Thompson Can Declare Victory Over Favre
Aaron declares a winner in Ted Thompson vs. Brett Favre
By PackerAaron
Yesterday morning, our very own Alex Tallitsch of the Packers Lounge called in to ESPN Milwaukee's Packers show "Green and Gold Today" and asked an excellent question. (Why he chooses to ask such illuminating questions on their show but only talks nonsense on ours is beyond me...)
Alex's question: Depending on the outcome of Sunday's game, can we declare a winner in Thompson vs. Favre?
Bill Johnson and Jason Wilde were pretty magnanimous in their answers, saying that both sides were "right" when it came to the messy divorce between the Packers and their legendary quarterback. And while that may be true, it doesn't answer the question.
Who won?
From where I'm sitting, even if the Packers lose to Favre and the Vikings on Sunday, Ted Thompson is clearly the winner.
I don't have to rehash it all for you. You know the backstory. Thompson came in and started cleaning up the mess left by Mike Sherman, in part by getting rid of veterans and going young. Favre wanted veterans brought in to help him win. Thompson preached a team-first mantra and toward the end of his Packers career it became clear that Favre thought he should be given special consideration over his teammates.
We all know the story.
When Thompson pushed all his chips in to the middle of the table and traded Favre in favor of Aaron Rodgers, he caught holy hell not only from Packer fans but a good portion of the media. Rodgers' play and Favre's fade down the stretch during his one season in New York quieted some critics, but then there was his brilliant year in 2009 with the Vikings that threatened to give Favre the victory over Thompson. Some in the media started up their "I told you so" engines, most notably Jason Whitlock who went so far as to call Thompson a moron and an idiot.
Then, of course, Favre was Favre in the NFC Championship Game.
All the while, Thompson was watching Aaron Rodgers get better and better the more he played. Along with Rodgers' maturation, he went about the task of building a younger roster that could mature together and has positioned the team to be competitive for the next decade. The window is open wide for a championship run for the next three or four years at least.
It's interesting to note that while Thompson was building the team the way he wanted to, Favre was in Minnesota on a squad built the way he always wanted Green Bay to be - with aggressive trades, big spending in free agency, high draft picks on offensive playmakers. And for one glorious season, it all worked.
But now the piper must be paid. The list of veterans waiting for contract extensions in Minnesota extends out the door of Winter Park. There's no quarterback to take the reins when Favre is gone for good in 2011. (And don't think for a second that this isn't his last ride on the merry-go-round) They used a third round pick to acquire a receiver they used for all of four games.
And to top it all off, and what really sets Thompson up for the "win" in my book, is the complete breakdown behind the scenes with the players and Brad Childress. I don't think you can argue that Favre's me-first attitude has infected the entire building. Whether its disgruntled vets giving anonymous quotes to a Chicago paper about how they have no respect for Childress or if its Bernard Berrian telling the team he can't gut one out just before kickoff, the lack of heart when it comes to this squad is glaring.
This doesn't even begin to get into Sidney Rice's situation. The man, by all accounts, is healthy and looks great in practice. But he has refused to be activated because he says he doesn't feel 100 percent. Of course, as Tom Pelissero pointed out on Transplants on Tuesday night, the behind the scenes chatter is that Rice wants no part of playing for a 3-6 team, injuring himself or having a setback that would end up impacting his impending free agency.
And the sad truth to all of this? The tone was set the moment the Vikings and Brad Childress allowed Brett Favre to do whatever the hell he wanted. It's always all about Favre - it has to be. And now the entire organization is reaping what they've sown - we saw the start of it this summer when Adrian Peterson didn't show for mini-camp, reportedly disgruntled that his quarterback could sit out the entire offseason, including training camp (not to mention get a substantial raise) while his teammates were in Minnesota working as a team. Although even that storyline is a bit false, as the Vikings had some 30 veterans miss parts of their offseason program.
Compare that to the culture that Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy have cultivated in Green Bay. Over 90 percent participation rate in their offseason program. A large number of veteran players rewarded with big contracts. A quarterback set to take his place as one of the better signal callers in the league for the next decade.
If Favre completes that pass in the NFC Championship game, if the Vikings go on and win the Super Bowl - Favre wins. No question in my mind. He proves Thompson wrong, even with all the positive things happening in Green Bay, he would have been able to say - "I had another championship in me and you blew it."
Instead, Favre's desire to "stick it to Ted" has backfired and Favre has lost - and sent the Vikings into a tailspin as a result.
Winner: Ted Thompson.
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Comments (137)
November 19, 2010 at 11:56 am
AMEN BROTHA!
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Preach it Aaron. It is music to my ears!
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Now if only the Bears would implode like they should...
November 19, 2010 at 11:57 am
Its been a strange three years with all of this. I'll be glad when Favre is retired. He can than watch TT and Rodgers win a Super Bowl.
November 19, 2010 at 11:58 am
so essentially one play made the difference between winner and looser? i like everything you said except for that. Even if Favre had gone to the superbowl if he had lost would he be the winner? I think Ted is the winner cause hes the kind of GM this community (GB) needs, were not a community of flashy celebs and loud people. This is a family community that loves its football, supports them day in and day out, sells out every single game, and creates new packer fans ever day through our children. We do all that because Ted has kept this team ressembled to its community. We don't need the Randy Moss's, TO's, Ocho Cincos or yes even Brett Favres, because while Brett truely was a "packer" and one of us at one time, success and fame changed him towards the end and all he could think about was getting to that ring at all costs, padding his stats and records and cieling his place as one of the all time GBs, which is not what the packers are about. TT saw that and made the best move for the future of GB.
PackerAaron
November 19, 2010 at 12:01 pm
Read the rest of that part - IF he completes that pass and IF they go on to win the Super Bowl...
November 19, 2010 at 12:03 pm
ahh very good very good, excellent story then.
November 19, 2010 at 12:20 pm
Football is a game of inches, one play can make all the difference. See last year, packers vs cardinals. A-Rod hits Jennings in OT and who knows what might have been.
It's like poker. Thompson was holding a three of a kind while Favre was chasing a flush. Thompson bet that when it came to the end, on the river, Favre would come up short- and he did.
November 19, 2010 at 11:58 am
Brett Favre has shown himself to be a loser. Everything that has happened since the victory over the Seahawks in the 2008 playoff game, has consistently lowered my regards for him culminating in seeing his penis. If he plays it cool, that all gets swept under the rug.
Ted won by forfeit.
November 19, 2010 at 01:25 pm
For all the hate I have for the man, loser is something he isn't...
November 19, 2010 at 01:56 pm
I'm not talking about football.
November 19, 2010 at 01:59 pm
Oh, you nailed it then.
November 19, 2010 at 01:58 pm
I think 'Choker' would be more applicable?
November 19, 2010 at 01:59 pm
Agreed. I would use the term "pathetic". You can win and be pathetic at the same time.
November 23, 2010 at 03:26 pm
Yeah, hey Packer fans. The serial retiree, text-messaging, diva, drama queen finally got his due from the Packers. I love it. Trouble is all this makes Teddy Thompson look like a genius of which he clearly is not. (Still hanging on to the likes of Justin Harrell). Oh well, enjoy it while it lasts.
November 19, 2010 at 11:59 am
The Packers are sooooo much better off. I remember every big game wondering which Favre would show up. The Packers couldn't win the big games after Favre became the leader.
I really like this team from the coaches to the players. They could get a roll this year and win it all but even if they don't they will be well positioned next year (and the following and following).
November 19, 2010 at 12:01 pm
*Sorry all time QBs. The Packers are truely one of the last pure teams out their in the nfl. Commericalism is turning the nfl into a soap opera while the packers are just playing football.
November 19, 2010 at 12:01 pm
Gotta agree with you here, Aaron. Excellent points. It is funny, though, how one pass in the NFC Championship changed it all. If Favre doesn't throw that pick and the Vikings go on to win the Super Bowl, Packers fans would feel that pain for decades. Instead, we can sit back and smile. One pass.
November 19, 2010 at 12:03 pm
aaron,
I think very well said, will be very interesting to see how things go down the stretch. Don't think we need to worry about MN, but would really wish the Bears would stop seeing teams when they are totally down and getting prime oportunities for the crap they put on the field every week.
November 19, 2010 at 12:04 pm
I still havent seen the video and i dont plan on it, looking at some old mans penis doesnt sound like a good time to me. just saying.. =)
November 19, 2010 at 12:09 pm
If you ask me, nobody won, but it had to be done and TT was the one sitting in the hot seat when it was time. Favre wanted to do it his own way and TT and MM has a system that works and Favre did not want to do it their way. I feel bad because Favre meant so much to the GB Packer fans and I hope someday he will come back and everything will be forgotten. I know some people will never forgive Favre for pulling what he did but I do hope someday Favre will be a GB Packer again. I love the Packers and that is who I root for but if someday Favre comes back and they make up it would make my day. Do not blame TT for this breakup, it had to happen or the packers were going to be going down a road with a future that they could not predict and did not want. I do not like it when people critize TT for doing what he did. It had to be done. They had Rodgers who they liked ready to go and if they would of traded Rodgers and kept Favre, well right now they would of looked like idiots, unless they would of won the superbowl. One last thing, Thanks you TT and MM for taking one for the team. You guys got the black eye for letting Favre go. I hope the fans remember you guys as the one that brought in the Aaron Rodgers era and brought a championship back to GB.
November 19, 2010 at 04:22 pm
"They had Rodgers who they liked ready to go and if they would of traded Rodgers and kept Favre, well right now they would of looked like idiots"
No. They would look like the Vikings. Check that. Your right. They would look like idiots.
November 19, 2010 at 12:11 pm
You forgot a crucial point that clearly makes Thompson the winner- without the Brett Favre trade, the Packers don't have the ammo to move up and draft one Clay Matthews III.
November 19, 2010 at 12:22 pm
Wow, this is a GREAT point.
Moving Favre, a guy who is at the tail end of his great career, opens the door for acquiring Matthews, a guy who looks like the NFL's dominant player for the next decade.
Excellent point.
PackerAaron
November 19, 2010 at 12:25 pm
It's an interesting thought. I guess it would resonate with me more if he had traded Favre knowing he was trying to acquire Matthews. I think he was just trying to get the best draft pick he could.
November 19, 2010 at 01:28 pm
He knew he would get Matthews in that draft. Since July 08, TT was dead set in getting Matthews.
But you are right, he didn't trade Favre just to get the ammo.
November 19, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Wow, that Jason Whitlock article is a painful read. Nothing but short-sighted sensationalism. But, what can you expect from a Fox affiliate? My favorite part of the article was the throwaway line: "Adam Schefter floated a theory/story there was tension in the Viking's locker room over Favre's arrival." I'm going to write Mr. Whitlock and ask how he is feeling about his colleague's theory/story these days. It really must have taken a concerted effort to make Schefter look like a thorough and competent journalist.
November 19, 2010 at 12:26 pm
For what it's worth I have way more respect for Thompson than Favre.
Thompson had the whole state of Wisconsin and the National Media breathing down his neck and he stood and took it like a man.
He had confidence in himself and his plan.
He knew what had to be done and did it even though he knew what the backlash would be.
Thompson actually displays all the leadership characteristics #4 lacks. Conservative, controlled, logical risks, and the ability to stick to his guns and not waffle like a little bitch.
November 19, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Very well written summary. I agree completely. Favre throwing the interception in the NFC Championship game was one of my greatest football memories as a Packer fan.
November 19, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Great article. The thing I keep hearing here in Minnesota is that the tone was set when Childress picked up Favre at the airport. That is the watershed moment that your average Queens fan and Queens media member points to. Would Parcells pick up the QB at the airport?! HA!
And where was all this heart, determination and focus from Favre in '05 and '06? I'd love to ask him. Does anybody think Favre has the same success if he stayed around Green Bay? I don't. His effort was horsecrap in '05 and '06. Look at the '09 Favre and the '07 Favre. He put a TON more into last year just to stick it to Green Bay. That ain't right.
November 19, 2010 at 12:40 pm
Agreed. I think it was The Onion that was sporting the headline "Brett Favre claims he's one loss away from career-ending injury." That pretty well sums it up.
November 19, 2010 at 02:29 pm
In 1966 Jim Brown told the Browns he couldn't make it to training camp because he was busy filming "The Dirty Dozen". Art Modell sent out a press release stating that no Browns player was excused from camp, even the great Jim Brown. He said he couldn't allow it because it showed disrespect for the other players, the coaches, and the fans.
Brown responded by retiring.
How things have changed. Now if you skip camp, the coach comes and picks you up at the airport in his Escalade.
I guess change isn't always for the better.
November 19, 2010 at 02:58 pm
Brown has been a bitter man ever since. He always thought that he was bigger than the game and every time someone passed him in the record books he was pissed that he didn't stay around longer.
November 19, 2010 at 06:51 pm
He must have been O.D. (original Diva)
November 23, 2010 at 03:36 pm
Agreed. But hey what I tell these Viqueen fans and all the other FAvre adorees, is one thing: Do you really think this antique will have another year like 2009? I think we already have the answer folks, and it ain't pretty.
November 19, 2010 at 12:44 pm
I still think, even with a win over the Vikings on Sunday, a clear winner is hard to declare.
The amount of damage caused by Favregate set back the entire 2008 season, and put a larger chip on Rodgers' shoulder. We have yet to see how that will affect his development when he hits his prime.
The impact those two losses the Packers suffered in 2009 at the hand of Favre sent the team reeling. Make those two games wins, and the Packers are hosting a playoff game after a first-round bye.
The "trade to the Jets" can be viewed as a victory for Thompson, but can also be viewed as vindictive. Had Favre been allowed to sign with the Vikes in 2008, it may have been the window for a Super Bowl for them, as many of us feared. When it is all said and done, how will history view that move...genius or petty?
Certainly, I'm far happier with the Packers situation than the Vikings, who elected to adopt the dysfunction. But it has all predicated on Aaron Rodgers continuing to start and play well. Perhaps the better winner to declare is Rodgers over Thompson.
November 19, 2010 at 12:46 pm
Whoops, meant Rodgers over Favre in that last sentence.
PackerAaron
November 19, 2010 at 12:49 pm
Sorry CD, but I don't buy that Thompson was being "vindictive" when he traded Favre to the Jets. That just makes business and football sense. You send the guy to a non-conference team. That's just being smart. You know what IS vindictive? Purposely engineering your release from the Jets so that you can sign with your former teams bitter rival. THAT is vindictive.
November 19, 2010 at 12:53 pm
It's also vindictive to demand a trade and immediately retire the day after TT failed to execute a trade for Randy Moss.
PackerAaron
November 19, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Yep.
November 19, 2010 at 09:47 pm
I remember the day like it was yesterday. Sitting there watching it on the TV thinking to myself he is retiring cause we didn't get Moss? What a baby...
Well Brett when you finally Moss, how did that work out for ya?
Score:Ted
November 23, 2010 at 03:40 pm
Yeah Aaron you got it totally correct!!
November 19, 2010 at 01:07 pm
Nagler is right, but that's besides the point.
C.D., you're analyzing this situation too much. Thompson made the right move. Since the Packers divorced themselves from Favre, the difference in performance between Favre and Rodgers is negligible, at best.
Thus, since there is no appreciable difference in QB play over the past few years, and considering Rodgers' Pro Bowl turn, it's safe to say Thompson made the right call in bidding adieu to Favre and making sure Rodgers will be sticking around for the foreseeable future.
November 19, 2010 at 03:45 pm
I really think TT has won win or lose this week. The only argument I can think of that would prove no winner would be if a TT team does not make it to the Superbowl but even that is a bit of a stretch.
November 19, 2010 at 12:54 pm
The 2 losses in 2009 sent us to 11-5. That's hardly "reeling." For a better illustration of "reeling," see the entire current Vikings organization.
November 19, 2010 at 02:25 pm
thanks for the smart replies, guys. Shoulda figured that would catch a nerve. As I said, the Packers are in the better position now, but you wouldn't have necessarily said that after the 6-10 2008 season, or during or even after the playoffs of the 2009 season. Had Favre quit after last year, would Thompson still be the winner?
Just trying to make the point that, justlike the "winner" changes from year to year, it's hard to declare it set in stone after Sunday. Would we agree it was premature after 2009's Viking games? Give it time.
November 19, 2010 at 02:32 pm
With Favre still on this team in 08' they could have been 4-12, they could have been 8-8. I really don't see the point or correlation in bringing up the 08' season, especially considering Favres epic collapse with a strong Jets team. Not to mention the fact that Favre played 5 teams over .500 (and healthy) during the NFC championship run while Rodgers had injuries in addition to playing 9 teams over .500 during 08'.
Thompson was absolutely correct in his decision. However, I don't think anything approaches 'vindication' in many peoples minds until it yields a championship.
PackerAaron
November 19, 2010 at 02:59 pm
I don't think its premature at all - Favre is done. Would I have said the same thing after 2008? Of course not, because it wasn't over. After Sunday, it is.
November 19, 2010 at 12:54 pm
I can't remember where I heard this, could have been on Packer Transplants even, but I recently heard someone explain why Bill Belichick's decided to trade Randy Moss. This person basically said that, under Belichick, the Pats are a present and future franchise. They're not only concerned with the "now" but also the "future." It's a difficult line to straddle, but it's the reason why the Pats are perennial contenders. Belichick understands how much luck goes into winning a championship, so he puts the organization in a position to win every single year without sacrificing the future.
As a Packer fan, I couldn't be more thrilled with the transition of the Packers from being an organization only concerned with the NOW under the Sherman and Favre regime to a team that balances winning now with the future of the organization. With Thompson and Rodgers, we can expect to be in contention every single year so when the time comes that serendipity smiles upon the Pack (no injuries, good luck, etc...) the team should have a great shot at winning a Super Bowl.
November 19, 2010 at 02:42 pm
Wow...what an awesome perspective. Now and Future. The Pats, Indy, Steelers, Packers. I'd say those are the teams that fit that mold. Very insightful.
November 19, 2010 at 03:49 pm
Don't phorget Philly--Reid and Co. have never been afraid to dump popular veterans.
Or role-players who would take up more cap space than they were comfortable with. That's how Al Harris came to GB.
November 19, 2010 at 03:10 pm
Belichick is indeed masterful at stacking up draft picks. He seems to know the best time for jettisoning players that are nearing the end of their productive years and still getting good market value for them. All the while you don't notice a significant drop in talent. I don't like the guy but I do respect him.
November 19, 2010 at 04:10 pm
There is nothing that can replace great talent evaluation and quality coaching. If it were up to most of the fans, great players would be dumped before they had a chance to develop and old players would hang around way way past their prime.
Thompson and McCarthy have done a great job on both ends of the equation.
November 19, 2010 at 05:11 pm
Belichick is masterful, and Ted Thompson has gotten over on him TWICE on draft trades that landed us Greg Jennings (while they took a lesser WR earlier, who's name I forget), and then again to move up to get Clay Matthews.
November 19, 2010 at 12:56 pm
You have no idea how happy this makes me. Well, perhaps you have a LITTLE idea
November 19, 2010 at 01:06 pm
Results aren't always what make right and wrong.
It's as simple as this for me. TT was willing to do what he felt was in the best interest of the Packers no matter how it affected him personally. Brett Favre wasn't. For that, in my opinion, TT will always have been "in the right" regardless of how things may have turned out.
November 19, 2010 at 01:10 pm
This is a great point. Ted Thompson's process was correct. Just because the result was poor doesn't mean the process was deficient.
Right on, wgbeethree.
November 19, 2010 at 01:10 pm
Just wanted to note that I didn't intend to imply the result was a poor one in this case...
November 19, 2010 at 01:07 pm
Another fine article...
Never disappoint
November 19, 2010 at 01:19 pm
I don't agree with the shit Favre took for the NFC championship game. Obviously that last pass was unforgivable......But until that last pass, that was one of the most unbelievable performances I've ever seen. From anyone. They had no business even being in that game, the way the rest of the team was putting the ball on the ground, and the porous protection he got. He took that entire game over and got up after hits that he shouldn't have. And everyone here knows it, as much as we don't want to admit it. We only remember the last pass, but if he completes that pass and puts them into a more manageable FG range, that would have been considered his best game of all time. No doubt about it.
November 19, 2010 at 01:29 pm
He threw the game away, dude. Mr. Tough guy didn't have the balls to run 5 yards. End of story.
November 19, 2010 at 01:41 pm
It's pretty easy to look at the last play and sum it up like that. It's also shamelessly ignorant to do so.
November 19, 2010 at 01:55 pm
I don't see how it's shamelessly ignorant. During the biggest moment, on the biggest stage where all he had to do was NOT turn the ball over he reverted back to part of what will define his overall game and career - a killer turnover.
The Vikings brought him in, a Hall of Fame quarterback, to thrive in that moment and he failed in the biggest way possible.
November 19, 2010 at 02:16 pm
Shamelessly ignorant was rude of me to say, but it is a cheap way to judge his season, let alone even that game. If he makes that one play, they go to the superbowl, and he has done the unthinkable. He took over that team. Remember when everyone wrote him off when he signed, saying "oh this is still AP's team, he's just gonna hand the ball off." the dude was unreal. He jumped onto a brand new team, and literally carried them to the brink of the superbowl. It was favre versus the saints in the championship game. Favre made the last mistake, but peterson, that o-line, and a couple of his WRs blew that game. You could say he came up short, bc he did, but he didn't cost them that game, not in the least; he nearly saved them.
November 19, 2010 at 02:22 pm
CSS, I could not have defended myself any better.
The most beautiful irony is that the guy who is generally regarded as the toughest QB to ever play was too afraid to get hit to run it himself. Where have you gone, John Elway?
November 19, 2010 at 04:23 pm
You're really going to question his toughness? Most QB's are taught to run as a last resort. Obviously if he didn't see something, he probably should have run, but it wasn't his toughness that kept him from doing that, it was his confidence. He thought he could get more yards through the air. Someone pointed out earlier about Mike Vick forgoeing an easy opportunity to run it in against us week 1 but instead he forced a pass. You think he was afraid/ not tough enough to run?
November 19, 2010 at 05:04 pm
You're absolutely right. It was his lack of confidence. Isn't that the same thing as fear?
November 19, 2010 at 02:58 pm
"he took over the team".
You said that several times. I think this is exactly what is wrong with Favre. It's not about the team. It's about him.
TT and MM have put together a "team" or "family" in the truest sense. The power of that is much greater than on player.
It's been that way for the last 14 years.
November 19, 2010 at 01:30 pm
"And now the entire organization is reaping what they've sewn"
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reaping what they've "sown" -- not what they've "stitched"
PackerAaron
November 19, 2010 at 01:38 pm
Right, that's what I said. No, really. Go back and look... ;)
November 19, 2010 at 01:49 pm
Oh, my God -- I've been "Gregg-Rosenthaled" !!! too funny !!!
Aaron, did you hear about the PFT article -- the one about the guy with the rushing average of 600 yards per game ??
November 19, 2010 at 01:31 pm
I doubt Thompson declares victory. It doesn't sound like his style at all. I actually thought he handled the Favre situation really well at the time. I'm a lousy football analyst, but I'm a decent political analyst.
I grant that there was a clear element of luck in that had Favre gone on to win the Super Bowl, it would have negated the strength of the decision. That said, looking back, I can't see how Thompson could have chosen otherwise. You can't build a team around an aging primadonna and as soon as they could be confident in starting Rodgers, they had to start him. You don't want to put all that work into him and then have Favre stay for two more years, lose Rodgers and have someone else get the benefit of your investment. Even then, as late as spring the Pack as willing to take Favre back. It would have been irrational to take him back at the start of camp.
They put him on the Jets--a good deal for the Jets certainly. The departure seemed well-managed. It was a gamble. That said, no one can predict the future. All things considered, I can't see how he could have realistically decided otherwise. The only way you'd fold to Favre in that situation is if you had NO confidence in your own vision.
I just wish Mike McCarthy were a better offensive coach. Hiring him was Thompson's gamble that didn't pay off. I feel Rodgers was an excellent replacement for Favre. McCarthy did well there and deserves full credit for his training. But our o-line is built along a very faulty model. One year of Jagodzinski followed up by Campen (the high school coach) can't make this thing work. Yet McCarthy stuck with it. At least the Kid isn't getting sacked so badly anymore. That's improvement. But they can't open holes.
McCarthy is pretty mediocre. His formidable strengths are overbalanced by persistent and glaring weaknesses.
But if the Pack crushes the Vikings on Sunday and comes back at the end of the season to beat the Bears, I'll dance in the streets. A fan can't will his team to have a Green and Golden Age (although I felt that was possible with the talent level of the team). But at the minimum, I feel that we should be able to beat the Bears twice a year. And McCarthy has given us that on occasion.
November 19, 2010 at 01:58 pm
But yet MM is 13-4 over his last 17 regular season games ..... I'll take 'mediocre' if it means winning at a 75% + rate ......
November 19, 2010 at 01:37 pm
Even if Favre had "won" by winning a championship in Minnesotta, it would not have changed the fact that TT did the right thing in letting Favre go. He would not have won one here. Remember, when McCarthy had that long meeting with Favre right before he left, Favre could not even assure McCarthy that he could put all the anger and resentment behind him. He wanted out. He wasn't going to make that 6-10 team in 2008 into a superbowl champion.
And he was near the end, while Rodgers is just getting started. Maybe he "wins" by getting to shove the Lombardi in TT's face, but there's no question Ted made the right move.
November 19, 2010 at 01:46 pm
I supported moving on from Favre. I still catch myself holding my breath when Rodgers drops back to pass, and that feeling that any pass could be an INT. Then I remember it is Rodgers.
Still, a split last year would have been nice just so I didn't have an entire off season of listening to Queens fans rant and rave about how the Packers suck and "threw Favre to the curb."
November 19, 2010 at 03:00 pm
I totally do the same thing when Rodgers goes for a long pass and the camera takes awhile to get to the receiver! Old habits die hard I guess. Ha Ha.
November 19, 2010 at 01:46 pm
You are preaching to the choir on this Aaron. Very well written and all so true.
November 19, 2010 at 01:47 pm
IMO, TT was specificly brought to GB to first deal with Sherman & then ultimately deal with BF (if need be) along with all the regular GM duties .... Both Sherman & BF were seen as potential disturbances for GB upon TT's arrival ..... Someone who's basically cold & emotionally detached from the scene had to be brought in .... Thus, enter TT .....
As far as BF ..... His abhorrent behavior on display over the last 3 years or so goes back much further ..... BF started thinking 'solo' when he received his 3rd MVP .......
November 19, 2010 at 01:53 pm
Toally agree. It seems to be Favre felt entitled to do whatever he wanted. Thompson and McCarthy don't roll like that. All players are treated equal. Look no further than the fact Favre had his own private dressing office next his locker. What a joke.
November 19, 2010 at 01:52 pm
You guys don't get it do you? Favre is and always will be a Packer. His last and final gift to us, was his best. He's a double agent and he went to the Vikings to ensure they wouldn't make it or win the Super Bowl. Isn't he the best? What a warrior! Eye heart Brett Favre. 4-ever a Packer through & through.
PackerAaron
November 19, 2010 at 01:57 pm
Love this.
November 19, 2010 at 02:00 pm
I do believe one day, Favre will come back to Green Bay get his number retired and go up in the circle of fame. But I don't see that happening for some time. I can forgive Favre, but never forget all that happened. As Bill and Jason pointed out on Green And Gold Today on Thursday, it is financially beneficial for both the Packers and Favre to make up as quick as possible. We'll see how that turns out.
November 19, 2010 at 02:10 pm
I can never forgive him. Honestly, it's nothing to do with putting on the purple. I loved his play and the whole 'aw shucks, hay-seed' routine as much as the next guy. He's made a series of low-character decisions/moves in the last several years that were all too revealing. I'm not talking simple flaws, we all have em'.
I acknowledge his accomplishments and appreciate how the record-book was re-written, can't deny him that. He's a warrior. My respect means nothing to him, nor should it.
I can only relate to his historical numbers, there's no longer anything 'personal' about him that resonates with me.
November 19, 2010 at 02:17 pm
I'm with you on the personal thing. I don't like the guy anymore. But I have to respect and someday again celebrate his play from 1992 to 2007 for the team I love. I have been on the Packers/Rodgers side through this entire ordeal. But I believe someday downt the road I will once again be able to appreciate Favre and his contributions to the Packers and helping them win a Super Bowl in my lifetime. But I want nothing more than for Rodgers to win at least 2 rings so he can always have more thatn Favre.
November 19, 2010 at 02:26 pm
His personal life is his personal life, I could care less about him chasing tail. I'm referencing his abundance of double-standards, self-centered nature and overal indifference towards leadership.
Nail in the coffin for me was this pre-season. I'm convinced the guy knew he was going to play but skillfully milked a heafty raise out of the Vikings organization, in essence holding them hostage to be their savior. Made me puke.
Nail. Coffin.
November 19, 2010 at 06:47 pm
I'm with you CSS.
I'll take it a step farther - the day they retire his number at Lambeau (assuming he and I both live that long) will be the day that I stay home and don't go to a Packer game.
November 19, 2010 at 03:40 pm
So you are saying what the Vikings are dealing with right now is a better gift than the Superbowl we won with Brett?
November 19, 2010 at 05:01 pm
What a great question!
Gotta say no, but that's still a good one!
November 19, 2010 at 02:05 pm
I hear Jason Whitlock on Sports Radio from time to time, and he's a pretty hard listed. After reading that article, from this day forward he will be known as Jason Douchelock (that's for you Oppy).
GBP 4 LIFE
November 19, 2010 at 02:05 pm
Hard listen... my bust
November 19, 2010 at 02:11 pm
I find Whitlock's tweets somewhat funny, but I can't stand his writing or when he fills in on the Jim Rome radio show. He is a Favre shill and always has been. And I find it funny he still uses an AOL email account.
November 19, 2010 at 02:34 pm
I don't need to say it was a great article, right? I find it appropriate to only point out when there are flaws in Nagler's work, you know, with the negativeness and cat-killing and all that, it suits it.
Anyway, perfect point about how Favre, or how they treated him, was the main reason the whole thing went down. This wasn't the first time Childress has been a double-faced liar, but it's the first time players call him out and disrespect him.
In a non-related subject, did anyone see Peppers celebrating a sack doing Rodgers' title belt? http://www.nfl.com/videos/chicago-bears/09000d5d81c3ad5a/Peppers-gets-hi...
It's so on.
November 19, 2010 at 02:37 pm
I did see that, laughed hard.
November 19, 2010 at 03:20 pm
So I may be an idiot but is that respect or is he calling out A-Rod? Peppers is an ass bag either way, and the Bears still suck! Worst 7 and 3 team ever.
November 19, 2010 at 03:32 pm
Agreed. Anyone know if a teams ever started 7-3 and finished 7-9? The bares are a strong contender.
November 19, 2010 at 07:22 pm
They didn't reach 7-3, but the 2009 Broncos won 6 straight before going 2-8.
Luck may get a team into the playoffs, but it rarely gets them much farther.
November 19, 2010 at 03:35 pm
Nagler, this is pathetic even for you.
AROD and TED haven't won shit yet, Favre took the Vikes to the NFCC game last year. If Rodgers has another "fumblepunt" (EPIC FAIL) this year, is it still a "VICTORY"...
hahahaha...Favre is in your head, and always be...
Ted and AROD will never get their, "golden ticket", and you will all have the Thompson debaucle to look back on over the years....
You guys suck...
PackerAaron
November 19, 2010 at 03:37 pm
Rofl
Alex Tallitsch
November 22, 2010 at 09:13 pm
I just got to reading this, surprised I got this far to be honest.
November 19, 2010 at 04:03 pm
Are you even a Packer fan? Your pessimistic
outlook is more reminiscent of a ... you know what, not gonna do it. Good day to you sir! Go Pack GO!
November 19, 2010 at 04:16 pm
Blind Favre love...it's a thing to behold...isn't it?
Let's not let facts get in the way.
The REAL Ray would have been ashamed you took his number.
November 19, 2010 at 04:36 pm
what is it with the "unhinged" and their "overuse" of quotation marks?
It's like a Godwin corollary -- the guy "quoting" every other word automatically loses the argument.
November 19, 2010 at 04:57 pm
No, Pack66, Aaron and Corey are in YOUR head.
November 19, 2010 at 07:07 pm
Um, you spelled "debacle" wrong.
November 19, 2010 at 08:18 pm
Debacle NOT debaucle. If you are going to be an a**, at least use proper English doing so.
November 20, 2010 at 10:20 am
66 is a clown...thot I was the last one ever to respond to his nothings. But apparently this lousy bait still catches fish. And for the record this is the same guy who bitched about firing Infante.
November 19, 2010 at 03:46 pm
This is what "victory" sounds like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PUAgITZfq0
November 19, 2010 at 10:07 pm
One of the greatest YouTube clips of ALL TIME!
November 19, 2010 at 04:39 pm
How is this even a question?
Would you rather have a young, talented, classy team
OR
an aging, INSANELY high paid, team that likes to take pictures of its dick?
Ask any Viking fan in the entire world and see if they are glad they brought Favre in for your answer.
Ted Thompson wins.
November 19, 2010 at 04:56 pm
Hello Packer scum, I've haven't been around to give you grief before the big game because it's hard to be a Vikings fan lately but I'm still better than a fan who wears cheese on his head and drinks cheap bear from a warm keg. I rather a Cleveland’s fan before I would do that.
November 19, 2010 at 05:08 pm
Can anybody on here translate the last couple lines into English, please? Thx.
November 19, 2010 at 07:14 pm
Sure, I'll give it a shot.
I think Mr. From-Minnesota is saying that even as bad as his favorite football team is playing right now, he's still superior to a warm bear who drinks cheap cheese. Also, he'd rather do a Cleveland fan before having anything to do what he previously stated a distaste for.
November 19, 2010 at 06:57 pm
Off the Purple band wagon to the Brown
November 19, 2010 at 07:15 pm
"It's hard to be a Vikings fan lately"? Lately? Try your whole entire life buddy.
November 19, 2010 at 07:19 pm
Don't see how one can be much of a fan if they're saying "it's hard to be a fan lately."
Last time I checked, the Packers losing never diminished my support or pride in the team.
November 19, 2010 at 07:46 pm
purple. dome. brad childress.
November 19, 2010 at 08:24 pm
"I rather a Cleveland’s fan before I would do that."
Todd, you have more serious problems to worry about than your precious Vikings. Please hire an English tutor. Or go to class once in awhile.
You're welcome.
November 20, 2010 at 01:06 am
Yo Todd, please sober up. Then again were my team as terrible as yours I would probably have to be intoxicated constantly also.
November 20, 2010 at 07:54 pm
Well, then you're not better than me.
I ALWAYS drink my overpriced, fancy bear very, very cold. Imported, from Siberia.
November 19, 2010 at 05:32 pm
It never gets old hearing and seeing this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UUeqvquXZI
November 19, 2010 at 07:10 pm
Thats what I call good Packer Porn!
November 19, 2010 at 10:09 pm
I never noticed it before, but watching this clip again, Porter does the stupid Jared Allen lasso celebration after he gets up from being tackled. Awesome.
November 22, 2010 at 03:54 pm
I saw Porter do that at the time, I absolutely died laughing. Not that I wasn't already laughing my ass off.
November 20, 2010 at 11:51 am
This not Detroit man, this is the Super Bowl---ha---would have loved to have been a fly on the wall at 6-pack66 house.
Ted won way before that interception in my book.
November 19, 2010 at 10:02 pm
Anyone listen or watch "The Dan Patrick Show"? Seton`s imitation of Favre is pretty funny.
November 20, 2010 at 10:16 am
. Great competitor and Favre brought the Pack back...but, with two dome games coming up, I just feel so much better with A-Rod at the helm than anytime in Favre's career.
Favre has/had always been too frenetic.
November 21, 2010 at 04:33 am
Total aside: There's a real article to be written about betrayal and recovery in following Favre postings on CheeseheadTV. You could even do a content analysis.
November 22, 2010 at 03:52 pm
Too true.
Alex Tallitsch
November 22, 2010 at 09:15 pm
Plus one for this comment. "Brilliant" - Aaron Nagler
November 21, 2010 at 10:54 am
Brett told me he wanted on the Vikings back in 05'. Something about a love boat?
Signed,
Jenn Sterger
November 21, 2010 at 12:53 pm
AWESOME!
November 21, 2010 at 05:35 pm
Win a playoff game first assclowns...You guys are a joke.
So you beat a 41 year old man whose team had quit on him, and whose coach sucks ass...big deal.
Ted and A-Rod haven't done enuff in the NFL to hold Favre's cup yet....but I'm sure it would be a turn-on to those 2 homos...and some of you too, i would venture to guess.
Can't wait to come back and laugh as the Packers don't win a playoff game again this year...
hahahaha...
November 21, 2010 at 06:20 pm
Dude, I know an angry little f*ck like you, ended friendship with me - actually I told him to take a run because he hated Ted so much that he started flapping stupid sh*t on a personal level out of his pie-hole. This fellow is around 50, he'll be lucky to make it to 52 without getting a stroke with all that seething anger, can't help but think the same fate awaits you. Good night now.
PackerAaron
November 21, 2010 at 06:25 pm
ROFL. You are such a joke Pack66. Can't ever just admit that Thompson was right and you and your boyfriend were wrong. Night night.
November 21, 2010 at 08:16 pm
Now, come on Aaron. Are you really responding to this piece of !@$#?
This guy is done. Like Favre.
I just wonder if he'll change his nickname when he jumps back...
November 22, 2010 at 05:43 pm
"hahahaha…[sob]"
Fixed.
November 22, 2010 at 08:32 pm
Whitlock did apologize for the Thompson criticism:
"You want to be paid like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, then you must be willing to prepare like Manning and Brady.
We’ll call it the “Ted Thompson Rule.”
Thompson, of course, is the Green Bay Packers general manager who made the gutsy decision to dump Brett Favre when it became obvious The Old Gunslinger wanted franchise money for part-time play.
Three years ago, I criticized Thompson for his bold move. I was wrong. You can’t build a consistent, winning football team around a quarterback who isn’t all in, and the repercussions for taking the risk can be devastating.
The devastation in Minnesota is deeper than the $17 million to $20 million owner Zygi Wilf is scheduled to pay Favre for the Vikings’ disastrous 2010 campaign. Coach Brad Childress lost his job. The Vikes burned a third-round draft pick on Randy Moss. They still have no clue whether Tarvaris Jackson is a legitimate NFL-caliber quarterback. Adrian Peterson has another year of wear and tear on his tires."
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/brett-favre-vince-young-michael-vick-...
November 23, 2010 at 03:12 pm
Aaron, freaking awesome article as always.
November 26, 2010 at 01:26 am
Brett Favre has been acting like a spoiled child. Ted Thompson has been vindicated, finally.