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In Wisconsin, It's All Favre, All the Time

Posted Jul 14, 2008 3:13PM By Mark Hasty (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Packers

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When somebody's grandmother starts talking smack about you in church on a Sunday morning, it's time to check your head. I overheard a lot of grandmothers talking about one Brett Favre yesterday morning, and what they were saying wasn't flattering.

Here in Wisconsin, anything that happens with the Packers is always the top story. Always. It will lead the news on every channel. I don't know if any other NFL team enjoys such wall-to-wall coverage. Keep that in mind when you wonder why the Packers haven't exactly tossed the keys back to Favre.

I've lived in this state for six years now, and the annual endless off-season speculation about Favre's future grew tiresome about four years ago. When Favre announced his retirement back in March, there were even a lot of Packer fans who were glad to see the rumor mill shut down.

I guess we should be glad we got as much as four months off.

Ever since it became clear that Favre really did want to explore coming back, the state has been somewhat paralyzed. There are all kinds of other things to talk about, even in sports, but we're still back to all Favre, all the time.

Brett, we're tired. Not of you, but of this.

While most of the national media is wondering why the Packers are acting the way they are, it makes sense to me. Ted Thompson needs to maintain some sort of control over the team, and as long as Favre is trying to eke his way back into the league, Thompson can't. No matter how much time you give #4 to make up his mind, he won't. Thus, about the only thing Thompson can do is call his bluff, or hope that Favre changes his mind sometime in the next two weeks. Otherwise, what shot does Aaron Rodgers have? Or the rest of the team?

Yes, there's tremendous risk to the Packers if Aaron Rodgers doesn't play well or gets hurt. Everyone can say, "Why wouldn't you want a Hall of Fame quarterback instead of an untested player who's basically a fourth-year rookie?" But there's risk to Favre (and, of course, the Pack) as well if he comes back and doesn't play like he did last year. He missed all the OTAs. Certainly the team's offensive system has changed considerably since the coaching staff has been working under the assumption that Favre was going to stay retired. (Why they would ever think that is an open question.)

Maybe it's going to take Favre a couple Jordanesque comebacks to get the point across. Like Jordan, Favre seems intent on playing until he is completely off his game. As long as there's even a little bit of mojo left, he wants the ball.

It's certainly fair to say Favre has more than earned the right to change his mind--but how many times does he get to before the team is justified in saying "enough, already?" At least 100 people in Wisconsin feel he deserves at least one more chance, if the attendance at yesterday's "Bring Back Favre" rally is any indication.

But what I heard yesterday morning amounted to, essentially, "Get back on your lawnmower, Brett." In a state where nearly everyone is passionate about the Packers, you'd think there would be a longer mourning period. But then, we've been down this road before, with him, and we know that nothing will ever be final. Ever.

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