Favre’s Possible Return a Blessing - For the Bears
Four months ago, Brett Favre claimed he was done with football. Done with two-a-day practices, done with the Lambeau Leap, done with throwing bullet screen passes and beautiful deep balls. After 15 years, one Super Bowl title and countless NFL records, Favre left the Green Bay Packers for a whole lot of nothing on his land in Mississippi.
Now that has all changed. Favre, the only player to ever win three consecutive NFL MVP awards, the man who has started every game his team has played 1992, is bored on the Gulf Coast. And with training camp set to start in three weeks, #4 thinks he might want to suit up in the green and gold again. The only problem is, the Packers aren’t sure they want the face of their franchise back under center this fall.
So what does this all mean? Well, depending on what you think of Favre, the Packers, and backup Aaron Rodgers, this could either be interpreted as great news, a questionable choice or the worst thing to hit Wisconsin since FDA announced that brats, cheese curds, and Miller Lite does not constitute a healthy diet. I for one am a Bears fan, and I think Favre’s potential return could be a blessing in disguise for our offensively challenged squad in 2008.
Rodgers was drafted with the 24th pick in the 2005 draft out of Cal. Besides being known as the guy with the distinct honor of lasting longer in the draft green room than any other player in history (yes, even longer than Brady Quinn), he also has a strong arm and should know the playbook after sitting on the bench for three seasons. Surrounded by talent like Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, and Ryan Grant, Rodgers could come in and succeed right away.
Favre on the other has taken more hits than the steak in Rocky Balboa’s basement. While he did lead the Packers to overtime in the NFC Championship game a year ago, he is way past his prime. Add to that the fact he is still very interception prone (remember the last pass he threw in that game versus the Giants), is 1-3 in his last four games versus the Bears, and I think it would hurt Green Bay if he returned. Oh yeah, and the fact that it would just further delay the development of Rodgers is also a big deal.
In the National Football League these days, a player only has a short amount of time when they are able to make a contribution at a high level to a football team. Remember Priest Holmes? He was the best offensive player in the league in the early part of the decade. Now he is barley hanging on by a thread, fighting through injuries and inconsistencies. Aaron Rodgers is now 25 years old, the same age Tom Brady was when he won his first Super Bowl. He should be in the starting the prime of his career. But if Favre comes back, he will spend another year riding the pine, having never even started a pro game.
Would Rodgers agree to back up Favre again in 2008? That is unknown, and neither side is saying much. In fact, neither are the Packers. Last weekend, according to TV reports, Favre sent a text-message to team GM Ted Thompson, saying he was considering coming out of retirement. Thompson’s response: “I’m on vacation, call me back later.” Seems like the cheese-heads don’t want their only marketable player back on the roster.
This is not to say Favre can’t play in the NFL anymore. He’s still one of the 32 best quarterbacks on the planet, and all you need to do is examine the depth chart here in the Windy City to prove that. He may be past his prime, but the down-slope of his career still far exceeds anything that Rex Grossman or Kyle Orton could ever accomplish. Same in Minnesota with Tarvaris Jackson and San Francisco with Alex Smith, two guys who shouldn’t be second string QB’s, much less starters.
The thing is, the people that would benefit the most from Favre’s comeback are Rex and Kyle. Not only do I think the Packers would be weaker, not necessarily this year but definitely in the long term, but there would be much less pressure on the Bears signal-callers. With Rodgers in charge, the Vikings are the obvious favorites in the NFC North, with the Lions, Bears and Packers all in a dogfight for the second. But with Favre around though, the Pack still have the edge, Minnesota is real close, and there is no pressure on the Bears. And no pressure – see 2005 and 2006 – is better than some pressure – 2007.
On Sept. 8, the Packers are scheduled to host the Vikings on the debut Monday Night Football game of the season. It is on that date the Packers are planning on retiring Favre’s number, honoring the greatest player ever to play in Northern Wisconsin. But as of right now, those plans are up in the air. We know Favre will be at Lambeau Field that night and that the Green Bay faithful will go crazy when he comes out of the tunnel. The only question is, will his #4 jersey be on the ring of honor or on his back? Know that answer and you may know how the Bears season will turn out too.
Tags: Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, NFL, Ted Thompson
July 11th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Come on… The Greatest Player to hit the Northwoods of Wisconsin? We all know Nitschke was the greatest.
July 11th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
He is coming to the Vikes baby!
July 11th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
He is going, but not to the Bears or Vikings.
He holds no cards in this game. The Packers have decided to call his bluff and then deal with what he does. He will be told where he can’t go if he wants a release or they can trade him