While Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson has said that Brett Favre can return to the organization, he has said that Favre will not be the starting quarterback.
What ?!
The Packers are understandably uneasy about Favre’s retirement and then non-retirement saga every season, but at the same time, how can one of the greatest quarterbacks in history be denied the opportunity to come back and lead the team? who helped build? for the past two decades.
First of all, the NFL needs it. Favre’s contagious passion for the game and images of him picking up snowballs and throwing them after throwing touchdowns have kept fans entrenched at a time when arrests, scandals and even deaths have rocked the game.
Second, the fans need it. Partially for the above reasons, but let’s look at them in more depth. Favre is the face of 75 percent of America. His five o’clock shadow and blue-collar demeanor build an invaluable connection to the rest of the United States.
It does not advertise with Nike or Under Armor; its endorsement deals include John Deere and Wrangler. He could probably sign endorsement deals with bigger money partners, but he stays true to himself and who he is.
Such a connection with the American public has vastly improved the game. In recent years, athletes have been placed on such high pedestals that they have actually been dehumanized, just like today’s celebrities.
However, in Favre’s folklore, there is nothing more human than a boy who had to endure the passing of his father and go to work a couple of days later.
Oh by the way, it turned out to be Monday Night Football and it turned out to be one of the most masterful quarterback performances in the game’s history.
And third, the Green Bay Packers need Favre to be worth something. If Thompson says an untested Aaron Rodgers is the starter for a man who took a low-budget, mid-talent team and made it a world champion, he’s smoking a lot more than Wisconsin cheddar cheese.
If Favre decides to return, not only would it be unfair for Favre to hold Rodgers’ clipboard, it would be unfair for Rodgers to put that kind of pressure on Rodgers.
For once, something involving an NFL decision goes beyond dollar and cent reasoning. It would just be better for the game if Brett Favre were the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers in 2008.