Favre Stays in Green

Brett Favre got what he wanted. Sort of. Will he play football in 2008? Yes. Did he get his starting job back with Green Bay. No. Did he get his release so he could sign with a team of (presumably) his choice? No. Did he get traded to Vikings where he wanted to go most? No. Did he get traded to Tampa Bay where they run a similar offense to the Pack's and he's worked with their coaches? No. Now, he's stuck playing with the Jets.

My sense is that the Pack got an equally attractive trade offer from Tampa Bay (reasonably high draft pick next year that could be higher based on Favre's and the team's performance), but they chose to screw him by sending him to a worse team where he would be less likely to be successful. They more or less quietly put up with his retirement dance each year and this year felt like he was really jerking their chain. There was no way they were going to do anything to make his life easier.

Being traded to New York has to gall Favre. Except for the additional media exposure and the money it will bring him, he can't be happy with going to the J-E-T-S, JETS! JETS! JETS! They only have one good receiver in Jerricho Cotchery, who has to think that he had died and gone to heaven. Sure, they made a good free agent move for Alan Faneca on the offensive line, but they're a mess at running back and Favre has to learn a new offense. There's no way in hell they're better than New England, so winning the division is out of the question. Maybe Favre gets them to 9-7 and into the playoffs, but he couldn't win at Lambeau in last year's NFC championship game. What makes you think he can win 3 playoff games, with at least two on the road, to get back to the Super Bowl.

Of course, if we take him at his word that he just wants to play, none of the above should matter. He'll get some serious love from the Jets fans, at first. But, they don't have the same sentiment for him that the cheeseheads do and they'll be on him like snow on tundra if the Jets don't make the playoffs.