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.

Around the Horn Sends Moss to the Packers

Today's session of the talking heads on ESPN's "Around the Horn" addressed the talk of Randy Moss leaving Oakland for either the Packers or one of the other few teams seemingly interested in him at this time, New England. All said it made sense, with 3 out of the 4 saying he'd be in Green Bay at the start of this coming season. The lone dissenter, Jay Mariotti of the Chicago Sun-Times, said Oakland would want a #1 pick in exchange for him, which no team would be willing to do.

Comments by the other pundits noted that Moss and Packers QB Brett Favre share the same agent, Bus Cook, which might help facilitate a deal. Tim Cowlishaw of the The Dallas Morning News said if Moss would play at his best for anyone it would be for Brett Favre. Others thought that a team that wanted to make a one-year run at the playoffs and a Super Bowl might well want to add Moss to the roster...and again, they pointed to Green Bay -- with it being possibly Brett's last year -- as being as good a candidate as any to make this happen.

While Moss is...well, Moss...it is an interesting thought: using four-wideout sets with Donald Driver, Randy Moss, Greg Jennings and Koren Robinson being thrown to by Brett Favre. Would defensive coordinators have some restless nights thinking of how to defend that foursome? Oh yeah.

It's a wacky world out there. Let's just hope the Moss of "moon" infamy might find a more appropriate way to celebrate in the endzone should he in fact join the Pack for the upcoming season. Stay tuned.

Addendum

Today's edition of ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption" also addressed the Moss story reported in today's Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (see earlier post of today), and again the consensus was that Green Bay and New England were the best possibilities for Moss in the coming season.

Tractor Watch: Interview with Favre's Agent

On Thursday, Milwaukee WTMJ TV sports reporter, Lance Allen, was able to get a phone interview with "Bus" Cook, Brett's agent. The bottom line from the interview -- as the edited version presented here (from 620 WTMJ radio) makes clear -- was that Cook didn't know anything yet about Brett's decision as to retire or not. Always nice to get a bit of audio to reaffirm that...well...no one -- including Brett's agent -- seems to know yet what he's going to do.