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.