Mailbag

Hey,
I don't know what it is with you, but stop bashing Brett Favre.  Maybe its jealously or something, but just because he's won more awards than you (and more Super Bowls) doesn't mean you need to always be so mean to him.  By the way, he played brillantly in Super Bowl XXXI.  I know, I watched it, maybe you should watch it again.  Stop bashing Brett Favre and maybe actually write something more tasteful, and more relevant than continued attacks on Brett Favre.
James Campbell

James,
My quest to win a Super Bowl continues. This is the year.


Tom,
I couldn’t have said it better myself. I have been a Favre fan for years and at times worshiped the ground he walked on. What he has done to his legacy, to Rodgers, to the fans and to the Packers, well all I can say is, “SHAME ON YOU Brett. Your true colors came through in the last few weeks”. Tom, you are right in saying that he had better play out of his mind! At some point the Packers will move on without Favre and it should have been in 2008! 
Mary Solberg

Mary,
You’re a fine person.

Tom,
What the rest of the world doesn't understand is that there is a whole lot of diehard Favre fan's and we don't want the Packers to operate like the "Big market teams". I watched through all the lean years of Forrest Gregg,Bart Starr(as a coach), Lindy Infante...So when Green Bay was put on the map with the emergence of number 4,(and Reggie White) we finally had another hero to go with Robin  Yount, and part of Hank Aaron's career. We don't have a lot of sports heroes over the last 38 years from the end of the Vince Lombardi era until now (1982 Brewers & Badgers Rose Bowl the exceptions). So just let us have Brett just a little longer and we will be content for next 10 to 15 years after we fade off the news radar. An 8-8 season is OK as long as it's with Brett. Thanks.
Bruce Norval

Bruce,
Sorry I didn’t get this email in before he was ushered out but a great perspective.

Hello Tom
I am a retired USAF Colonel and a Packer fan.  My 26.5 years of  military service and prior college football days were a constant struggle to forge a team concept that was bigger than any one man/player.  No effective leader can long endure by making his agenda dominant over that of the team if the mission is to WIN.  And in my business winning often meant life or death so we took leadership very seriously.  When one failed to lead in our world they were either dead or dismissed. McCarthy is right to stop the nonsense.  A divisive locker room at this stage can be overcome.  But if Brett came back and offered a tepid commitment to see the team through the long season, NOBODY wins. The debacle in Green Bay underscores the failure of effective leadership when one man or hero takes the stage and demands his priorities must dominate those of the others.  Even the musketeers could not do it without covering each others backs.  The behavior shown by Brett is not the leadership expected by ANY player, soldier, sailor, airman, or marine. I grant that pro football is a major business and warrants different processes and labor bargain tactics etc but
the bottom line always is to WIN.

A team damaged by a super hero ego and a man certainly unwilling to lead for the collective objective cannot win many ball games. I appreciate your coverage and would love to have had him back if only he would bring a winner mindset back to the Packers.  But it is time to let him go and let the Packers move on for better or worse.  At least one of the other quarterbacks will sacrifice ego, body and soul to lead the team for the collective goal of winning.  Every thing else is rubbish. 
Cheers, Bill McDonald Colonel USAF ret

Bill,
Again, great perspective. Thanks.

Tom,
What an enormous amount of attention, being paid to a quarterback, who has lead his team to the exact same number of Super Bowl titles as...Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson!
Jerry Sondler.

Jerry,
Shhhh. Nobody wants you to notice that…


Dear Mr. Curran,
Thank you so much for having the guts to say out loud what so many other sportswriters and talking head former players, who all seem to have some kind of “Man Crush” on Favre, refuse to see!   I agree with you 100%.  Although, I would go further than that (maybe because I’m a redheaded Scorpio and vindictive, I guess). My guess is that he wasn’t being worshiped as the Second Coming at home and like a spoiled child thought that he would again flip flop, and everyone would just give him what he wanted.  And after re-checking with him as late as March, he decided again to change his mind and the Packers didn’t shout for joy and throw a parade for his return he was livid!  So now, he’ll whine and say how mistreated he’s been and throw a pity party until some other team says “Come to us, your greatness, and we will love you!!”  How much of a distraction and problem in the locker room are you if they will give you 20 million dollars to stay away?
Thanks!
Jeannie

Tom,
You hit the nail on the head. How many games will Brett win with his athletic abilities and how many will he lose with his heroic attempts ? Look, Brett Farve is a Great guy and a Football Icon. He is also 38 years old and at the tail end of a great career. He is joining a rebuilding team that may make the play offs. You hate to see such people go out into the sunset under such uncertain, future circumstances. Mr., Farve should have taken the money from Green bay and stayed down on the farm and stuck to his retirement announcements.

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