Favre Rumor Number 7,397,204
By John White
Anybody remember just a few days ago how I tried my best to shoot down the notion of Brett Favre coming to the Carolina Panthers? Anyone?
That was prompted by a report from the rarely reliable Pro Football Talk who, at the time, told us the following:
Agent Bus Cook has been yapping a lot over the past several months regarding the future of his star client, Brett Favre.
Most recently, we heard that Cook had been telling people that Brett still wants to play. (Two days later, it was widely reported that Brett is telling people that Brett still wants to play.)
We’re now hearing that Cook is privately saying that Favre wants to play for the . . . . drum roll, please . . . oh, wait, it’s in the headline . . .Carolina Panthers.
That was then.
Now, another source, this time a much more reliable one, the New York Times, gives us this little nuggett:
Packers General Manager Ted Thompson said Saturday that he would find a place for Favre in Green Bay, but he would understand if Favre wanted to be the unquestioned starter. That turns the conversation to a deal, though it seems unlikely any team would give up more than a third-round pick. There are nearly as many trade possibilities as there are trading partners.
The two teams that could seemingly use Favre the most are the least likely to acquire him. The Chicago Bears, with Rex Grossman, and the Minnesota Vikings, with Tarvaris Jackson, have struggled with quarterback play in recent years. Green Bay, however, would have to be overwhelmed with an offer to deal him within the National Football Conference North.
So, it makes more sense to look outside the division. The Carolina Panthers and the Miami Dolphins have reportedly contacted his agent. The Panthers finished 7-9 last season and used four starters, but have Jake Delhomme returning. The Dolphins finished 1-15 and lack an experienced starter.
The Carolina Panthers have been tagged as a team that is a starting quarterback away from competing for the division and the playoffs. Bull!
Jake Delhomme will be back. Sure, he could get hurt and the team could struggle. But following that logic also means that the Colts, Patriots, Chargers, Cowboys and every other NFL team are also one starting quarterback away from missing the playoffs.
There are far too many reasons not to do this. The first of which is that Ted Thompson is going to attempt to make a deal and if the Panthers gave up even more draft picks in the ’09 draft to mortgage their future, especially as high as a third-rounder, they are over paying.
Favre is likely a one-season stop-gap. He would be on the bench behind Delhomme. How much do you pay for a guy to sit on the bench and hold a clipboard? If he’s a 17-year veteran, he’s not going to stay with you long.
Anybody remember a guy by the name of Joe Montana who attempted to keep his career alive with Kansas City? Results: two playoff appearances, two playoff wins, 25 starts, and a quarterback rating no higher than 87.4. Note the number of Super Bowls – zero.
To pay a high price for a guy who has never played in this type of offense before, who would be learning new coaches and players, who doesn’t want to sit on the bench at all, who admits that he just doesn’t think he can handle the rigors of game preparation during the week, is ludicrous.
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again – don’t make a deal to bring in Brett Favre!!! If you get him for just the cost of the contract you might want to consider it. But I don’t want to throw away draft picks to get a guy who won’t be with the team beyond 2008.