Jul 05 2008
Farve Has Itch to Return
Brett Farve is a jerk, and has been for years. Yes, I’m calling him a jerk, and I’m one of “those” people who think he’s overrated and flat out annoying.
I also happen to think he’s a great QB, but he also is great at being a jerk. For the past few years, he’s played yo-yo with his playing career. He’s been constantly fueling speculation of retiring, or not. Farve is beloved by the media and fans, which is why he doesn’t get as railed for this as he should.
Should anyone be surprised that he’s talked to the Packers about coming back. I’m not. I knew the day he announced his retirement, that he was speaking off emotion. That same emotion they helped him become great, while simultaneously throwing some of the biggest bonehead interceptions in history.
Farve pulled a Kobe the last few years whining, about the team around him not being good enough. This attitude culminated with his “retirement” after being disappointed for a second time that the Packers were unable to acquire Randy Moss.
Listen, Farve has the right to choose his career path. But what is tiring, is the fact he places his team in a bad predicament each time he’s unable to reasonably make a decision. Previously, he kept them in limbo even through the draft. Now, less than two weeks before training camp, he appears to be reversing field once again.
He called Javon Walker out publicly a few years back for essentially putting himself above the team during a contract negotiation. What exactly is Farve doing now? Oh, right, he’s placing the Packers into a position, where they will either have to accept him back, and put Aaron Rodgers back on the bench after an off-season of trying to position him as the starter and team leader; or forcing them into releasing him, which would of course be a PR disaster for the team.
He’s risking splintering the locker room and killing Rodgers confidence. Think about this distinct possibility, the Packers tell Farve that they’d rather him stay home, and rather than pushing the issue he semi-quietly remains retired, however, he also semi-quietly makes it known that the Packers weren’t accommodating to his planned return. Fast forward to say week 5 and the Packers drop to 1-4 after Rodgers has another bad game. How is that going to play out? It’s hard enough for a QB to replace a legend, but what happens when the legend has an itch to continue playing?
I think Farve has years left in him, as he’s never had any serious injuries, and he seemed as good as ever last season. However, he needs to stop being a jerk and make a decision. Do what is best for the team, and either come back and live out the two years remaining on your contract, or stay retired and give the team an opportunity to move on.
