Favregate Over?

Yesterday morning reports began popping up around the web that Brett Favre had been traded to the Jets. I know that throughout this entire saga the Packers had been looking at the Jets and the Bucs as nice safe landing places for their franchise QB. Of course the last thing they wanted was to see Favre end up with division rivals Chicago or Minnesota. For more on that, check the Verbal Currency archives for my "Nightmare Scenario" posts.

And now it appears the Packers have gotten exactly what they want: Brett is going to play on an AFC team that will NEVER be in an position to embarrass the Packers organization. Sure, Brett's got Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery, but does anyone honestly believe that the Jets are going to beat down the Patriots, the Colts, and the Chargers to be in a position to match up against an NFC opponent in the Super Bowl? Of course not, and that's what Packers management is counting on.

But how does Brett feel about this situation? Let's face it: Minnesota would have been the perfect place for Favre to end up. The Vikings have a fantastic RB duo, a great defense, much improved WR corps and one of the best O-lines in the game. What they're missing is a QB who can exploit defenses that are already shellshocked by the Peterson/Taylor combo. Favre would have been a perfect fit, and the Vikings would have been an immediate contender. Once the Packers made it clear that Favre was not going to be allowed back as the starting QB (Mike McCarthy made that official on Tuesday), why didn't Brett take a hard line? "Trade me to a contender, release me, or watch me sit on the sidelines and lead the Aaron Rodgers second guessing." Instead, he seemed to acquiesce to this trade to the Jets that seems to work out a lot better for the Packers than for Favre. If it were me, I wouldn't have gone quite so quietly into that dark night.

And sure, the Jets could go on a run this year. But it's not likely. And if they do, guess who's going to get all the credit... No, not Brett. It'll be the Mangenius, head coach Eric Mangini, who will get heavy praise for working Favre into a new system so successfully. Part of the reason Brett got so much credit for his MVP-caliber season last year is because nobody thinks of Mike McCarthy as praise-worthy. But Mangini is a different animal. He's gotten a lot of cred for being an uber-talented coach and a disciple of Bill Belichick. So if Brett thinks he can swing the Jets to a winning record, or a playoff run, and bask in all the Jersey accolades, fuhgeddaboudit.

The Nightmare Scenario: Update

Favregate looked like it might get wrapped up over the weekend. But good 'ol Brett decided he was going to further demolish any popularity GM Ted Thompson may have had by asking if he would be welcome at training camp. Of course, Thompson had to say no, so the saga goes on. Now I'm not exactly sitting on the edge of my seat to see how this ends, but I did see one fantastic post on the Sporting Blog today. They had gotten the folks at EA Sports to put Favre on a couple of teams mentioned in trade rumors and then play out the '09 season. Far cooler than the pointless computer generated stats is this picture of Favre in a Vikings uni handing off to Purple Jesus...

The Nightmare Scenario?

Yesterday as I was driving up to Rochester and flipping radio stations along the way, I stopped on the Sirius NFL station to listen to Sirius Blitz for a while. Jim Miller and Solomon Wilcots were discussing Favregate and Miller referred to the possibility of Favre ending up in Minnesota as "the nightmare scenario" for the packers. Jim's back and forth with Wilcots suggested that both personalities felt that Favre ending up a Viking would lead to the undoing of existence as we know it. A true doomsday event.

I agree that it would be embarrassing for Packers management to see Favre sign with an NFC rival and then lose to that rival. The Green Bay fans will immediately question the decision to trade or release Favre in favor of putting Aaron Rodgers under center. But starting fresh this year with Rodgers is the right decision whether Favre wants to play or not. Favre's gunslinger tactics have always made him a high risk-high reward player at QB, and after 17 years in the league, it's time for Green Bay to roll the dice on a new signal caller. Particularly while they have the supporting cast to make their new starter effective immediately.

Whether you agree that it's time for Favre to move on from Green Bay, I don't think there's a legitimate debate that this situation is simply a reflection of the current state of professional sports. Iconic players do not spend their entire careers with a single team any longer. Whether it's for more money, personal issues, increased playing time or the chance to win a championship, stars are no longer faithful to a single city. That doesn't make them bad people. And I think most fans are intelligent enough to recognize that.

When you think of the biggest rivalry in sports, what comes to mind? Probably Red Sox and Yankees. There is no love lost between the respective fan communities of these two organizations. Yet when Johnny Damon left the Red Sox and joined the hated Yankees, the world did not end. Damon was a highly visible, much beloved member of the curse-breaking 2004 Sox. And when he visits Fenway wearing the Yankees uni, he is not reviled. The rivalry between the Packers and the Vikings is not nearly as rabid. So why would Favre's defection be such a tragedy?

I'm of the opinion that if Favre does indeed return to Football, Minnesota is the right team. It features a West coast offense, coaching personnel Favre is familiar with and all the components of a highly successful team, with the notable exception of a solid QB. But unlike Jim Miller, I wasn't a mediocre QB is the NFL for 4 seasons. So what do I know?