One thing is sure if Brett Favre does decide to retire and that is the Packers better be winning or they will fall off the face of the NFL planet. I doubt there has ever been a player that has meant so much to the rise of a franchise than Brett Favre. His style of play and the success he has had made him a media superstar.
While I don’t think he will be missed so much as a player when he retires, but what Brett Favre does for the city of Green Bay and the Green Bay Packers will be hard to replace. Two players, Reggie White and Brett Favre, put the Packers back on the NFL map. If Brett hangs it up the Packers’ marketing department is going to have to work overtime, or in reality, might have to finally actually work. With a guy like Favre around there can’t be a whole lot to do.
Brett Favre is a star of epic proportions and I can’t see anybody on the roster right now being able to reach that level. The Packers had Reggie White, they still have Brett Favre now. Can this team survive without a superstar player? We might find out sooner than later. It is my gut feeling that Brett does indeed hang it up, but I’m an idiot and I don’t know anything about football, so take it with a grain of salt. I just think he doesn’t want to go through the offseason stuff and I think he has the Packers’ best interest at heart as well.
Never in a million years could anyone think the Packers would be blessed with two such stars in Reggie and Brett. Reggie’s shoes have not been filled, and if the Packers cannot replace Brett, the future could be dim. Green Bay is not Hollywood, or in this season’s case, Dallas. Paparazzi is not a fan of 40-below wind chills.
The Packers appear to be on solid ground right now with a young team and chip on their shoulder after the loss to the Giants. Head coach Mike McCarthy has turned the franchise around, but has to factor in the fact that he won’t have Brett Favre as his quarterback every year. That is why I thought the extension being worked out for McCarthy might be a tad long. Let us see what he does without Favre before we go throwing money at him.
The Packers did seem to get a lot of respect by media and players this week at the Super Bowl. I feel a little better about the Packers’ chances next year. The stats certainly point out that the loser of the conference championship game is more likely to return than the loser of the Super Bowl. I think the Giants are going to get hammered and I know the feeling of losing a Super Bowl, you never get over it, and I don’ think the Packers could have beat New England had they beat beat the Giants.
OK, the cat is out of the bag. I think New England wins the Super Bowl in a rout. I think 60 points is possible, but I will go on the conservative side and say Patriots 56, Giants 28. Of course, I know nothing about football and never will, so bet on the Giants.
More to come…