So most Packer fans have heard today's ridiculous and anonymous report that the Packers offered Favre somewhere in the realm of $20 million over ten years to stay retired. And I assume that most, if not all, Packer fans were repelled by the news. While this story may have been taken out of context (I'm guessing the Packers might have been concerned that Favre was unretiring because he needed money), if anything it reaffirmed that the Packers' brass strongly wants Favre to stay retired, far more than it wants to trade him or have him back-up Rodgers.
If that's true, there seems to be an easy way out-- trade Favre to a team he won't play for. He'll then pull a Jake Plummer: he'll refuse to show up for training camp and he'll stay retired. While this might burn any remaining goodwill with Favre, it'll do the trick and it'll cost far less than $20 million. Now the team might not get much in return, but so what? The point is to make him stay retired. And they could probably get some conditional compensation. A sixth round pick, let's say, with escalators that go up if Favre actually plays for whatever team that takes him. Hell, the Packers could even pay some of Favre's salary to make the whole thing go down a little easier for the receiving team. Again, it would cost a heck of a lot less than 20 million bucks and accomplish the same goal.
Of course, what's to stop the team who trades for Favre from eventually releasing him? (And having him end up on the Vikings.) Nothing, but why would a team release a player who's retired? He doesn't cost that team anything.
I know, this is hardball. It would mean Favre wouldn't be one of the team's happy, waving to the crowd, retired veterans like Willie Wood and Bart Starr, at least not for several years, or until Thompson and Murphy are gone. But if they really, desperately want to keep him retired, and he refuses not to come back, why not do it?
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
A Sinking Feeling?
Does anyone else have a sinking feeling, a rising pessimism, about the upcoming Packer season? Maybe it's just my natural instinct to low-ball expectations, but I'm starting to get concerned. Let's break things down, shall we?
First, we have the horrendous Favre situation, the most recent developments including Favre signing and submitting his reinstatement papers, and the Packers flying new president Mark Murphy down to Southern Mississippi, apparently in effort to talk Favre out of coming to training camp. Oh yeah, and for some reason Favre refuses to talk with trading partners the Packers have proposed (perhaps he's trying to force his release), and the Bucs' initial trade offer was a late draft pick. Hopefully, Murphy is actually going down there to ask Favre to cooperate with the trade dealings. Most reasonable fans are now hoping that Favre gets traded to a somewhat legitimate contender and the Packers get some decent compensation. Preferably right now. The situation just needs to end. It's turning training camp, which was supposed to be the final leg of the entire team-building/getting over Favre offseason-coehsion process into a circus. Hell, Sportscenter led last night's broadcast with camera interviews of Rodgers, Woodson, Driver and Mark Tauscher. Since when does a Mark Tauscher interview headline Sportscenter? Not good. (Way to wear the Wisco cap though, Tausch.) This is just distracting and draining the energy and focus of a young team that needs to be forging its new identity.
Second, there's the defensive line situation, specifically the DT issues. We all know that Corey Williams and his inteior pass rush were traded in the offseason. Johnny Jolly, already recovering from shoulder surgery, was then found with 1/5th of a kilo of codeine a few weeks ago. (Sal, as the resident physician, how many milligrams are in a normal dose of codeine?) Several writers have predicted that the resulting arrest will lead to a league suspension. Then there's Harrell, who hurt a disc in his back in June and underwent surgery. Now he's reaggravated that same injury, and is one the PUP list. The worst case scenario is he'd miss the entire season. If both of these guys are gone, Colin Cole starts DT next to Pickett, with last season's undrafted rookie Daniel Muir as the primary back-up. That's serious trouble for a team that relies on dominance from "the big uglies" to make its defense work.
Third, the only addition to the pass rush this offseason was the drafting of fourth-rounder Jeremy Thompson, who appears to be a developmental prospect. Anyone remember the Dallas and Giants losses? With KGB hampered or out, Manning the Younger and Tony "Nick Lachey sucks" Romo had all day to pick the Packers apart. The Packers needed to find a third and fourth option behind Kampman and KGB, and, unless Mike Montgomery or Jason Hunter emerge, have failed to do so.
Fourth, unless Trammon Williams is suddenly a star, the same problem holds with the corners. Woodson is good but brittle, and at age 33 Al is an American-made car approaching its 100,000th mile. It's already shown it can't perform at a top level (Burress, TO) and now you're just waiting for the wheels to fall off. As far as other potental replacements, rookie Lee is struggling in practice, Bush was ineffective last year, and Blackmon is injury prone and raw. We all better hope that Williams becomes a solid-starter caliber guy, and fast.
Fifth, Grant remains a holdout. Though we can hope that Wynn and Jackson have improved since last season, there's certainly no reason to think that they're better than Grant, who was stellar generally stellar. As Sal noted, a Favre-less offense will need a strong running game to function. Grant is clearly the best option, but this contract problem means he has not fully participated in any offseason practices, thus missing the opportunity to gel with Rodgers and the tweaked offense.
Sixth and finally, take a look at the schedule. In addition to the division (and an improved Minnesota), it's Dallas again, the Colts, an improving Houston team, at Tampa, at Jacksonville, at Vince Young and Tennesee, and at Drew Brees and New Orleans. Those are some tough match-ups.
Even if Brett had come back and been close to his '07 form, I'd say that repeating as 13-3 is essentially out of the question. 10-6 looks optimistic, honestly, and would require that Rodgers stays healthy and performs pretty well. And a record like that will not come close to satisfying the Favre fanatics, even if he goes to another team and flops or gets hurt. I know the Packers are very strong at LB and WR, and are overall a young developing team, but I just don't see a great year on the horizon. In fact, if injuries kick in at spots where they did last year (CB, DE, DT), I could see the team missing the playoffs and being labled one of the "disappointments" of the year. Combine that with the hangover from the Favre ballyhoo, and you have an organization and a fan base in serious turmoil.
Am I just being a curmudgeon? Can someone give me some reason for optimism, besides the fact that Aaron Rodgers has never lost to the Bears?
First, we have the horrendous Favre situation, the most recent developments including Favre signing and submitting his reinstatement papers, and the Packers flying new president Mark Murphy down to Southern Mississippi, apparently in effort to talk Favre out of coming to training camp. Oh yeah, and for some reason Favre refuses to talk with trading partners the Packers have proposed (perhaps he's trying to force his release), and the Bucs' initial trade offer was a late draft pick. Hopefully, Murphy is actually going down there to ask Favre to cooperate with the trade dealings. Most reasonable fans are now hoping that Favre gets traded to a somewhat legitimate contender and the Packers get some decent compensation. Preferably right now. The situation just needs to end. It's turning training camp, which was supposed to be the final leg of the entire team-building/getting over Favre offseason-coehsion process into a circus. Hell, Sportscenter led last night's broadcast with camera interviews of Rodgers, Woodson, Driver and Mark Tauscher. Since when does a Mark Tauscher interview headline Sportscenter? Not good. (Way to wear the Wisco cap though, Tausch.) This is just distracting and draining the energy and focus of a young team that needs to be forging its new identity.
Second, there's the defensive line situation, specifically the DT issues. We all know that Corey Williams and his inteior pass rush were traded in the offseason. Johnny Jolly, already recovering from shoulder surgery, was then found with 1/5th of a kilo of codeine a few weeks ago. (Sal, as the resident physician, how many milligrams are in a normal dose of codeine?) Several writers have predicted that the resulting arrest will lead to a league suspension. Then there's Harrell, who hurt a disc in his back in June and underwent surgery. Now he's reaggravated that same injury, and is one the PUP list. The worst case scenario is he'd miss the entire season. If both of these guys are gone, Colin Cole starts DT next to Pickett, with last season's undrafted rookie Daniel Muir as the primary back-up. That's serious trouble for a team that relies on dominance from "the big uglies" to make its defense work.
Third, the only addition to the pass rush this offseason was the drafting of fourth-rounder Jeremy Thompson, who appears to be a developmental prospect. Anyone remember the Dallas and Giants losses? With KGB hampered or out, Manning the Younger and Tony "Nick Lachey sucks" Romo had all day to pick the Packers apart. The Packers needed to find a third and fourth option behind Kampman and KGB, and, unless Mike Montgomery or Jason Hunter emerge, have failed to do so.
Fourth, unless Trammon Williams is suddenly a star, the same problem holds with the corners. Woodson is good but brittle, and at age 33 Al is an American-made car approaching its 100,000th mile. It's already shown it can't perform at a top level (Burress, TO) and now you're just waiting for the wheels to fall off. As far as other potental replacements, rookie Lee is struggling in practice, Bush was ineffective last year, and Blackmon is injury prone and raw. We all better hope that Williams becomes a solid-starter caliber guy, and fast.
Fifth, Grant remains a holdout. Though we can hope that Wynn and Jackson have improved since last season, there's certainly no reason to think that they're better than Grant, who was stellar generally stellar. As Sal noted, a Favre-less offense will need a strong running game to function. Grant is clearly the best option, but this contract problem means he has not fully participated in any offseason practices, thus missing the opportunity to gel with Rodgers and the tweaked offense.
Sixth and finally, take a look at the schedule. In addition to the division (and an improved Minnesota), it's Dallas again, the Colts, an improving Houston team, at Tampa, at Jacksonville, at Vince Young and Tennesee, and at Drew Brees and New Orleans. Those are some tough match-ups.
Even if Brett had come back and been close to his '07 form, I'd say that repeating as 13-3 is essentially out of the question. 10-6 looks optimistic, honestly, and would require that Rodgers stays healthy and performs pretty well. And a record like that will not come close to satisfying the Favre fanatics, even if he goes to another team and flops or gets hurt. I know the Packers are very strong at LB and WR, and are overall a young developing team, but I just don't see a great year on the horizon. In fact, if injuries kick in at spots where they did last year (CB, DE, DT), I could see the team missing the playoffs and being labled one of the "disappointments" of the year. Combine that with the hangover from the Favre ballyhoo, and you have an organization and a fan base in serious turmoil.
Am I just being a curmudgeon? Can someone give me some reason for optimism, besides the fact that Aaron Rodgers has never lost to the Bears?
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
NFL Trade Rules
So we all know that the Packers don't want to deal Favre within the division, and must of us agree with that stance. But does anyone know how the NFL trade rules work? Can an NFL team trade for a player and then trade them again? Can we trade Favre to the Dolphins, and then watch the Dolphins trade him to the Vikings? Is there a rule against this?
Even if there is, what if Favre is traded to the Dolphins and he tanks? He's washed up, so the Dolphins release him. Can other teams (Vikings) then swoop in and pick him up off waivers?
Monday, July 28, 2008
And another thing...
Lost in this Favre mess is the Ryan Grant situation. It seems strange that a guy who put together 1/2 to 2/3 of a season up last year, after doing nothing previously in his career, is holding out for a contract. Is he overly concerned that he isn't good enough to repeat his success? Is his agent an asshole who actually thinks that this is a good way to endear your client to his team/fans?
Note to Ryan Grant: T.O. is not a good role model. Just show up and practice in good faith while you work out a new deal. Surely we would have heard if the Packers were refusing to negotiate with you, so why use a holdout as your first strategy? It looks selfish, not Favre selfish, but selfish nonetheless. We need a solid presence behind AR, so please come and get ready for the season.
Oh...and the argument that Favre has earned the right to his behavior is BS. Nobody earns the right to be a selfish baby by being a Hall of Famer. Barry Sanders wasn't a selfish baby, nor was Walter Peyton. If the Lions and Bears get unselfish franchise players, why can't we?
Note to Ryan Grant: T.O. is not a good role model. Just show up and practice in good faith while you work out a new deal. Surely we would have heard if the Packers were refusing to negotiate with you, so why use a holdout as your first strategy? It looks selfish, not Favre selfish, but selfish nonetheless. We need a solid presence behind AR, so please come and get ready for the season.
Oh...and the argument that Favre has earned the right to his behavior is BS. Nobody earns the right to be a selfish baby by being a Hall of Famer. Barry Sanders wasn't a selfish baby, nor was Walter Peyton. If the Lions and Bears get unselfish franchise players, why can't we?
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Things Just Get Uglier
Today, Favre ranted to ESPN's Chris Mortensen about the current status between him and the Packers and continued to demand his release. He did say something, which, if true, changes how I feel about this whole situation. Which is, that the Packers were not interested in having him compete for the job, at least not now. If it's true, that's disappointing. I hope if Favre had said he was willing to come back and compete for the job in June, that the response would have been different. Maybe now they just feel it would be too much of a spectacle and hurt the team as a whole and they feel Favre and Rodgers are relatively even and it won't be worth the headache. Or they think that Favre can't finish a season at a high level anymore. Or they think Rodgers will be better in the long run and aren't interested in undermining him. When this all pans out a few years down the road, it'll be interesting to see what the team's thinking really was.
Anyhow, this whole thing stinks. Favre should quit demanding his release and start working with the team on a trade. The team should agree to some reasonable consideration-- maybe a decent DT and a mid-round pick. And you're not going to the Vikings, Brett. Anywhere else is possible though. Get permission to work the phones and get on it. Bring this embarassing saga to an end.
Anyhow, this whole thing stinks. Favre should quit demanding his release and start working with the team on a trade. The team should agree to some reasonable consideration-- maybe a decent DT and a mid-round pick. And you're not going to the Vikings, Brett. Anywhere else is possible though. Get permission to work the phones and get on it. Bring this embarassing saga to an end.
Friday, July 25, 2008
It's Boo Wade All Over Again
Wisconsin Badgers' running back Lance Smith, he of the dynamic outside sweep, was just suspended from the football team indefinitely. Why, you ask? After his shoving/shoe-stealing/cab-fare incident last fall, has he done something else? NO. He just refused to follow through on the sweetheart, first-time offender program deal the Dane County DA's office cut him. These programs allow a first-time criminal defendant to have the charges against him dropped entirely, if he or she completes this first-offender program, which involves counseling, community service, meeting with probationary-type folks, a lot of admitting you were the bad guy, etc. Tedious, yes. But it is so, so much better than going to jail, it's not even funny. And at the end of it-- you don't have a criminal record! The charges have gone away. That's huge in the long-term.
Lance was supposed to complete his first-offender obligations by this December. But he's been so half-assed and delinquent in following through on his responsibilities that the DA is calling off the deal. Lance, this was one class you couldn't blow off. You're going to jail and you'll likely never see a Saturday at Camp Randall ever again. Argh.... This is exactly, exactly, the same as Boo Wade's situation several years ago.
- Very talented player, full of potential? Check.
- One moronic initial crime involving violence against a woman? Check.
- Receipt of lucky/sweetheart deal from prosecutors? Check.
- Only need to complete "first offender program" in order to make whole thing go away forever? Check.
- Inexplicable failure to complete "first-offender program"? Check.
- Suspension from team, jail time, end of Wisconsin career as both student and athlete? That final check is coming.
This is intensely frustrating. Lance had so much potential. But he's what, 20 years old? If he isn't mature enough to follow through on these obligations, he's not worthy of having a scholarship to UW. He may come from a tough background (Warren, OH is not a particularly nice town), but in reality he's had an extraordinarily lucky life-- athletically gifted, healthy, smart enough to qualify for a scholarship to a top university. It's sad when you see someone throw all their gifts and everything they've worked for away. And it's especially sad when they don't throw it away for something else, for a new direction, but just because of laziness and apathy. I hope Lance recovers someday, manages to finish school somewhere, and goes on to have a happy and meaningful life. If he does, it's likely he'll have learned something from this foolish episode. This is a shame.
Lance was supposed to complete his first-offender obligations by this December. But he's been so half-assed and delinquent in following through on his responsibilities that the DA is calling off the deal. Lance, this was one class you couldn't blow off. You're going to jail and you'll likely never see a Saturday at Camp Randall ever again. Argh.... This is exactly, exactly, the same as Boo Wade's situation several years ago.
- Very talented player, full of potential? Check.
- One moronic initial crime involving violence against a woman? Check.
- Receipt of lucky/sweetheart deal from prosecutors? Check.
- Only need to complete "first offender program" in order to make whole thing go away forever? Check.
- Inexplicable failure to complete "first-offender program"? Check.
- Suspension from team, jail time, end of Wisconsin career as both student and athlete? That final check is coming.
This is intensely frustrating. Lance had so much potential. But he's what, 20 years old? If he isn't mature enough to follow through on these obligations, he's not worthy of having a scholarship to UW. He may come from a tough background (Warren, OH is not a particularly nice town), but in reality he's had an extraordinarily lucky life-- athletically gifted, healthy, smart enough to qualify for a scholarship to a top university. It's sad when you see someone throw all their gifts and everything they've worked for away. And it's especially sad when they don't throw it away for something else, for a new direction, but just because of laziness and apathy. I hope Lance recovers someday, manages to finish school somewhere, and goes on to have a happy and meaningful life. If he does, it's likely he'll have learned something from this foolish episode. This is a shame.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Breaking News
Brett Favre blah, blah, blah. Blah, blah, blah Favre. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, Brett. Packers GM blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
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