You’re going to be hostage to the whims of Brett Favre all summer.
Update: Hate to say told you so, but this soap opera is just getting started.
From the second sentence, second link:
Indeed, the Packers’ chaotic ride has played out in front of a national audience at a time when most NFL teams are on hiatus. The opening of training camp is usually a time of fresh starts, new beginnings and clean slates. But Packers players will report Sunday to St. Norbert’s College amid a national firestorm that threatens to engulf their season the same way it consumed their summer.
Update 7/28/08: Looks like Gene Wojciechowski at ESPN.com just submarined Packers’ GM Ted Thompson:
Thompson isn’t interested in putting the best product on the field. If he were, he’d let Aaron Rodgers, his handpicked successor to Favre, compete for the starting position. Sure, there’d be off-the-charts media and fan scrutiny. Isn’t that part of it?
If Rodgers can’t handle the pressure of Favre’s presence and open competition for the job in July, what makes you think he can handle the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in December? But Thompson doesn’t want the best man to win. He wants his man to win. So no quarterback bake-off.
My $0.02, not that have any reason for an opinion other than it’s fun to have one here, is the Packers really shit the bed in this process. If they honestly wanted Favre to stay retired, and it seems that is the case, and they have no spot for him at camp or on the team, he should be given his release.
If they want value for the QB, they ought to at least demonstrate they value the QB by allowing him to compete for the starting position. I think the public reaction to this has wavered up until yesterday. Favre has the upper hand at this point.
Thompson gambled and lost miserably, and will likely lose his job under a crescendo of boos at Lambeau as soon as Rogers coughs up a handful of winnable games early in the season because he will. That’s what first-year QBs do, they find a way to turn a win into a loss because the situation is a bit too much.
Update 7/31/08 — If the Packers brass is actually attempting to bribe Favre into staying retired, they have drifted into loony-toon land. Thompson should be fired if this is the case, and there is no longer any argument on who is trashing Favre’s relationship with the team. Maybe long term if the top management isn’t immediately removed.
From the link:
WTMJ television in Milwaukee reported that the team offered Favre in the neighborhood of $20 million over several years to stay retired. The Green Bay Press-Gazette reported on its Web site that the team offered Favre “a substantial salary” to stay away. Both reports cited sources close to Favre. But signs still point to the quarterback reporting to Packers camp.
David Kirkpatrick 