DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Favre Retires......again.

Favre plans to retire --

Ed Werder and Chris Mortensen
ESPN.com

Without the tearful public ceremony that accompanied his retirement announcement from the Green Bay Packers just 11 months ago, quarterback Brett Favre has instructed agent Bus Cook to inform the New York Jets Wednesday that he plans to retire.

In an e-mail to ESPN's Ed Werder, Favre indicated he had no regrets about finishing his career with the Jets rather than with the Green Bay Packers franchise he represented for his previous 16 NFL seasons. He specifically praised Tannenbaum, Jets owner Woody Johnson and fired coach Eric Mangini -- and even mentioned Thomas Jones and Kerry Rhodes, both of whom were publicly critical of Favre after the team's collapse in the final month of the season prevented the Jets from making the playoffs.

"Mike and Woody, as well as the entire organization, have been nothing short of outstanding,'' Favre said in the e-mail. "My teammates -- Thomas and Kerry included -- were a pleasure to play with. Eric [Mangini] could not have been any better. I enjoyed playing for him. My time with the Jets was short, but I'm honored to be given that chance.''

The Jets did not have an immediate comment. A Jets official said Wednesday night that no definite word had come from Favre yet but added, "that can change any minute."

The Jets already have begun discussing their options at quarterback and spent a good portion of Tuesday studying the 2009 class of draft-eligible college quarterbacks. The team is unconvinced that Kellen Clemens, a former second-rounder, is capable of being Favre's replacement. There also appears to be a conviction to seek a quarterback with significant arm strength to play through the challenges of windy, cold-weather climate that often is a factor in Jets games.

While Favre did not directly broach the subject of the team simply releasing him so that he might have the option of signing with another team such as the Minnesota Vikings, a source said that Cook informally discussed the option with the Jets. The Jets respectfully declined that option, the source said.

Favre's retirement will save the Jets his $13 million salary in salary cap space. The Jets are in one of the worst salary-cap situtations in the NFL.

The retirement decision should not have surprised the Jets even though the team had publicly encouraged Favre to play another season. Favre informed Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum before the Super Bowl that he was leaning toward retirement. At some point within the past week, Favre told Cook to inform the Jets that he wanted to retire without fanfare and that the team could make the decision public at its convenience.

In what appears to be his final NFL season, Favre threw 22 touchdown passes and an NFL-high 22 interceptions while leading the Jets to a 9-7 record -- a five-game improvement over their previous season without him.

A week after the Jets' season ended without a playoff berth, Favre hinted to Werder during a telephone interview that he would probably retire because he lacked the motivation necessary to continue playing and felt prepared for life after football. "I have the ability to turn it off just like that,'' he said. "I don't feel I have anything else to prove. Do I have to redeem myself for the last five games? No. I could be trying to do that until I'm 60 years old. There is nothing left out there for me from that standpoint. I'm disappointed with the last five games, sure, but I know I did everything I could have.

"I didn't play as well down the stretch. It was probably a little bit of everything. It's hard for me, but I have to say I gave out down the stretch.''

In that same conversation, Favre conceded that he had an abundance of motivation to play for the Jets at the beginning of last season, most of it inspired by the spite he maintained for Packers GM Ted Thompson for trading him from Green Bay to New York. Favre felt Thompson had taken Favre's team from him, believed it had become personal, described the Packers as dishonest and concluded that the most accomplished quarterback in history had been exiled to the Jets precisely because it was something of a football purgatory, where no championships had been won in the four decades since Joe Namath.

"They sent me to New York because they didn't play the Jets, they were 4-12, so they didn't have to play me, they knew we had very little chance of making the playoffs and they knew it was not likely that we'd have a better year than they did,'' Favre told Werder. "I was aware of all of that and more than up to the challenge because they felt they were shipping me off to Siberia and they'd never hear from me again. So was I coming back to play because I loved the game or to prove them wrong? Probably a little bit of both.

"Maybe initially I came back for the wrong reasons,'' Favre says now. "It was like, "OK, they don't want me to play, then I'll play somewhere else and show them I can still play.''

He knew there would be comparisons between his statistics and those of the quarterback who replaced him in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers, the very first player Thompson drafted when he took over the Packers' front office. Favre admits that his family and friends were consumed with keeping him informed about how his numbers measured against those of Rogers and constantly urged him to throw more touchdown passes than his replacement. Favre admits to virtually no interest in that kind of intramural competition. But he was devout in doing whatever he could to ensure that the Jets accomplished more than the Packers.

"The only thing I worried about was winning,'' he said. "There was a time in my career where I paid more attention to individual stats, but in the last couple of years the most important thing was winning and losing. In the end, that's what matters most. Was I pissed at Green Bay? Sure. But I wasn't pissed at their players. I did keep up with the wins and losses. Sure, it was hard not to do that. I didn't wish them bad, but I wished us better.''

Accomplishing that goal seemed unlikely. Removed from a Packers team that finished 13-3, Favre inherited a 4-12 Jets team.

Favre admitted the transition was difficult. There were moments of extreme doubt that threatened to become actual regret, when Favre admits he wondered if he had made a terrible mistake. "Numerous times,'' he said. "Traveling was much more difficult. Nothing was easy in the whole transition, except for dealing with the guys on the team; that was the easy part, and I thought that would be the hard part. But let me tell you: when we rolled into the house the Tuesday morning after that San Diego game, I thought to myself, "What in the hell?''

In the third week of the season, Favre threw three touchdown passes, was intercepted twice and suffered a sprained left ankle in a 48-29 loss on Monday Night Football to the Chargers.

But Favre persevered. He became more comfortable, played more confidently, accomplished feats not even he had experienced. He threw six touchdown passes in a single game against the Arizona Cardinals.

The next week, the Jets took over sole possession of first place from the defending AFC champion New England Patriots. Favre orchestrated the unimaginable 34-31 triumph, leading consecutive scoring drives on the last possession of regulation and the first of overtime. He admitted afterward that nobody in the building was more nervous and says these were the moments that brought him out of retirement.

The next week would prove just as monumental. There was Favre was throwing touchdown passes and celebrating joyously as he and the Jets completed a 34-13 road upset of the Tennessee Titans, the final undefeated team in the league.

"There's not many games left for old Brett Favre, so I'm glad this one turned out the way it did,'' he said moments later.

When asked how winning a handful of big games for the Jets compared to doing the same for 16 years with the Packers, and his answer hinted at the animosity that may never leave him. "It feels great -- as good, if not better. My career in Green Bay was great. It was awesome, maybe better than awesome. Will I have a 16-year career in New York? I doubt it. But I'm going to try and lump 16 into one and see what happens.''

It doesn't get better than this, Favre thought. And, sadly, he was right. It would not get better than that moment.

"At that point, it was, Go get your Super Bowl tickets,''' Favre says. "That's what was so disappointing -- how quickly we rose, and then fell.''

After the victories in New England and Tennessee, the Jets were considered potentially the best team in the AFC and a legitimate Super Bowl contender. But the Jets failed badly in December, losing four of their final five games, and Favre's performance with an ailing right shoulder was a primary reason. In the final five games, Favre threw nine interceptions and only two touchdown passes. When the season was finished, Favre revealed he had a torn biceps tendon and that doctors had urged him to have surgery if he intended to play in 2009. He decided against both.

"It sucks getting old,'' he said. "At 40 years old, your mind tells you that you can do all the things you could in your younger years but the body doesn't cooperate. As I look back on it, I had my moments where people said, "It was the same Brett Favre, just a different uniform.''

Immediately after his first Jets season, Favre had decided that if it was also his final NFL season that there would be no press conference as there had been 11 months ago in Green Bay.

"I'm an emotional guy, and I'm sure people are tired of seeing me get emotional,'' he explained. "People would probably say, 'Oh, here he goes again.' I think it would just be better for me to just thank the Jets, and I sincerely mean that. It was well worth what I invested. But I'm going to just quietly step away if that's what happens.''

That is exactly what has just happened.



http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3898942

YEAHHHHHH.. now I don't have to listen to people drone on about A-Roid.

I don't know about all of you, but trading Anderson to the Jets sounds like a winner to me.

I really wish this drama queen would go away for a while. Anyone want to bet in mid July Favre says he's completely healthy and would like to make another comeback?

Right, so did Ozzy Ozzbourne. . .

Good luck finding a taker for that bet.

Thanks for Mangenius, Brett!

Quote:

---

There also appears to be a conviction to seek a quarterback with significant arm strength to play through the challenges of windy, cold-weather climate that often is a factor in Jets games.

---

Might they want DA? I don't think there is one person on this board that would say that he doesn't have a STRONG arm.....

JC

I'll believe Brett's gone when he doesn't suit up for the first game of the season. Heck, he might finagle his way onto a squad even then if GM's think he's out there to be had. I don't know ...

Quote:

---

I'll believe Brett's gone when he doesn't suit up for the first game of the season.

---

LOL When I read the title of this thread, it was the first thought I had....

Favre Retires......again

we may wanna put a sticky on this thread.

STICKY? This one needs Archieved... we need to save this for posterity..LOL

Finally....

So how long before someone suggests we sign Favre out of retirement as "veteran backup depth"?

I won't believe it until the season actually starts without him on a team.

YAWN......who didnt see this coming

nordawg

everyone definitely saw this coming and i'm sure everyone hopes he stays retired.

i for one would love to see him unretire (technically it never said he filed the papers so really, he's not retired yet anyways) under one condition: he signs with the bears or the vikings. i'd love to see him attempt to "stick it" to the packers twice a season. not because i think brett deserves it or that the packers did him wrong, but just because it'd be so funny and i'd love to see him cement his image as "T.O. at qb." that would be so entertaining.

I'm just hoping the NFL and the sports channels can still find some way of dominating the airwaves with Farve & Dallas stories. Even though they both suck, we just don't get to see enough of them.

Thought this belonged here:

How this could impact our Browns

With Favre gone, Jets must consider all options to fill the void

Brett Favre announced Wednesday that he is retiring from the NFL after 18 seasons -- maybe for good this time. That got me thinking about where the New York Jets, who had Favre as their quarterback for only one season, will go from here.

Free agency starts Feb. 27, and part of the Jets' answer probably can be found there. However, what's available in the draft will determine how the Jets -- and many other teams -- attack free agency.

With that in mind, here are a few thoughts on how things could shake out in the next two months.

In the short term, Favre's retirement helps the Jets. Favre was scheduled to be paid $13 million in 2009, but that money will come off the books once his retirement papers reach the league office. That will allow the Jets, who were set to be $11 million over the cap this offseason, to have some operating capital once free agency starts.

However, the question of who will play quarterback for the Jets in 2009 and beyond still must be answered. Before Favre was traded to New York, the Jets were planning to make this Kellen Clemens' team. The three-year pro is back in the mix now, but the Jets can't afford to just hand him the job. They must force him to compete for it.

So how can the Jets do that? They could look at drafting a young quarterback, and with the 17th pick in the first round, USC's Mark Sanchez might be available. Sanchez has some issues -- he left school early, had less than 20 career starts in college and is just 6-foot-3. Still, the Jets might have to consider Sanchez should he fall that far in the draft.

Then there's always free agency. Jeff Garcia, who likely won't return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is a short-term possibility, but remember that new Jets head coach Rex Ryan came from a Baltimore Ravens team that reached the AFC Championship Game with a strong defense and a young quarterback, so he might try to go that route in New York. If the Jets look at free agents, they likely will focus on younger, experienced quarterbacks such as Byron Leftwich or Kyle Boller. The problem is backup Luke McCown just signed a two-year, $7.5 million deal with the Buccaneers. Leftwich and Boller are former starters who probably believe they're better than McCown and will demand more money.

One more intriguing scenario involves a trade for Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson. New Browns coach Eric Mangini and Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum still have a decent working relationship. New York now needs a quarterback, and you know Mangini would love to have some of his former Jets players with him as he tries to establish his new regime in Cleveland.

It gets better. Anderson was the scout-team quarterback against Rex Ryan's Ravens defense in 2005, so they also have a relationship. The good news for the Jets is that Anderson, who likely has lost the Browns' starting job to Brady Quinn, has two years remaining on his current contract, so New York wouldn't even have to negotiate with him. The Jets could do a straight player-for-player deal.

If Kirwan has any insight to this and could potentially be correct about this situation, I can't think of a Jets player on the active roster that I would want for Anderson, but would certainly consider their 53rd or 76th pick for him.

Exactly, that's why I suggested the trade for draft picks. With perhaps incentive picks based on how much time Anderson could see as a Jet.

True, I forgot about him. I might take some other players too, but those are the big ones.

It just seems too easy...something is going to happen right before March...and the Jets thinking that they have 13 more mil in FA...won't.

Like has been said in this thread earlier. I'll believe it when I don't see him on the field in uniform. I hope it is for good, he didn't look the same this year in N.Y.

He should play in Canada. That would be interesting.

Adam Schefter is thinking the same thing...

Quote:

---

The Jets went from one quarterback question to another, from whether Brett Favre would return to now who will succeed him.

Logical successors come from within. Kellen Clemens is a former second-round draft choice who has some support within the organization. Clemens was, at one time, good enough to beat out Chad Pennington, so there is some ability there.

Also, some within the organization believe undrafted free-agent quarterback Brett Ratliff has a bigger upside than Clemens and is good enough to wind up starting. Ratliff must be monitored, if for no other reason than enough people within the Jets’ organization believe in him.

If the Jets decide to go the free-agent route, former Giant Kerry Collins is a quarterback who knows how to deal with New York’s media — and winds.

If the Jets decide to trade for a quarterback, the most logical one is Cleveland’s Derek Anderson. For starters, Anderson has the most attractive contractual situation of any veteran quarterback. He is due a $5 million roster bonus on the 15th day of the league year, which is about a month from now. He signed a three-year, $24.5 million deal last year and still has two seasons remaining on it.

Beyond the contract are the relationships. Browns coach Eric Mangini and Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum have enough of a relationship that the two men could work out a deal. Also, Jets coach Rex Ryan worked with Anderson in Baltimore before the Ravens released the QB.

If the Jets were to trade for a quarterback, the most logical candidate is Anderson. But Clemens and Ratliff cannot be dismissed from the competition, either.

---

NFL.com

Now we can finally retire #4....not his jersey...the actual NUMBER FOUR.....from now on it will be referred to as Favre

ONE
TWO
THREE
FARVE
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FAVRETEEN
FIFTEEN


courtesy of Frank Caliendo.


HACK

That's good stuff, hack

J/c. I don't know if I can say this since it was a conversation but I actually called and talked to Kirwan and tim Ryan on their radio show on Sirius yesterday and this is what was said re: DA to nyj...
Kirwan suggested that we might be able to do a player for player trade but not one for picks. I asked why? He said because teams are treating their draft picks like gold due to the liklihood of an uncapped year in 2010. Teams want to draft young guys and sign them to contracts so they aren't negotiating a bunch of contracts in an uncapped year. So Do Not be surprised if we trade DA for a player(s) instead of picks. My only question then is "who is worth trading for?". You better believe there are Jets that Mangini want to see in an orange and brown uniform.

Has anyone ever heard of the story of the boy who cried wolf?

Keep Anderson, Quinn is an unknown, make him earn his job, why don't more people see this.

Does anyone on this board remember what happend with the signing of LeCharles Bentley, injured the first part of the first day of training camp, never plays a down, the Browns because he was signed parted ways with two centers with game experience in a Browns uniform, and in pre-season go through 3 or 4 or 5 walk ons, or who can we gets, before starting the season with an inexperienced unknown starter.
I don't want to see this replayed with the quarterback position.
Anderson & Quinn = safe
Quinn & ? = complete unknown. He has no NFL experience and if he gets injured, you have nothing.

Anderson I have complete confidence in, Quinn, has yet to show he can Win a game, with his play.

I have complete disgust with the thought of a player I believe can win leaving the team again, for the millionth time yet so many are sure it is a done deal. It is a recipe for disaster as I see it, 16 games with someone like gratkowski at quarterback, thats a certain loss every week, not even worth watching, and shouldn't be, in the NFL.

Anderson I have complete confidence in

For anyone to say they have complete confidence in either quarterback is ludicrous.

Let me guess, you had complete confidence in George Bush's economic policies, too, didn't you........