Feels a little bit like someone died

I can't take credit for the following words but I have to say that I feel them all the same. For the first time in my life I am kind of embarrassed to say I am (currently on hiatus) a Packer Fan. My Packer jerseys and clothes that hang in my closet (with possibly the exception of my pink Favre jersey) will probably hang there all year. Jacy will probably never wear her little Packer Cheer leading uniform and good thing Hunter grew out of his Driver Jersey. Am I angry with Driver or any of the other Packer player? No. Am I disappointed how the organization has treated possibly the best player to ever wear green and gold? YES! Do I think that both parties are at fault? Yes. But I ask you this: who's job is it to manage people and who's job is it to play football? Now who did their job better?

And with that I will leave you with my husbands oh so elegant words...

From a personnel standpoint I agree that Thompson has done a decent to good job. Ryan Grant was a huge find. Jennings and Jones both look like budding stars. I really like this year's draft with the exception of Flynn who I think was a wasted pick.

However....
Spitz, Colledge, Coston, and Moll have not stepped up to the necessary level yet. That line could be absolutely dominant, but it's not. Just rewatch the NFC championship game and the Packers anemic ground attack. That and Al Harris having a very bad night are the reasons that Green Bay wasn't in the Super Bowl. Favre put 20 points on the board in terrible conditions. If your defense can't hold an offensively limited team, and the Giants were, under 20 pts you need to look there first. (Actually it was the curse of Mueller and Beiler).

Rodgers is still unproven, not his fault, and I know he hasn't had a chance to prove himself, but why role the dice like that? If your hand is truly forced as it seemed to be when Favre retired fine, but when he tells you he wants to come back?

Justin Harrell. Tell me he wasn't going to be there in the second round. You know he was. Hell he may have even been there in the 3rd round. And unless he has a good year this year he's still a wasted pick. See Jamal Reynolds. And that's not really even fair to Sherman/Wolf. Reynolds should have been good. He was just lazy.

You can't deal a precious 3rd rounder for Moss. Don't tell me he didn't want to come here. He's made no secret about the fact that he loves Brett Favre. He would have come. He may not have come for the deal that New England got, but you were $20 million under the cap at the time. You could have afforded to pay him more than the Cheatriots. You think Randy Moss might have been able to get open against the Giants a few more times than Greg Jennings did.

Now on to his alleged facts that you can Google search for...

Favre claims the March episode didn't happen the way it has been reported. I'm inclined to believe Brett Favre. He's always been a stand-up guy. Always took accountability when things were his fault. He never once threw anyone under the bus and God knows he could have (Rhodes, Sherman, multiple shitty receivers, running backs, & O-lineman and a rather porous D). Also, the cell phone story was completely bogus and who do you think planted that little gem? I'm sure it wasn't Thompson himself, but you know it came from the Packers.

Whether it's true or not, I believe that Favre was badgered into making a decision when he wasn't ready. This is where you can place some blame on him. He should have stuck to his guns and told them he would tell them when he was ready.

Lastly, Brett Favre is the greatest player to ever wear the Green and Gold. Hands down. Arguably the best QB ever. And since QB is generally considered the most important position, arguably the best player ever (although I still say it's Jerry Rice). This franchise is the most storied franchise in the NFL. The only 2 that come close are Chicago and New York. They have done more to celebrate the great players in their history than any other franchise and this is how they treat their very best.

For arguments sake, lets say that Rodgers is as good or better than hoped for. The Pack makes it back to the NFC championship game or the SuperBowl this year and loses. Thompson now being $40 million under the cap finally decides he's just 1 piece away. He's got that guy in his sights and makes an offer. What do you think any potential free agent is going to think? Look at how he treated Brett Favre. How's he going to treat me?

Brett Favre has played through concussions, cracked ribs, coughed up blood, a broken thumb on his throwing hand, severe tendinitis in his right arm, a sprained ankle that would have made Kerri Strug cry, his father's death, his wife's cancer, his brother-in-law's death, and the list could go on forever. He's taken the field every Sunday for 16 years and always given everything he had and for most of those Sundays everything he had was nothing short of spectacular. He's never complained about his contract. He's never threatened to hold out. He's never publicly demanded to be traded to a bigger market until this year when he was told he wasn't wanted. He's a legend and an icon. He's done countless good things off the field (along with some bad). He's special. He's not 1 of 80, or 1 of 53 or however McCarthy wants to put it. He's Brett Favre and he deserved better. That's why I can't cheer for the Packers. Potential record and current personnel have nothing to do with how I feel about this.

Therefore the current status in our household is as follows:

I want to officially announce the revocation of my Packer Fandom. This revocation has been in the works for some time over the past 6-weeks and became official at 6:03 am CDT, on Thursday, August 7th, 2008, when I heard for the first time that the greatest player in NFL history had been traded to the New York Jets. This revocation can also be referred to as the "It's time for me to move in a different direction" clause; the "I'm not in the right mindset to be a Packer fan" clause; or the "Ted Thompson is a F***ing Idiot!" clause.

Sub-articles to my official Packer Fandom revocation clause:
- I will not root for the Packers
-Sub-Sub-article: I may root for the success of individual Packers should they happen to end up on my fantasy football team(s), which could possibly be interpreted as rooting for the team since it's generally hard for the individual to succeed while the team fails

- I will not root against the Packers this year or until the year 2010 when a possible Favre vs. Packers showdown could happen in the new Jets stadium
-Sub-Sub-article: I will root against the Packers, if the will of Vegas gamblers, Roger Goodell, or unknown cosmic forces bring the Packers and Favre face to face in a SuperBowl

- I bear no ill will toward Aaron Rodgers or any other player on the Packer roster, with the possible exception of Justin Harrell, who I believe to be a complete waste of a first round draft pick and possibly oxygen

- I absolve Mike McCarthy of most of his wrong doing - I think he's a good coach and unfortunately a lapdog as well

My official Packer Fandom revocation clause shall only be terminated by the end of Ted Thompson's gainful employment with the greatest professional sports team in the history of the world. At that time I will immediately and happily reconcile my differences with the Green Bay Packers no matter what their record or future prospects at said time.

Now that I've got that off my chest. I want everyone to know that unlike last year at this time I'm officially excited about the upcoming season and will view it as a "fan of sport" rather than as a "fan of a team." A poor substitute for my "favorite" team will be now be the San Diego Chargers (this is for Josh...mine is yet to be determined). I know the Jets would seem like the logical choice, but I have to remain "Fair and Balanced." After all, Favre isn't completely blameless in this entire mess. However, I will openly root for "Broadway Brett" at every given opportunity even if he's playing my new favorite team.