Let It Go, Brett

Four months after his tearful retirement, Brett Favre is, apparently, looking to return to the NFL. This is really unfortunate because it puts the Packers in a very tough spot. The team has moved on from Favre and has Aaron Rodgers firmly installed as the starting quarterback. And the team drafted not one but two quarterbacks in April to fill out the depth chart. So there's really no room for Favre now. If they bump Rodgers back to backup and bring Favre back, then they can pretty much write off Rodgers in the long term, leaving all the planning and preparation the Packers have done for a life after Favre up in smoke. That's obviously very bad for the long-term health of the franchise.

If they can't bring him back, what can they do? Would any of the Packer brass really have the cajones to either trade or cut Brett? Ted Thompson would quite possibly never live it down if he did either, but he really has no choice and has to assert his leadership over the franchise. Favre may be a living legend and arguably the greatest player to ever don the uniform, but it is not his team and he cannot hold it hostage.

The Packers are not the first team to have to deal with this. Jerry Jones tried desperately to get Emmit Smith to retire, but when he insisted on continuing to play did what he had to do for the Cowboys and shipped him off to Arizona (where Smith later played against the Cowboys). Miami did the same thing with Dan Marino, telling him he was not in their plans and if he continued to play it would not be for the Dolphins. That lead to Marino's decision to retire. The 49ers had to ship off Joe Montana, arguably the greatest quarterback ever, to make room for Steve Young. Now those situations are all a bit different than what Thompson faces in Green Bay. Smith was a shadow of himself by that point in his illustrious career, as was Marino, and Young had already firmly established himself as the starting quarterback for the 49ers. Favre, on the other hand, is coming off a stellar season, and Rodgers has yet to start a game. (And the chances he'll be a Hall of Famer like Young are fairly slim, as they are for any player.) So while many commentators will draw comparisons with those earlier situations, they aren't all that appropriate.

The Packers would have to get rid of Favre. As already pointed out, the long term health of the franchise requires that Rodgers be given an adequate chance to prove himself as a starter before his current contract expires after the 2009 season. That leaves only two seasons. That has to factor in as one of the top considerations for both Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson.

Beyond that, one has to look beyond last season. Yes, 2007 was a great year for Favre. But that doesn't erase 2005 and 2006 when he was dismal, so much so that had he been just about anyone else he would likely have been benched. Need anyone be reminded of the 29 interceptions in 2005? The QB ratings around 70? The fact of the matter is, 2007 was quite possibly an anomaly, a last gasp of greatness from a player in his twilight years.

Even in 2007, we saw glimpses of the less than stellar Favre. Brett's problem is that when things aren't going smoothly and he decides he has to personally make something happen, he gets reckless and makes stupid decisions that often cost his team games. Look at the Dallas game last year. The big Packer story coming out of that game was how well Rodgers played once Favre went out and how almost brought them back. What's forgotten is that they were in the hole they were in because the running game wasn't doing much and Favre started forcing things and making the kinds of plays he made in 2005 en route to those infamous 29 interceptions.

I love Brett Favre. I've been a fan of his since about 1994. But it's over. He got the chance that Elway got, going out on a high note, playing at a high level that made people forget the latter years of his career when he was no longer who he had once been. Coming back, he risks exchanging an Elway-like exit for the Marino-like exit he looked to be heading for, getting whipped in an embarrassment of a game that proved just how far he had fallen.

The Packers' brass should show the strength and leadership to put the franchise ahead of one player, and let Favre go should he try to play another season. If that means Favre joins another team and ends up playing against the Packers in 2008, so be it. San Francisco survived playing against (and losing to) a Joe Montana-lead Chiefs team. I think Green Bay will survive as well.