If Brett Favre stays there will be trouble but if he goes there will be double.
So should he stay or should he go?
The Packers are 0-3 and their prospects seem to be fading as quickly as their injury list is growing.
Something tells me this is not what Favre envisioned returning to when he contemplated retirement in the offseason.
Is the problem Brett? Have his quarterbacking skills deteriorated? Should he have retired?
No, no and…maybe.
The third answer is not simple.
Brett’s skills have declined a little bit but not significantly. With the right team around him he could still be a championship quarterback. We’ve seen many great quarterbacks perform at a high level in the waning years of their careers as long as they are in the proper environment to succeed.
But number four for the Packers is lacking exactly that.
Poor drafting has left the defense bare and lacking playmakers. In three games they have allowed 60 points, amassed three sacks and forced only one takeaway. And that is against three offenses that finished ranked 23rd, 24th and 28th in scoring last season.
Clearly, that puts the onus on the offense.
Head coach Mike Sherman and offensive coordinator Tom Rossley had planned on emphasizing the running game while lowering the number of pass attempts for Favre.
But after losing two Pro Bowl guards, Marco Rivera and Mike Wahle, off the offensive line the running lanes have been clogged and running back Ahman Green has not been able to navigate through the traffic. Three games into the season he is averaging 3.6 yards per carry. His career average over his eight NFL seasons is 4.7 yards per carry.
So the rushing attack is broken and the defense is beyond repair which means that the whole Packers world falls on Brett Favre’s shoulders.
Remember that idea of lessening his workload? Well he is averaging 37.3 passing attempts per game and is on pace to set a new personal career-high in that category.
That didn’t happen to John Elway. In the last three years of his career the Denver Broncos leaned heavily on running back Terrell Davis – more than ever before. Never mind the eight defensive players that the Broncos sent to the Pro Bowl during that span.
The point is that Favre has very little support and he is not in a setting that is conducive for success.
If he were to play quarterback for the Chicago Bears or the New York Jets they would instantly be serious contenders but he is playing for nothing in Green Bay.
The situation is bleak and there is no visible light at the end of the tunnel.
The Packers are at least a year or two away from fully replenishing their roster with talent but Favre’s window of opportunity could be closed by then. By that time his skills might truly deteriorate.
So should he retire?
When the season ends, he should.
Sure, he wants to go out on top but so does everyone. Every competitor wants their career to climax in their final appearance but only a rare few can actually time it right.
In the short term he is making the Packers a better team but they will not be competing for a Super Bowl any time soon so why stick around through the rebuilding process?
This is still riding a white horse off into the sunset, just in a different type of style.
Brett Favre and retirement mix like Mondays and me.
“You are a victim of the rules you live by” – Jenny Holzer
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