Aug 4, 2008 - 9:47 PM
3 shoutsGREEN BAY, Wisconsin (Ticker) -- Now that Brett Favre officially is back with the Green Bay Packers, Mike McCarthy has to decide who his starting quarterback will be.
Should McCarthy give the job back to Favre, the three-time NFL MVP who retired last March only to be reinstated Monday?
Or should McCarthy stick with Aaron Rodgers, the former first-round draft pick who has spent his entire professional career wallowing in Favre's shadow?
McCarthy, who is entering his third season as Green Bay's head coach, will meet with both Favre and Rodgers on Monday before deciding who will be under center for the Packers this season.
The Packers scheduled a news conference for 8:15 p.m. local time Monday night with McCarthy expected to announce if there will be an open competition for the starting quarterback job. Approximately an hour-and-a-half later, the news conference was postponed to Tuesday because McCarthy and Favre were still talking. There was no immediate time disclosed for the news conference.
The conference was to take place approximately eight hours after the NFL formally reinstated Favre from his retirement, temporarily ending a standoff between the three-time All Pro and the Packers.
The Packers placed Favre on their active roster Monday, one day after intimating their intentions in a statement from team president Mark Murphy, who welcomed openly the Super Bowl-winning signal caller back to Green Bay.
"We will welcome him back and turn this situation to our advantage," Murphy said in the statement. "Frankly, Brett's change of mind put us in a very difficult spot. We now will revise many actions and assumptions about our long-term future, all predicated on Brett's decision last March to retire.
"As a result of his decision, we invested considerably in a new and different future without Brett, and we were obviously moving in that direction. That's why this wasn't easy. Having crossed the Rubicon once when Brett decided to retire, it's very difficult to reorient our plans and cross it again in the opposite direction - but we'll put this to our advantage."
Murphy's statement seemingly contradicted McCarthy's assertion nine days ago that Rodgers would be Green Bay's starter this season, regardless of how the Favre saga ended.
A first-round draft selection in 2005, Rodgers has appeared in just seven games and attempted just 59 passes in three years.
In the wake of Favre's retirement this past March, the 24-year-old Rodgers inherited a Packers team that went 13-3 last season and came within one victory of reaching the Super Bowl.
But it appears that the Packers could be Favre's team once again.
"Although there has been uncertainty regarding Brett's return, (general manager) Ted Thompson and coach (Mike) McCarthy had previously discussed this and have had a plan in place," Murphy said. "Coach McCarthy will talk to the team and the quarterbacks about the plan moving forward, and after he has done that we will share it publicly."
Rodgers, who was booed by Packers fans during an intrasquad scrimmage Sunday night, claimed he still has a good relationship with Favre.
"Brett and I have never had a problem," Rodgers said Sunday. "We have a great relationship and once he comes here, we will welcome him back. I will prepare the same way. Brett was a great resource when he was here. I will still tap into his knowledge. I am still the starter until they tell me something different."
The NFL's all-time leader in virtually every passing category, Favre had requested to be traded after the Packers balked at his initial overture to return to Green Bay.
With a role in Green Bay as a backup quarterback deemed unacceptable, Favre had asked the Packers to trade him - preferably to the Minnesota Vikings, a bitter NFC North rival.
The Packers at one point filed a tampering charge against the Vikings, who reportedly had been in contact with Favre over the last month.
But the NFL announced Monday afternoon that commissioner Roger Goodell found no violations against the Vikings. In the wake of the announcement, several media outlets have reported that Minnesota has been contacted by Green Bay about a potential trade involving Favre.
Favre triumphantly arrived in Green Bay on Sunday night and was greeted by a crowd of several hundred fans, who braved a lightning storm to applaud the nine-time Pro Bowler and his wife.
The attention-craving Favre also reportedly has been mulling a lucrative marketing offer from the Packers, a scenario in which the team would pay the 38-year-old as much as $25 million to remain retired.
Favre, who retired in a tearful press conference on March 4, is the NFL's all-time leader in touchdowns (442), completions (5,377), attempts (8,758), yards (61,555) and wins (160). The Mississippi native also was a model of toughness, starting an NFL-record 275 consecutive games, including playoffs.
From the Bleachers
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DDrake
Which way do the packers lean start rogers over Farve or ask the Falcons start Joey harrington over Matt Ryan.Thats a no brainer!!! If they dont start Farve they will be putting themselves in the same class as the Falcons lol!!!!!!!!!!
Aug 5 6:04 PM -
savbyroy
I would rather he walk onto Lambeau Field wearing Viking Purple the day they retire his number....
Aug 4 6:36 PM -
