Arrington TALKED to Brett

longtimefan

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Favre's sales pitch not good enough

Arrington had talk with QB

By TOM SILVERSTEIN
[email protected]
Posted: April 25, 2006
It's easy to assume that quarterback Brett Favre's uncertain status played a role in free-agent linebacker LaVar Arrington's decision to reject the Green Bay Packers' offer and sign with the New York Giants.
But Arrington told the Washington Times last weekend that Favre intervened on the Packers' behalf late in the process to strongly encourage the three-time Pro Bowl linebacker to sign with the Packers. Arrington told the newspaper that Favre nearly swayed him to accept an offer from Green Bay that was thought to be for more money than what the Giants offered.

One of Arrington's agents, Kevin Poston, confirmed that Arrington didn't take the best offer on the table, telling the Newark Star-Ledger that one of the teams offered slightly more, although he declined to name the team. The Packers and Giants were thought to be the two finalists in the Arrington sweepstakes, with Miami and Jacksonville making pitches as well.

Packers general manager Ted Thompson said he had no knowledge of Favre playing a role in recruiting Arrington. Neither Poston nor Favre's agent, James "Bus" Cook, could be reached for comment.

But the Times reported that Arrington received a sales pitch from Favre before he made his decision and thought hard about it.

Thompson remained vague about Favre's status for next season and said he, like everyone else, was waiting to hear whether he would return this season. Meeting with reporters at a pre-draft news conference Monday in Green Bay, Thompson seemed at ease with the possibility that Favre would wait until after the draft to make his decision and indicated that it wouldn't affect his plans for this weekend.

"He has reached a certain position in this game and the respect we all have for him, he's trying to make this decision and is trying to do it in the best way he can for him and his family," Thompson said. "You wished we had it earlier. We had this so-called timeline, but it was always throwing the dart at the calendar. We'd like to know but I'm sure he'd like to know."

Asked if he expected to hear something before the draft, Thompson said: "I've gotten to the point where I'm not necessarily anticipating, but at the same time it wouldn't surprise me if we got some sort of answer. I'm probably the same as you guys."

If Favre was playing recruiter for the Packers it would seem to indicate a strong desire to return, but he has said in various interviews that he's feeling the itch to play but doesn't want to endure another 4-12 season. Arrington expressed to the Times that the fact the Packers were 4-12 last season and that Favre might play only one more year were factors that weighed on his mind.

Now that Arrington has gone to New York, the last big-name free agent out there is cornerback Charles Woodson, who remains high on the Packers' wish list. Talks with Woodson and his agent, Carl Poston, Kevin Poston's brother, continued Monday. The Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the front-runners for Woodson's services and it's possible the veteran cornerback will make a decision on his new home before the draft.

The fact the Packers are coming off their first losing season since Favre became the starter in 1992 and Favre is nearing the end of the road probably isn't doing the Packers many favors in free agency. Add in the uncertain status of wide receiver Javon Walker, who has vowed never to play for the team again, and Green Bay has lost a lot of its cachet.

Arrington listed factors such as remaining in the NFC East where he could play against his old team twice a year, staying close to his home in Annapolis, Md., and playing in a big city as factors that led him to the Giants. But he also identified the Giants as "a winning team, a team heading in the right direction," in the Times interview.

If the Packers are able to sign Woodson it would certainly be an argument against Green Bay returning to the barren northern outpost it was in the 1970s and '80s. The Packers are going up against a Buccaneers team that features Woodson's old Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden, whose persuasiveness can lead players to take less money to play for him.

However, Thompson reiterated that he is not going to engage in profligacy to build his football team.

"We will continue to make efforts to do some things," Thompson said.

"We do try to make certain what we do is not just fantasy football. We're investing in a player that has to come in here and play a particular role. If we don't think that player can perform to that contract it doesn't make sense for us to do it just to say, 'Look at what we spent.' "
 

pyledriver80

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longtimefan said:
However, Thompson reiterated that he is not going to engage in profligacy to build his football team.

"We will continue to make efforts to do some things," Thompson said.

"We do try to make certain what we do is not just fantasy football. We're investing in a player that has to come in here and play a particular role. If we don't think that player can perform to that contract it doesn't make sense for us to do it just to say, 'Look at what we spent.' "


Can't be much more honest than that. The fact that it's not fantasy football seems to be something alot of people forget.
 

digsthepack

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Damn TT...offered more money but still Arrington walked.

Tightwad!!

The team is going through a HUGE transition from a once in a lifetime HOF QB into the great unknown. Uncertainty is not appealing to anyone, and it appears to be reflected a bit in the FA action, or lack of action, in some of these negotiations.
 

rabidgopher04

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Wow, that speaks volumes about what players think of Green Bay. Arrington had more money offered and Brett Favre encouraged him to play there, but he still wouldn't come.

How many other FAs has this happened to? Why aren't people interested in GB?

Simply amazing.
 

bozz_2006

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and how many of our own FA's have we lost because of the same reason? Longwell. it would never happen to my team though. EVERYONE wants to be on my fantasy team.
 

digsthepack

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Rabid....read my previous post. Favre leaving, or not leaving, or leaving after one...maybe two more years...who the heck knows.

That in itself is the problem. The uncertainty of the whole situation is unattractive to people. Who knows what you sign on for and how long it will last?
 

Chamuko

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I will be very happy to see that we offered more $$$ for real..

Sorry I dont believe it.

Also by no means TT is a good salesperson, we need him to get someone who is good at PR and can have the right meetings with people, make them feel important, gave the quality time...

TT looks more like a library mice, might be very bright and be an excellent talent evaluator but he needs to improve his comunication and public relations skills,,, A LOT..
 

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Is it that hard to understand that Green Bay isn't all that attractive of a place to play? These days high profile players want to go to places that they are going to get alot of attention. They want to go to California or Florida or New York or Texas. The days of the Reggie Whites are unfortunately gone. It looks pretty likely that the Packers did offer more money and Favre did what he could to get Arrington but other factors came into it. Hating Ted Thompson just because you like to hate him doesn't mean you can just ignore the facts and blame everything on him.
 

hoos

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I have to agree with Chamuko. The article never states that GB offered more money, it just says another team did. While it is very likely that it was GB, y'all are talking like the article definitively stated it.

Also, it kind of worries me that TT didn't even know that Brett talked to Arrington. After Arrington publicly stated wanting to talk to Favre why didn't TT facilitate this?
 

digsthepack

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Well, ol' Ted has a draft to prepare for. The Favre / Arrington thing was gonna shake out however it shaked out...his knowledge of the call had/has no bearing on the matter. Arrington chose the bright lights and big city...and the chance to whoop *** on his old team twice a year.

Hey, we made a decent pitch and were shut out. On to the next phase of the offseason....the draft.
 

DePack

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SuperRat said:
Is it that hard to understand that Green Bay isn't all that attractive of a place to play? These days high profile players want to go to places that they are going to get alot of attention. They want to go to California or Florida or New York or Texas. The days of the Reggie Whites are unfortunately gone. It looks pretty likely that the Packers did offer more money and Favre did what he could to get Arrington but other factors came into it. Hating Ted Thompson just because you like to hate him doesn't mean you can just ignore the facts and blame everything on him.

C'mon dude...no "built-in excuses". This was the mantra for the 70's and 80's. "Nobody wants to go play in Green Bay". Keep that same defeatist attitude and we will suck for the next 20 years. Players love to play for money and winners. We have money. It is up to TT to convince them we can be winners. Wolf was able to do it. If TT can't do it....bye-bye!



Please don't jump my ****.....I said IF!
 

Packnic

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good grief man.... This article should shut half of this forum up for awhile, TT is doing all the right things here.... and Brett Favre isnt holding anyone up or affecting any free agent decisions. There really isnt anything else to talk about concerning this subject if you ask me.

BF isnt playing forever for god sakes, so any free agent knows, that after either this week, next year, two years maybe we will have a young inexperienced QB at the helm. even if favre says he is coming back, most contracts are for at least 3 years for big time free agents.... they gotta know he aint staying that long.
 

DePack

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Packnic said:
good grief man.... This article should shut half of this forum up for awhile, TT is doing all the right things here.... and Brett Favre isnt holding anyone up or affecting any free agent decisions. There really isnt anything else to talk about concerning this subject if you ask me.

BF isnt playing forever for god sakes, so any free agent knows, that after either this week, next year, two years maybe we will have a young inexperienced QB at the helm. even if favre says he is coming back, most contracts are for at least 3 years for big time free agents.... they gotta know he aint staying that long.

So what are you saying? We will never be able to sign a big time free agent because Brett is not going to be around?

TT is doing "all the right things?" Yea that's exactly what the article says :roll:
 

digsthepack

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What he is saying, I believe, is that the UNCERTAINTY surrounding the immediate future of this team is not very attractive at the moment. When Favre walks away, the team can pursue FAs with a clear vision of what they are going to do. Some guys like to be on the ground floor of reviving a franchise...some guys want to go to a contender...at least they know what they are getting themselves into..which is NOT the case in GB right now. No knock on anybody involved, but the situation is difficult on the team, which makes it difficult to attract FAs.

Pretty simple, isn't it? Let's say you are gonna change jobs...all money being fairly equal...are you going to choose uncertainty over a known commodity? Most people will choose the known commodity..whether a plumber or a salesperson...very few choose uncertainty.
 

Packnic

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im not saying anything of the sort....

i agree they wanna play with winners and money.... TT is surely making sure we have money.... and TT says he is trying to build a franchise that wins....

im saying that no one can use the idea that brett is holding up the team ...
hes gotta leave sometime so thats not a good excuse for not gettin free agents

but i guess your right TT has only had a year and half to win the superbowl thats plenty of time .... get his sorry GB hatin *** outta here
 
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longtimefan

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For me this speaks volumes...

"Arrington expressed to the Times that the fact the Packers were 4-12 last season and that Favre might play only one more year were factors that weighed on his mind. "
 

digsthepack

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You know, most Packers fans were pissing blood when we traded a #17 for some drunken party-boy, third stringer from Atlanta.

Bottom line is that we know ****..and some people actually make a damn fine living judging football talent. I find it simply amazing that so many people are willing to dismiss TT's track record with the Seahawks...the guy helped build a team that damn near won the SB last year.....most key players procured during his tenure.

What a friggin' hack....Jones, Hutchinson, Alexander, Hamlin, Trufant, Boulware, Wistrom, Robinson, etc...bunch o' nobodies.
 

Since69

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rabidgopher04 said:
... and Brett Favre encouraged him to play there, but he still wouldn't come.

Simply amazing.

Well... maybe Brett didn't encourage him. Maybe Brett told LA that he wasn't coming back. Maybe Brett told him he still hadn't decided... I can't tell from the article.

{edit} Whoops! Guess I missed the part of the article where it says that Brett encouraged him. :doh: Stay in school, kids...

Either way, this pretty much guarantees we'll take hawk, though, doesn't it?
 

CaliforniaCheez

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"But Arrington told the Washington Times last weekend that Favre intervened on the Packers' behalf late in the process to strongly encourage the three-time Pro Bowl linebacker to sign with the Packers. Arrington told the newspaper that Favre nearly swayed him to accept an offer from Green Bay that was thought to be for more money than what the Giants offered."

If Brett was being selfish as some have accused him of being why did he help the team without being asked?
 

Since69

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digsthepack said:
You know, most Packers fans were pissing blood when we traded a #17 for some drunken party-boy, third stringer from Atlanta.

Bottom line is that we know ****..and some people actually make a damn fine living judging football talent. I find it simply amazing that so many people are willing to dismiss TT's track record with the Seahawks...the guy helped build a team that damn near won the SB last year.....most key players procured during his tenure.

What a friggin' hack....Jones, Hutchinson, Alexander, Hamlin, Trufant, Boulware, Wistrom, Robinson, etc...bunch o' nobodies.

:thumbsup: :agree: Damned good post!!
 

rabidgopher04

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digsthepack said:
Rabid....read my previous post. Favre leaving, or not leaving, or leaving after one...maybe two more years...who the heck knows.

That in itself is the problem. The uncertainty of the whole situation is unattractive to people. Who knows what you sign on for and how long it will last?

I am agreeing with you.
 

Bruce

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digsthepack said:
You know, most Packers fans were pissing blood when we traded a #17 for some drunken party-boy, third stringer from Atlanta.

Bottom line is that we know ****..and some people actually make a damn fine living judging football talent. I find it simply amazing that so many people are willing to dismiss TT's track record with the Seahawks...the guy helped build a team that damn near won the SB last year.....most key players procured during his tenure.

What a friggin' hack....Jones, Hutchinson, Alexander, Hamlin, Trufant, Boulware, Wistrom, Robinson, etc...bunch o' nobodies.

Yeah, Ted was a part of the football operations in Seattle, but I think it is significant to note that he was never the GM and was never considered for the GM position even when Holmgren was forced out. Since you are fond of saying that Seattle, whom had not won a single playoff game in the past 10 seasons before last season is so wise -- then I guess they were equally wise in their assessment that T.T. did not have what it took to be GM -- right???

A couple of things always amaze me -- like Mike Sherman clearly has made his living in Football and clearly knows a whole hell of a lot more than you, but that did not stop you from criticizing the guy even when he was producing winning season after winning season.

But then Ted Thompson comes to town, produces the first losing season in 15 years and one of the worst records in the NFL -- and everyone should shut up and defer to his genius.

I don't know many people who were pissing blood at Ron Wolf's moves, including trading for a QB that he and Mike H. agreed was the guy they wanted -- at least not any people who had a clue about the NFL and both of their accomplishments.

But comparing Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy to Ron Wolf and Mike Holmgren takes quite a leap of imagination, so I do give you props for your writing, but have to file it under the category of fiction.
 

digsthepack

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I had 5 seasons, and many blown calls/opportunities/games to make a determination on Sherman. Hell, he gave us 4 - 5 great examples of ineptitude every season...always at the most critical moments, no less.....to make that judgement.

I do not have that background to pass judgement on TT....other than the winning background he comes from.

I am quite suprised you did not take that very basic disparity in history, the basis of judgement, into account before making that rather shortsighted comment, Bruce.

Sherman was maintaining status quo for his last 3 years...never improving the team..always hoping t add that one piece to put him and his team over the top...and putting the team in tough cap situations along the way. The team was operating to preserve the last decade than building for the future...the slide was postponed and inevitable. Never mind that half of our team was absolutely decimated by injuries last year as well. Yes, you have to play through injuries, but I think you agree that last year was quite an anomoly from the sheer numbers and seriousness of the injuries.

In either case, talk to me in 3 more years when TT has equal chance as Sherman to prove/disprove his worth.
 

P@ck66

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Amen..Bruce..amen..

(and you've got your HOF QB..Brett Favre sitting on the side-line...chomping at the bit....just looking for TT to give him a reason NOT to retire..)

Let me tell you...if Favre does retire....and TT's little "plan" doesn't work out for the Pack...

i'll start plucking some chickens and boiling up the tar if you provide the rail...

(Good point about TT's tenure in Seattle...most people seem to forget those particular "facts" though...)
 

Packnic

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Bruce said:
I don't know many people who were pissing blood at Ron Wolf's moves, including trading for a QB that he and Mike H. agreed was the guy they wanted -- at least not any people who had a clue about the NFL and both of their accomplishments.
.

we also didnt have message boards this rampant in 1992 when these decisions were made..... im sure plenty of people were questioning ron wolf also.... just no where to voice it like today.

and i seriously cant believe someone is defending mike sherman....

MM is already better in my opinion, he looks and acts like a football coach and is a leader.... MS just looked scared to death all the time
 

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