Brett Favre should shut up and play football. No, really, this time he should have kept his thoughts about the direction of the Green Bay organization to himself.
Unfortunately, trying to use damage control to defuse Favre’s opinionative blasts has become an almost yearly routine for the folks in the public relations department in Cheeseland. But this should be the final time that these individuals have to concern themselves with anything that Favre says, assuming that he does not return as the starting quarterback following his 17th season in the league.
Granted, what Favre said in regards to the Packers not being able to land Randy Moss holds some validity. He should be disappointed that the team failed to acquire the one-time burgeoning star from Oakland. But did he really need to air out his opinion to the public in a manner that would undermine not only the personnel people in charge of making the decision, but his teammates and coaches as well?
Think about what Favre said. Not only did he put the onus on the front office for failing to make a deal with Oakland, but he also revealed his lack of confidence in the offensive weapons that the Packers currently have on their roster. When Favre stated that the Pack could have used Moss to boost the aerial attack because the offense lacks a dependable runner in the backfield, he basically confirmed everyone’s belief that the franchise does not appear to have a viable running game heading into the season.
Again, his analysis was dead on. However, as a leader of the offense, he did not need to throw his running backs under the bus to prove a point. Last time I checked, Favre is not paid to analyze football. He is paid to play. If he wants to consistently give his opinions regarding the state of the Packers franchise and other NFL related happenings, he should really hang up his cleats and pursue a post-football career in sports journalism.
Favre claims that he knows for certain that Green Bay could have had Moss for a song. Specifically, the Packers would have had to pay less money to acquire his services than New England has to pay. And Moss wanted to be a Packer.
The only problem was that the Patriots were also in negotiations with Moss at the same time as Green Bay had been since the start of free agency. In fact, it is widely believed that Tom Brady was Moss’ strongest recruiter. The two reportedly had been texting each other back-and-forth about the potential of linking up before a trade was finally consummated between the two sides. Not surprising. New England usually closes the deal when it has the chance to add a player it covets.
How exactly was Green Bay supposed to compete against the Patriots in a bidding war? If both teams were equally aggressive in pursuing Moss, one would have to give the edge to the team of the decade. Moss made the right decision.
Now, Favre will do what he normally does, which is blow off his rant as nothing more than an emotional response due to being disappointed. He will once again try to endear himself to the players and coaches around him. (Although this task would be a lot easier for him to accomplish if he actually attended the off-season mini-camps and workouts.) Ultimately, Favre will be forgiven.
That does not mean that what he said should be forgotten. It would be one thing if this were the first time he spoke up, but he has made other disparaging remarks about the club in the past. He openly questioned the hiring of head coach Mike McCarthy. He called out former teammate Javon Walker to honor his contract, when Walker was angling for more money from the Packers. And now, Favre is calling out the front office.
Favre is a diva. And divas complain about inconveniences from time to time. However, while the media vilifies certain other divas like Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson for voicing their concerns, Favre is usually given a free pass. This time though, Favre opened his mouth one too many times.
Someone should have told him to keep his mouth shut.
