Aaron Rodgers: “It’s Time to Let the Healing Process Begin”

[PackFanNChiTown]

The good news is by trading to the Jets the Pack ultimately wound up with Clay Matthews and won a Super Bowl while the Queens kept all their draft picks and still haven't won anything outside one division title.

The problem with trying to differentiate between "sticking it" to Ted and "sticking it" to the Packers is the only way Favre could "stick it" to Ted was by beating Ted's team.

Ultimately it comes down to a player choosing to don the uniform of a division rival for the sole purpose of playing and beating his former team. For some reason fans just don't have a real warm and fuzzy toward the man after that.

 

[adambr2]

I completely agree with the general consensus on Favre.

Favre never really "wanted" to retire in 2008. He wanted to reserve the right to jerk us around until August, skip OTA's and training camp, and then triumphantly announce a return.

Rodgers was a terrible inconvenience to Favre, because Favre assumed the job was his until he decided otherwise. He didn't want to look over his shoulder. The fact that the organization needed to plan for life after him was irrelevant to Favre. He felt like the organizational owed him.

Unfortunately for Thompson, his predecessors enabled Favre. By the time the Sherman regime was over, the sense of entitlement that Favre felt was so strong that he just couldn't handle a GM who wasn't going to put him first.

 

[Mighty Mike 77]

thanks for the update... appreciate it...

 

[TJV]

As much as I dislike posting about Favre I want to help set the record straight because it’s been my experience that many “Favre fans” aren’t informed about the facts regarding what I refer to as the “Favre-made mess”.

On September 9, 2002, Peter King wrote a column reporting his interview with Favre in which he talks about retirement and how home sick he becomes when he has to leave home and go to Green Bay. Here’s a revealing paragraph: “On the day Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre had to leave his beloved house and 460 acres in Hattiesburg, Miss., to report to training camp by 7 p.m., he began to think this might be his last camp. As a private plane stood by at a nearby airstrip for the 2-hour flight to Green Bay, he was sweating a stream while edging a mile of his property where it meets the road, refusing to leave until the job was done. He finished just after noon and jetted off, reluctantly, at two.”
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1026712/

The reason I bring this up to show Favre started his ‘look at me, beg me not to retire’ dance long before Thompson became GM. In typical Favre fashion, before the 2003 season as he was peppered with questions about retiring, he responded, “I can't even remember how the whole retirement thing started, but whoever started it needs to be shot." King may have asked him the question but of course it was Favre himself who he said “needs to be shot”.

I’ve brought this up before but I think it bears repeating: In his interview with Greta, Favre admitted to telling Thompson how to do his job shortly after Thompson took over as GM: He told him he had to keep both Wahl and Rivera. And while Favre was pressuring Thompson, he himself hadn’t yet committed to playing the season. Consider this from Thompson's point of view.

Then after Thompson fired Sherman, Favre pressured him into signing his friend, Mariucci as head coach. Wouldn't that have been great - another HC who would bow to Favre? And later Favre pressured Thompson to acquire Moss. The head coach is the QB’s “boss”. The GM is the head coach’s “boss”, so in effect Favre was telling his boss’s boss how to do his job and that began shortly after Thompson got the job. I, for one, am very grateful in 2005 the Packers hired a GM who understood - and understands - what his job was/is; to look out for the best short- and long-term interests of the franchise.

That’s why I call it “Favre-made”. The ah-shucks hillbilly who 'just loved to play and would play for free' bought into the BS spewed by some Favre fans – that he was the franchise. No one, I repeat NO ONE is bigger than the franchise. Not even the two men responsible for creating it. Not even the greatest head coach the NFL has ever seen. Certainly not any single player. And most certainly not one who literally threw chances to advance in the playoffs away.

 

[adambr2]

As much as I dislike posting about Favre I want to help set the record straight because it’s been my experience that many “Favre fans” aren’t informed about the facts regarding what I refer to as the “Favre-made mess”.

On September 9, 2002, Peter King wrote a column reporting his interview with Favre in which he talks about retirement and how home sick he becomes when he has to leave home and go to Green Bay. Here’s a revealing paragraph: “On the day Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre had to leave his beloved house and 460 acres in Hattiesburg, Miss., to report to training camp by 7 p.m., he began to think this might be his last camp. As a private plane stood by at a nearby airstrip for the 2-hour flight to Green Bay, he was sweating a stream while edging a mile of his property where it meets the road, refusing to leave until the job was done. He finished just after noon and jetted off, reluctantly, at two.”
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1026712/

The reason I bring this up to show Favre started his ‘look at me, beg me not to retire’ dance long before Thompson became GM. In typical Favre fashion, before the 2003 season as he was peppered with questions about retiring, he responded, “I can't even remember how the whole retirement thing started, but whoever started it needs to be shot." King may have asked him the question but of course it was Favre himself who he said “needs to be shot”.

I’ve brought this up before but I think it bears repeating: In his interview with Greta, Favre admitted to telling Thompson how to do his job shortly after Thompson took over as GM: He told him he had to keep both Wahl and Rivera. And while Favre was pressuring Thompson, he himself hadn’t yet committed to playing the season. Consider this from Thompson's point of view.

Then after Thompson fired Sherman, Favre pressured him into signing his friend, Mariucci as head coach. Wouldn't that have been great - another HC who would bow to Favre? And later Favre pressured Thompson to acquire Moss. The head coach is the QB’s “boss”. The GM is the head coach’s “boss”, so in effect Favre was telling his boss’s boss how to do his job and that began shortly after Thompson got the job. I, for one, am very grateful in 2005 the Packers hired a GM who understood - and understands - what his job was/is; to look out for the best short- and long-term interests of the franchise.

That’s why I call it “Favre-made”. The ah-shucks hillbilly who 'just loved to play and would play for free' bought into the BS spewed by some Favre fans – that he was the franchise. No one, I repeat NO ONE is bigger than the franchise. Not even the two men responsible for creating it. Not even the greatest head coach the NFL has ever seen. Certainly not any single player. And most certainly not one who literally threw chances to advance in the playoffs away.

Very well said.

So put that in perspective a little bit. The guy who thought 2002 "might be his last camp" ended up retiring for good after 2010. That's a course of 9 seasons. Favre spent literally an entire career's worth of time for some players hemming about his own potential retirement.

And that's not counting the comeback that he probably would have been willing to make in 2011. If you recall, Favre said he would "listen" if the Bears came calling when Cutler went down late in 2011.

I have little doubt he would have taken the opportunity, another chance to stick it to Green Bay and hop on a potentially playoff bound team as the starting QB without having to put any work into it all year.

Of course, when the Bears said they weren't interested, Favre reiterated that he had no interest in coming out of retirement, like a kid who had been turned down for a prom date and said "Well I never wanted to go with her anyway."

 

[ivo610]

thanks for the update... appreciate it...

then there is this
http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/20/no-denials-from-lions-coaches-about-favre-report/

Its what I personally will always remember about Favre. Its just bush league.

 

[13 Times Champs]

He was a traitor in many forms. It's hard for me to get past that. I rooted so hard for him....and then he let me down.

 

[Darth Garfunkel]

Favre spent literally an entire career's worth of time for some players hemming about his own potential retirement.

Maybe I'm getting one of the retirement dramas mixed up but I seem to recall he mentioned not knowing how much longer he'd play immediately after super bowl XXI. I don't recall it being widely reported probably because no one took him seriously back then. But I do remember the whole song and dance starting in the late 90's.

 

[El Guapo]

I forgot about but certainly remember that Lions article. That was one of the lowest points for me, telling an opponent how to beat your former team. It highlights a complete lack of character and decision making displayed by Favre in the waning years of his career. It doesn't tarnish what he did for the franchise during his glory years, but it tarnishes his overall image. He's got James Lofton status in my eyes.

 

[13 Times Champs]

I forgot about but certainly remember that Lions article. That was one of the lowest points for me, telling an opponent how to beat your former team. It highlights a complete lack of character and decision making displayed by Favre in the waning years of his career. It doesn't tarnish what he did for the franchise during his glory years, but it tarnishes his overall image. He's got James Lofton status in my eyes.

James Lofton was never the villain Favre became in my eyes. He may or may have done some despicable things but he never dissed the organization like Favre did. I agree with the rest of your post.

 

[I asked LT to delete my acct]

bottom line is Raptor, you`re a Vikings fan welcome on the Packers forum, so how Packer fans feel about this is immaterial to you. The Packer fans feel strongly about this stuff. The man insulted the organisation, the fans etc. I WILL NOT, no, CANNOT forgive Favre for what he did and I don`t think I`m in the minority here either. IMO

this reply maybe considered "OLD", but I`d be happy to bet there are more that feel as strongly as I do than are Brett Favre fans, for one reason or another.

 

[JBlood]

Man, even the soccer loving Brits get it with Favre. What else do you need to know?

 

[FrankRizzo]

Enough talk about this former player, no?

Let's move on. The guy's a diva, the number one ego-maniac in sports... he probably monitors these boards, loves to see us STILL talking about him.

He rode Reggie White's coattails to one ring. He threw a ton of touchdowns, yards, and picks, in regular seasons.
He was Trent Dilfer in the post-season. Or Brad Johnson.

 

[I asked LT to delete my acct]

Man, even the soccer loving Brits get it with Favre. What else do you need to know?

how dare you ???? I hate soccer.....lol

 

[longtimefan]

I’ve brought this up before but I think it bears repeating: In his interview with Greta, Favre admitted to telling Thompson how to do his job shortly after Thompson took over as GM: He told him he had to keep both Wahl and Rivera. And while Favre was pressuring Thompson, he himself hadn’t yet committed to playing the season. Consider this from Thompson's point of view.

.

Some say that Rodgers did same thing by going to Ted (or saying in the media) James Jones to be re-signed

 

[FrankRizzo]

Some say that Rodgers did same thing by going to Ted (or saying in the media) James Jones to be re-signed

All star QB's have, and will, voice their opinions on stuff like that. That's no shock.
I do it at work too with my boss, and sometimes he asks, sometimes I just offer my opinion.

 

[ivo610]

Some say that Rodgers did same thing by going to Ted (or saying in the media) James Jones to be re-signed

I ripped arod for it when he did it. Players get paid to play and GMs get paid to manage.

 

[TJV]

Some say that Rodgers did same thing by going to Ted (or saying in the media) James Jones to be re-signed

I think there are differences between the two instances but as ivo610 posted, to the degree Rodgers "told" Thompson what to do, he was wrong IMO. But here's where I see differences: 1) Thompson had just become GM when Favre was attempting to "instruct" him - this isn't a big deal but I do see a difference vs. when a star player is attempting to influence an established GM. 2) If I remember it correctly the manner was different - Rodgers publically voiced his support for keeping Jones. I still think he was wrong but it's a difference in degree IMO. 3) The biggest difference is at the time Favre did it, he himself hadn't committed to the team for that 2005 season. IMO he was attempting to use that as leverage and lucky for us it wasn't the first time Thompson called his bluff.

 

[El Guapo]

I think that we're digging through the weeds here. Both QBs decided to voice their opinions about personnel moves. The minor details don't change the basic fact, although since people despise Favre for his betrayals, somehow his opinion voicing was worse. I don't buy it.

James Lofton was never the villain Favre became in my eyes. He may or may have done some despicable things but he never dissed the organization like Favre did. I agree with the rest of your post.

That's a messed up sense of values, since Lofton was alleged (several times mind you) to have sexually assaulted women. The worst that Favre did was betray his former team, betray his wife, and alienate his fans. Physically mistreating another human being is reprehensible - again assuming that where there was smoke there was fire

 

[13 Times Champs]

That's a messed up sense of values, since Lofton was alleged (several times mind you) to have sexually assaulted women. The worst that Favre did was betray his former team, betray his wife, and alienate his fans. Physically mistreating another human being is reprehensible - again assuming that where there was smoke there was fire

Lofton was never convicted of any crimes. Apparently, you have nonetheless. How do you reconcile that position in the framework of "values"?

 

[El Guapo]

...because I'm not ignorant of how the justice system works in this country. I never proclaimed him guilty and in fact pointed out numerous times that he was never convicted, but that doesn't mean he was innocent.

I don't hold OJ Simpson in the same light that I hold Emmitt Smith either.

 

[13 Times Champs]

...the only post I see by you that he was never convicted is post # 71. Maybe the discussion should be morals rather than values? Anyway I'm comfortable with my values "messed up" as they may be....and I'm proud they will not allow me to be an advocate for guys like Jolly and J. Russell being a part of the Packer team.

 

[FrankRizzo]

I see both of your points.

 

[PackerFlatLander]

I tend to think a lot of people have gotten over the drama queen and what he did. I also think that Favre is the one holding on to all the beef that HE created, he is the one that needs to let go of the past.

Absofrickinlutely. I couldn't have put that better myself. The dude retired, all on his own, and then based on that decision, the team names Rodgers the starter, goes with him in the OTA's, minicamps, etc., then training camp is fine, going all peaceful, and then he decides to jump on a plane and start a ridiculous circus? Oh, hell no. I was furious and livid. To a degree, I still am. I could care less about the Jets and Vikings thing.

All I know is ... I know what side I was on, from day one. 2009 and Favre vs. the Saints. Then, Ted and Rodgers win it all, one year later. LOL. Awesome. I couldn't make this up if I tried. Glorious and hilarious, no other way to put it. Karma works wonders, my friends.