NFC North Pissing Match

[NavinRJohnson]

"Yeah dudes I'm a totally great tailgater!  rock on I am totally gunna down 6 big Miller Lites!  hell yeah brah, go pack go dude.  Forget brent we luv erin!  dude I am like really awesome at cornhole and boozin" -LON

I'm t-JACKED for the Vikings opener, but think it's weird and potentially not h***ro that Cleveland hasn't announced their starter.  Doesn't matter much who the driver is, though, as their whip is crazy busted.

But, even more so looking forward to the Gophers home opener vs. Air Force in the new stadium.  Lance's has made drinking cool in my eyes.. I need to find a decent flask.

What are the lines on the NFC North games this weekend?  I know Minnesota is the CONSENSUS for the week (and the season to win the NFC North), but not sure how much WE are favored by.  

The harder you try, the less funny you become. Seriously, you're embarrassing yourself.

[Hards Alumni]

don't feed the trolls.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

Hence... Idiots Out Walking Around

Or another one I picked up....Idiots Out Wandering Aimlessly

[wadesworld]

By professional, do you mean he hit the preset button then twirled his hands around like he knew what he was doing?

No, by professional I mean that he "WORKS HARD!" as the lyrics state, over, and over, and over.  I actually really, really hope he doesn't work hard on this stuff, because it's pretty terrible, and if he works hard and this is the best he can come up with then it's quite a shame.

[wadesworld]

VaJay-Jay, even more proof of your CONSENSUS NFC North champion pick, the Vikings...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/nfl/09/07/crystal.ball1/index.html

Of the 9 people making predictions, only FOUR pick the Vikings in the playoffs, with NONE picking them as the division winner and NONE picking them to make the NFC Championship game.  ALL NINE pick the Packers to make the playoffs, SEVEN of them pick the Packers to win the Division, SIX pick the Packers to make it to the NFC Championship game, and FOUR pick the Packers to make it to the Super Bowl.  TWO pick the Bears to win the division, SIX pick the Bears to make the playoffs, TWO pick the Bears to make it to the NFC Championship game, and ONE picks the Bears to make it to the Super Bowl.

Your consensus NFC North Champion/NFC Champion/Super Bowl Champion pick, Minnesota Vikings, everyone!

So, VaJay-Jay, you can correct everyone on their spelling (when they are typing quickly and switch 2 letters...), but you might want to learn the definition of "consensus."  And you might want to learn how to properly use the English language (see: your awful music).

Oh, and let me guess your very intelligent response!  "Patti had to search deep and hard to find an article that didn't pick the Vikings."  Hint, VaJay-Jay, before you go and embarrass yourself with this response, look on si.com and you will find it very quickly, as in, it is the main article on the main page.  Gosh, this game is fun!

SICK BEATZ BRAH!

[Moonboots]

As a prelude to this season, I think it is imperative that we all witness this video of Jay Bee with his celebrity crush.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCpZV2jCMjc

[Hards Alumni]

Let the excuse making begin!

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-vikings-favre&prov=ap&type=lgns

Favre says he ‘may not’ be an ironman this season

By DAVE CAMPBELL, AP Sports Writer 37 minutes ago

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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP)—Remember Brett Favre’s(notes) first answer to Vikings coach Brad Childress? My body isn’t up for this, he said. Six weeks later, Minnesota’s new quarterback wants to remind the football world just how old he is.

“I may not finish the year. If you would have asked me my first year if I would finish I’d have said, ‘I may not,”’ Favre said. “No one thought I’d play 18 straight years without missing a game, me included. I have no idea what’s going to happen. None.”

After his initial rejection on July 28, Favre accepted the coach’s offer to join the Vikings on Aug. 18 for this too-good-to-pass-up opportunity to play for a title-contending team. His reasoning? He didn’t want to regret not trying, not even at age 39.
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Unless Favre visited some secret Mississippi version of the Fountain of Youth during that time, however, the health of one of the most durable athletes in history is still in question. Favre acknowledged as much Wednesday, the day a rocking chair appeared in front of his cubicle in the locker room courtesy of an unknown prankster.

“I feel good,” Favre said, elaborating in his familiar wounded-warrior style. “I’m not going to lie to you. I’m not physically or mentally 100 percent. I don’t know at 39 if I’d ever be 100 percent physically.”

The partially torn biceps tendon that bothered his throwing arm last December with the New York Jets has been surgically repaired, but he is playing with a torn rotator cuff. Recently, Favre suggested he might have a cracked rib. When he explained his first decision to stay retired, he hinted he’s not fully confident in his stamina by noting how many times he’s been sacked over the years.

That means this issue will linger for the Vikings until the season is over, though they’ve downplayed concerns. Childress has repeated that signing Favre was a risk worth taking.

“From last year, me getting put back in there kind of showed me that you’ve got to be ready any time,” said backup Tarvaris Jackson(notes), who regained the starting job when Gus Frerotte(notes) hurt his back in the first game in December. “My mindset’s no different.”

If Favre gets knocked out of a game or two or more and Childress must turn to Jackson or Sage Rosenfels(notes), that’s one story. Another noteworthy angle is Favre’s ironman image, his proud streak of 269 straight regular season games started.

When he lines up behind center this Sunday at Cleveland, Favre will match what the NFL believes to be the all-time record held by former Vikings defensive lineman Jim Marshall from 1961-79. Favre is also on track this year to pass Marshall’s record streak of 282 consecutive games played by a non-kicker.

If his health were to become a hindrance to Minnesota’s success this season, would Favre step aside?

“Absolutely. I was receptive to it last year,” he said.

Jets running back Thomas Jones(notes) criticized Favre after last season, claiming he should’ve been benched while the team stumbled down the stretch and missed the playoffs.

Favre said Wednesday he felt like he was harming the team with slight misses on some throws. He said he spoke with the general manager, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach—he didn’t name head coach Eric Mangini—but the consensus was to finish it out.

“I don’t want to go through that and neither do the Vikings,” Favre said.

Mangini, now the head coach of the Browns, said Favre’s streak didn’t affect his decision to keep him in the lineup last December.

“With that stretch there were things that we could’ve all done better,” Mangini said on a conference call with Minnesota reporters. He added: “All the decisions that I made during that time period followed the same thing I believe, and that’s playing the guys that I think are going to give us the best chance to win that week.”

Favre also revealed he asked Childress to let him address his teammates “from the heart” on a number of subjects, a 10-minute speech he gave in the meeting room on Monday.

“I wanted the guys to know where I stood, and what I was here for,” Favre said. “Sort of the timeline of what happened, and things like that.”

Teammates expressed appreciation of his effort.

“He gave his apologies for all the commotion that was caused, even though it might not have been intentional by him,” tight end Visanthe Shiancoe(notes) said. “The frenzy, he apologized for the frenzy.”

Reactions varied on whether it was necessary. Shiancoe said it was.

“There was questions on everybody’s mind. I’m pretty sure it was different questions. He pretty much answered everybody’s questions. Cleaned up everybody’s wonders,” Shiancoe said.

Favre also referenced his 1996-97 Super Bowl experience with Green Bay and told the Vikings they’ve got as much talent as that Packers team.

“I was impressed,” cornerback Antoine Winfield(notes) said, adding: “Our No. 1 goal is to win a championship. He seems like he’s focused on that. He’s just trying to fit in. He’s only been here a couple weeks. We’ve welcomed him with open arms.”

[NavinRJohnson]

Let the excuse making begin!

The excuse making began before he even signed. Man Viking fans are gonna hate this guy.

[Jay Bee]

surgery, cracked ribs, etc.. the excuses have been nonstop. 

But, we've known he's a different kind of dude... being stuck in grean bey for so long would make anyone 'off'.  I can't wait.  Will he be the oldest MVP ever this year?  Hopefully they won't front and deny him the MVP just because Minnesota is the preseason consensus pick for NFC North Champions and 'everyone expected him to have a great year'.

Can someone find a betting site that does NOT have Minnesota as the money favorite to win the NFC North? 

[🏀]

surgery, cracked ribs, etc.. the excuses have been nonstop. 

But, we've known he's a different kind of dude... being stuck in grean bey for so long would make anyone 'off'.  I can't wait.  Will he be the oldest MVP ever this year?  Hopefully they won't front and deny him the MVP just because Minnesota is the preseason consensus pick for NFC North Champions and 'everyone expected him to have a great year'.

Can someone find a betting site that does NOT have Minnesota as the money favorite to win the NFC North? 

I guess 'Grean Bey' and New York are very similar because Brett was just as off in the Big Apple.

Jay Bee, since you turned down my first bet offer, what are you willing to wage on Favre being the NFC MVP?

[Moonboots]

don't feed the trolls.

Oh, in a pissing match?  Bring it on.  On a normal forum, in a normal thread, I would agree with you, but this is no normal thread.

I plan on continuing to bait LL Cool-Jay Bee until he owes me money.  Which will be sooner rather than later.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Stay classy Packer fans.

http://www.burnfavre.com/

You shouldn't be mad at Brett, he's always been a egotistical maniac. Some of you just didn't want to believe it.

Also, make sure you dig out your old Reggie White jerseys and burn those as well. He retired, and then chose to go back to a team and didn't try to sign with the Packers first. That makes him a traitor as well.

[wadesworld]

Stay classy Packer fans.

http://www.burnfavre.com/

You shouldn't be mad at Brett, he's always been a egotistical maniac. Some of you just didn't want to believe it.

Also, make sure you dig out your old Reggie White jerseys and burn those as well. He retired, and then chose to go back to a team and didn't try to sign with the Packers first. That makes him a traitor as well.

HAHA are you REALLY trying to compare Reggie White's retirement to Benedict Brett?  Please tell me this is a joke.  If it's not, then you are an absolute fool and have absolutely zero clue as to what you are talking about.

And Minnesota fans talking about classy.  HAH!

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

HAHA are you REALLY trying to compare Reggie White's retirement to Benedict Brett?  Please tell me this is a joke.  If it's not, then you are an absolute fool and have absolutely zero clue as to what you are talking about.

And Minnesota fans talking about classy.  HAH!

Well, I know people are going to get into the whole "brett has a big ego and is a media whore and Reggie was a great man" thing, and I don't blame anybody for thinking that. However, Brett has ALWAYS been that way, so I do blame Packer fans for being surprised or caught off guard.

If you didn't hate him 5 years ago for being a diva, you can't hate him now for it. I think a lot of people were looking through green and gold glasses, and that's why they are surprised to see "the real Brett".

The dude has cheated/beat on his wife, been addicted to pain killers, has had a drinking problem, etc. etc. He was never perfect, so I think people are naive when they act surprised that Brett has a big ego and doesn't really care what people think about him. When he was throwing touchdowns for the Packers, apparently he didn't have an ego problem.

As far as retiring and coming out of retirement, I realize that Brett and Reggie are not a perfect apples to apples comparison. However, I don't remember hearing a single peep against the great Reggie White about playing again and not trying to first sign with the Pack.

Brett decides to come out of retirement this season and go to a team that is in desperate need of a QB, and the state of WI melts down. I get that Packer fans are passionate, but sometimes that passion works against the fan base and make them look like psychos.

Favre is just a football player. He provided a lot of entertainment and fun for 16 seasons. Just remember all of the fun you had watching him and move on.

No need to create websites, burn jerseys and "tweet away the pain" (website). Ohhhh, the agony. St. Brett left GB. Ohhhhhh.


EDIT: Yes, I do know Reggie was from NC, however, coming back for that 1 year with the Panthers should have "ruined his legacy".

[wadesworld]

As far as retiring and coming out of retirement, I realize that Brett and Reggie are not a perfect apples to apples comparison. However, I don't remember hearing a single peep against the great Reggie White about playing again and not trying to first sign with the Pack.

Brett decides to come out of retirement this season and go to a team that is in desperate need of a QB, and the state of WI melts down. I get that Packer fans are passionate, but sometimes that passion works against the fan base and make them look like psychos.

EDIT: Yes, I do know Reggie was from NC, however, coming back for that 1 year with the Panthers should have "ruined his legacy".

I really can't believe you're trying to even compare the 2 situations.  There is NOTHING similar between the two.  Did Reggie consider retiring each of his last 3 seasons with the Packers, ultimately crying when he announced his retirement, then come back and complain when he wasn't going to be given the starting job without going through training camp, then demand to be traded to the team's biggest rival, then play a season with another team, then announce his retirement again, then reiterate his retirement during training camp, only to come back to the Packers division rival?  I really didn't think so.  Was Brett from Minneapolis?  I didn't think so.

Reggie retired once, then returned to a non-division rival, and then retired for good.  Benedict Brett publicly considered retirement 2 times before retiring from the Packers, came back with a non-division rival, retired, reiterated his retirement, then returned to a division, after having not gone through team workouts up until preseason games started.  Had Brett Favre even so much as just considered retirement twice, retired once, came out of retirement and played with the Jets, and then retired for good, he would still be a hero in Green Bay and all of Wisconsin.  That is what Reggie did, and that is why Reggie is still a hero (not to mention he was always an all-around good guy).

I am absolutely dumbfounded by the fact that you are actually trying to compare Reggie White's retirement and return to the PANTHERS to Benedict Brett's continued retirements and returns, this time to the VIKINGS.  Not too much in common, at all.

[MU B2002]

Wait, hold the phone you are telling me people will tolerate more from a player when he is on the team they love!? Alert the press. Of course GB fans tolerated Brett, their 3 time MVP.  HE WAS A PACKER.  I am guessing most Vikings fans loved Randy Moss when he was in purple, and maybe some of those same people complained about him later.   I dont know why you are always looking for consistent behavior patterns from fans, because you are not going to find it.  

[NavinRJohnson]

Brett decides to come out of retirement this season and go to a team that is in desperate need of a QB, and the state of WI melts down.

How has the state of Wisconsin melted down? There are exceptions to be sure, but I would say in general the reaction has truly been somewhere between apathy and pity.

[Hards Alumni]

Wade, he is just grasping at straws... like he usually does when he knows he is wrong and refuses to admit it.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

I really can't believe you're trying to even compare the 2 situations.  There is NOTHING similar between the two.  Did Reggie consider retiring each of his last 3 seasons with the Packers, ultimately crying when he announced his retirement, then come back and complain when he wasn't going to be given the starting job without going through training camp, then demand to be traded to the team's biggest rival, then play a season with another team, then announce his retirement again, then reiterate his retirement during training camp, only to come back to the Packers division rival?  I really didn't think so.  Was Brett from Minneapolis?  I didn't think so.

Reggie retired once, then returned to a non-division rival, and then retired for good.  Benedict Brett publicly considered retirement 2 times before retiring from the Packers, came back with a non-division rival, retired, reiterated his retirement, then returned to a division, after having not gone through team workouts up until preseason games started.  Had Brett Favre even so much as just considered retirement twice, retired once, came out of retirement and played with the Jets, and then retired for good, he would still be a hero in Green Bay and all of Wisconsin.  That is what Reggie did, and that is why Reggie is still a hero (not to mention he was always an all-around good guy).

I am absolutely dumbfounded by the fact that you are actually trying to compare Reggie White's retirement and return to the PANTHERS to Benedict Brett's continued retirements and returns, this time to the VIKINGS.  Not too much in common, at all.

This is a good post, and exactly what I'm getting at.

If you are pissed at Brett for being a diva and almost retiring 3 times (and that is why you are not pissed at Reggie, which is fair), you should have been pissed back then too. You can retro-actively hate him for it now that he's a Viking. I'm sorry. It can't work like that.

Truth be told, as long as Brett was throwing touchdowns for the Packers, people treated him like a saint and buried their feelings about the dumb sh*t Brett did. 

And yes, I realize that is what a lot of fans do, but I'm calling them out. It's complete hypocrisy, and the excuse is "hey, we're fans, it's short for "fanatical. It's what we do". BS. That was brought up earlier in this thread and it's still stupid.

God forbid somebody look at their own team and their fellow fans objectively. Brett was always a d*ck. I'm not saying you shouldn't have liked him, I'm just saying that the "personal outrage" that some people are displayed is whacked. He didn't just suddenly become a "bad guy". A tiger can't suddenly change his stripes at 38 years old. He's always been this way, and nobody ever cared.

The same people that couldn't get enough copies of Brett's "sportsman of the year" magazine are the ones burning his jersey.

I mean, really? 2 years ago people were building shrines to the guy. Now they are burning his jersey?

Randy Moss is a great example. I loved him as a player, I think he was/is immature as a person (that's putting it nicely). So, I was not surprised that Randy pulled whack stuff, and I was not / will not be surprised with Randy continues to pull whacky stuff. Maybe even... hah... dare I say it... play for the Packers?!!! Oh No. I better burn all of my memories of Randy in purple because he's wearing a green jersey now. Give me a break.

If I saw people out burning their Moss jerseys, I'd call them stupid as well. Or, Fran Tarkenton has been crazy lately as well, maybe I should go burn some of his stuff.

As far as Brett's choice to play for the Vikings, it was a no brainer. If you swapped the Bengals roster and the Vikings roster, Brett would be playing for the Bengals. He wanted a place where he could start and have an opportunity to win. He also wanted to play for a weak willed head coach and owner that will let him come and go as he pleases. We'll see how that works out.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

How has the state of Wisconsin melted down? There are exceptions to be sure, but I would say in general the reaction has truly been somewhere between apathy and pity.

That's fair. I was exaggerating.

However, the website and youtube videos certainly represent a certain % of the population... and those people are crazy.

[Moonboots]

Guys, things changed after '07.  Favre had always flirted with retirement, which I will say I wasn't the biggest fan of.  But up to that point, he had always come back, and done so in a fashion where he didn't miss anything really important.  Maybe an OTA here or there, but one he probably would have been dismissed from anyways.

Now, he retired. He QUIT our football team.  And then wanted back in, AFTER training camp had started.  No NFL player should ever hold themselves to that standard.  You want to play, you put in the work.  

So we traded him to New York, and several times we heard reports, sometimes directly from Brett's mouth, about a "vindictive nature" to his plans and wanting to get back at Ted Thompson.  The NFL Network report that "Ted doesn't want to face me (Brett) twice a year because he knows I'll kick his ass."  So he pulled the retirement stunt AGAIN. "I'm done, I could never ask for my release and come back, not after all the great things (Jets GM) Mike Tannenbaum has done for me."  So what does he do?  Of course, he asks for his release, and comes back.

But not right away. Oh no.  He manages to strong arm a team long enough to allow him to say that he's "staying retired" merely so he can skip the remaining two-a-days and return to the team when training camp had ended.  I'm surprised Childress hasn't gotten to the point where he just lets Brett show up on Sundays on his own terms and take the rest of the week off.  That's still coming.

Anyways, Favre is here to "get back" at Ted Thompson, and by association, anyone who supports the Green Bay Packers.  He actively positioned himself to attempt to stop my favorite football team from winning.  Not just any football team, the football team (and town) that made Brett Favre. And I shouldn't consider this traitorous?  

If Brett "just wanted to play football", he had a roster spot available on the New York Jets, who went 9-7 last season and would have made the playoffs if he didn't noodle arm them out of it down the stretch.  But this isn't about "the love of the game" or any of that sappy crap anymore.  It's about beating the Green Bay Packers.  And anyone who thinks otherwise at this point is a fool.

When he finally retires, time will heal most of this.  God knows that people that we like and appreciate simply have moments where they behave like a dumbass.  He deserves recognition for the great things he did for this organization.  It's just a shame that he couldn't receive that recognition with any sort of class.

2002mualum... I don't know exactly what it is you see.  Fans are always more forgiving of their own.  Favre was a trouble maker early on his career, and fans here watched him clean up his act and grow up over the course of 16 years, and felt that just maybe he had a certain affinity for the city of Green Bay.  It turns out we were wrong.

Oh, and I disagree with you on one other thing.  If the Bengals and Vikings flipped rosters, Favre would not be playing for the Bengals. You forget that he led an AFC team with one less win than the Vikings, and continued to hold the starting QB job there, at the expense of being told that if he wanted in "he had to go all in and participate in off season activities."  That's not what he wants. He wanted a team that a) had two shots at the Packers and b ) wouldn't hold him accountable for anything he did (or didn't do) in the offseason.  Luckily for Brett, Childress might be the biggest pushover in the entire NFL.

EDIT: I just re-read your last paragraph again, 2002mualum, and didn't know whether you meant that Childress and the rest of the front office would hypothetically be with the Bengals, as well.  Even so, I think two shots at the Packers a year are a very important factor in Favre's decision.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

2002mualum... I don't know exactly what it is you see.  Fans are always more forgiving of their own.  Favre was a trouble maker early on his career, and fans here watched him clean up his act and grow up over the course of 16 years, and felt that just maybe he had a certain affinity for the city of Green Bay.  It turns out we were wrong.

Oh, and I disagree with you on one other thing.  If the Bengals and Vikings flipped rosters, Favre would not be playing for the Bengals. You forget that he led an AFC team with one less win than the Vikings, and continued to hold the starting QB job there, at the expense of being told that if he wanted in "he had to go all in and participate in off season activities."  That's not what he wants. He wanted a team that a) had two shots at the Packers and b ) wouldn't hold him accountable for anything he did (or didn't do) in the offseason.  Luckily for Brett, Childress might be the biggest pushover in the entire NFL.

EDIT: I just re-read your last paragraph again, 2002mualum, and didn't know whether you meant that Childress and the rest of the front office would hypothetically be with the Bengals, as well.  Even so, I think two shots at the Packers a year are a very important factor in Favre's decision.

Good points, and think we will just have to disagree on our basic premise.

I do believe Brett is/was pissed at Ted Thompson about shipping him out of town when he wanted to play for GB. I don't blame Thompson, it looks like a good move.

However, I don't believe all of the hype that Brett is really just trying to destroy TT and the Packers. I mean, I do think Brett has some revenge factor in there, but I don't think that is enough to motivate him to come back. I don't think this is a personal mission to get even with Ted. It's just 1 factor in the list of many (see below).

Let's face it, Brett has ALWAYS been a football player, and he obviously has loved it. I hate to use bad sports cliches, but Brett always seemed to have a ton of fun playing football.

When the weather cools off and the smell of fall is in the air, Brett gets the "football bug" and wants to play. Same thing happened to Reggie White, Michael Jordan (basketball), Gordie Howe (hockey), etc. etc. None of them were out for revenge. They just loved playing ball. Hell, the same thing happens to me, and I dream about playing high school ball again. We all do it.

I think that Brett would play until he is 90 years old if there was a team that would let him show up 1 week before the season and not have to practice all of the time. He LOVES to compete... but the practicing is what is tough for him. I don't blame him (training camp sucks). But, I don't blame any team that doesn't want a QB who needs special rules.

As far as the Bengals/Vikes comparison, I'll say swap EVERYTHING and I think Brett goes there.
#1 he knows the coaches already
#2 He knows he'll have special rules for himself (like you don't have to play the first 1/2 of training camp)
#3 It's indoors
#4 He knows the offense like the back of his hand
#5 The team/fans haven't had a good QB in years
#6 The defense is very good/great, the running game is great, and the receivers are serviceable/decent

Now, let's remove the whole Bengals thing, and you can add a couple more things to the list:
#7 he knows the teams in the division
#8 he gets a shot to prove Ted wrong

EDIT: I forgot to address the Jets thing.

Well, if Mangini was still there and if Bevel became the offensive coordinator and they had a dominant running game, I think he would have stayed. I just think the Vikes are a better fit for him (and his ego). They have a weak head coach that will let him do whatever he wants, and they have all of the things listed above.

[LON]

Just got this forwarded to me...pretty good idea for a shirt, clever, not vulgar and pretty much sums it up:

[Moonboots]

2002mualum... very good points.

There's just certain parts of the entire saga that, if really picked apart, should stick in the craw of a Packers fan.

(There are still many fans in denial about this. They think Brett is tired now, but after time passes, maybe he'll change his mind. It sounds like that won't happen, but can you address that?)
I think last year and the year before I was tired and it took awhile but I came back. Something told me this time not to come back. It took awhile once again. Once again, I wondered if it was the right decision. But I think in my situation, and I had this conversation with Mike and Ted, that it's a unique situation in that at 17 years I had one of the better years in my career, the team had a great year, everything seems to be going great, the team wants me back, I still can play, for the most part everyone would think I would be back, would want me back. That's a unique situation going into an 18th season. There's no guarantees next year, personally and as a team, and I'm well aware of that. It's a tough business and last year and the year before I questioned whether or not I should come back because I didn't play at a high enough level. Other people questioned that. I really didn't question my commitment. I just wondered, 'Could I not play anymore?' I know I can play. But this year, and this is not the first year but it really to me and Deanna was more noticeable, the stress part of it. It's demanding. It always has been, but I think as I've gotten older I'm much more aware of that. I'm much more aware of how hard it is to win in this league and to play at a high level. I'm not up to the challenge anymore. I can play, but I'm not up to the challenge. You can't just show up and play for three hours on Sunday. If you could, there'd be a lot more people doing it and they'd be doing it for a lot longer. I have way too much pride, I expect a lot out of myself, and if I cannot do those things 100 percent, then I can't play.

http://www.packers.com/news/releases/2008/03/06/3/

I don't think you would have heard a complaint in all of Packerland if Favre had decided to come back in 2008, the right way.  Heck, even McCarthy said he could take 85-90% of the reps he had the previous year.  But I guess he wanted to do less than that.

Looking back, maybe the level of work required of him by his team WAS the deciding factor. I'd be hard pressed to think that a 13-3 team that was one errant Favre pass away from the Super Bowl wasn't good enough for him.  That just doesn't make any sense.

I guess I'm also more than a bit biased.  I was at the NFC Championship, and I was at the first game the following year, where Favre was supposed to have his jersey retired.  It just never went down the way it should have.

But now he's a Viking for whatever reason, and we keep hearing this garbage like "If you're a true Packer fan, you'll understand."  Understand what? That you're now just another obstacle in our goal of winning the NFC North and advancing to the playoffs, and that we want you to get your ass kicked?  Yeah, I understand that.  And as a Packer fan, and Favre supporter up until he sold himself short starting summer of '08, I'm not thrilled to have to cheer against one of my all time favorite players.  I don't plan on burning any jerseys or holding any hate rallies. But I'd be remiss if I said it DIDN'T suck. 

The thing that would have really put it over the top would be if Aaron Rodgers was a bust, and from all indications (despite what LL Cool-Jay Bee may tell you), he looks pretty damn good.

And, as a silver lining kind of guy, I will say that the drama in the NFC North grew exponentially with that signing.  It's gonna be fun.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

2002mualum... very good points.

But now he's a Viking for whatever reason, and we keep hearing this garbage like "If you're a true Packer fan, you'll understand."  Understand what? That you're now just another obstacle in our goal of winning the NFC North and advancing to the playoffs, and that we want you to get your ass kicked?  Yeah, I understand that.  And as a Packer fan, and Favre supporter up until he sold himself short starting summer of '08, I'm not thrilled to have to cheer against one of my all time favorite players.  I don't plan on burning any jerseys or holding any hate rallies. But I'd be remiss if I said it DIDN'T suck. 

I agree with you there, and I don't think any Packer fan should "like" what is going on.

I'm really just shinning the light on the psychos who are into burning jerseys and going off of the deep end. Hopefully it's a small portion of the fan base, and hopefully there won't be any "incidents" when Brett plays in GB.

Check out the guy in the top row of videos (3rd one across).

http://www.burnfavre.com/

Part of me feels bad for the old guy, but the other part of me thinks this dude is nuts. The Packers are not religion. Watch them. Enjoy them. Be passionate.

Don't be insane. You weren't married to Brett Favre. He just played QB for your local team.