Does He or Doesn't He?

As in, does Brett want to be traded or doesn't he? That is the question which has Packerland in near hysteria. Based upon Brett's own comments over the weekend about his extreme disappointment that the Packers did not acquire Randy Moss, and subsequent news reports that his agent called Packers GM Ted Thompson after the draft demanding a trade and reports that Brett didn't take calls from Coach Mike McCarthy for nearly a week afterward, it would seem...well, we'll only know when Brett decides to say. Thompson and McCarthy aren't talking.

But the surprising thing -- at least to this Packer fan -- is that in a poll today in the online version of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel a slight majority of nearly 5,000 persons responding (as of the time of this post) said if Favre wants a trade the Packers should do it. Wow. Here are the results so far:

An angry Brett Favre asks the Packers to trade him. Should they do it?
Yes (53.2%)
No (46.8%)
Total votes: 4,956

One of the other things being reported is that Brett may not attend the upcoming minicamp as a sign of his displeasure. Because he is rehabbing from his ankle surgery the plan was that he wouldn't actually participate in any activities anyway but would still attend. If nothing else, it might give him a better opportunity to see exactly what some of the new additions to the offense might be able to bring to the field. Brett wasn't too impressed with last year's draft either on the offensive side of things. Yet, it didn't take Brett long to discover that then-rookie Greg Jennings might become one of his favorite receivers. Granted, there is no one with the pedigree of Moss. But there just might be someone with the game and a heckuva lot better attitude.

On the other hand, it is easy to understand Brett's frustration. The Pack has one of the best quarterbacks -- arguably the best -- to ever play the game, in the twilight of his career, still being productive and competitive, and it doesn't seem as if much effort is being made to put the veteran pieces in place to provide a legitimate shot at the playoffs and Super Bowl. Maybe these new kids will surprise everyone. Or maybe they will just disappoint and frustrate Brett to the point where he decides to retire or demand a trade to a team that can give him one last shot for another ring.

The Packers have salary cap room. They have veteran leadership at a number of positions despite being the youngest team overall in the league last year. Whether the team's management and coaching staff know how best to make it all click remains to be seen.

But one thing's for sure: if it isn't clicking with #4 -- on or off the field -- all is not well in Packerland.