Ticket to Ride

Packer nation- Do not fear a reduction in the loss column or an increase in turnover ratio, fear your quarterback contingency plan after Favre retires…again.

With the popularity of the NFL starting to grind up any other sport story that nears its market share path, the focus has only intensified on Monday August 4 as Number 4 returns to Green Bay. The visit is not to execute a community volunteer event, nor is it to come and talk through his number retirement ceremony slotted for the first week of the NFL regular season. Instead, Brett flew up on a private jet to move Aaron Rodger’s locker accommodations over one spot to reclaim the locker address he has lived at for the past 17 years.

The past 2 months have been a dismal representation of what competition breeds in our sports heroes. Their mind set is unflinching, the focus is intensified, and the determination will leave in its wake a more suppressing sight than a F5 Tornado road through your local town. For anyone who knows what the call letters E-S-P-N stand for, than you are more then aware of the quarterback situation in Packer-nation. Since declaring his retirement, with heartfelt emotion and sincere tears, Brett has yet to exit stage left.

Bowing out, after what can arguably and statistically be his best season since the late 1990’s, Favre had the packers sitting on a 13-3 record and a birth in the NFC Championship game. The accomplishment was largely done on the back of the aging veteran, who’s flare for improvisation and ability to remain tone deaf to critics helped mature a very young team to Superbowl caliber readiness in a season. All the credit should be given to Favre. It was a great transformation to watch after the Pack struggled to 8-8 record in 2006. Going into the 2007 season, the Packers were admittedly focused on the ‘re-build’ year. The fruits of which, Packer coaches and management hoped, would return the franchise to annual playoff glory. But, since Favre announced retirement, it has seemed that his aches have subsided and his mental state has drifted back to Sunday Afternoons.

Back to the present moment, Favre is back in Green Bay after having Commissioner Goddell reinstate him. Mike McCarthy spends 90 percent of his day focused on a position that he thought was resolved while attempting to stay poker faced when talking about the intentions of the organization. This is not an easy place to be in. Public Opinion is a dangerous thing, especially when a town of 100,000 echoes the same sentiment. McCarthy has taken a page from the White House PR room and stuck to the same statement, “Aaron Rodgers is our starting quarterback.” This has been consistent throughout the daytime cheese-opera that is Packer Training Camp.

Now, faced with the reinstatement, it is likely that a showdown of sorts will be held in an open try out between Favre and Rodgers. I don’t think that this is fair to either individual. Obviously, Favre has earned the right to start. Being the iron man of the NFL, Favre has brought the best winning percentage, a Championship, 3 MVP’s and a scroll’s worth of NFL Records to the Packer faithful since his arrival in 1992. His career is the platform that this quarterback debate is being hosted. There is no way to compare Favre and Rogers. But, it was never the intended point to do so. Rodgers is Favre of 1992; unproven, no fan following, and looking for his first opportunity. He was drafted in 2005 to give the Packers a contingency plan to have in place when number 4 walked away. But, with the looming reality that Favre, and quite possibly the Packers, is not ready to pass the torch, maybe Rodgers should be the one asking for his outright release. This would allow the Packers to welcome Brett back as the Savior he is hoping to be, while giving Rodgers the opportunity to test his skills in another city.

It is never easy to watch your hero walk away. From Montana to Young, to Elway to Griese, other great NFL franchises have had to say goodbye. If Brett is still eager to play, there is only one home for him. Watching number 4 play in purple or rallying chicagonites isn’t ideal in any sense. Therefore, commit to one. Don’t promise Rodgers the chance to lead the team only to take him out from center and replace the pigskin with the clipboard.

This is my official declaration/petition to the Green Bay Packers to RELEASE AARON RODGERS.

The odds are heavily against Rodgers having a career that even remotely mirrors that of Favre. So, with that in mind, give Aaron the chance to make his own ‘Packer’ career instead of sitting on the Falcons sidelines in perpetuity.