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AP: Packers GM, coach say it’s time to move on

TK

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TK

TK

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http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-packers-favre&prov=ap&type=lgns

Packers GM, coach say it’s time to move on

By CHRIS JENKINS, AP Sports Writer

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP)—The Packers aren’t about to let Brett Favre become a free agent. And while he’s now free to return to Green Bay for another season, there’s no guarantee he’ll be the Packers’ starting quarterback if he does.

In an interview with The Associated Press Saturday, Packers general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy said they don’t plan to grant Favre the release he is seeking from his contract and are committed to Aaron Rodgers as their starter.

“We’ve communicated that to Brett, that we have since moved forward,” Thompson said Saturday, in his first public comments since Favre requested to be released this week. “At the same time, we’ve never said that there couldn’t be some role that he might play here. But I would understand his point that he would want to play.”

And if Favre wanted to play for the Packers, he had the chance when he told them a few weeks after his tearful goodbye news conference that he was having second thoughts. With Thompson and McCarthy preparing to board a private plane to fly to Mississippi and seal the deal on a comeback, all Favre had to do was say yes.

He didn’t.

“Ted always wanted Brett back,” McCarthy said. “We always wanted Brett back.”

A message left by the AP with Favre’s agent, Bus Cook, was not immediately returned.

Favre, who led the Packers to a Super Bowl title after the 1996 season, held a tearful news conference to announce his retirement March 6. Favre has made high drama out of his waffling over retirement in the past several offseasons, but it seemed to be for real this time.

Until Favre told Packers offensive line coach James Campen a few weeks later that he was having second thoughts. Campen is a friend of Favre’s who McCarthy said has been miscast as an official intermediary between Favre and the team in some media reports.

After several telephone discussions with Favre led them to believe he wanted to return, Thompson and McCarthy were preparing to go to Mississippi when Favre suddenly called McCarthy.

“He said he appreciated all the planning we were going to do,” McCarthy said. “But he felt that at this point, he had reached a point of closure, to use his words, and he was going to stick with his initial decision.”

Even after Favre’s near-comeback in March, McCarthy and Thompson said they regularly communicated with Favre. Thompson even went to Mississippi to visit Favre in May, and didn’t get the sense Favre was having serious thoughts about playing again as the two had lunch on his back porch.

“He mentioned several things where you could tell there’s always indecisiveness,” Thompson said. “He’s wondering if he made the right decision. I think that’s normal.”

But the tone changed dramatically in June, when Campen said he was getting worried about Favre. McCarthy said he had a phone conversation with Favre on June 20, and the quarterback sent a clear message: “Give me my helmet or give me my release.”

Even then, McCarthy said when he asked Favre if he was ready to make a 100 percent commitment to football—an issue Favre had brought up in his retirement news conference—the answer still was no.

“That always seemed to be the one thing that he had to come to grips with,” McCarthy said.

Next came a text message exchange between Thompson and Favre on July 4. At the time, Thompson didn’t think it was a big deal that he wrote Favre back saying he was traveling and asked if they could talk Monday.

But then Thompson began getting texts from Cook. Sensing rising tension, Thompson and McCarthy agreed to a conference call with Favre and Cook on Tuesday.

Only then, McCarthy said, did Favre say he was 100 percent committed to playing. McCarthy said he doesn’t question Favre’s commitment to football, but said Favre often brought up the issue himself.

“The way he plays the game illustrates the guy is committed,” McCarthy said. “(But) those are his words. That was always his final hurdle that he said he had to get over.”

The hurdle was apparently cleared weeks before the start of training camp.

“Was it convincing? I’d say yes,” McCarthy said. “But that was the first time, July 8, that I’d ever heard him say (he was committed). And he continually, from (June) 21 to July 8, told James Campen that he was not going to play. So that’s a pretty important piece of the puzzle.”

Cook then sent the Packers a letter officially asking for Favre to be released, which would allow him to sign with any NFL team.

With Favre not being offered a defined role with the Packers if he returns at this point, and the team not inclined to release Favre so he could sign with a division rival, a trade may be the best resolution.

Thompson and McCarthy declined to discuss that possibility, and Thompson said he had not received any inquiries from other teams as of Saturday morning.

Where does that leave the Packers and their beloved three-time MVP?

In a pretty big mess.

“Quite frankly, it’s a little gut-wrenching as an organization to go through it, and certainly for Mike and myself,” Thompson said. “This stuff hurts a lot of people. I mean, it hurts. I’m not talking about physically hurting, but the sensitivity. We understand where the fans are coming from. This is a hot-button issue that surpasses anything I’ve ever gone through.”

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mcarey032

mcarey032

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I am sorry, but this is rediculous every year to go through this Favre drama. I love Favre as a a player, but he is really not looking all that great doing what he is doing. He needs to make a decision and stick to it and not changing his mind every 2 seconds. Favre you are great and a warrior, but you are not looking very good pulling a waffle impersonation.

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Larry

Larry

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I am sorry, but this is rediculous every year to go through this Favre drama. I love Favre as a a player, but he is really not looking all that great doing what he is doing. He needs to make a decision and stick to it and not changing his mind every 2 seconds. Favre you are great and a warrior, but you are not looking very good pulling a waffle impersonation.

Hey, how many NFL QBs can generate this kind of media coverage in the offseason? Without getting indicted?

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Teller

Teller

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Brett Favre. The George Foreman of the NFL.

Yo 4. Just go away. You did everything there was to do. Your final press conference was an appropriate end to a stellar career. Let it be the end. Go relax with the kids and appreciate the fact that you'll never again have to work.

God, if I could spend every day with my kids and never worry about money. ****, you wouldn't have to worry about seeing my ass again.

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AAARedskin

AAARedskin

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I don't blame Packer mgt. 1 bit here. If Farve is sooooo great, how come he has just 1 ring? He looked pretty ordinary against the Skins last year...if the Skins could have caught the ball and HELD onto the ball they would have won going away. Hey, Brett....you're not God, and you throwing another record interception in the play-offs last season cost the Packers the game!

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tr1

tr1

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It's pretty obvious what Farve thinks of the organization, isn't it?

Too bad he can't return an ounce of the loyalty the Green Bay fans have devoted to him.

Perhaps he thought he could bully management there as he has in the past...looks like it isn't going to work this time.

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Peregrine

Peregrine

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I personally think the Packers have handled this as well as possible. Favre was a great player, but you cannot have an entire organization held hostage as they try to move to a new era. Favre needs to man up and make the right decision here.

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Larry

Larry

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I personally think the Packers have handled this as well as possible. Favre was a great player, but you cannot have an entire organization held hostage as they try to move to a new era. Favre needs to man up and make the right decision here.

Do you think that if you claim that Favre is "holding the team hostage" in multiple threads, then that will make it true?

What terrible, dastardly, thing is Favre doing to the team? What's he threatening them with?

You think Favre is telling the team "Give me the starting job back, or else"? Or else what?

The only thing Favre can "threaten" the team with is "If you insist that the only way you'll let me play football, is for you to pay me $12M to hold a clipboard, then I'll do it."

The worst thing he could possibly do to the Packers, is to take the only option the team will allow him to take.

The Packers aren't going to force Favre to play backup. It would be a stupid thing for the team to do, for lots of reasons. If Favre agrees to what the team's demanding, then he'll get cut before the first game. The Packers aren't going to pay that kind of money for a clipboard holder. All they're going to do is hold their breath, threaten to cry, and keep him locked into a contract that the team has no intention of honoring, so that they can keep him from going anywhere else.

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