The Packer Pundit

Favre should go
Time to walk away with playoffs a mere illusion
By BOB MCGINN and TOM SILVERSTEIN
journalsentinel.com
Posted: Jan. 31, 2007
You can tell Brett Favre is deep into the decision-making process. Earlier this week, he spoke at length with Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy about his future. On Wednesday, he spoke with former Packers quarterbacks coach Steve Mariucci about the same subject. "I can't tell you what he said," said Mariucci, who is at Super Bowl XLI as an analyst for the NFL Network. "That would be betraying his confidence. But he hasn't made a decision yet." Ask 100 people whether they think the 37-year-old Favre can still play football and 99 of them will say yes. The 100th would be a split-decision. Mariucci clearly is in the "Aye" group when it comes to those in favor of Favre continuing, as was every single person interviewed for this story. But there is much more to the quarterback's decision whether to play on than just his ability to perform at a high level. There is the capability of the team to compete for the Super Bowl, the potential for a debilitating injury, the mental toll of 22 weeks of practice and meetings, the possibility of tarnishing his legacy and the difficulty of spending more time away from his wife and children. "He is giving this all serious thought," Mariucci said. "He's doing his thing to determine football, family, future, how it all fits together right now. It's a commitment. He's going to really heavily consider his family in this next year. And he should, his daughter (Brittany) is going off to college and his little one (Breleigh) is still a kid. There's some thinking he has to do." -- More

Favre should stay
Too much left in his arm to hang up cleats now
By BOB McGINN and TOM SILVERSTEIN
journalsentinel.com
Posted: Jan. 31, 2007
Brett Favre has defied convention since he joined the Green Bay Packers 15 years ago this month, traipsing through the snow in a T-shirt and flip-flops or firing touchdown passes recoiling back from the throw. As Favre lies low in Mississippi mulling his decision to play in 2007, most football people at Super Bowl XLI can't imagine him walking away without challenging the actuarial rates for aging quarterbacks.

"I know he's kind of wavering a little bit," said Ron Rivera, defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears. "And believe me, it wouldn't hurt my feelings if he retired. But I love him in the game. I think he's a tremendous part of the game." Rivera and two members of his staff, defensive line coach Don Johnson and linebackers coach Bob Babich, unanimously agreed that Favre could and should play well in '07, which would be his 17th season. "We have absolutely no doubt in our mind that if he were to play next year we'd be concerned," Babich said. "I don't know how his body feels and all that, but Brett Favre is a playmaker. "Still. To this day." Vonnie Holliday, Favre's teammate from 1998-'02 and now a defensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins, vividly recalls Favre's superb performance Oct. 22 in the Packers' 34-24 victory at Dolphin Stadium. "The guy probably can play forever," said Holliday, who is working the Super Bowl for a Miami television station. "If he really wanted to he could. He could be one of those 20-year quarterbacks. Against us he was the Brett Favre that I remember running around with that big boyish grin on his face." In other words, he should stay. For the second season in a row Favre performed considerably better early in the season than he did later on. His passer rating of 81.3 in the first nine games was followed by 61.0 in the last seven. Nevertheless, the final game often leaves more of an impression than it should, and Favre was very good in a 26-7 victory over the uninspired Bears Dec. 31 at Soldier Field. "Obviously, we saw it first hand in the last game," Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said. "Just remarkable. It's remarkable in terms of the things he still can do." Although Favre posted what easily was the lowest completion mark (56%) of his career, there appears to be no debate about his arm strength. "He can still throw the ball as well as most of the quarterbacks in the league," said Clyde Powers, director of pro personnel for the Indianapolis Colts. "I think it's his decision on just what he thinks the team is going to do." -- More





McKenzie out of running for Titans' GM job
Former Packers exec Reinfeldt is front-runner
By Pete Dougherty
greenbaypressgazette.com
Former Green Bay Packers executive Mike Reinfeldt is a leading candidate for the Tennessee Titans’ general manager job, but the Packers’ current director of pro personnel, Reggie McKenzie, no longer is in the running, said sources familiar with the Titans’ search. Reinfeldt, who was a high-ranking front-office executive with the Packers from 1991-98, was invited back for a second interview with Titans owner Bud Adams this week. Reinfeldt, who currently is the Seattle Seahawks’ vice president/football administration, has a strong and long relationship with Adams and the organization, dating to when Reinfeldt was a starting safety for eight seasons (1976-83) when the team was the Houston Oilers. McKenzie, in the meantime, was one of seven other candidates the Titans originally interviewed but was not asked back for a meeting with Adams. Besides having extensive experience as a pro and college scout with the Packers since 1994, McKenzie also has strong ties to the state of Tennessee. He was born in Knoxville, played football at the University of Tennessee and continues to run a three-day football camp in Knoxville every summer. This was the second time McKenzie, who turns 44 on Feb. 8, has interviewed for a GM job. The other was last year with the Houston Texans. The Titans are replacing Floyd Reese, who resigned this offseason after the team decided not to offer him a contract extension. Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher also carries the title of executive vice president and has a strong say in personnel, though he’s expressed no desire to take over the team’s personnel department as well as coach. -- Story





Decisions to be made at running back
Bennett has a couple of ideas
By ROB REISCHEL / Special to Packer Plus
Posted: Jan. 31, 2007
Edgar Bennett would love to have the best of both worlds. Whether he gets either will be one of the most interesting developments of the Green Bay Packers' off-season. Bennett, Green Bay's running backs coach, said recently he hopes unrestricted free agent Ahman Green returns next season and once again anchors the Packers' ground game. Bennett also added he'd love Green Bay to add a young, explosive back who could become the workhorse in time. Coincidentally, the Packers will be in position to do just that with the 16th overall pick in April's NFL Draft. Packer Nation will be watching closely to see how general manager Ted Thompson handles the running back position. "I'll tell you this, you can never have too many good backs," Bennett said. "And that's just the way this game is built. "You always want running backs because you never know what can happen during the course of a year. We kind of experienced that in 2005 when we had all the injuries we had. So you can never have too many good running backs." Bennett likes the stable of backs that Green Bay had in 2006. Green bounced back from a torn right quadriceps injury. Vernand Morency, who arrived in an early-season trade, added some juice. And third-down back Noah Herron was serviceable.

Green Bay finished just 23rd in rushing yards per game (103.9), but that was largely because the team ran the ball just 39.7% of the time. -- More