Great post over at PackerGeeks regarding NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sticking his nose into the Favre situation. Seemingly when he’s not busy insulting our intelligence, the Commissioner takes it upon himself to meddle in whatever team’s affairs he sees fit.

Memo to Goodell: If you would like “to accelerate the process”, tell Hamlet down in Mississippi and his bumpkin agent to file for reinstatement. The Packers are under no obligation to do anything whatsoever with a retired player. Until Favre sends that letter, Thompson shouldn’t do a damn thing. Goodell wants this wrapped up by the start of Packers training camp? Really? What if they settle on a second or third round pick and a player now, only to have two starting quarterbacks go down in the second week of the preseason? The return on Favre’s rights would be much higher then. Thompson’s job is to look out for the interests of the Packers, not the league’s reputation.

And that’s another thing. Goodell is worried about the PR hit? Are you freekin’ serious? This from the man who has basically given a free pass to the Patriots for cheating (repeatedly) and let Adam Jones back in the league. To think that speeding up the arc of the Favre story will make all this “go away” is so beyond stupid, I have trouble even typing it. But that’s what Goodell wants - for it all to go away. He’s on the brink of a brand new season, and one retired player is getting all the headlines. Hell, did you know that Peyton Manning might not even start Week One?

Goodell needs to stop worrying about what the Packers are doing and get to the bottom of what Favre and Childress were talking about on repeated calls between the two. Adjudicating the rules of the league - that’s your job Roger. Not telling the Packers how to do theirs.

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• Woods Nails It

The James Campen trip, the one where he told Favre that if he simply showed up and forced the Packers hand, they would have to take him back, is becoming a real bone of contention.

According to the unaired transcript, Favre indicates that Campen had come to see him at the behest of the Packers. But Mike McCarthy indicated on Saturday that the team had asked Campen to visit Favre only “as a friend” after they heard Favre was considering coming back.

Let’s look at both quotes, shall we?

From Don Walker’s post on the JSOnline Blog yesterday, quoting an unaired part of the FOX interview:

Favre said Campen told him he was supposed to be in Hawaii vacationing with his family, but was deployed to Hattiesburg to talk to Favre.

“And I said, ‘James, what are you doing here? I mean, enough is enough.’ And he says, ‘I agree. I’d rather be in Hawaii.’

And Mike McCarthy this past Saturday:

I think he’s totally, wrongly been illustrated in this…Ted would not even talk to Campen about this. He said, ‘Hey, your personal relationship with Brett Favre is bigger than this, so don’t ever put yourself in that position.’ … James was put in a tough spot. He was put in a situation that was purely personal.

So wait, the Packers contend that Campen was visiting Favre for ‘purely personal’ reasons, but, according to Favre, Campen was made to skip at least part of a family vacation to go visit Favre once word was out that Favre was thinking about coming back? Interestingly, McCarthy indicated in the same interview that Campen would not be made available for interviews.

Shady. Reeeeeeaaaal shady…

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• The Other Side

Favre to Tampa for a second rounder and Chris Simms! This on the strength of a radio show call-in with an eyewitness sighting of Favre and Tampa Bay GM Bruce Allen having dinner in Flemings.

On a side note, I also saw Ted Thompson on the subway this morning sitting next to Mike Tannenbaum, trying to hide his lips so as not to be lip-read. But the implications are clear. Favre to the Jets for a first rounder and Bubba Franks. Welcome back Bubba!

When the hell does training camp start…

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• Woods Nails It

Brett Favre will never be a Packer again. That much is clear as I’m reading excerpts from the second half of the interview that will be shown tonight. There is simply no way, after accusing Thompson of ‘lying’ on three different occasions, that the Packers will take him back now.

I don’t even know where to begin, there’s so much here to comment on. There’s the conversation with Thompson after the draft, down at Favre’s place, where you can finally see that these two men just can’t communicate with each other, for whatever reason. This passage is quite telling:

…it just kind of gets quiet again and OK, and he says, ‘Well, OK, if I want to talk, I guess I’m going to run.’”We stand up, and he looks at me. And he says, ‘Are you and I OK?’ I said, ‘Yes. Yes. Yes, I’m fine. Sure. No problem.’ And that was it.”

Thompson felt the need to ask ‘Are you and I OK?” because he knew they weren’t. That was one instance where both Thompson and Favre could and should have been honest and straightforward with each other, but just weren’t able to for whatever reason. I can’t really lay blame with one or the other. After all is said and done, they’re both football players, not exactly a segment of the population known for their ability to express their feelings, especially to each other. It’s just a shame that that moment, and the lost opportunity it represents, has led us here.

And ‘here’, ladies and gentlemen, is an ugly place, where Favre is throwing anyone and everyone to the wolves in his desire to play again. Offensive line coach, and Favre’s good friend and first center with the Packers, James Campen sees his private conversations about the Packers’ thinking brandied about for all to see. How will his employers feel knowing that Campen was talking to Favre about club business? Yes, he’s Favre’s friend, but he works for the Packers. Not that Favre cares in his quest to ruin as many relationships as possible.

And ruined they most certainly are.

UPDATE: Seems I’ve jumped the gun on Campen’s role here, as the Packers were not only aware of his conversations with Brett, but were in fact using Campen as an intermediary. Campen via Favre:

You know, I know they told you they’re moving on and playing there’s not an option. Playing here in Green Bay is not an option, which that’s what they want. They want to move on. But I’m telling you, if you reinstate or you force their hand, back them in a corner, they feel like they have no other option, they’re going to accept you back.

So if Favre had just shown up, he would have been the starter. But obviously, with all that’s happened, with the media circus this has become, and the relationships that have frayed between Favre, McCarthy and Thompson, it is close to impossible for that to happen.

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• Un. Real.

…Thompson feels as strongly about Aaron Rodgers as Ron Wolf felt about trading for Brett Favre? Remember, all of Wisconsin thought Wolf was crazy for trading for some third-string QB they’d never heard of.

Just a thought as I head off to bed. More (I have no doubt) tomorrow…

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• Forum Activity: July 8

So how does Favre choose to tell us his side of the story? Not by talking to any number of qualified journalists who cover the team or even football for that matter. No, this morning he spoke to Greta Van Susteren (Hattip: Don Walker) and their conversation will air tonight on Fox News.

Van Susteren, writing on her blog, states:

Brett understands the GM decision..and he accepts it..(And yes he loves the Packer fans)…but now - since the Packer GM made plain he does not want him -  he wants to be released by the Packers so that he can see if any other team wants him.

Um, was this interview conducted in a time warp? It’s as if she and Favre are talking about things as they stood Friday afternoon, before Thompson and McCarthy talked to various media outlets, making it clear the Packers would  take Favre back, just not as the unquestioned starter.

I’ll obviously watch with interest, but, to quote Han Solo - I have a bad feeling about this.

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• Oh. My. God.