Unfortunately, Packers No Longer Care About Brett Favre.
By Terence Moore

http://nfl.fanhouse.com/201...-favre/?ncid=webmail

The saddest thing about Super Bowl XLV is that the Green Bay Packers want you to forget about the other guy.

They really do.

"All of the people, they're moving on. They're just excited about No. 12," said Packers offensive guard Daryn Colledge, referring to Aaron Rodgers, now the people's choice in Green Bay at quarterback -- as opposed to Brett Favre, the other guy, who was No. 4 before a nasty ending in 2008 to his 16-year career with the Packers.

That's why, when you mention Favre these days, you get a bunch of contradictory responses from his old locker room.

On the one hand, Packers wide receiver Donald Driver said this about the other guy who was his teammate of nearly a decade: "I mean, he's one of the best ever to play this game. He's a true Hall of Famer." Then on the other, Driver said, "But you're always going to be able to have somebody who can come in and fill your shoes."

Somebody who can fill Favre's shoes?

Puhleeze.

While the other guy took the Packers to two Super Bowls and won one of them, Rodgers will play for a world championship for the first time on Sunday at Cowboys Stadium, where his Packers will face the Pittsburgh Steelers. And, yes, Rodgers has splendid numbers during his three seasons as the Packers' starter, but he isn't within several bombs of matching the other guy's three NFL MVP awards, 11 Pro Bowl trips and numerous team and league records.

Rodgers might get there, but he isn't there yet.

Not that many with the Packers care.


More from NFL.com For instance: Packers coach Mike McCarthy was among those who thought it would be wise to push Favre into retirement by replacing him with Rodgers after the 2007 season. Which means it isn't surprising that McCarthy now says of Rodgers: "He is everything we thought he would be. Personally, how he handled the transition speaks volumes about him as a person and his family and how he was raised. He took the high road throughout the whole transition."

Yes, Rodgers -- who shrugged without complaining -- did when the usually supportive fans of anything in green and gold booed his every move during his first training camp after replacing the other guy.

Then came Favre's series of comebacks from retirement, and among them was a 2009 signing with the Minnesota Vikings. Just so you know, Packer fans respect the Chicago Bears, but they despise that other team from the old Black-and-Blue Division not named the Detroit Lions. Plus, about the time Favre spit at all things Packers by becoming one with the Vikings, Rodgers began flashing signs of evolving into one of the NFL's premier players. And, suddenly, Rodgers was hugged tightly around Green Bay, and Favre was the other guy -- or worse.

So Packers president Mark Murphy telling the national and international media the other day that he "envisions" Favre with a role in the organization at some point deserves a few yawns.

No matter what Packer executives say, you just know they want all of the quarterback talk involving their present and their future to center on Rodgers, their extraordinary passer with nifty feet.

We're back to Favre versus Rodgers. It's a poor man's version of Joe Montana versus Steve Young, when the former was pushed toward an abrupt exit from the San Francisco 49ers after years of stardom to give his promising backup a chance.

As was the case with Favre in Green Bay, Montana looked Hall of Fame bound forever in San Francisco, and so did Young.

Well, Rodgers remains a work in progress regarding Canton, but he still is preferred over the other guy around Green Bay. For one, it didn't help Favre's image near the end with the Packers that he decided to have his own locker room. "He got dressed (away from his teammates), but who cares?" said Packers offensive tackle Clad Clifton, shrugging and laughing. "What he was able to do on the field is what really mattered. He was a good teammate in the locker room."

No question there, and consider this: Rodgers is single compared to the married Favre, and Rodgers is significantly younger (27 to 41). Which means it isn't surprising that Rodgers has more time to promote team harmony in ways such as his "Dudes Nights," featuring everything from guitar playing to barbecue eating.

Said Packers center Scott Wells of Rodgers, who pretends to strap on a championship belt after touchdowns: "He's a clown. He likes to have a good time. Joke around. I think most of the quarterbacks I've been around are like that. He definitely enjoys being around the guys and having a good time."

Like Favre. Or maybe you never saw him sprinting to jump into the arms of his teammates after they did something wonderful. Or his playful banter with opposing defensive players after sacks. Or his interactions with Packer fans before, during and after games.

Packer executives saw those things, but they also saw Favre as an interception machine near the end with his daring -- OK, silly -- plays. He also stopped winning postseason games. In fact, Rodgers has as many playoff victories this season (three) as Favre had during his last 10 years with the Packers.

It also didn't help Favre's Green Bay cause that he resented Rodgers as his backup for three years, mostly because he sensed Packers executives would do what they eventually did.

They forced Favre to retire ... or else.

This is so Packer Nation-like. They love them, then they hate them, and then they worship them forever, but only after a passage of time.

They did as much with Curly Lambeau, and he founded the franchise while excelling all the way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a player and as a coach for the Packers. The thing is, Lambeau feuded with the Packers board of directors during the early 1950s, and he was ostracized from the franchise until the combination of time, his death and future Green Bay historians led Packers officials to naming the stadium after him in the mid-1960s.

Ever hear of Vince Lombardi? From the late 1950s through most of the 1960s, he WAS the Packers while grabbing five world championships, including victories in the first two Super Bowls.

After Lombardi retired as coach, he became the Packers' general manager for a year, but then he did the unthinkable. He left to take over the Washington Redskins. He was considered a traitor in Wisconsin. He eventually died at 57 in 1970 of cancer, and that's when all was forgiven throughout the Frozen Tundra.

He became a Packer legend again.

Favre will, too, but not for a while.
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Ron

[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 02-05-2011).]

Sports is a subset of the entertainment industry. Steve McQueen's death and the retirement of any ball player have no bearing on the future of the free world, so who cares? Favre's retirement and $5 will still buy coffee at Starbucks.

Personally, I would like to see the Packers sign Favre for 1 day so he would retire as a Green Bay Packer. Favre was such a huge part of this team for many years and did so much for the organization that I feel he should retire as one of us. I think he's earned it. There is a lot of animosity still because of the way the seperation went down but in the end he's still one of our best. But, let's see what happens with his legal issues first.....

Mark

Go Pack!

quote Originally posted by heybjorn: Sports is a subset of the entertainment industry. Steve McQueen's death and the retirement of any ball player have no bearing on the future of the free world, so who cares?

Preach the truth, brother!

quote They forced Favre to retire ... or else.

HOGWASH!

On 3 separate occasions in the offseason between 2007 and 2008 seasons, Green Bay sent someone to ask Favre to play again for the 2008 in Green Bay. 3 Separate times he reitterated he was going to retire. The last time Ted thompson even sent a private jet to bring Favre back to Green Bay. Even as welcome as they could make Brett feel, he still refused to budge on "retiring." Now, the draft comes and Green Bay uses their 2nd (Brohm) and 7th (Flynn) round picks on QBs. That gives them 3 QBs, including Rodgers. Family Night rolls around and 'SURPRISE'! Brett's wanting to come back out of retirement in dramatic fashion, ride in on his white horse and save the day. By then, the business decision had already been made. Favre throws a fit, demands the Packers trade him, and they respect his wishes. There was no "Favre must retire or else" scenario as suggested in the above article. The only poison pill in the contract is he cannot be traded to Minnesota.. but at least he has a chance to play for any other team that might want him. So off he went to the Jets. Green Bay fans did not bad mouth him for at least still wearing green, but he wore out his legacy pretty fast by putting on purple.

As a fan of Favre and the Packers, I feel he did not behave in a manner befitting his station. It seems to me that he wanted to miss OTAs and Training Camp, and so he was "retired" until Green Bay was finished with offseason conditioning. If he had just been honest, McCarthy and Thompson would have let him skip those, something that could easily be afforded a veteran with his kind of meaning to the franchise. They asked him 3 TIMES to come back and play after a great 2007 season. They had to move on.. and the fans did, too. The 2010 Green Bay Packers are a TEAM.. not just one diva. They all have won games this year, not just Rodgers. You would think from the persepective of the article writer, Favre played all three phases while the other players sat on the bench and ate ice cream.

Terrible article, not historically accurate, and written from the perspective of a Green Bay critic.

quote Originally posted by heybjorn: Sports is a subset of the entertainment industry. Steve McQueen's death and the retirement of any ball player have no bearing on the future of the free world, so who cares? Favre's retirement and $5 will still buy coffee at Starbucks.

I fully agree, whether is a ball player or guitar player, even Hendriks didn't change the Free World but, that doesn't mean they didn't have an effect or influence on those that came into contact with them or whatever the phenominon was that made them notable.

Brett Farve will always be a Packer IMHO.

Although, I would submit to you that a retired entertainer can and has affected the free world, ie.......President Ronald Reagan.

[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 02-05-2011).]

All that talk about Packer's quarterbacks and no mention of Bart Starr?

quote Originally posted by heybjorn: Favre's retirement and $5 will still buy coffee at Starbucks.

Starbucks coffee is on sale?

Jim

quote Originally posted by heybjorn: Sports is a subset of the entertainment industry. Steve McQueen's death and the retirement of any ball player have no bearing on the future of the free world, so who cares? Favre's retirement and $5 will still buy coffee at Starbucks.

Quoted for absolute truth.

quote Originally posted by Hulki U. My-BFF: Quoted for absolute truth.

Don't encourage him.

Jim

[This message has been edited by jimbolaya (edited 02-05-2011).]

Who in the world is this Terence Moore?

He leads with "...the saddest thing about Super Bowl XLV is that the Green Bay Packers want you to forget about the other guy."?

The saddest thing is that they even BRING UP Brett Favre at this time. He hasn't been with the team for THREE SEASONS.

Uh, the team in the Super Bowl is THE GREEN BAY PACKERS. Favre hasn't played for them FOR THREE YEARS.


This is the time to focus on Aaron Rodgers and the CURRENT Packers, not the quarterback of one of the Packer's chief and most bitter rivals (by HIS intentional design and choice).


The Packers stuck with Favre inspite of him being 3 and 6 in the playoffs over the past DECADE, and inspite of his SIXTEEN playoff interceptions thrown during that time frame. So don't anyone make it out that the Packer fans weren't loyal to him.

There were definitely a decent amount of idiotic (my opinion) fans who put being a Favre fan OVER being a Packer fan, and booed Rodgers. That was NOT the majority of Packer fans.

Moore is an idiot, apparently, by trying to portray Packer fans as being fickle to the people that leave. "This is so Packer Nation-like. They love them, then they hate them, and then they worship them forever, but only after a passage of time." What a bunch of horse manure. And if he was any kind of a writer, he wouldn't have gone back to Curly Lambeau. He would have gone to Mike Holmgren as an example, who was more focused on getting a general manager and head coach job elsewhere than getting his team ready for the 1998 Super Bowl against Denver. And then ultimately left for Seattle. Oh, well, except he wasn't considered a traitor, and isn't treated like one. Uh, and except I was alive when Lombardi left, and he wasn't considered a traitor either. Everyone knew he wanted to come back as head coach, but he didn't want to pull the rug out of his long-time defensive coordinator who had moved up to head coach, so Lombardi moved on to a place he could head coach again.


Brett Favre is the bad guy in this whole scenario, and created the ill will toward himself. Don't portray this as any "Packer-nation" issue. He is fortunate that with the passage of time, Packer fans will overlook his deliberate 3 year campaign of actively attacking the Packers. But, yeah, it is going to take a while.


And THIS week, absolutely, we don't care one bit about Brett Favre. Nor should we.

I realize some Packer's fans are not in agreement but, similar to Joe Montana who ended his career with KC, Joe will always be remembered as a Forty-Niner even though he retired with KC. Favre will always be a Packer as far as most NFL fans in America are concerned.

I also don't really believe everything the Packer HQ or Favre had to say about his leaving, both were playing the media to gain fan support. I agree that Favre was in the last act of his career just as he and the HQ knew it. I believe the truth lies somewhere in between what we were told.

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Ron

Who left whom?

It'll be interesting to watch the game tonight and count how many times they mention Brett Favre's name.

We could turn it into a drinking game but we'd probably be dead of alcohol poisoning by halftime.

Explain to me again why the Packers would care about the guy who signed on to their division rival because HE thought we was God's gift to football?

Brent's ego has finally been deflated to the size of his ....

quote Originally posted by blackrams: I believe the truth lies somewhere in between what we were told.

It doesn't, but it is fine that you believe that because it isn't that big of a deal.


But the guy thinks Packer fans are mean for no longer caring about Favre, and what a shame it is that Favre isn't a big part of the discussion during this Super Bowl.

OK, stupid Terence Moore. Why did you ignore THIS:

when Favre was leaving the field after being beaten by the Bears, he said to TWO different Bears players, "Go beat Green Bay in 2 weeks."


Which Favre would have known would have eliminated any chance of the Packers in the playoffs.

So the Packers and fans are supposed to fawn over a player who was ROOTING AGAINST them even making the playoffs, much less playing in the Super Bowl?


Yeah. There is no middle ground. It has been documented what happened. All would have been fine if it wasn't for Favre. He intentionally attacked the Packers by weaseling and maneuvering himself into position to play for the Packer's largest rival. He has been documented conclusively as rooting for another team to beat the Packers to keep them out of the playoffs.

Brett Favre's hatred for Ted Thompson has been SO all-consuming, that it has made him actively be against the Packers.

And Terence Moore says it says something about the Packers and their fans for not caring about a man actively hating the Packers. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

quote Originally posted by frontal lobe: Brett Favre's hatred for Ted Thompson has been SO all-consuming, that it has made him actively be against the Packers.

You may be right on target with this and from what I've heard, Mr. Thompson is not exactly a Favre fan. The fans are a necessary part of the game, they bring the money but, if not for that, the NFL would not exist. In this case, the fans may have been pawns used by both Mr. Thompson and Mr. Favre.

Most of the rest of the country wouldn't have the interest level to read and know the whole story when it was going on. I understand that.

Ted Thompson wasn't a Brett Favre fan. He wasn't anti-Brett Favre, either. He was solely interested in fielding the best team that gave the Packers the best chance to go to the Super Bowl.

Favre was aging. Every year, he had faded at the end of the year. In the playoffs for the past 10 years, he was 3 wins, 6 losses with SIXTEEN interceptions in those 9 games. 2 of the interceptions were BRUTALLY bad decisions and throws in overtime, that directly led to the Packers losing.

He had a quarterback who had sat 3 years, and was ready go to. STILL, McCarthy and Thompson asked Favre if he intended to come back and invited him back.

BUT, they didn't BEG him to come back. They only INVITED him back. Favre wanted to be BEGGED to come back. AND, if he came back, they expected him to come to training camp. Favre TOLD them in March he was retiring, and so Thompson and McCarthy said ok. I guess Favre was expecting them to BEG him to come back.

So McCarthy and Thompson told Aaron Rodgers that Favre had definitively retired, and so it was now his time. They committed to him. And then in June or so, Favre tells them he has decided he still wants to play. Well, what are Thompson and McCarthy supposed to do? They had prepared to move on with Rodgers.


So they told Favre that, and when Favre said he still wanted to play, they told him then they would have to trade him. Favre wanted his outright release instead. Well, that was so he could go to the Vikings, so he could play the Packers twice a year, and stick it to them. Come on. Thompson isn't an idiot. He said no. But he was willing to trade him to a team OUT of the division and let Favre pick who it would be OTHER THAN the Vikings and Bears.


Ted Thompson didn't use the fans. He really doesn't care much what the fans think, not so much out of arrogance as he just will NOT let what ANYone (other than McCarthy and his staff of whom he requests input) thinks interfere with his decision making regarding personnel to help the team win.
Those of you that are not Packers fans, you should continue to enjoy Brett Favre. No reason for you not to. The only team Favre is specifically and determinedly trying to go after is: the Green Bay Packers.


So for now, we don't care about him. Because he is a bad, selfish, vindictive guy (at least when it comes to the Packers).