Packers: Five things to know | 
Prisco
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The circus was supposed to be here in town Monday.
But the selfish old man in the sideshow never showed up.
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| Aaron Rodgers doesn't complain: 'I don't view this as unfair to me or negative to me.' (US Presswire) |
Will he show up? Will the Packers trade him? Why not release him? Is it fair to Brett? Memo to all: The NFL is never fair. Neither is life.
Brett Favre is about to find that out. It might sound like blasphemy that the lovable gunslinger known for his fourth-quarter theatrics and aw-shucks demeanor is no longer wanted by the Packers' brass. But the reason is simple: The Green Bay Packers have moved on.
So even though Favre says he's about to become "unretired," he is no longer the starter for the Green Bay Packers. The Packers are trying to trade him, but so far there have been no serious takers. That means if Favre wants back in, he must return to the Packers. General manager Ted Thompson said Monday he will not release him.
On the day Aaron Rodgers should be basking in his role as the new starting quarterback, he was instead peppered by a swarm of reporters at his locker, all looking for a Favre angle. Rodgers might have trouble filling Favre's shoes, but it might be even tougher to find them since Favre's feet have been planted in his mouth lately.
| Out of Nowhere Man |
 Cornerback Tramon Williams made the team last year as an undrafted rookie. He played some on the outside when injuries hit, but this year he has a good chance to be the team's nickel corner. That means sliding inside in coverage with Al Harris and Charles Woodson outside. If Williams can continue to develop the cover skills he showed last season, the Packers will have as good a threesome at corner as any team in the league. |
| Who is your Out of Nowhere Man? |
Favre has taken his woe-is-me plight public again, using some of his national media buddies to spread the word he wants to come back, insisting it's the Packers who are holding him back. Favre wants to be released. The Packers won't do that. They're trying to work out a trade, but what's fair value for a 37-year-old on his last legs? Favre can come back to the Packers as a $12-million backup.
Hope that right wrist can handle all that play charting.
Favre said Thompson had this to say when asked what would happen if Favre reported Sunday for camp: "He said, 'Brett, you can't do that -- you'll get me fired.' I told him I'm not trying to get anybody fired. So Ted asked me to let the guys report and let's try to resolve this over the next two or three days."
Thompson met with the media Monday and said he didn't want to get into a he-said, he-said war of words, although he did hint that those words were taken out of context.
"At the end of the day, we still have not gotten to the point where we agree on what the best option is." Thompson said. "We have sort of agreed to disagree, and at that time he suggested he would probably delay coming to training camp for at least a couple of days to see how things worked out. He asked me to present to you guys at some point, and I think now is an appropriate time, his reasoning behind that. His reasoning behind that is he cares very much about this team, cares about these players, his former teammates, so he doesn't want to do anything to disrupt from that."
| Community Focus | |
 One man vs. One fan | |
GREENBAYALWAYS : "My expectations are the Packers winning the SB, but my sanity is thinking 8-8 with Aaron Rodgers leading the team this year." |
The perception is that Favre gives the Packers the best chance to win now. For a five-game span, that's probably true. But this is a young team built for the long haul. They need a long-term passer. That's why many pundits out there don't get how the Packers won't allow Favre to come in and compete for the job.
What good would that do when he walks away again in January, or worse, sooner?
"I thought it was important for me to be perfectly honest with Brett that we have started down this path and it doesn't make sense for us to turn around and go back now," Thompson said of his conversations with Favre. "We have to continue down this path. Where that leads, I don't know."
Where it leads is to a confident passer with a strong arm and a desire to succeed, not unlike Favre 17 years ago.
It's Rodgers' time. Let him enjoy it. Instead he was asked a bunch of questions about how strange it is that he's the starter, even if Favre comes back with no competition for the starting job. What? The last five months don't count?
"I've been told I'm the starter and that's what I'm going to go with," Rodgers said. "I feel like the other stuff is between Brett and the organization."
The first day was a different one for Rodgers in a lot of ways. He got to take the veteran shuttle to and from the stadium for practice. Younger players are shuttled on bike rides by area kids, riding through a gauntlet of fans, while the vets are shielded. The organization suggested Rodgers take the shuttle.
Thing is, he sounded like he preferred the two-wheel shuttle. That's the way he is -- an easy-going, laid-back California kid. He didn't hold his meet-and-greet with the media in the expansive lecture hall, asking to do it in front of his locker. Favre always did it at the podium in the lecture hall. In fact, he rarely was seen in the locker room during interview time and often dressed in another location. Favre basked in the national media attention, but rarely paid much notice to the local beat guys, which says a lot about the player.
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Positives: The best thing for Rodgers is his receiving corps, which should help him make the transition to being a starter. When he got extensive action last year against Dallas, he showed his ability to move out of the pocket. There is currently no veteran presence to put pressure on him, with rookies Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn the only backups. Negatives: He's injury prone. He hurt his hamstring last year and broke his foot in 2006, and that was with minimal playing time. He's never started a game before, so he could wilt under the pressure. The Packers could also become a very run-heavy team until he gets completely acclimated. Outlook: Rodgers should be one of first backup quarterbacks taken in all Fantasy leagues. The hope is he will thrive early in the season and then he can either start for Fantasy owners or be used as trade bait. If you draft Rodgers as a starter then you will be disappointed if he fails to live up to playing in Favre's shadow. -- Jamey Eisenberg RB: Ryan Grant (21st overall) QB: Aaron Rodgers (110th overall) WR: Greg Jennings (51st overall) TE: Donald Lee (161st overall) |
| 2008 Fantasy Draft Prep |
Favre still has plenty of supporters in the locker room, although no one will publicly come out and say it. But Rodgers has made strides in that area as well. This is a young team; many Packers were just kids when Favre took over as the team's quarterback.
"If you look at the makeup of our locker room, 25 percent, 21 players, have never even met Brett Favre," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said.
Translation: There isn't a split.
Veteran receiver Donald Driver, who is friends with Favre after admittedly having to break down walls to build that relationship, said he talked to Favre recently, but wouldn't reveal the specifics of the conversation.
"I don't know what to expect," Driver said. "Right now I'm doing my job. My job is to be here playing football. I can't worry about nobody else. If he shows up today or next year, we still have to play football. The thing is we don't worry about anything that's going on. My opinion is it doesn't matter. Everyone has a job. That's to play football."
But what if Brett comes back? Who's your preference?
"I'd still go with Aaron Rodgers because we don't know what Brett's going to do," Driver said. "Do you know? No one knows if he's coming out. Once we figure that out we'll figure out everything. If he walks in here and starts playing, it would be great. If he doesn't, we move on. I still have to catch the ball, regardless. I don't care who throws it. You can throw it to me, but I still have to catch it."
Rodgers had a pretty solid first day. He showed zip on the ball and hit a couple of deep passes, part of the game he might do better than Favre. It's just too bad he can't just relax and enjoy being the man, rather than spending this time worrying about whether No. 4 will show up soon.
Somehow that seems unfair, but Rodgers isn't about to play that game.
"I don't view this as unfair to me or negative to me," Rodgers said. "It's a challenge. Following a legend, playing behind a guy who is going to be a first ballot Hall of Fame for three years is a great opportunity. I'm going to be scrutinized, that's what comes with being the quarterback in this league."
It will be even more following the face of the franchise, even if that face now has the look of a circus clown.
