In an interview with NFL Network earlier in the day, Packers G.M. Ted Thompson evaded questions about whether the team would call quarterback Brett Favre, if presumed starter Aaron Rodgers were to be injured.
“It’s not appropriate to speculate on the ‘What if?’ game,” Thompson said.
But Thompson strongly implied (in our view) that he won’t be calling up Favre if Rodgers blows out a knee or suffers some other season-ending injury.
“You have to go along with what you have,” Thompson said.
And they now have rookie Brian Brohm, a guy who widely was believed to be on track to be one of the top picks in 2008. But he fell deep into round two, and was the third quarterback taken.
So if Rodgers gets hurt early, veteran Craig Nall would likely take over until Brohm is ready. If Rodgers gets hurt once Brohm is ready (or close to being ready), Brohm would get the nod.
In other words, the Packers likely won’t be calling Favre — unless all three other guys tear ACLs on the same day. In July.
Meanwhile, Packers fans need to think about the team’s attitude regarding Favre from the perspective of the front office and the coaching staff. After an unexpectedly strong 2007 season, Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy have maximum job security. So since Favre was going to eventually leave anyway, the best time to be breaking in his replacement is (from the perspective of the coach and G.M.) the year in which they’ve got far more chips in front of them than they’d stand to lose if the first post-Favre season is a disaster.
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April 27th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
If someone wanted to genuinely retire and not cause a major stir after the fact, then that is very possible. Brett Favre has not done that.
On the other hand, how many retirements have been bull? A LOT. At least, if somehow Favre does comeback … then at least he can say he warned us.
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April 27th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Talk about beating a dead horse.
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April 27th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
I haev been uncomfortable with the tone of Ted Thompson’s comments regarding Brett Favre since his arrival. Without Favre, the Pack had NOTHING on offense last year. Yes, he threw stupid interceptions. Yes, I questioned some of the throws. But th ebottom line is this: He had nothing around him that was quality talent in the skill positions. I think Thompson is very overrated as a general manager. He has done wonders in the draft, but he lacks the touch to bring in quality veterans to fill gaps. I hope his confidence in Rogers is well-placed. Personally, I can’t see the Pack being anywhere near as competitive this year.
I hope ol’Teddy is willing to take credit for that when it happens.
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April 27th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
No quality talent at the skill positions???????
Do the names Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Ryan Grant, and Donald Lee ring a bell?
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April 27th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Weapons or no weapons, this is a team that made the NFC Championship who now have a rookie QB backing up an unproven QB.
If I’m a Packers fan, this is disturbing.
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Rating: 1.35 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
April 27th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
I’m pretty sure since he’s been placed on Reserve/Retired, it’s IMPOSSIBLE for him to play this year.
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April 27th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
I don’t really feel anything about the attitude of the front office of the Packers. It’s the best in the division as far as I’m concerned. After all chain-pulling Brett has done the past few off-seasons and after the past season he had, now he wants to retire?
Ted Thompson’s job is to make the Packers better, not kowtow to one player who wanted to blow the cap trying to acquire players through FA.
And KY, speak for yourself.
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April 27th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
If Favre plays it will be for a WARM WEATHER, WCO team. Like the Buccaneers.
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April 27th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
As to Nelson’s comment . . . a player on reserve/retired came come off the list at any time before a deadline that usually falls in late November or early December. The Packers’ front office might wish that the move were irreversible, but it isn’t.
And, yeah, it’s me. First time I’ve ever posted a comment.
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April 27th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
KY,
How would this be disturbing? I am a Packer fan, and I love Brett Favre. But at some time we have to move on, and bringing Favre back for another year just to delay the future is not going to accomplish anything, since we wouldn’t even be the favorite to win a Super Bowl or the NFC.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
April 27th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
“No quality talent at the skill positions???????
Do the names Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Ryan Grant, and Donald Lee ring a bell?”
Yes, Jennings is good. He is not great by any means of the imagination. Driver is at best a #2 reciever, and has okay speed. Lee is horrible (he’ll be lucky to make the roster this year), and Grant was okay (I’ll be shocked if he is effective this year). None of these guys are great.
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
April 27th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Enough already.
Favre is just playing cute to keep his marketability hot. The light has finally gone off in this guy’s head that when the party is indeed over, it’ll really be over, and all the endorsement opportunities he’d foolishly foregone over the years to guys like Peyton Manning will dry up.
When his manager was floating visions of comeback in L.A., he was sending a message to Madison Avenue, not 1265 Lombardi. You don’t replace $10,000,000 annually with random regional spots for things like pickups and bluejeans and fertilizer.
Lookie here… He’s the cover boy for Madden all of sudden. Gee, d’ya think Madden simply forget to ask him before? And do you think EA Sports wants him now to just extoll the virtues of his comfy sofa, riding lawn mower and hunting dog? Hell no — they’ll want a live body fronting that mid-August product release, at least until October-ish.
But trust me — once that #4 is nailed up on a certain wall in Brown County, if someone offers a compelling value for his rights, Ted the Trader will take it.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
April 27th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Or maybe Favre is retired, and he simply doesn’t want to play anymore, and the media is blowing this thing WAY out of proportion.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
April 27th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
I sure hope you are being sarcastic weather, cuz if you had watched any Packer football you’d see:
Driver is one of the toughest, over the middle receivers in the game. His Pro Bowls speak to that.
Jennings is a up and coming superstar. 14 TDs in 16 games last year, including playoffs.
Lee’s first year as a starter was great, and if it weren’t for two very talented, bigger name TEs in the conference he would have made the ProBowl.
Grant was about 50 yards short of 1000 in EIGHT GAMES.
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Rating: 4.75 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
April 27th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Lee won’t even make the roster this year? Are you f’ing kidding ME?
Lee had a fantastic year. He’s also the only TE on the roster dumba-s. The Packers drafted Jermichael Finely to groom but beyond that there isn’t anybody else with any experience. Donald Lee better make the final roster or GB is in trouble.
Lee was one of the top TE’s in the NFC last year.
DD has never been an elite #1 WR like you think of w/ Moss or Chad Johnson but he’s probably as good a #2 as there is. Jennings is simply the 2nd coming of John Taylor and that is fine.
James Jones had a fine rookie year up until the final month when he kinda disappeared but he has a bright future.
KRob has a chance to come back as a good #4 guy and Jordy Nelson will be the best 5th WR in the NFL on day one.
Ryan Grant completely destroyed a defense full of Pro Bowlers in that Seattle game…..not any good….are you for real pal?
Yeah,for pretty much all of Shermans tenure Favre had to carry the team with garbage like Bill Schroeder and David Martin and really,other than Ahman Green had nobody of his caliber to help him.
Favre never played with a single HOF skill player. He never had a HOF LT…a HOF RB. Never had a Jerry Rice or Marvin Harrison.
Favre did more with less than anybody maybe in history expect for when Tom Brady won his first Super Bowl.
But that is no longer the case. Packers have more offensive firepower than anybody in the NFC after Dallas. And I’d still take Grant over Barber by a hair.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
April 27th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Ok, If Favre really does want to play more football and wants to play for another team, dont the Packers still own his rights since he retired under contract?
If the Packers do own any rights to Brett they would have to trade him to another team right?…
Probably for something of value either with draft picks or players. If that is the case what team would give up draft picks (probably high draf picks) or another bigtime player for a Favre who is not getting younger and would probably only have another year or two left anyway.
Can someone (Florio) shed some light on this for me because I am pretty sure that is what would go down if another team was interested in acquiring him to play quarterback for them.
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April 27th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Amen Hawkside…. someone with some real football knowledge finally speaks.
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April 27th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
I just can’t fathom Favre coming back to play for a different team. He would only come back if he had a legitamte shot at a SB, and the only teams closer to a SB than the Packers didn’t need a QB. If this talk had happened last off-season (which it did) I could see all these scenarios happening. But not after the year GB had.
And the Packers are sending Favre a negative message by drafting Brohm?? Maybe they are just drafting a back-up QB that they know they will need at some point this year. Maybe they want to have some kind of back-up plan rather than praying Favre makes a miraculous comeback on one week’s notice.
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April 27th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Note: Craig Nall is not under contract.
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April 27th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Remember when TT traded a 6th round pick for Ryan Grant last year? Wouldn’t it be even better “value” to trade rights to a retired player?
So look for warm weather (or dome) WCO teams who have some good depth they might be cutting. Look for teams that have QBs go down to injury in post draft minicamps.
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April 27th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Favre cannot just sign with another team. The Packers still hold his rights as he signed a contract with the Packers that I think ends afther the 2010 or 2011 season. If Favre wanted to play for another team, it would have to be done three ways…. via trade, if the Packers “released” Favre he could then sign with any team he likes or he could wait until his contract expires asnd sign with another team.
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April 27th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Favre is like the mom who wears her teenage daughter’s miniskirts. Your time is past now - time to move on and let someone else get the attention.
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April 27th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
If Favre decided he wanted to play one more season, but in a warm weather city, I really wouldn’t mind. I certainly wouldn’t hold it against him. Especially if TT could get a draft pick or two for his rights.
Other than that, I’m going to reserve judgement on our GM for now. There’s just something about his personality that just rubs me the wrong way. He seems to convey an attitude of “I’m smarter than you, don’t you dare question what I do, just shut the f up.”
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April 27th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Who serisouly would want Brett Favre to step in at QB in Mid October with a 3 day notice? He will be out of shape and rusty to say the least. You think he will be at the Brett Favre Level he was midseason last year? That would be ridiculous.
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April 27th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
ickyshuffle, a Cheerleader, says:
April 27th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Who serisouly would want Brett Favre to step in at QB in Mid October with a 3 day notice? He will be out of shape and rusty to say the least. You think he will be at the Brett Favre Level he was midseason last year? That would be ridiculous.
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You underestimate the fanaticism of Green Bay Favre fans. As a Packers fan, it’s like discussing football with a bunch of Scientologists.
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