But even given Favre’s iffy commitment to football, doesn’t he still give the Packers their best chance to win in 2008?

“As simple as a question as that sounds, it’s obviously more complicated than that,” McCarthy said.

Taking Favre back might seem like an easy answer, but doing so would undermine the message McCarthy and his assistants have been preaching to players for nearly five months.

“Moving forward as a football team is really the identity of the whole football team,” McCarthy said. “Brett Favre’s had an incredible career here. He’s been the focal point of the Packers, the face of the Green Bay Packers.”

Despite his background as a quarterbacks coach, McCarthy prefers to win with defense — a philosophy that presumably works best with steady but unspectacular play from a quarterback.

“The football team has moved forward with the emphasis on defense,” McCarthy said. “Because that’s what I believe in.”

Even with his firm commitment to Rodgers and the defense, McCarthy couldn’t completely rule out the possibility of Favre starting another game for the Packers. But McCarthy’s quote — “You never say never” — seemed more like an offhanded acknowledgment of the unpredictable nature of the game than a subtle hint that Favre could win his job back.

“If he reinstates, he’ll be part of our roster,” McCarthy said. “That’s really as far as we can go.”

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