Quientus
Oenophile
When TT was brought in to to rebuild the franchise ... - No matter how you look at it ... Even considering TT's acclaimed talent to evaluate prospects ... There can be little doubt that the moves made during his (TT's tenure so far) made little sense, in terms of actually wanting Favre to remain a Packer ...
Why ? - These are my thoughts ...
When you are going to almost re-arrange most of the team without acquiring reinforcements via the free agency (let's face it ... it's just not possible to reinforce a team solely through the draft and then expect that team to succeed and making a deep play off run ... - it can happen, and did in 2007 with the 13-3 ... but that is lucky punch so to speak ...), it was apparent that Favre wasn't supposed to the long term solution ... - The drafting of Rodgers made that abundantly apparent ...
If TT is such an esteemed overall great evaluater and business man as most say he is (and in many ways he is, I'll admit that ...) - It makes no sense from a business perspective to keep a quarterback, that isn't going to be the "future" solution ... - At that point, when you are actually rebuilding the team already, it would have made *MORE* sense to actually let Favre know at that time, that the Packers then, was not meant to be a serious play-off contender and that it was the organisations ambition to rebuild entirely, around Rodgers with a young line in all 3 phases of the team ... - Most likely ... most prudent business people would have informed Favre at this point that his (Favre's) main job now would be to help transition Rodgers into a starting quarterback role ... - Because that is why so many young players was brought in ...
The prudent business decision at that time *would* have been to clearly inform Favre and the other veterans on that team about this decision and see whether or not those players would accept that or wanted out ...
- Yet for some reasons most (fans) were still under the belief that Favre was still the leader around which the team should "revolve" ... - And probably also why Favre came back to play for the Packers - even after having a 4-12 season ...
The same thing happened the following year ... That ended 8-8 ...
Again, alot of actions were taking in order to ensure that Favre would return for yet another season under center at the Packers ... - Even accomodating him in terms of off-season training programme ... - From a business perspective - again - that is not how you do it, when you don't have any intentions of actually wanting to make a run for it, with the veterans that you still have on that team ... - Unless you just don't want to get into a conflict ...
The Packers management, including TT and at this point now also McCarthy didn't play "openly" ... - Most likely they told Favre what he (Favre) wanted to hear ... - That Favre was wanted (when in fact he wasn't really), and that they would try to help him and the other veterans get a deep play off run going ...
In many ways ... TT, Murphy and McCarthy actually acted as the "catalyst" in padding Favre's ego ... much more so to the point where we are today ...
Hindsight is always 20/20 ... - However, taking into account past history since TT took over ... alot of the "waffling" and "indecision" actually makes alot of sense - when considering this ... - I for one, do not believe that Favre would have been willing to return to the Packers, had TT made his intentions abundantly clear from the start ... - Something any "good" Business man would do ... and given TT's credentials and references ... I don't understand why this could get to where it has come today ...
However TT's main problem here was (still is) the popularity Favre had in Green Bay and among the fans, not to mention the players ...
- Had TT done the right thing (from a business perspective) when he started, TT would probably have been lynched ... by the fans, and probably also by the management ... - So as most other bright businessmen would do, he (TT) had to go about this in another way ... accomodating the fans as well as the management ...
For TT there was no other course of action really ... He was already put in a tough spot from the start ...
In 2008 Favre retired and coming off a 13-3 season, with having lost the NFCC to the Giants, and after being voted NFL Exec of the year, as well as McCarthy runner up for the coach of the year award, as well as both getting contract extensions - TT was standing "strong" in the organisation ... - and at this point looked like a genious, just coming off a 13-3 season with the youngest team in the NFL ...
TT is an intelligent man ... And I for one, do not believe that he was surprised by Favre's "waffling" and "indecision" about retirement ... - However, unlike the previous 2 years, now TT had a significant "boost" and "position" in the organisation ... - What he (probably) couldn't have done the previous 2 years, he had a greater chance at doing now ... - Namely "pressure" Favre into making a decision earlier than what had been expected of Favre in the previous 2 years off seasons ...
I think TT knew well before, what Favre's answer would be ...
Favre *did* also handle this situation bad, however, it shouldn't come as a surprise really, being as emotional as Favre is and had been for several years prior ...
No matter what Favre did (just like TT) - it was a no-win situation ... And being the competitor as he (Favre) also is ... being relegated to 2nd string was rather devastating for his (Favre's) ego, when clearly, he *KNEW* he could still play at a very high level ... Only Favre found himself in a team, whose management wasn't willing to help him (Favre) nor the other veterans on that team, in terms of building a team that could go all the way and win the Super Bowl ...
It shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone that Favre regretted his retirement ...
When all is said and done ... TT did make the right move, however ... From a business perspective ... This "transition" was handled JUST as badly from the management as it was from Favre ... - As a "leader" and especially as a GM ... You are paid and expected to make those confrontations, when needed ... TT failed to take that confrontation when he *should* have made it ... Because of the same fans, who are now regarding Favre as a "traitor" ...
In the end ... I believe that the Management and TT *should* have respected Favre (and the other veterans as well) alot more ... from the start and just openly should have explained what their long term plans were about to be, instead of padding Favre's ego in 2006, 2007 and 2008 ... - Because this situation was already in the "cards" when TT was brought in to begin with ...
Again ... Bringing in TT was (probably) a good move, but from a business perspective ... TT and the management did NOT handle this well from the start ...
Why ? - These are my thoughts ...
When you are going to almost re-arrange most of the team without acquiring reinforcements via the free agency (let's face it ... it's just not possible to reinforce a team solely through the draft and then expect that team to succeed and making a deep play off run ... - it can happen, and did in 2007 with the 13-3 ... but that is lucky punch so to speak ...), it was apparent that Favre wasn't supposed to the long term solution ... - The drafting of Rodgers made that abundantly apparent ...
If TT is such an esteemed overall great evaluater and business man as most say he is (and in many ways he is, I'll admit that ...) - It makes no sense from a business perspective to keep a quarterback, that isn't going to be the "future" solution ... - At that point, when you are actually rebuilding the team already, it would have made *MORE* sense to actually let Favre know at that time, that the Packers then, was not meant to be a serious play-off contender and that it was the organisations ambition to rebuild entirely, around Rodgers with a young line in all 3 phases of the team ... - Most likely ... most prudent business people would have informed Favre at this point that his (Favre's) main job now would be to help transition Rodgers into a starting quarterback role ... - Because that is why so many young players was brought in ...
The prudent business decision at that time *would* have been to clearly inform Favre and the other veterans on that team about this decision and see whether or not those players would accept that or wanted out ...
- Yet for some reasons most (fans) were still under the belief that Favre was still the leader around which the team should "revolve" ... - And probably also why Favre came back to play for the Packers - even after having a 4-12 season ...
The same thing happened the following year ... That ended 8-8 ...
Again, alot of actions were taking in order to ensure that Favre would return for yet another season under center at the Packers ... - Even accomodating him in terms of off-season training programme ... - From a business perspective - again - that is not how you do it, when you don't have any intentions of actually wanting to make a run for it, with the veterans that you still have on that team ... - Unless you just don't want to get into a conflict ...
The Packers management, including TT and at this point now also McCarthy didn't play "openly" ... - Most likely they told Favre what he (Favre) wanted to hear ... - That Favre was wanted (when in fact he wasn't really), and that they would try to help him and the other veterans get a deep play off run going ...
In many ways ... TT, Murphy and McCarthy actually acted as the "catalyst" in padding Favre's ego ... much more so to the point where we are today ...
Hindsight is always 20/20 ... - However, taking into account past history since TT took over ... alot of the "waffling" and "indecision" actually makes alot of sense - when considering this ... - I for one, do not believe that Favre would have been willing to return to the Packers, had TT made his intentions abundantly clear from the start ... - Something any "good" Business man would do ... and given TT's credentials and references ... I don't understand why this could get to where it has come today ...
However TT's main problem here was (still is) the popularity Favre had in Green Bay and among the fans, not to mention the players ...
- Had TT done the right thing (from a business perspective) when he started, TT would probably have been lynched ... by the fans, and probably also by the management ... - So as most other bright businessmen would do, he (TT) had to go about this in another way ... accomodating the fans as well as the management ...
For TT there was no other course of action really ... He was already put in a tough spot from the start ...
In 2008 Favre retired and coming off a 13-3 season, with having lost the NFCC to the Giants, and after being voted NFL Exec of the year, as well as McCarthy runner up for the coach of the year award, as well as both getting contract extensions - TT was standing "strong" in the organisation ... - and at this point looked like a genious, just coming off a 13-3 season with the youngest team in the NFL ...
TT is an intelligent man ... And I for one, do not believe that he was surprised by Favre's "waffling" and "indecision" about retirement ... - However, unlike the previous 2 years, now TT had a significant "boost" and "position" in the organisation ... - What he (probably) couldn't have done the previous 2 years, he had a greater chance at doing now ... - Namely "pressure" Favre into making a decision earlier than what had been expected of Favre in the previous 2 years off seasons ...
I think TT knew well before, what Favre's answer would be ...
Favre *did* also handle this situation bad, however, it shouldn't come as a surprise really, being as emotional as Favre is and had been for several years prior ...
No matter what Favre did (just like TT) - it was a no-win situation ... And being the competitor as he (Favre) also is ... being relegated to 2nd string was rather devastating for his (Favre's) ego, when clearly, he *KNEW* he could still play at a very high level ... Only Favre found himself in a team, whose management wasn't willing to help him (Favre) nor the other veterans on that team, in terms of building a team that could go all the way and win the Super Bowl ...
It shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone that Favre regretted his retirement ...
When all is said and done ... TT did make the right move, however ... From a business perspective ... This "transition" was handled JUST as badly from the management as it was from Favre ... - As a "leader" and especially as a GM ... You are paid and expected to make those confrontations, when needed ... TT failed to take that confrontation when he *should* have made it ... Because of the same fans, who are now regarding Favre as a "traitor" ...
In the end ... I believe that the Management and TT *should* have respected Favre (and the other veterans as well) alot more ... from the start and just openly should have explained what their long term plans were about to be, instead of padding Favre's ego in 2006, 2007 and 2008 ... - Because this situation was already in the "cards" when TT was brought in to begin with ...
Again ... Bringing in TT was (probably) a good move, but from a business perspective ... TT and the management did NOT handle this well from the start ...