Favre talking to Vikings...here we go again

[NavinRJohnson]

Just because there are 10,000 Packer rubes with #4 tattoos doesn't mean Brett shouldn't be allowed to play for any team he wants.

Except for those pesky little things in the NFL called contracts, but you summed up Favre's position very nicely. He feels (felt last season) he should be entitled to play wherever he wants, even though he was the one who retired, only to attempt to come back after the Packers had already moved on with other plans. Of course the Packers then gave him that chance, only to have him stay retired, then unretire again.

That's why he's pissed off. In his world he thought the Packers should just release him to go play for a division rival because he wanted to (and he thought his ploy would accomplish that). Doesn't work that way, and his frustration and anger with the Packers is completely misguided.

Let's say Adrian Petersen decided he wanted to play for the Packers. Should the Vikings just release him and allow him to go sign with Green Bay? Because that is exactly what you are suggesting should have happened with Favre with the comments above. He wanted to play for the Vikings and to suggest otherwise is silly. The Packers didn't allow it, and for him to be upset about that is ridiculous.  Just another card carrying member of the rules don't apply to me club.

Like you, I give a rip about loyalty and all that nonsense. Its business, but it cannot be business when it works to your advantage and something else when it doesn't, as Favre seemed to want last year at this time.

[ATWizJr]

Let me just try to use his Brett's logic though (this is what is going through his mind, not mine)...

#1 He never wanted to go to the Jets, we wanted to be the Packer QB, but Ted told him "no". So Brett wanted to go to the best team that needed a QB... the Vikes. GB wouldn't let that happen.

#2 He wants to go to the Vikes again because they are a GOOD TEAM, unlike the Jets who fired their coach. Also, he knows Darrel B. and the offense, so he feels he has a better chance for success.

#3 Playing the Packers twice is certainly a big bonus... but in case you didn't notice, Brett never tried to go to the Lions, who are in the same division and could have used a QB. Hmmm... I wonder why.... it's because he wants to WIN. MN, more than ANY team in the NFL give him the chance to win.

I don't blame Ted for what he did (team first, I love it), and I'm not a Brett defender (he's been addicted to drugs, cheated on his wife, he doesn't put the team first, etc.).

BUT, I don't like when Packer Backers are so personally offended that Brett would dare want to play football again. HE'S A FOOTBALL PLAYER. LET HIM PLAY FOOTBALL IF HE WANTS.

You are free to root against him. That's sports. It's great.

Just because there are 10,000 Packer rubes with #4 tattoos doesn't mean Brett shouldn't be allowed to play for any team he wants.

Reggie came back. Did that "ruin his legacy"? up in GB... or because he was wearing black and teal, it didn't matter?

This talk about legacy and loyalty are crap. I know we all want to have a man-crush on our favorite players, and we all have a romantic view of our favorite teams... but this is reality.

I know GB fans are tremendously loyal (which is great), but some need to realize that the players and even the team aren't that loyal. Players sign with other teams all of the time, teams cut players every year to save $. It's just business for them. It's transactional, don't pretend it's romance.

The only people that care about Brett's legacy and his marketing contract are Packer fans who were pseudo in love with Brett, and now have to come to gripes with the fact that he's just a super competitive athlete who played in GB... not some divinity sent to save the Packer franchise.

Lots of good points here.

However, your basic premise is based on a fallacy. Ted only told him "no" after Favre insisted that he was retiring.  When the Packers gave him a chance to unretire and return to the team, he turned them down because he said he really wanted to retire (this time.)

No one is stopping him from playing football.  Do you think it is flattering to Favre that his annual "am i retiring or not dance"  has become a national joke?  This is what I mean by tarnishing his legacy. Favre-a palooza I believe one of  his future teammates put it.

 For all the best reasons, the Packers franchise has a relationahip with its' fans that transcends mere business.  Not that business is not involved.

And, yes, I am free to root against him, and I will.

[NavinRJohnson]

BTW, that Lion's argument is among the most ridiculous things posted here.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

BTW, that Lion's argument is among the most ridiculous things posted here.

Seriously?

Why?

If the Lions were good, and the Vikes sucked, do you think he'd go to the Vikes? Why?

[reinko]

No need to feel torn over Favre. 

Simply put, Favre really does not have any strong desire to play other than to jam it up our collective a**.  His only motive is revenge, pure and simple.  I hope he does play and it costs him his $20 million marketing deal.

As for HOF...he deserves to be in but, he is dead to me, so someone else will have to gush over him.  I've had it with his antics. 

As for Viking fan, be careful what you wish for.  Not bitter, though!

Not that I want to be in attack mode, but you have to realize you are in the vast minority of Packer fans that feel this way.  And this sliver of fans really grinds my gears if you will.  I'm curious if you lived through the 70's, 80's and early 90's as a Packer fan.  The Pack were Clippers-esque (Thanks Bill Simmons).

You really think a professional, a man that his played every single football game since 1993, will grind out another season to stick it to Ted Thompson? Dragging his own name and his family and his legacy for that?  Dude wants to play, and Minnie is the only team that has a slate of 3 inept QB's.

And you keep bringing up this $20 million endoresement deal...Favre could care less, dude stars in Wrangler commericals.  You think he is intersted in signing 1000s of footballs every year and going to card shows, and having commerative dinner plates with his face on it?  After he finally calls it quits, he will be gone.  No coaching, no announcing, no autograph shows.  You would be lucky to see him show up for the HOF ceremony.

So you and your Favre-hating friends can continue to stew about #4.  Since he is dead to you, have you completly deleted the SB Win from your memory?  Take a moment to think how much fun it was watching the Pack from 94-2007.  Those memories, both good and bad helped shape my fandom for this team.  And BTW, it's not like he banged your wife or anything (well, he may have...knowing Brett's fondess for the ladies  ) so ease off on the hate.

Go Pack!

[NavinRJohnson]

Well for starters the Lions would have absolutely no use for a 39 year old QB they are going to have for 1 year, and command a lot of money, so going there was never going to be an option. Beyond that though, as you state, he wanted to go to a good team. This nonsense that he just loves football and just wants to play is stupid. He wants to play so long as its on his terms. I have no issue with him thinking that way, but the Packers were under no obligation to play along, and because of that he has a hard on for Ted Thompson.

Going to the Lions would give him the chance to play the Packers twice. That's true, but it would also mean getting his brains beat in by the Packers twice. Not really the kind of message he would like to send to Ted Thompson.

I have no problem with what he's doing this year. I wish he and the Vikings luck. As i said, i welcome it as a Packer fan (bear fans should too), because this is going to hurt them, not help them.

[NavinRJohnson]

You really think a professional, a man that his played every single football game since 1993, will grind out another season to stick it to Ted Thompson? Dragging his own name and his family and his legacy for that?  Dude wants to play, and Minnie is the only team that has a slate of 3 inept QB's.

First off, he had a job with the Jets. He quit that one, so there goes that argument. Second, safe to assume there are several million reasons he will be playing another season.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that spite is his sole motivation, but you'd have to be blind to not see that it is a significant one. If he just wants to play, why leave the Jets? If he just wants to play, why not come back to GB when he had the chance last year?

As far as Favre being a professional, can anyone say with a straight face that his behavior the past couple years has been professional? His teammates of the past couple years certainly don't think so.

I don't much care what he does, he'll always be my guy and nobody was defending him more in his first couple years when the cries for Mark Brunnel were loud because I could see how good he was, but when he is a Viking, he's an enemy. How anyone can say all he wants to do is play football is beyond me. This is about his bruised ego, his family putting pressure on him, and an inability to look in the mirror.

[ATWizJr]

Reinko, I was a Packer fan before you were born, probably.  Was a season ticket holder in Milwaukee.  Have seen plenty of games at the old Milwaukee County Stadium including the playoff win against the Rams.  Not sure of the year but would have to guess around 1967.  So, yes, I've lived through all the decades you mention as a Packer fan.

I doubt that I'm in the minority from the feedback I get.

Favre is nothing if not selfish and he would do almost anything to satisfy his ego driven need to stick it to Thompson.  You think he will be gone?  He will not be able to stand being irrelevant, which is what this is really all about.

Minnie is the only team with 3 inept QB's?  Please.

We'll see how much the $20 million marketing deal means to him when he bombs with the Vikes and finally does realize he should retire and then wants in again with GB.

Living in NE and having a house full of NE fans here for the SB I will never forget the victory.  Thank God for Desmond Howard, the MVP.

BTW, bringing my wife into it is over the line but just about what I would expect from a kneepad wearing Favre apologist.  Put that in your gears.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Well for starters the Lions would have absolutely no use for a 39 year old QB they are going to have for 1 year, and command a lot of money, so going there was never going to be an option. Beyond that though, as you state, he wanted to go to a good team. This nonsense that he just loves football and just wants to play is stupid. He wants to play so long as its on his terms. I have no issue with him thinking that way, but the Packers were under no obligation to play along, and because of that he has a hard on for Ted Thompson.

Going to the Lions would give him the chance to play the Packers twice. That's true, but it would also mean getting his brains beat in by the Packers twice. Not really the kind of message he would like to send to Ted Thompson.

I have no problem with what he's doing this year. I wish he and the Vikings luck. As i said, i welcome it as a Packer fan (bear fans should too), because this is going to hurt them, not help them.

I think we actually agree for the most part, but something is getting lost here.

No, Brett doesn't want to go to a crappy team.

That's EXACTLY the point.

People in WI seem to take it personally that he's going to the "dreaded Vikings" so he can screw all of the Packer fans.

He's going to the Vikings BECAUSE THEY ARE GOOD, not just to "screw ted".

If the Vikings were bad, he'd want no part of them. Nothing to gain getting his head beat in every week.

But, since they are pretty good, he knows the system, he knows the coaches there is a real opportunity for him to play and win.


I only bring up the Lions to illustrate that it's not just about "screwing ted", because if it was, he would have begged to play for ANYBODY in the division just to get a shot a the Pack.

It's not just about revenge. It's about competing and winning. The guy is addicted to winning, and he will do anything he can do to get on another winning team. The Vikings are his best option right now.

[ATWizJr]

When you're original team offered you the chance to come back and you don't, it speaks volumes when you come out of your second retirement to go to a divisional rival.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

When you're original team offered you the chance to come back and you don't, it speaks volumes when you come out of your second retirement to go to a divisional rival.

So, it's ok if he plays... he just can't play for a team that could hurt the Pack?

What if he stayed with the Jets this season and beat the Pack in the superbowl?

Is that ok, or would he be a jerk then too?

[ATWizJr]

So, it's ok if he plays... he just can't play for a team that could hurt the Pack?

What if he stayed with the Jets this season and beat the Pack in the superbowl?

Is that ok, or would he be a jerk then too?

Since he would not be going out of his way to hurt the Packers, for me, that would be fine.  The fact that in all sports, trades rarely occur between teams in the same division should tell you something.

[ATWizJr]

PS last year as a Jet, I was rooting for him.  The better they did the higher the draft pick the Packers would get as compensation.

[LON]

So, it's ok if he plays... he just can't play for a team that could hurt the Pack?

What if he stayed with the Jets this season and beat the Pack in the superbowl?

Is that ok, or would he be a jerk then too?

Dude, are you Peter King?  I mean, no one fellates Favre with his words more than PK.

EDIT:  If you can't see that the main reason for him donning the purple is purely financial and revenge-driven then I guess you never will.

[LON]

Favre pretty much put the nail in the coffin when he compared himself to Lombardi when he went to coach the Redskins. 

He can't really think that it is a comparable situation, can he?

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Dude, are you Peter King?  I mean, no one fellates Favre with his words more than PK.

EDIT:  If you can't see that the main reason for him donning the purple is purely financial and revenge-driven then I guess you never will.

Nope, not Peter King.

I'm also not a Packer fan, so I don't have the emotional tie to the guy or the franchise, so I'm coming at it from a different perspective.

I won't tell you guys how to feel.

For those that consider him a traitor... have it it.

[LON]

Nope, not Peter King.

I'm also not a Packer fan, so I don't have the emotional tie to the guy or the franchise, so I'm coming at it from a different perspective.

I won't tell you guys how to feel.

For those that consider him a traitor... have it it.

My rib probably shouldn't have gone directly at you but I also just wanted to get a shot at PK, and besides, who doesn't like a good fellatio joke every once in a while.

[Jay Bee]

202mualum: You're trying to be logical with Packers fans.  Good luck.

Favre is a competitor with a huge ego.  He sees a great opportunity in Minnesota and has an interest in pursuing it. 

I do like loyalty.  I like the idea of a guy's career ending where it 'started'.  But, I can also understand why someone wouldn't give a rip about 'retiring a Packer' when there's potential to play in purple. 

The thought that Farve wants to come to Minnesota primarily to rub-it-in-the-face of the Packers is a clinically retarded one. 

The Vikings can be a force in the NFL this year with or without Favre.  Sure, whether its Brett, Sage, Tarvaris or JDB, we won't have a 'stud' like Erin Rodgers who is absolutely the best QB ever, but beneath the surface I know every Packers fan is afraid of us.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

He's going to the Vikings BECAUSE THEY ARE GOOD, not just to "screw ted".

The Vikings were not good.....they were mediocre.....they just happened to be the best team in a terrible division.

They were 10-6 last year. They beat the Lions twice by a total of 6 points. They beat the Giants the last game of the year when the Giants had nothing to play for.

Then they scored a total of 14 points in a home playoff loss that they couldn't even sell out.

[LON]

I like it when Jay Bee comments.  Those are always good for a laugh.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

The Vikings were not good.....they were mediocre.....they just happened to be the best team in a terrible division.

They were 10-6 last year. They beat the Lions twice by a total of 6 points. They beat the Giants the last game of the year when the Giants had nothing to play for.

Then they scored a total of 14 points in a home playoff loss that they couldn't even sell out.

The part in RED has nothing to do with the performance on the field, or how good the team actually is.

People don't go to the dome because they are douches... or whatever the reason. I dunno. But, that doesn't necessarily mean the team is bad.

They are not world beaters, but they won 10 games using a strong defense and a great running game. Are they going to the superbowl? Probably not. The defense might be 1 year past it's prime, and the QB play (even with Favre) is suspect.

But, in the modern day NFL, 10-6 (regardless of division) has to be considered a "good team". Are the Packers and Bears close? Yep. I'd say all 3 are probably even.

EXAMPLE OF A "GOOD TEAM":
Look at the run AZ got on this year. Nobody thought they were good all year... until they got in the playoffs.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

 But, that doesn't necessarily mean the team is bad.
 

I said they were mediocre.  Do you always change what people say to suit your argument?

Are you talking about that strong defense that let up 48 points to the inept Kyle Orton offense?

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

I said they were mediocre.  Do you always change what people say to suit your argument?

No, you're right.

mediocre.

I stand corrected.

I'll still hold to the fact that 10-6 is a good team in the modern NFL, regardless of division.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

I'll still hold to the fact that 10-6 is a good team in the modern NFL, regardless of division.

They beat 4 teams with winning records.  The win against the Giants does not count since the Giants did not show up to play the second half. They also only beat the Giants by 1 point. That leaves 3 victories against winning teams.

Carolina 12-4  Good Win
Bears 9-7  Mediocre team
Arizona 9-7  at the time a mediocre win

Not very impressive.  I know a team has no control of their schedule, but their mediocrity shined in the playoffs at home.

[NavinRJohnson]

I like it when Jay Bee comments.  Those are always good for a laugh.

Yep. Mr. Strawman always bring a little something to the party...very little.