While the newest Green Bay Packers - B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews were taking their first snaps in Green and Gold, one of the oldest Packers was athis Mississippi compound, probably contemplating his next move. To come back, or not to come back is the question racing through the mind of thirty-nine year old quarterback Brett Favre.
In case you missed it, and these days it's pretty tough to (because ESPN reports it everytime Brett takes a breath), the Jets released Favre from his contract last week. With the addition of Mark Sanchez, they added a new face to the franchise, and decided they didn't want to go through what the Packers went through last season. They also felt that Favre was sincere (this time) when he announced his retirement at the end of last season, and thought he wouldn't resurface somewhere else.
But, as soon as his release was official, the speculation began. You see, now that the Jets have released him, Brett can go and play for whoever he wants to play for. That would include Minnesota, where he wanted to play for last season. When the Packers traded him to the Jets they put a poison pill into the trade penalizing the Jets if New York turned around and traded him to the Vikings. That poison pill is now null and void.
The speculation kept on going throughout the weekend (despite denials by Brett and agent James 'Bus' Cook that he was coming back). Vikes coach Brad Childress said he and his staff would discuss Favre (as they discuss "everything"). A Minneapolis columnist reported that Favre hired a personal trainer (why would he need one if he wasn't thinking about playing?).
Everyone has an opinion on what Brett's going to do. I think he's going to come back. But, that's not what we're here to talk about today. Nope, what I want to know is when this roller coaster ride that Brett has put us all on is going to come to a stop.
I'm probably in the minority here. And I probably will get a lot of email saying that I'm a Brett-Basher, yada yada yada. But, I have tired of Brett's act. I have tired of the news conferences/conference calls announcing his retirement, only to watch him change his mind months later.
Here's the bottom line. The man was a great quarterback. He is still an effective quarterback. On the field has never been the problem. Off the field it's been a different story. I don't know if his problem is that he can't make up his mind. But, these last two seasons haven't been the first time Brett's played the game with us, right?
Maybe it's not his fault. Maybe the Packers and Jets should have known better. Maybe they shouldn't have asked Brett for an answer early on in the off-season (even though it would be difficult to conduct said off-season without knowing if the quarterback had plans to play). But, my thinking is this. Knowing how easily Favre could change his mind, maybe showing more patience with him would have been the prudent thing to do. I didn't feel that way last year, but with hindsight being 20/20, showing Favre more patience probably would have saved a lot of heartache.
When I say that I've tired of Brett's act, I am not talking about his on the field stuff. I'm talking about his off the field stuff. If the man wants to play (and is physically able to), then he should be allowed to continue his career. I was one of the few that wouldn't have had a problem with him going to Minnesota last year.
Which leads to the reason - the true reason - that I feel the way I do right now. I don't want to go through last summer again. I just don't. I watched a fan base that I have always considered to be the best in the NFL become fractured. Split right down the middle. It was no longer about the uniform, the logo, or the colors. It became about the player. Fans either were with Brett or with the team. I had never seen anything like that happen to a fan base in sports before. I doubt I'll ever see anything like that happen again.
It might not have sounded that way on the radio (and I was accused of fanning the flames because we talked about it every day), but I was tired of talking about Favre-gate two weeks before he was finally traded to the Jets. I wasn't the only radio guy that was tired of it, but I might be the only one to admit it in a public forum. I would go in to work and wonder (out loud) if we really had to continue to address it. But, as each new detail leaked out of either Green Bay, Mississippi, or New York, there was something else that had to be talked about. In the radio business, there's a saying. It's called 'Feed the Beast.'. There was a demand for Favre related talk, and we gave it to the public. But make no mistake. The Favre talk became (for me at least) tedious and repetitive. It overshadowed other things that deserved more attention (like the Brewers).
That's why I am so tired of Brett's act. If he wants to play, then fine - play. I don't care where he plays. I'm not even sure I care how he plays anymore. I just don't want to go through what I went through last summer again. I may not be on the radio right now, but I blog Monday thru Friday. I podcast Monday through Friday. I don't know that I can handle another summer like last summer. I don't know if fans can handle another summer like last summer.
That's why I just want Brett to come out and say soemthing definitive. No more of this 'at this time' stuff. Either say you're retired 100% or that you're coming back. Don't drag it out again.
None of us can handle it.
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