ESPN: Favre won't apply for reinstatement yet

I thought he destroyed it years ago with his constant am I staying or am I leaving routine and his penchant for stepping into his teammates contract disputes.

The problem for many people is that they've just now caught on to his behavior that he's exhibited for YEARS.

If anything, you're late my friend.

 

Look, Favre has undoubtedly put the Packers in a difficult position but the Packers can't keep him out of football if he wants to play. They can spite themselves (and Aaron Rodgers) by keeping him and paying him about $12 million, trade him to a franchise that feels he can provide a $12 million value, or release him. Frankly, they should just release him and move on.

 

Cran, that makes no sense. They would be giving up an asset for nothing, taking a big cap hit and could possibly end up facing off against him twice this year as he plays for a division opponent. It would be an incredibly stupid thing to for the Packers to do.

 

I'm not a salary cap expert. Does the salary of a released player really count against their cap?

As for coming back to haunt them with another team, that's always a possibility. But if they're anxious to move on, they're going to have to allow him to play for another team (by trade or release) because nobody can force him to retire if he doesn't want to retire.

 

So, let him walk to a division rival?

 

As a Vikings fan and despite the Tarvais Jackson experiment, I don't want Favre anywhere near the Vikings except on the ground after being sacked or after throwing an interception.

 

Why not? The Packers obviously don't think he can help them very much. They either think he has value or they don't. Can't have it both ways.

 

I don't think that's the case at all. They know they would be better off in the 2008 season with him, but they're sick of all the bullshit and they don't want to lose their quarterback of the future because their ego maniac "will her or won't he retire" quarterback gets an itch.

After reading the timeline in the Milwaukee paper over the weekend, I am completely convinced Favre is getting what he deserves.

 

Could you send me a link to that timeline? I'd greatly appreciate it.

 

Even in late March/early April, Favre sent out signals to Thompson that he might come back. The Packers prepared a jet to fly to Mississippi and hammer out the details so that he would come back, as the starter, but Favre backed out. Even a month ago (maybe even less), Thompson couldn't get a full commitment from Favre. So why trust him now?

This isn't about talent, because with Favre, there's no question about that. It's about commitment. There's nothing to prevent Favre from retiring after the third preseason game, saying he felt the desire just wasn't there like in the past, and leaving a lame-duck Rodgers to take snaps again.

At some point, the Packers needed to move on. Favre retired, the Packers spent second- and seventh-round picks to brace for the future, and they have done so. But they can't let him walk to a division rival, the only way he's taking snaps next season is through a trade.

 

Packers' timeline of off-season dealings with Brett Favre
Posted: July 12, 2008
The following is a timeline provided by Packers general manager Ted Thompson of the off-season dealings with quarterback Brett Favre. All of the information comes from Thompson, and several sources close to Favre did not return phone messages seeking verification of Thompson’s account.


Jan. 20, 2008: The Packers lose in overtime to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game. Both Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy speak briefly to Favre before he returns home to Hattiesburg, Miss.

Jan. 30: McCarthy and Favre are both at the Super Bowl media center in Phoenix to collect post-season awards and spend about an hour chatting. The two talk again when McCarthy is at the Pro Bowl in Honolulu and later when McCarthy returns home.

Feb. 22: Sometime during the scouting combine Thompson calls Favre because he had heard reports that the quarterback was mad Thompson hadn’t called him. “I called him and he said, ’Well I don’t know where you’re getting that from, because that’s not true.’ ” Thompson said he reassured Favre he was wanted back and told him McCarthy would be the one communicating with him most often.

Feb. 25: McCarthy calls Favre on a trip back from the combine and discusses how he might be able to lessen the quarterback’s load and whether Favre can commit 100%.

Feb. 29: Favre calls McCarthy and tells him if he had to make a decision now, he would retire. McCarthy tells him to think about it over the weekend and both McCarthy and Thompson think Favre will play. “Mike talked to him about, ‘Well, what if we change (reduce) some reps or off-season things’ and things like that and he was pretty sure that he wanted to retire.”

March 3: Favre calls McCarthy at a function in Austin, Texas, and tells him he’s retiring. McCarthy asks if he needs more time and Favre says no. Favre tells him he can’t commit 100%. McCarthy flies back to Green Bay.

March 4: Thompson, McCarthy and public relations director Jeff Blumb are in Thompson’s office and Blumb reaches Favre on his cell phone. “Jeff spoke for a few minutes and then I talked to Brett for I don’t know, 20 minutes, 15 minutes, something like that. We got to the point where he wanted to go ahead and make the announcement here and then I think Jeff got back on the phone and then they worked it out that he would come up here and do the press conference.”

March 6: Favre conducts retirement news conference.

Week of March 24: Offensive line coach James Campen, who is visiting Louisiana, stops in to see Favre at his Mississippi home and is asked by Favre whether he thinks the Packers would take him back. Campen reports the conversation to McCarthy and Thompson. McCarthy calls Favre and hears the same things Campen did.

March 27: Thompson and McCarthy decide they would be fine with Favre returning even though Aaron Rodgers is set to begin off-season workouts as the starter, and they inform Favre. “Mike said, ‘Ted and I talked and we said, fine.’ But we’d like to come see you, and Brett was kind of excited that we were coming to see him.” In preparation to leave for the owners meetings in West Palm Beach, March 30-April 3, they arrange to meet with Favre and wife Deanna.

March 29: McCarthy prepares to fly to Hattiesburg on April 1 to make plans for Favre’s return. McCarthy is leaving for evening Mass when Favre calls to inform him he has changed his mind. “We were all set for them, but Brett called back and that he and Deanna had a long talk about it and they were going to stick with their original decision.”

May 6: Thompson is down South and decides to pay a visit to Favre at his home. “I called him and said I am thinking about seeing you, I don’t have any agenda or anything. So I did, I went and visited. Had lunch, sat out on the veranda. We had a long talk and good talk. Nothing really came up other than like with any retired player; you could tell there were a few things that he would throw in there; ’there might be some doubts, I may change my mind,’ or something like that. And that was that.”

June 8: Campen goes to Favre’s home and has a long talk with Favre and leaves feeling Favre wants to return.

June 20: Favre calls McCarthy and the two have a 45-minute conversation in which Favre tells him he might want to play again. “There was more wondering, you know, what ifs.” McCarthy and Thompson go on vacation for the July 4 weekend.

July 4: Thompson receives a text message from Favre and sends a message back about 8 p.m. back telling him he’s traveling and can they talk on Monday. “By Monday I hadn’t heard back from him. I sent him back a text saying, ‘Haven’t heard from ya, hope you’re getting these messages, can we talk Tuesday at noon?’ He got back to me and said ’OK,’ that it would be better sooner, but I was kind of doing some other things so we set up a conference call.”

July 8: Favre and his agent, James “Bus” Cook ask Thompson for Favre’s release during the conference call. It’s understood Favre won’t be the starter in Green Bay. “There were, I think, conversations with Mike where both parties acknowledged that time had gone by and the Packers had been asked to move on, or move forward, or whatever. That’s what they were thinking there (about asking for his release).”

July 11: Thompson receives a letter from Favre and Cook formally asking for Favre to be released.

Tom Silverstein

 

So they'll need to trade him because keeping him our of spite and benching him would only hurt the team.