No, we will not freak out if Favre has a great year and the Packers do not. We hope Favre succeeds with the Jets; we love the guy and harbor no ill will toward him. In the not too distant future, his number will be retired and he will be inducted into at least two football halls of fame.
But paid, skilled professional evaluators of professional football talent and ability believe that Favre's skills (which are undoubtedly diminishing) will drop off significantly at some time soon, and they need to promote the heir apparent to the QB position and give him a chance.
Favre did not shed a tear for Don Majkowski, the Packers' previous QB, when he went down to injury and took the starting job from him. And that is despite the fact that there has long been an unwritten rule in the NFL that a player does not lose his starting job due to an injury. This is just the way things are in the NFL sometimes.
If you have followed the non-hyped stories, the Packers were content to have Favre return this season; all he had to do was commit before the NFL draft. He could not. He tearfully announced his retirement after openly considering it for several years. And the Packers spent 2 draft choices on new QBs and moved on. The rest of the team attended off season workouts and practices. Favre was home in Mississippi. The Packers installed a new offense structured around its new QB, and worked to build team chemistry with the new QB as its leader. Favre stayed in Mississippi. (In sharp contrast, last year Favre had a personal trainer live with him for 8 weeks in the off season, and he trained hard to get in peak condition. He also attended the off season workouts he was asked to attend.)
Favre's decision to un-retire came as a surprise to the Packers, and they may not have been expert at the PR end of things, but they ultimately made the right choice for the team - in their view. As a fan, I am willing to trust their judgment, and reserve my own judgment, while we all wait and see how things go with Aaron Rodgers at QB.
I hope Favre plays beyond this year and has a ball playing. I will be there when he is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. He is a great person and athlete, but he has always had his share of human flaws. Maybe that's why I like him so much; he's human and imperfect.
Go Pack!
No doubt, it was Farve’s own fault and he put the Packers in a bad situation by waiting so long. But the Packers have a good team that can win, and to risk it all on an unproven QB is a huge risk. Old QB’s can win, even with diminishing athletic abilities. Warren Moon played until 42. George Blanda played at 48 and played in a championship game at 42. Testeverde won at game at nearly the age of 44. Jeff Garcia lead TB last year to the playoffs at 37. I would take experienced proven 38 year old QB over an unproven younger QB any day of the week. The Pakcers were in between a rock and a hard place, but the Packers made a risky move that I think is a mistake.
As long as I wear my lucky A J HAwk jersey the packers should do just fine. LOL!