Farve Retired

[MavsX]

Originally Posted by Caseman

I hope Rodgers is a bust. Or I hope Green Bay is nuked. Either one.

+1

[BGMaverick9]

Would there be any incentive for the Jets to trade him to Minnesota? The only thing I would imagine is if they sent a very nice set of picks to the Jets.

[alby]

Can we finally move on with our lives?

[Caseman]

Originally Posted by BGMaverick9

Would there be any incentive for the Jets to trade him to Minnesota? The only thing I would imagine is if they sent a very nice set of picks to the Jets.

There's actually a clause in the trade between the Packers and the Jets that says if the Jets trade Favre to the Vikings, the Jets have to give 3 first round picks to Green Bay.

Originally Posted by alby

Can we finally move on with our lives?

Nope. Every Favre and Rodgers game will be compared until season's end.

[Underdog]

Pretending to retire to get out of a contract = shadiest manuver EVER!!!

Brett Favre sucks ass - I hope he gets injured in the preseason and never sets foot on the field again (c'mon karma, don't let me down!)



[I also hope he gets herpes...]

[ty]

I'm sick of hearing about this guy.

[alby]

Green Bay just saved 25 million bucks.

[EricaLubarsky]

Brett Favre Demands Trade To 1996 Packers
http://www.theonion.com/content/news..._trade_to_1996

GREEN BAY—Three-time MVP and undisputed future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, disappointed with the Packers' refusal to aggressively pursue receiver Randy Moss and frustrated with his team's apparent indifference to making immediate improvements on offense, is demanding a trade to the team he feels will give him the best shot at winning a last Super Bowl ring before his retirement: the 1996 Green Bay Packers.
Enlarge Image Brett Favre

"I just don't think this Packer team, and GM Ted Thompson especially, is thinking in terms of winning with me," said Favre, speaking to reporters at his charity golf tournament in Mississippi Sunday. "On the other hand, 1996 Packers GM Ron Wolf is committed to building the team completely around me. I don't think it's out of the question to say that with me behind center, the 1996 Packers are looking at going all the way to the Super Bowl."

Early reports had indicated that Favre was so upset that his team failed to close a draft-day deal for Randy Moss with the Oakland Raiders that his agent called Packers GM Ted Thompson and requested a trade to a team with capable receivers.

"Nothing against Donald [Driver] and Greg [Jennings], but if I can't throw it to Randy Moss, then I want to throw it to Antonio Freeman, Robert Brooks, and Don Beebe," Favre said. "I bet with them, I'd have more of a chance of throwing for, say, 3,899 yards and 39 touchdowns, with maybe as few as 13 interceptions. Who knows? That kind of production could even get me another MVP award, although of course that's much less important than leading the '96 Pack to another Super Bowl victory."

Favre also noted that, unlike the young and unproven 2007 Packers, the 1996 Packers boasted seasoned veterans on both sides of the ball.

"It sure would be great to play alongside Reggie White again—I get chills just thinking about seeing him in the locker room," Favre said. "That whole '96 defense is great, too. Santana Dotson is a force in the middle. That LeRoy Butler, I tell you, he's one of the most underrated safeties in the game. Desmond Howard isn't a bad kick returner, either. And unlike the Packer backfield I got now, the '96 Packers still feature William Henderson at fullback."

"Mark Chmura, though, I don't know," Favre admitted. "Decent tight end, but something about him isn't quite right."

In addition to the more elite personnel, Favre praised the aggressive attitude of the coaching squad and front office of the Packers of 1996, saying he was a fan of head coach Mike Holmgren's West Coast offense and Wolf's aggressive recruiting strategies.

"I think Holmgren and I would make an interesting team," Favre said. "He could teach me a lot. We could learn from each other. And I know Ron Wolf would have my back. If, say, our number-one receiver gets knocked out for the season in Week 7, I believe Wolf would go right after a great veteran free agent, like maybe Andre Rison, to give us an edge in the playoffs. I can almost guarantee that."

"It would really be something," Favre said. "We'd be one of the all-time great teams, a once-in-a-lifetime thing, you know? I'm going to have my agent look into it right away."

Although the Packers had no immediate comment, head coach Mike McCarthy said the team would be "heartbroken" to part with its greatest player, although in deference to Favre's long service, and for the good of the current team, they would be willing to consider a trade package including a first-round pick in the 2008 NFL draft and the 1996 Brett Favre.

[BGMaverick9]

Jets said he'll start next week in the preseason game, should be interesting.

[Underdog]

Favre informs Jets that he's retiring

link

Without the tearful public ceremony that accompanied his retirement announcement from the Green Bay Packers just 11 months ago, quarterback Brett Favre has told the New York Jets he is retiring.

Favre had instructed his agent, James "Bus" Cook, to inform the Jets on Wednesday that he is retiring. Two team sources told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen that the call had been made.

In an e-mail to ESPN's Ed Werder, Favre indicated he had no regrets about finishing his career with the Jets rather than with the Green Bay Packers franchise he represented for his previous 16 NFL seasons. He specifically praised Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, team owner Woody Johnson and fired coach Eric Mangini -- and even mentioned Thomas Jones and Kerry Rhodes, both of whom were publicly critical of Favre after the team's collapse in the final month of the season prevented the Jets from making the playoffs.

"Mike and Woody, as well as the entire organization, have been nothing short of outstanding,'' Favre said in the e-mail. "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.

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 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 the 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 the defending AFC champion New England Patriots. 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.

[Flacolaco]

That should suit ESPN...their two favorite stories in one week: Steroids and Brett Favre.

[MavsWiLLHaVeRinGs]

He always retires in February, and unretires in June.

[ty]

I don't believe it.

[alby]

Finally, the most overrated superstar in NFL history is gone.

[Big Boy Laroux]

can we have this as the top story on ESPN for the next 5 months? Please? Is that too much to ask?

[alby]

^ How much do you think A-Rod paid Brett?

[BGMaverick9]

Originally Posted by alby

^ How much do you think A-Rod paid Brett?

Whatever it is, we know he's good for it.

The only team I think Favre would think about is Minnesota. I think it'll be a tough sell for him though. He took his shot and it didn't end well, sometimes it just doesn't work out like you would hope.

[rabbitproof]

Finally.

[TheMaverick]

Originally Posted by alby

Finally, the most overrated superstar in NFL history is gone.

Very true. BSPN godded this guy up and put him on a pedestal when the truth of the matter is, he really isn't that great. He had great longetivity, I will give him that -- but I'll take Young, Elway, Marino, Aikman (out of that era), Manning and Brady (out of this era) over Brett Favre.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by TheMaverick

Very true. BSPN godded this guy up and put him on a pedestal when the truth of the matter is, he really isn't that great. He had great longetivity, I will give him that -- but I'll take Young, Elway, Marino, Aikman (out of that era), Manning and Brady (out of this era) over Brett Favre.

This.

[MavsX]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Fav-ra

yes!

[Underdog]

I hate Brett Favre...

I hate Brett Favre...

I hate Brett Favre...

All signs point to Favre returning

link

Here we go again.

We all knew Brett Favre's self-described "itch" to play football again would eventually return following his retirement. For the second time in two years, it appears he's ready to scratch.

There were simply too many signs that emerged last week pointing to a Favre comeback:

# Favre was granted his release request by the New York Jets rather than remaining on the team's reserve/retired list. He issued a statement claiming "nothing has changed" and "at this time, I am retired and have no intention of returning to football." So why ask for your release? Plus, with his history of retirement flip-flopping, the use of "at this time" is particularly intriguing.

# Minnesota — the team that Favre wanted to play for in 2008 — is open to the possibility of signing him. Vikings coach Brad Childress said the team would discuss the subject after last weekend's minicamp. Vikings owner Zigi Wilf, who months ago said his club would have no interest in signing Favre, instead issued a "no comment" about the topic Saturday when asked by the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

# The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that Favre has recently spoken with Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, a good friend from their days together in Green Bay.

# The Pioneer Press reported that Favre has hired a personal trainer (tending to his farm apparently isn't providing enough manual labor).

# Profootballtalk.com reported an unidentified plane flew from Minneapolis to Favre's hometown of Hattiesburg, Miss. the day after his release.

# New Orleans safety Darren Sharper, a former Packers teammate, told the NFL's web site that he believes Favre will try to play another season "because he's such a competitor and he still loves football."

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Pretending to retire to get out of a contract = shadiest manuver EVER!!!

Brett Favre sucks ass - I hope he gets injured in the preseason and never sets foot on the field again (c'mon karma, don't let me down!)



[I also hope he gets herpes...]

This...


(again!)

[Big Boy Laroux]

no...

No.....

NO!!!!

NO!!!!!!

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rhylan]

I love Favre.

Must be in the minority on this board, but I hope he plays next year.

[92bDad]

Originally Posted by Rhylan

I love Favre.

Must be in the minority on this board, but I hope he plays next year.

I hated him in the early years...but I've grown into a fan of Favre and like you, would love to see him back for yet another year!!!

[DirkFTW]

If he can play on the Vikings, it would be fun to watch. But, I agree with UD that this is so freaking shady. He should just sign one-year contracts if he's this uncertain about where he wants to be the following year.

[Flacolaco]

I think he's getting worried about Tony Romo catching his career interception numbers.

[Big Boy Laroux]

I actually do like Favre. I dislike the fact that i will now be unable to watch any of the ESPN channels without wanting to rip my eyeballs out.

[tcat075]

I call his bluff. He'll be back.

[MX425]

shoulda just called it after this.....

[tcat075]

Originally Posted by Big Boy Laroux

I actually do like Favre. I dislike the fact that i will now be unable to watch any of the ESPN channels without wanting to rip my eyeballs out.

well...espn is pretty unwatchable to start with...farve is just like a cherry on top...except in a bad way...

[MavsX]

i am loving this move

[Underdog]

Favre's just another scheming celeb

link

About 10 minutes into Joe Buck's interview with Brett Favre, the quarterback began to speculate on his prospects with the Minnesota Vikings.

He loves the offense, as it's the same one he ran for 16 seasons in Green Bay.

He'd have a running back, Adrian Peterson, who looks like a future Hall of Famer.

And the defense doesn't suck, either. That went without saying.

"We should be pretty good," he said.

We. Hold up. We? Who's we?

In that moment, Favre gave himself up. For all his down-home, "aw-shucks" charm, the once-beloved quarterback came across as something of a schemer. Now that he's talked, it's even more difficult to believe this arrangement with Minnesota hasn't been in the works for a while. Favre didn't come off as fickle, so much as sneaky. What's more, you can understand why the Packers filed tampering charges against the Vikings almost a year ago.

The theme of HBO's inaugural "Joe Buck Live" was sports and celebrity. It's an interesting topic, though not a new one. And while ballplayers tend to be treated more graciously and adoringly than other American celebs, I'll concede that their lives have been complicated in this intrusive, mean-spirited and occasionally hilarious age of blogging and cell-phone photography.

But I refuse to be offended by the reporter doing his stand-up in front of Favre's house in Mississippi. God bless him. He's earning a semi-honest living. Nor am I concerned that this guy's editors are having him Twitter when Favre gets on the plane. So what?

Brett Favre isn't an innocent bystander. He brought this on himself. As regards his whereabouts and intentions, he's been running one misdirection play after another. With this interview now in evidence, it seems that most of what he's been denying and no-commenting is true.

Yes, he wants to play for the Vikings.

That's why he had arthroscopic shoulder surgery almost three weeks ago. And that's why the Vikings team trainer flew out to meet with him on Sunday.

And yes, head coach Brad Childress wanted him to attend organized team activities last week. "He wanted me to be there to be part of the team," said Favre.

This sound like a guy who hasn't made up his mind?

Bottom line, after a season of scheming, Favre has finally found a way to get to the Vikings — the last place the Packers (who had ample justification) wanted him to be.

Now Favre complains of reporters and talk show hosts who seek to "create controversy."

Nonsense. This controversy is a creature of his own creation. Worse still, for a year and a half now, he's jerked a lot of people around. First, it was the Packers — whose front office bent over backwards for him — and their fans. Then it was the Jets and theirs.

No, my heart doesn't bleed for Woody Johnson and the geniuses who run the Jets' business affairs. Just as Favre used them, they used him — to sell personal seat licenses. But what of those fans who bought those PSLs based on Favre? He quit on them after a season, told them he was retiring when in fact he was not. They have a right to feel betrayed. Now consider the fans in Green Bay. They feel that same betrayal — times 16.

"I wonder if you worry about tarnishing your legacy in the league by coming back, going away, coming back?" asked Buck.

"I think the 16 years I spent in Green Bay speak for themselves," said Favre.

And I think that answer was an unwitting lesson in the real price of celebrity. The man who's been too famous for too long, risks losing touch. He starts believing he can jerk everybody around — then declare himself shocked at the repercussions.

According to Favre, the vast majority of people "don't give a s---" where he goes.

I don't think that's true. People cared about this guy, what he did and what he stood for. That's the real shame here. Brett Favre, the ballsiest of all quarterbacks, has managed to turn himself into just another celebrity.

[Flacolaco]

A Brett Favre story?

Underdog, do you work for ESPN?

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

A Brett Favre story?

Underdog, do you work for ESPN?

As long as Brett Favre keeps retiring/unretiring, that guy is going to remain in the headlines - don't blame ESPN, blame Favre...

(I'm going to keep working the "Brett Favre is scum" angle until he finally goes away for good - his legacy should be rightly tarnished for this kind of behavior...)

[Flacolaco]

I just thought that ESPN were the only people that still cared. I'm pretty sure people in GB don't even care any more.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

I just thought that ESPN were the only people that still cared. I'm pretty sure people in GB don't even care any more.

You should hit up a Packers board - they're livid about the idea of Favre wearing Vikings purple (the rivalry between those teams is intense - there's not much else to do in that part of the country!)

Plus, I linked that article from FOX Sports...

[FINtastic]

Maybe I should hate Favre more, but I think it's absolutely hilarious that the guy is coming back for the sole reason of screwing over his former team. Especially considering that team tried to prevent him from doing that just a year ago when they first got rid of him. Sorry? Yeah maybe. But it's great from my perspective, entertainment-wise.

So I support Favre's Vikings comeback.