Thanks to VACheezhead and Dave K for flagging these reports about Brett Favre helping the Detroit Lions gameplan against the Packers earlier this year. The original report came from Jay Glazer at Fox Sports and has enough detail that it strikes me as more than plausible. It says a lot about Favre that such reports aren’t dismissed out of hand. Here‘s Greg Bedard.
October 19, 2008 at 8:34 pm |
I don’t think his talking to other teams is an issue. At least for a few more months the US still has the right to freedom of speech. The issue is, can that hillbilly jerk be anmore adolescent? My God, I’ll swear he still has acne. What a pathetic baby. Let him retire from the damn Jets. Of course, after today (21-38, 0 TD’s, 2 ints and 13 points thanks to T. Jones) they may not want him. Our boy is reverting to his same ole bad habits.
Good riddance, fool!
October 19, 2008 at 8:48 pm |
He has been doing his best to undo 16 years of goodwill in 6 months. You could tell me he TP’ed Thompson’s house during the bye week now and I wouldn’t be surprised.
October 19, 2008 at 9:10 pm |
From the Glazer article, (link below), it appears that Favre is talking to other teams as well.
“Another team says it has had casual talks in the past with Favre and talked about some of what Green Bay does, but it was nowhere near the details he let loose to the Lions.”
If true, it appears Favre WANTS the Packers to lose this year. It is unbelievably petty. Nice way to treat your former teammates and fans just so you can get back at Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy.
Apart from the petty aspect of it, I don’t really know how much damage Favre’s talk could cause to the Packers. He hasn’t participated in a Packer practice since last January. I think the only area where he could really help another team is with terminology. Maybe tipping defenses off on audible terminology at the line or giving them some significant insight on tendencies you could not gleam from film. That could be extremely helpful. A few of us wondered in the last few weeks why defenses seemed able to sniff out run plays so effectively. Packers have a bye week to change up terminology if needed I guess if they have not done so already.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8694746/Sunday-Scoops:-Is-Favre-guilty-of-insider-trading?
October 19, 2008 at 9:50 pm |
Players commenting on it in the post game interviews with reporters:
Charles Woodson: “He contacted them? I don’t respect that. If they called him and he gives them information, that’s one thing. But to seek a team out, because you know I guess you’re trying to sabotage this team, you know I don’t respect that. I know he’s been the greatest player around here for a long time but there’s no honor in that.”
October 20, 2008 at 7:57 am |
It’s a free country, but there’s also something to be said for honor. He’s hurting his teammates. His fans. His legacy. But let’s wait and see what he says about it. it would be a punk move on his part but if anything it makes the Packer staff pick up their game a bit more. Now that there’s suspicion, I suspect things have already changed.
October 20, 2008 at 8:17 am |
@ Scott in Wisconsin:
Would you believe him even if he said he didn’t do it. He hasn’t exactly been a fountain of truth lately. Right now I wouldn’t believe him no matter what he said.
October 20, 2008 at 9:29 am |
Favre probably denies the allegations. Just like his text message to Mort when it leaked he wanted to un-retire. I would actually respect him more if he came out and said, “Yeah, I was angry. I wanted to hurt Ted Thompson. I did talk to the Lions. I don’t think it helped them much but I am sorry to my former teamates and fans of Packer nation. I am moving on and I am actually going to focus on my new team.”
October 20, 2008 at 9:50 am |
Favre does need to apologize for a lot of things. Not only with this (if it is true) but also just for the whole un-retirement debacle. I don’t think Favre was the only one at fault, TT and MM have said that communication could have been better, but he was the one who seemed to throw fuel on the flames. And he’s acted like a complete jerk since he left. If he wants to have any sort of legacy beyond being a spoiled brat he needs to apologize for his role in the mess.
October 20, 2008 at 11:55 am |
@ Verno
It seems like BF always gets to a point where he shoots his mouth off and will say what he needs to say. Remember his first Jets press conference? He was like “I’m a Packer…da da da…Look, I’m not a traitor…da da da da”
So it would not surprise me to hear him say something like what Derek K wrote.
Now do we talk to other teams and tell them how to beat Chicago? Sure. Have we picked up guys mid-season in the past who were on teams we were about to face? Sure. It’s part of the game. But personally, it would take nothing short of Favre taking a picture with my son and signing a football for him at FanFest or something for me to forgive the guy.
He knows how Packer fans are. We’re loyal. Break that trust factor and you’re done. Think about Holmgren and how he concentrated more on his contract with Seattle than he did to get the team ready to face Denver in the SuperBowl. People want to temorarily change HOLMGREN WAY when Seattle comes to Green Bay. There’s love lost, that’s for sure.
October 20, 2008 at 1:37 pm |
@ scott in wisconsin
LOL! Favre would have an awful lot of pictures to take and autographs to sign to make it up to Wisconsin the way he is going.
Good points. Favre loves to send text messages to his guys like Peter King, Mort, etc. saying that all these stories are false and then nothing when they turn out to be true (as they were time and time again during the fiasco that began in June)
October 20, 2008 at 2:27 pm |
Is this the same guy who broke the story about the cell phone incident earlier this year???? Was founded to be UNTRUE!!!! You should give Favre the benefit od the doubt unless proven otherwise………………..
October 20, 2008 at 4:55 pm |
Favre really has no choice BUT to deny it. A lot’s at stake. He has a business in Green Bay. Charitable organizations which would no longer be supported (surely there are many other cancer and child welfare agencies other than his). Merchandising. Even the eventual “golden parachute” from the Packers organization would be at risk or certainly lowered (“we will pay you x number of dollars to show up for this and that”). I also found his comments after the Jets game kind of interesting…he was upset because he thinks he is the only reason the Jets will win games or something. Read the transcript and you see what I mean. I guess the humble good ol’ boy thing was a Wizard of Oz like act. The man behind the curtain really isn’t who we thought he was after all.
October 20, 2008 at 4:57 pm |
oh yeah, and as far as proof goes, unless Glazer was certain about this he wouldn’t run it, otherwise nobody’s going to talk to him again and his career is done. On the Rome show today he said that he even sat on this story for awhile waiting for the right moment. I guess the infamous pinkie call to Romo was a good angle for Glazer and he ran with it.
October 20, 2008 at 9:01 pm |
BTW Glazer never ran that story about the team cell phone usage. it was a guy from the Milwaukee Journal.
October 22, 2008 at 10:36 pm |
who the hell is jay glazer except a fat bald headed want to be jim rome. as far as iam concerned he can go smoke a pole.