The Aaron Rodgers Story: Or How To Have Great Stats While Simultaneously Killing Your Team. PART II - The Legend Strikes Back
One thing had kept Ted Thompson up at night during the offseason. One worry had him peeking around every corner. One dreadful nightmare scenario had him dead bolting his doors and loading his guns before sitting down to Sunday dinner with his family. It was the beating of that infernal heart... the football loving heart of Brett Favre that is.
Thompson had sandbagged the Packers' legend's attempt to return as starting QB. Thompson had shipped the future hall of famer to the dank pits of Jersey one season after Favre had led the Green Bay to the NFC Championship game. Thompson had replaced a 16 year starter with a first year starter who only managed to get the Packers 6 wins.
In many circumstances this would be considered a complete disaster for management. But in the final 5 games of the 2008 season Brett Favre imploded on his new Jets team. The downtrodden fans were barely able to drown their sorrows with cat calls at gate D. His 2 touchdown passes and 9 interceptions seemingly proved to the sports world that the Green Bay general manager wasn't completely incompetent. The Pack had to move on with a quarterback for the future.
But Thompson knew he wasn't out of the woods yet. Perhaps he breathed a sigh of relief when Favre retired. Perhaps he slept well for a fortnight. But when Favre asked for his rights to be released in retirement Thompson must have fudged some cheese curds into his dockers. The master scheme of the trade to the Jets had been to keep Favre out of the division. All suitors had to agree not to trade Favre back into the NFC North.
That deal insured there would be no possible way for the Packers' General Manager's office to be sullied. Unless of course Favre was devious enough to play out the string for the Jets, fake retire again, ask the Jets to relinquish his rights due to his retirement, keep in shape by practicing with the local high school football team, undertake secret negotiations with an NFC North team, torture some kittens, deny his interest in returning during mini-camps and training camp, and then at the last possible second sign as a free agent with the Packers most hated rival betraying the fans who had worshipped him like a deity for 16 years.
Benedict Arnold hated his general manager too
But there's no way a Hall of Fame quarterback would sully his legacy just to seek revenge on the team management and a few unfortunate kittens... right?
Part III coming soon
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