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Message: <blockquote data-quote="TJV" data-source="post: 414575" data-attributes="member: 4300">IMO bhuggins and others make an all-too-common mistake in crediting Favre with the turnaround of the Packers organization. I and others have posted this before – most recently by toolkien. With this post, I want to step back and take a slightly longer view. The turnaround began with Bob Harlan realizing a change in organizational structure was necessary and he had to find one man who would have virtually total power regarding football decisions. IMO Bob Harlan was much, much more important to the turnaround than Favre. Wolf arrived at the end of the 1991 season and found a “country club” atmosphere on a team that would finish 4-12. He revamped the organization from the coaching staff to the front office to the scouting staff. He taught the scouts what he was looking for and changed the atmosphere at 1265 Lombardi. IMO Ron Wolf was much, much more important to the turnaround than Favre. As we all know Wolf was able to attract the man considered as the number one HC candidate to join the Packers in 1992. Holmgren created a staff full of future HCs along with a great DC. One of Holmgren and his staffs’ great attributes was developing QBs. As toolkien referenced, during the 1994 season Holmgren polled his staff asking who they favored to start at QB because during his first 38 games leading the Packers’ offense Favre had thrown 44 INTs to go along with his 46 TD passes. Mark Brunell, viewed as the better decision maker, won that vote. Holmgren famously overruled them, telling Favre the two were “tied at the hip”. Of course we can’t go back in history and find out, but IMO Wolf and Holmgren’s Packers team would have won a title without Favre. Whether or not that is true, IMO Mike Holmgren was much, much more important to the turnaround than Favre.  Another factor to consider for those who believe Favre was the indispensable man regarding winning a championship is the acquisition of Reggie White. IMO it is obvious his choice of Green Bay (in spite of the fact the Packers offered him the most money) elevated the Packers in the eyes of other NFL players. IOW, the most important free agent acquisition in NFL history also played a part in their ascension to a title, even beyond White’s fantastic play. His decision made Green Bay more attractive to other FAs. Please don’t misunderstand, IMO Favre was not only the best QB in the league for a span of about 3-4 seasons, he was the best player in the league and deserved those MVPs. His durability was legendary. He was extremely entertaining to watch and he brought millions upon millions to Green Bay via merchandise sales. Unfortunately part of the reason he was so entertaining was he all too often completed passes to the other team.  So I disagree with the idea Favre was necessary for the turnaround brought to Green Bay by Harlan, Wolf, and Holmgren. Exhibit A in support of that idea is Favre QB’d just one championship team in his 16 seasons in Green Bay. Of course that wasn’t entirely his doing but he famously threw interceptions to the opposition on the biggest playoff stages, squandering other title chances. IMO bhuggins and others make another mistake in how they characterize Favre’s departure from Green Bay. What the Packers organization did initially was to accept Favre’s retirement, and prepare to give him another boat load of money for merchandizing rights. Then, in April of 2008 when Favre changed his mind and said he wanted to return, the Packers organization was ready to welcome him back. Of course Favre changed his mind again. It was only after that vacillation and nonsense from Favre (remember his “pay attention to me, I’m threatening to retire” dance started before Thompson arrived in Green Bay as GM) which allowed him to miss all of the off season work before training camp, that Thompson and McCarthy finally said ENOUGH! Favre then went beyond just playing for another team, which of course was his right. The most famous post-Lombardi Packer actively turned against the franchise which made him wealthy and famous. Regarding the Packers’ organization, how does the term traitor not apply to him?  AmishMafia, not even a shout-out or vague reference to my post regarding the Benedict Arnold analogy? <img src="/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/wink.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)" data-shortname=";)" /> <a href="http://www.packerforum.com/threads/retiring-favres-4.22286/page-3#post-301963" target="_blank">LINK</a></blockquote>

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