So now what to do, if you're the Packers? Release Favre, trade Favre, or bring him back?

Well here's what I would do: trade him. You are going to get some pretty good value for a Hall of Fame quarterback, so go out and get that value. Another defensive player, a solid running back, or a good wide receiver make the Packers better than the return of Brett Favre does. The best part is, I get to determine where Brett goes, but he still gets his wish to play elsewhere. Win-win situation.

Oh, but the fans are going to revolt, right? Listen, winning now is going to erase winning in the past. Face it, Brett Favre hasn't won a Super Bowl since 1996. If Aaron Rodgers is able to lead the Packers to the playoffs, Packers fans are going to put up "Brett Who?" signs pretty quickly. Niners fans didn't boycott their team when Joe Montana left for the Chiefs because they had Steve Young to take their minds of Montana. Apply that same strategy to this situation, and you have a success. 

That's my take on what the Packers should do. What's yours? Let me know in the comments section, in the poll located on the blog's sidebar, or email me at nbluedevils@yahoo.com.