Also in the "Duh" Column

Packers Better Off Without Favre by Adam Schein

No shit? Could have fooled me. Let's see what this guy has to say.

So now Brett Favre says he never wanted to be traded and he wants to be a Packer forever. To quote the immortal Derrick Coleman, "Whoop-de-damn-do."

The Packers should still think long and hard about letting him go.

The Packers should still think long and hard about letting him go? Does this seem ridiculous to anyone else? Isn't that what teams do? Consider personnell decisions with aging veterans? I seem to remember San Francisco letting Joe Montana skip town, and Favre's only got half the rings. Only difference is Steve Young ain't waiting in the wings in "Titletown." But this guy thinks it's his duty to spread the message to the "clueless" Packers front brass:

"Brett Favre is not as good as he was and his offseason issues are a distraction."

I can imagine the phone conversation Schein has in mind:

"Hey, is this Ted Thompson?"
"Yes. This is Ted Thompson."
"Ted, it's Adam Schein. Of FoxSports. I was just calling to inform you that Favre's offseason issues are a distraction and that it might be time to think about letting him go."
".........."

But anyway:

"I was frustrated a couple weeks back when Randy Moss was traded to New England, I never wanted to be traded and I don't want to be traded. I want to be in Green Bay. I want to finish my career as a Packer."

My response remains the same: the Packers need to seriously consider making this move and get the wheels in motion to put the Favre era — no matter how successful it was — in the past.

Observe how this works: Schein publishes Brett Favre's reasonable response to an apparently erroneous report that he demanded a trade (scooped by a fellow FoxSports employee no less). He gives a detailed response which ends in an affirmation that he, unlike most players in the NFL, is actually HAPPY to play and live (for the most part) in butt-fucking Egypt. Does Schein address this quote at all?

Of course not. Like a stubborn child he falls back to his playground mantra. I want to also reiterate that everyone in this country, and more relevantly everyone in Green Bay probably understands that the Favre era is coming to an end. He had a solid 2006 campaign, but it's clear that he no longer has the ability to force big plays. Many of the unlikely passes he was completing in his heyday seasons are turning into incompletions and interceptions these days. Everyone who watches football knows this.

Of course, when an era ends, a new one must begin. In the NFL this generally means Favre's era will be replaced by that of a new quarterback. Things do not look bright QB-wise in GB. Aaron Rodgers waits underwhelmingly in the wings and the free agent and trade market only offers overpriced veterans on the downslope of their career or failed prospects looking for a new system. A Drew Brees really only comes along once in a blue moon. So what does Schein suggest?

It's time to forget the supposed public relations nightmare. It's time to hold Favre to the same standards as every other player on the team.

Favre continuously popping off on management about not surrounding him with adequate talent, indirectly ripping his teammates, is a distraction and a detriment. So are the constant questions about his eventual retirement.

But Favre's frustrations — not to mention his very public venting of them — should be the last straw. This latest furor comes just days after Favre sounded off on Ted Thompson and Green Bay management on Saturday at his golf tournament in Mississippi. Favre was having daydreams about throwing to Moss, Donald Driver and Greg Jennings. And his tone and word choice indicated he was livid about management getting outbid by the Patriots. New England gave up a fourth-rounder; Thompson offered a fifth-rounder. Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy confessed last week to us that the Packers did want Moss and were in the bidding until the end.

What's that you say? He doesn't have any suggestions? Just invective against Favre? Really, when there's no other option that Favre (who is still at least a proven QB with the potential to have an excellent season) shouldn't management err on the side of showing respect to the face of their franchise for the better part of two decades? To the guy who has repeatedly taken paycuts in order to accomodate his team's financial needs? To the guy who has become a hero to a number of its team's fans? I'm not saying this is a necessary order of business for every team in the NFL, but for Christ's sake, when your other options are, like, Aaron Rodgers and Tim Couch and Jeff Garcia and Kelly Holcumb and maybe Trent Green, shouldn't you err on the side of good publicity and fan relations?

No, Schein says, and here's why:

You can't blame them for not wanting to overpay for a receiver with a bad attitude.

I applaud Ted Thompson for that.

Here's the thing, Schein: the Packers were willing to pay a fifth round pick for Moss but not the fourth round pick the Patriots were inevitably willing to offer. Now, you can say what you want about Moss's character and what he adds or subtracts from a team. But Ted Thompson wasn't concerned with that. He was concerned with the difference between a 4th round pick and a 5th round pick. Are you kidding me?

Drafts are clearly based on potential. Do you mean to tell me that Moss doesn't at least have the potential, not even OF a 4th round pick (which I'd say he has in spades) but OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FOURTH ROUND PICK AND A FIFTH ROUND PICK? If I were Favre I'd be fucking pissed too at this utter and total fuckup.

The Packers, if you haven't been paying attention, are in the middle of a retooling/rebuilding mode.

Except: SORT OF. The Packers went 8-8 this past year and nearly made the playoffs. Anything can happen in the playoffs, especially with a player like Favre. They continue to improve on defense, and had they gotten Moss this offseason, would have been far from a longshot to make the playoffs this year.

Honestly, I don't have the strength to go through this entire article, because it's full of claims like "It's time to give Aaron Rodgers a chance," and "The Packers won't make the playoffs with Favre next year."

And my favorite:

It was difficult to ever imagine Joe Montana in another uniform. The Niner icon became a Chief at the end of his career. He is still viewed as a legendary member of the San Francisco organization. It didn't mar his career or change how revered he is in the Bay Area. For that matter, finishing his Hall-of-Fame career with the Rams didn't diminish what Joe Namath accomplished as Jet.

It was unfathomable to imagine Pedro Martinez leaving Red Sox nation after delivering a World Series to a fan base that has the same passion as Packers fans. It happened. Sox fans were livid. It turned out to be the best thing for everyone.

How many ways is this wrong, fellas? Like I said earlier Joe Montana was expendable because the 9ers had a HOF quarterback waiting in the wings, a QB that had already shown in injury time that he was more than capable of handling the West Coast offense. Rodgers has shown the exact opposite...and he was playing in garbage time!

The Pedro Martinez argument is absolutely ridiculous. Five pitchers make up a rotation. Not one. The Red Sox immediately replaced Martinez with a combination of young (Clement) and veteran (Wells) pitchers. Not ONE former prospect who has shown no ability to play at the pro level (i.e. Aaron Rodgers).

How many times are we going to see this same old tired, sanctimonious crap that presents nothing new and wallows in ignorance and foolish "gut" solutions?

My guess is about 50 more times this month.