“That’s what makes Brett Favre, Brett Favre”

Looks like John Madden may have another couple of seasons to repeat his favorite line over and over and over again. Last week, Brett Favre asked for his unconditional release from the Green Bay Packers (a request that the team has so far denied) which would allow him to pursue another NFL team to play quarterback for in 2008.

For a guy, certain things in life are off limits to say anything negative about. Among those are The 3 Stooges, John Wayne, pork fat and Brett Favre. But Brett’s flip-flopping on his retirement is now uglier than the last professional pass he threw back on January 20, 2008 which lost the the Green Bay Packers. a trip to Super Bowl XLII.

March 6, 2008. Brett Favre tearfully announces at a press conference his retirement after 17-seasons in the NFL.

March 7, 2008. The first time someone said to me, “He’s going to come back next season”.

Maybe it was the way he went out or perhaps it was the timing of his decision (in relation to the emotions of losing that marquee conference championship game just a few weeks prior) but his retirement never felt sincere. Less genuine was Favre’s constant denial that he's been planning a return while training harder during the off-season than he might have for years.

True, the 2008 Green Bay Packers were so close to winning the National Football Conference and based on the lethargic performance of the New England Patriots in SB XLII, had they done so, they may have brought back the Lombardi Trophy to Wisconsin. Brett could then have left sports biggest stage the same way that John Elway did (instead of now, potentially in the same fashion of Johnny Unitas or Joe Namath). But the football gods had other plans and now Favre is making his former organization look like the devil while he is being anything but an angel to them.

So close to a title, had Favre told GM Ted Thompson and Coach Mike McCarthy that he planned to return, the Packers may have been able to address the current needs in the April draft. Instead, the Packers selected not one, but two quarterbacks, that weekend. Both are to backup and possibly compete with Aaron Rodgers, the heir apparent to the position and a former 1st round selection (2005).

Thanks, Brett!

The NFL teams so far who are rumored to have interest in Brett Favre are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs (of those, only Tampa is scheduled to play the Packers next season) but I’d like to throw the Minnesota Vikings (who would play their division rivals at least twice in 2008 including the very first regular season game) as a potential wild card in this lottery.

But what do you think about Brett Favre finishing off his career with the Atlanta Falcons?

Consider the following. It would allow his career to go “full circle” after being originally drafted by Atlanta. With Chris Miller now out of the picture, he could be the starter while the future of the franchise, Matt Ryan, learned the game from a legend. Favre would also sell a lot of tickets for home games at the Georgia Dome and slam the door shut once and for all on the Michael Vick era.

Sounds interesting, but it will never happen. Even if Arthur Blank, Thomas Dimitroff and Mike Smith are thinking the same thing, Brett Favre is too late in his career to consider a team that is rebuilding.

But knowing Brett, he could change his mind.