The Point of No Return

It's refreshing to see that at 38 years old, Favre can still rock a pair of camo shorts.

A couple of weeks ago I talked about how I felt Favre and the Packers have reached a point of no return. What I meant by that was, no matter what they tried to do, the relationship was so strained that it would never be the same. Even if Favre were to play again for the Packers, it just would be different. It seems like Favre agrees.

Upset with how the way the Packers have handled his desire to play again, Favre basically conceded the starting quarterback job to Aaron Rodgers. He realizes that a competition between the two of them would be a damaging scenario to the team, no matter which one of them (fairly or unfairly) comes out on top.

After Favre left Lambeau, and after the Packers were done practicing, Mike McCarthy spoke to reporters about the situation. Stating that Favre "was not in the right mind set" to be a Green Bay Packer, McCarthy all but confirmed that if Favre does play again, it won't be in Green Bay.

So what have we learned today? Nothing much, actually. Just as the Packers have been saying all along, Aaron Rodgers is the starting quarterback of this team. And just as Favre has been saying all along, he just wants to play football. All that's really new is that Favre won't accept a backup role, and that the two sides are talking.

Don't be surprised to see a trade then in the next couple of days, but don't expect the Packers to get much in return. Other teams, including the Bucs, Jets, and Vikings, know that if the Packers can't find a trading partner, they'll probably just keep him on the roster until they have no choice but to cut him before Week One. That decreases his trade value immensely. At this point, the Packers need to take whatever they can get for Favre.

The main argument against this seems to be the universal notion that if the Packers truly want to go ahead with the QB that gives them the best chance to win the Super Bowl, they should go with Favre. But, does he really give us a better chance? I've been saying for years that we will never win another Super Bowl with Brett Favre, and so far, I've been right.

Yes, he's a good quarterback, and took 2nd in the MVP voting last season. But did he take 2nd because the Packers were 13-3, or were the Packers 13-3 because Favre was the 2nd best player in the league? I think it's the former.

Look, last season was great and all, but it was just two years removed from a 4-12 season in which Favre did not look very good at all. Many of the same fans who are clamoring for him now wanted him to ride into the sunset back then. And just how good was he last year? I can only remember a few times where Favre has played worse than he did in the NFC Championship Game. Several of those times happened to come into the playoffs, which is unacceptable.

Favre was a great quarterback, but he hasn't won the MVP since '97, and the Packers haven't won a Super Bowl in 12 years. With those facts, why are so many of us chanting "Bring Back Brett" at training camp practices, and why are so many of us calling for the head of Ted Thompson? Favre is legendary, yes, but he is not worthy of this kind of demand or attention.

The Packers need to move on, and they've been committed to doing that since the day Favre retired. How could they not be? No one foresaw the summer that was to come, and the Packers can't backtrack on months of preparation just because he wants back in.

The Packers have known that since March, it seems Favre is realizing as well.

It's the point of no return, but breaking up is sure hard to do.