I honestly think fans are driving this wedge moreso than Favre or anyone else at this point. Favre and Rodgers shouldn't be best of buddies. Why would they be? One way or another, Rodgers was going to replace Favre. That's a tough position for both guys. Obviously things went down in the worst possible way, and yes, I put most of the blame on Favre. Yes, Favre signed with the Vikings a year later. Yes, blah blah blah. It all happened. And?
Curly Lambeau tried to use a backdoor to gain financial control of the team so he could move it to California. He has a 14 foot statue in front of the 70,000 seat stadium named after him.
Rodgers did inherit a great situation. I'm sure he would say so himself. The Packers have become the best run organization in football from top to bottom. Of course the transition from 2007 to 2008 was not remotely a great situation, and I'm sure Favre would admit that. What did you want Favre to do at that point, write to the most vocal protesters, like those running the "fire Ted" websites and tell them to back off? He did that.
Rodgers himself has very nearly said he thinks he should have won a Super bowl sooner. When asked whether the 2009 playoff loss to the Cardinals toughened him up or prepared him (or something like that), Rodgers said no, he thinks they had a great team that year and wasted an opportunity! Rodgers' assessment is tougher than Favre's.
The problem is the fans only have room on the pedestal for one guy. Unless Favre cries at the podium, slurps his successor and then takes his place as a prop in black and white photographs next to Don Hutson and Bart Starr, then he must come down off the pedestal, and he must come down hard.
And I have evidence that it's all about the pedestal. In this very thread, people are saying "Aaron will handle it perfectly." "He has always handled this stuff perfectly." What? Do people forget photogate from the Super bowl week? Rodgers didn't create the problem, but then as soon as it's being wrapped up, he calls out his injured teammates for not rehabbing in Green Bay. He says "well when I was on IR, I stayed in Green Bay with the team." Good for you, Aaron. On the other hand, when Brett was QB, people fondly remember how he abused pain killers. It's such a great memory that he irresponsibly became addicted to narcotics because "he handled it well." It was a really, really good press conference. It's because of the pedestal.
I'm not trying to excuse anything. Retiring when he knew he didn't want to, asking for his release from the Packers, getting his release from the Jets to sign with the Vikings. The text messages. It's all so absurd it's hard to believe it even happened. AND??? You're going to dredge up all of that because Favre gave an honest answer to some radio shmoe? I won't excuse any of it, but I'll sure as heck diminish all of it.
It's just football and these are just the guys who play it. Unless they're like Reggie and they say specifically "I don't want to be remembered as just a football player," let's do everyone a favor and specifically remember them just as football players. As long as they're only football players and nothing more, there ought to be space in your heart for Favre and Rodgers. I hope #4 and #12 are on the walls of Lambeau next to each other for as long as football is played, and all the fans who don't have room for both can go root for a team which has had better QBs.
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