From the Sideline
Is Farve still the leader of the pack?
From the Sideline
Is Farve still the leader of the pack?
By BRANDON FINLEY
Sports Columnist
As the drama has unfolded over the last month one thing seemed for certain during this period. There was no way that Brett Farve was going to be the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers
this season. That was the word during the whole ordeal until Sunday night when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reinstated Farve into the league.
Word before from Packers camp was that Farve wouldn't be given a shot to compete for his quarterback job, and that the Packers were moving ahead with Aaron Rodgers as the chief signal caller for their squad. What a difference a day can make.
Where as it looked clearly in the past that Farve would almost certainly be traded, play back up, or take a marketing deal from the team rumored to be valued at twenty million dollars over the course of several season, now it looks like Farve might actually have a shot at getting his old job back.
All of this is dependant on the Packers willingness to go back to square one. Coach Mike McCarthy hasn't been exactly clear over what the situation will be once practice begins again on Tuesday, but reports indicate now that this will be an open quarterback competition between Farve and Rodgers.
Rodgers has said all the right things during his time in limbo, but now that the paperwork has been filed he's been a little more open about his feelings saying, "This isn't going to be easy. It's going to be a dogfight. And I know if they do open it up to competition, not a lot of people give me a chance, but I believe in myself and I'm going to be the best I can be and let coach decide from there."
Rodgers may be right, but that's only if the team decides to keep Farve. A trade still seems to be a possibility, and now division rival Minnesota could be one of the key players. With talks to both Tampa Bay and the New York Jets running thin, the Packers may be out of options.
Minnesota has to figure out if they're willing to give up their future for what seems like a team ready to make a major move. The asking price could easily be a first or second round pick coupled with another late round pick. Will the future be worth it when Farve seemingly only has at most three seasons left in the tank?
