"Mike and Woody, as well as the entire organization, have been nothing short of outstanding,' Favre said in the email. "My teammates _ Thomas and Kerry included _ were a pleasure to play with. Eric (Mangini) could not have been any better. I enjoyed playing for him. My time with the Jets was short, but I'm honored to be given that chance.'
The Jets did not have an immediate comment. A Jets official said Wednesday night that no definite word had come from Favre yet but added, "that can change any minute."
The Jets already have begun discussing their options at quarterback and spent a good portion of Tuesday studying the 2009 class of draft-eligible college quarterbacks. The team is unconvinced that Kellen Clemens, a former second-rounder, is capable of being Favre's replacement. There also appears to be a conviction to seek a quarterback with significant arm strength to play through the challenges of windy, cold-weather climate that often is a factor in Jets' games.
While Favre did not directly broach the subject of the team simply releasing him so that he might have the option of signing with another team such as the Minnesota Vikings, a source said that Cook informally discussed the option with the Jets. The Jets respectfully declined that option, the source said. Favre's retirement will save the Jets his $13 million salary in salary cap space. The Jets are in one of the worst salary-cap situtations in the NFL.
The retirement decision should not have surprised the Jets even though the team had publicly encouraged Favre to play another season. Favre informed Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum before the Super Bowl that he was leaning toward retirement. At some point within the past week, Favre told Cook to inform the Jets that he wanted to retire without fanfare and that the team could make the decision public at its convenience.
In what appears to be his final NFL season, Favre threw 22 touchdown passes and an NFL-high 22 interceptions while leading the Jets to a 9-7 record _ a five-game improvement over their previous season without him.
A week after the Jets' season ended without a playoff berth, Favre hinted to Werder during a telephone interview that he would probably retire because he lacked the motivation necessary to continue playing and felt prepared for life after football. "I have the ability to turn it off just like that,' he said. "I don't feel I have anything else to prove. Do I have to redeem myself for the last five games? No. I could be trying to do that until I'm 60 years old. There is nothing left out there for me from that standpoint. I'm disappointed with the last five games, sure, but I know I did everything I could have.
"I didn't play as well down the stretch. It was probably a little bit of everything. It's hard for me, but I have to say I gave out down the stretch.'
In that same conversation, Favre conceded that he had an abundance of motivation to play for the Jets at the beginning of last season, most of it inspired by the spite he maintained for Packers GM Ted Thompson for trading him from Green Bay to New York. Favre felt Thompson had taken Favre's team from him, believed it had become personal, described the Packers as dishonest and concluded that the most accomplished quarterback in history had been exiled to the Jets precisely because it was something of a football purgatory, where no championships had been won in the four decades since Joe Namath.
"They sent me to New York because they didn't play the Jets, they were 4-12, so they didn't have to play me, they knew we had very little chance of making the playoffs and they knew it was not likely that we'd have a better year than they did,' Favre told Werder. "I was aware of all of that and more than up to the challenge because they felt they were shipping me off to Siberia and they'd never hear from me again. So was I coming back to play because I loved the game or to prove them wrong? Probably a little bit of both.
"Maybe initially I came back for the wrong reasons,' Favre says now. "It was like, "OK, they don't want me to play, then I'll play somewhere else and show them I can still play.'
He knew there would be comparisons between his statistics and those of the quarterback who replaced him in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers, the very first player Thompson drafted when he took over the Packers' front office. Favre admits that his family and friends were consumed with keeping him informed about how his numbers measured against those of Rogers and constantly urged him to throw more touchdown passes than his replacement. Favre admits to virtually no interest in that kind of intramural competition. But he was devout in doing whatever he could to ensure that the Jets accomplished more than the Packers.
"The only thing I worried about was winning,' he said. "There was a time in my career where I paid more attention to individual stats, but in the last couple of years the most important thing was winning and losing. In the end, that's what matters most. Was I pissed at Green Bay? Sure. But I wasn't pissed at their players. I did keep up with the wins and losses. Sure, it was hard not to do that. I didn't wish them bad, but I wished us better.'
Accomplishing that goal seemed unlikely. Removed from a Packers team that finished 13-3, Favre inherited a 4-12 Jets team.
Favre admitted transition was difficult. There were moments of extreme doubt that threatened to become actual regret, when Favre admits he wondered if he had made a terrible mistake. "Numerous times,' he said. "Traveling was much more difficult. Nothing was easy in the whole transition, except for dealing with the guys on the team; that was the easy part, and I thought that would be the hard part. But let me tell you: when we rolled into the house the Tuesday morning after that San Diego game, I thought to myself, "What in the hell?'
In the third week of the season, Favre threw three touchdown passes, was intercepted twice and suffered a sprained left ankle in a 48-29 loss on Monday Night Football to the Chargers.
But Favre persevered. He became more comfortable, played more confidently, accomplished feats not even he had experienced. He threw six touchdown passes in a single game against the Arizona Cardinals.
The next week, the Jets took over sole possession of first place from defending AFC Champion Patriots, defeating them on the road for the first time in seven years. Favre orchestrated the unimaginable 34-31 triumph, leading consecutive scoring drives on the last possession of regulation and the first of overtime. He admitted afterward that nobody in the building was more nervous and says these were the moments that brought him out of retirement.
The next week would prove just as monumental. There was Favre was throwing touchdown passes and celebrating joyously as he and the Jets completed a 34-13 road upset of the Tennessee Titans, the final undefeated team in the league.
"There's not many games left for old Brett Favre, so I'm glad this one turned out the way it did,' he said moments later.
When asked how winning a handful of big games for the Jets compared to doing the same for 16 years with the Packers, and his answer hinted at the animosity that may never leave him. "It feels great _ as good, if not better. My career in Green Bay was great. It was awesome, maybe better than awesome. Will I have a 16-year career in New York? I doubt it. But I'm going to try and lump 16 into one and see what happens.'
It doesn't get better than this, Favre thought. And, sadly, he was right. It would not get better than that moment.
"At that point, it was, Go get your Super Bowl tickets,'' Favre says. "That's what was so disappointing _ how quickly we rose, and then fell.'
After the victories in New England and Tennessee, the Jets were considered potentially the best team in the AFC and a legitimate Super Bowl contender. But the Jets failed badly in December, losing four of their final five games, and Favre's performance with an ailing right shoulder was a primary reason. In the final five games, Favre threw nine interceptions and only two touchdown passes. When the season was finished, Favre revealed he had a torn biceps tendon and that doctors had urged him to have surgery if he intended to play in 2009. He decided against both.
"It sucks getting old,' he said. "At 40 years old, your mind tells you that you can do all the things you could in your younger years but the body doesn't cooperate. As I look back on it, I had my moments where people said, "It was the same Brett Favre, just a different uniform.'
Immediately after his first Jets season, Favre had decided that if it was also his final NFL season that there would be no press conference as there had been 11 months ago in Green Bay.
"I'm an emotional guy, and I'm sure people are tired of seeing me get emotional,' he explained. "People would probably say, 'Oh, here he goes again.' I think it would just be better for me to just thank the Jets, and I sincerely mean that. It was well worth what I invested. But I'm going to just quietly step away if that's what happens.'
That is exactly what has just happened.
It's too bad that the divorce from GB, which had to happen, has poisoned BF. It's understandable but sad. Hopefully he won't change his mind again.
....This just in.....ESPN is reporting Brett Favre is comptemplating a second unretirement.... More on Sportcenter at 6...
I hate that he had to put parting shots to TT in his retirement statement.
Brett, you have to face facts: This was not your team. Nobody is bigger than the team.
I have to say, as a Packer fan who was as big of a Favre fan as any, I'm really disappointed in the kind of diva he became in the end of his career. He used to always say he wanted to stay in a Green Bay uniform until he couldn't play or they didn't want him anymore.
He seems to forget that he RETIRED and given the big vacuum when someone of his importance to the organization causes when they retire, the Packers HAD to move on swiftly, hitch their wagon to the successor and support that person 100%. If they didn't, they would have ended up in a weird purgatory with regards to team chemistry and the "oh my, what are we going to do now that the legend is gone" attitude.
It was clear to anyone who watched the 13-3 season, in the last game of the season against the Bears and the Giants game that Favre didn't have enough gas in the tank to play a full season at his standard into the post season. It showed up again this year with the Jets.
If it wasn't for the crocodile tears when he retired and HIS decision to un-retire....only to decide again to stay retired, he would have avoided this mess.
Anyone taking odds on whether he will not officially retire and then show up at Jets camp in order to garner the bulk of the media attention trying to force the Jets to release him so he can play in MN?
As a huge Packer/Brett fan, the one thing that ticked me off was his want to play for the Vikings. That's the ONE team that I wouldn't forgive him for playing on. I hope this isn't his way of squirming his way out of the Jets...
Like Joe W said, he just had to get even more parting shots at TT in... There are two sides to a story and he knows TT won't defend himself. After 17 seasons, Brett still doesn't understand it's a business. Besides, much like the Packers of this year, the Jets of last year struggled, but were coming off of a good season previously and still had a good core group of players. With the FAs the Jets picked up, there was no reason to believe they wouldn't be competative... Yet, Brett made it sound like the Jets were some sort of purgatory TT sent him too... what a drama queen!
I'm hoping that time will heal the animosity so he and his family can enjoy the appreciation they deserve when his number takes its place with the legends of lambeau.
The guy's emotionally unbalanced.
Hopefully he will stick with his plan....I had closure last year when he supposedly retired.....no feelings now.....enough of the drama between pro Farve and pro Thompson/Packer org. backers....time to let it go!
Wow - someone needs to just stick a sock in Brett's mouth and duct tape it in place.
"they felt they were shipping me off to Siberia and they’d never hear from me again" - heckuva description for the best offer out of the only two teams in the entire league outside of the NFC North willing to employ you Brett (93% of the eligible teams wouldn't even offer you a job last summer)
"It was well worth what I invested" - wouldn't have anything to do with a certain $12million in paychecks. Wonder if Woody shares this sentiment in private?
"It was like, “OK, they don’t want me to play, then I’ll play somewhere else and show them I can still play" - I have conversations like this all the time... with my seven-year-old
It's a dang shame he had to drag this whole thing down to this level.
And he still asked to be released first, again. After his old man died he had nobody to check him but 2 women, mommy and his wife. Without his father's influence we are now seeing the true Brett.
Farve can't go, I need a backup to Peyton
in my keeper league! Not to worry, I picked up Clemmens. So who do the Jets
put at QB? Kinda thought Farve was going when they got Cavanaugh to coach the
QB's- What's a backup to Randall Cunningham going to teach Farve?
Some fairly firm conclusions can be drawn from the events of the past year:
1. Replacing Favre did not improve the 2008 6-10 Packers (and that is not a criticism of Rodgers). Favre probably would have quarterbacked last year's Pack to the same or a slightly better record. But, Favre probably would not have led the Pack to the playoffs.
2. Favre probably would have retired after the 2008 season anyway;
3. And therefore, the only real benefits the Packers realzed as a result of the decision were:
a. Rodgers got a full season of experience as a starting NFL quarterback; and
b. A third round draft pick from the Jets.
Of course, Ted Thompson believed that the Rodgers-led Packers would win the NFC North and go deep into the playoffs. Ted was wrong, and again, that is not a criticism of Rodgers.
So the facts are in, and the key question has been distilled to the following:
**Was the tumult and division of the Packer Nation worth the benefit of Rodgers receiving a season of experience, and a third round draft pick?**
Admittedly, the question is posed in hindsight, of which Thompson did not have the benefit when he made the decision to force Favre out.
However, IN HINDSIGHT, the answer as I see it is an unequivocal "NO."
Thompson devotees will argue that Favre would have done no better this year anyway, so it was good to make the break and get essentially a free third round pick. It is a plausible argument, but. . .
The Packer Nation has been split in two and the atmosphere is toxic. The strife will linger for years.
Accordingly, on balance and with the benefit of hindsight, the decision was a mistake.
I'm still waiting for a fellow Packers fan to explain to me how Favre's boyish charm and disarming smile would have stopped the Texans from running up 600 yards of offense during the GB-Hou game.
Favre's spiteful attitude makes me believe that his rumored attempts to assist the Lions' staff to beat the Packers are true.
BigJohn, that's a very rational argument, so I'll answer you. If the Packers had waffled toward Rodgers last off-season, it would have been a public humiliation for him, and he probably would be leaving for some other team in free agency right now. So, add that into your math.
Letting Favre go was a tough call, but under the circumstances (when they'd already committed to Rodgers), it had to be done.
Dan--
Rodgers had been, prior to the recent contract extension, signed though 2010. So he could not have been a free agent this season. The Packers probably would have been able to sign him to a lucrative extension in mid-2009, just like they did last year.
Yes, changing course to Favre would have hurt Rodgers' feelings. However, this probably would not have been a long-term problem. I don't know that it would have humiliated Rodgers.
However, I believe that Favre was intentionally humiliated (for example, locking him out after his reinstatement) and that the resulting damage will linger for a number of years.
BigJohn - your argument is a good one, but who says that Favre wouldn't have brought back the whole drama this summer again? We will never know what really happened last year, but I still believe that all Favre needed was having his ego stroked. Once he decided he wanted to come back and then was told no, we have a different QB now, he couldn't believe it. And therefore he tried to force the Packers' hand and as he admitted freely, just wanted to play in purple. To still take parting shots at TT and the Packers organization is classless. He cannot let it go. It's a business, it was never "his team" but the Green Bay Packers. What did it bring him to play this year, aside a few million dollars? He could've stayed retired last year, and everybody would just see him as a great QB. But now, many people see him as a moody diva or better a 12 year old who doesn't get his way on the playground. I still think the Packers made the best decision to trade him, and to answer your original question, yes, it was definitely worth it.
Peter--
The fact that you (and others) have this contempt for Favre, and that many, like myself, cannot stand Ted Thompson, proves the point.
The Packer fan base is bitterly, bitterly divided. There is no denying it. There is incandescent disdain, venom, and yes, even hatred.
This is unprecedented. Never before in the history of the organization have fans hated one another, or their GM and coach, or their legendary quarterback.
In retrospect, it was not worth it. The whole thing could have, for the most part, been avoided or limited to a mere blip.
BigJohn- who cares if Packer Nation is "divided". Yes, it was worth it. The experience for Rodgers alone made it worth it.
I don't think your whole "divided" theory is as big a deal as you're making it. Three years from now no one is going to care one way or another.
And just exactly who hates each other? I don't hate you..... do you hate me? Your going way over board.
BigJohn - there's a key distinction here. Most of us who have issues with Favre wanted to see him stick to his word and stay retired. We didn't DEMAND he retire, we let him make that call, he made it, then changed his mind.
On the other side of the equation, we have people like yourself demanding that Thompson and McCarthy be run out of town on a rail. Yes, the bitterness, disdain and venom exist but the reality is that it is extremely one-sided coming from people like yourself who refuse to let go of a decision made by a GM that you don't agree with.
Whether or not it was the right decision is immaterial and irrelevant, just as comparing Rodgers to Favre is irrelevant. The team moved, the game moved on, and Brett moved on. The "strife will linger" only so long as people like yourself refuse to stop kicking a horse that is long dead.
Was the trade worth the issues caused? Nope, that call is easy. Was Brett worth the $12million paycheck he received last year? Nope, that one's easy too. Had Brett ended 2007 by announcing how much he was looking forward to playing in 2008, this would be a relevant discussion - did he do that?
What other fans than the "marvelous" Green Bay Packer fans could turn on their HOF quarterback as quickly and virulently as they could? Yet they'll cheer him in some far distant year when his jersey is retired. Spare me. Who in the world would believe a phony crowd in Lambeau cheering Brett Favre after the all viscious comments about how rotten a quarterback and person he was? Hypocrisy, thy name is Green Bay Packer fans.
Dude--Of course I don't hate you. Now, if you think the idea that the Packer Nation is "divided" is going way overboard, maybe you think the same about the whole "Favre is a diva, it is a soap opera" complaint.
Scott--I have to disagree that the bitterness is one-sided, and you kind of prove the point with your characterization that Favre supposedly didn't "stick to his word." In your mind, the retirement anouncement was some solemn, sworn oath in court or something. There are many fans out there who hate Favre because he changed his mind. They will not let it go either.
This will resolve itself only after the three stooges are gone. Until then, the debate will rage on.
Thank you BigJohn for proving my point. Feel free to give the horse a few more kicks while your at it.
Mary...
First of all, Packer fans are so passionate about their team that they do not let anyone, even a HOF QB insult their team....or other fans don't let their beloved HOF QB be insulted by the higher ups or other fans. In short the Packer fans love their team in a special way.
BigJohn...
You know I am starting to appreciate your posts. At first I must admit to hating seeing a Packer fan who traded in his loyalty to one player not let go of some bad business...but I'm starting to appreciate it. In the end I must disagree with you though, I don't think that you are going to see a divide. The Packer fans aren't divided over BF or Packers as a team...it's a divide over Packer fans that buy into a long term vision for the team or not. Fans that want to "win now" weep over our season. Fans who want the team to win over a long term take the lumps of this season in the hope that Rodgers can learn lessons and we can develop new veteran leadership.
I have been a fan of the Packers and the NFL since about 1962. In that time I have seen HOF quarterbacks fade into history and not many did it with grace. Starr's last year was painful to watch and very painful for him; Unitas-finished in San Diego; Namath, in LA with the Rams; Marino, that last game he played was as horrific as Favre's debacle in St. Louis; Montana, gone to KC. So Mary Kay I guess other fans have "turned" on their HOF quarterback at one time or another but in all these cases the quarterback is associated with the team that brought him glory (and vice-versa). Although it may be some time before Favre comes back to GB, I can assure you if he came to Lambeau next fall we would greet him as the return of the proverbial son.
And Big John, please explain to me how the Packers could have handled this diffently. Peter hit it right-once Favre wanted to "unretire" and it became clear that the Packers had moved on-as they had to with their QB of the future, he just went into a hissy fit. Good for the Pack to send him to the Jets as opposed to the Bucs-where he really wanted to go, if he couldn't don the Purple and Gold (and Mary-how's that for turning on your fans!). He backed the Pack into a corner and they did what was best for the team and the long range goals
I thought everything had been said about this, but after reading some comments, I really want to make two more points.
Mary, I have lived in different states of this country, and I have lived in Europe also - if you can show me any better, more knowledgeable fans on this planet than Packers fans, please do so. And I am not just saying that since I am a Packers fan. We had friends visiting and took them to Lambeau, and all of them were very impressed, whether they were Packers or not or even football fans. I guess we are Packers fans no matter who is playing for the team - players come and go, even HOF players, the team is still there and will still be when we will already be gone. I have been to other stadiums where so-called "fans" didn't even know the names of their players if those weren't top stars, but had to refer to them as "number 84" or "number 45" instead. Here you go to training camp and some young player that you have never seen before will make a play and then some 75 year old lady on the bleachers seat next to you will tell you where he is from, how old he is, what college he went to, and what his chances are to make the team. Find that anywhere else?
Big John - I appreciate your position, but there really is a big difference between your disdain for Ted Thompson and my opinion of Favre. I still appreciate seeing him play for the Packers for 16 years, I neither hate the guy nor wish him anything bad. I just think he handled the situation last year very poorly. The NFL is a business, and tough business decisions have to be made. Maybe the Ravens will get rid of Ray Lewis this year, maybe the Colts will get rid of Peyton Manning in a few years. Will you be thinking less of those organizations if they did that? Favre's handling of the situation make me think of him less as a person. It doesn't change my view of the player. But hatred is certainly not a feeling I am having towards him.
am I the only one who thinks it's pathetic how Favre peddles his spin and stories only to his lackies at ESPN, with maybe a dollop of peter king tossed in? And in return, ESPN (including Mortensen and Werder) also pathetically makes sure to treat Favre with kid gloves so as not to ruin their golden access?
Should be prodigal son, not "proverbial". Brutal, man, just brutal.
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Feb 11, 2009
09:40 AM
Who wrote this article, Peter King? Way too long.