Found this on packers.com, don't know if it has been posted, I didn't see it anywhere, if someone else has already poste I apologize. MM makes a lot of good points, including the fact that his planning will not change that much if Brett retires becasue of his confidence in A-Rod.
Favre's Decision Not So Simple, McCarthy Says
by Mike Spofford, Packers.com
posted 02/22/2008
INDIANAPOLIS -- Head Coach Mike McCarthy said on Friday he doesn't know when Brett Favre will make his decision on whether to continue playing or retire.
But he did indicate that, though his weekly conversations with Favre, he's aware there's more to the decision than the obvious elements talked about in public circles.
With Favre's 16th season in Green Bay in 2007 one of his best, and the team coming within an overtime score of advancing to the Super Bowl, some have considered it a no-brainer that Favre will return. He's playing well, and the team is having success, so what's there to think about?
"But that really has nothing to do with it," McCarthy said during his press conference from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "It's not the fact that he knows he still can play. He had a great time this year.
"It's just the fact that he's played a lot of football, and he's had to fully commit himself and his family year in and year out. When you do get older, you have more responsibility, and he just wants to make sure he'll be able to commit himself 100 percent."
That commitment is to the regimen of offseason workouts, training camp, preseason games and in-season meetings and practices. That's a grind for any player, but particularly one who's been in the league as long as Favre.
McCarthy, who said he last spoke to Favre last Friday and expects to talk with him again in a couple of days, has worn many hats during his weekly talks with Favre. While trying not to lobby for his return, McCarthy said he talks to him as his head coach, his offensive play-caller, and as a friend who has known him for several years.
"His career is very unique. Who else could he talk to about this?" McCarthy said. "Guys that are 37, 38, 39 years old, that can still play two or three years? And that's his thing. He said, 'I've played a lot of football and I just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing and I want to make sure I can commit 100 percent.'"
Thompson said he talked to Favre earlier this week, and he characterized it as a "nice talk." He dismissed a media report that indicated Favre was upset Thompson hadn't called to talk to him sooner in the offseason.
McCarthy said he and Thompson both told Favre prior to the start of the playoffs in January that they would like him back in 2008. They constantly hear from rival coaches and players that, for their own team's sake, they wouldn't mind seeing Brett hang it up. But those same rivals also say they don't know why he would retire when he's playing so well.
Either way, neither McCarthy nor Thompson has placed a deadline on Favre. Free agency begins late next week, and while Favre's decision could have an impact on whether or not the Packers pursue a veteran backup to Aaron Rodgers in the offseason, it's not as though that pursuit would absolutely need to begin next week.
"He understands the needs of the team and he doesn't want to put the team in a bad spot," Thompson said. "He's working through that."
Strictly from an on-field standpoint, McCarthy is not concerned about how long Favre takes to make up his mind. He's more focused on making sure Favre makes a decision he's fully committed to, adding that Favre is the one who has expressed concern about holding the organization up during this time.
"I wouldn't play any differently with Brett or without Brett," McCarthy said. "Conceptually we'll still attack it the same way. And that's a credit to Aaron Rodgers. Aaron's done a great job preparing for his time, whether it's this year or next year.
"Where we're going right now, we're going through scheme evaluations and we're getting ready for the OTAs and we're building our installations and we've got our new ideas and we're trying to stay one step ahead of the defenses. So it doesn't change anything from a scheme preparation standpoint."
