We couldn't believe it when we heard the tease that coming up Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers would be on stage together to present the award for Comeback Player of the Year.
WHAT???
It was so bizarre. It was so awkward.
Oil and water.
From ESPN:
Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, who haven't spoken much since Favre's 2008 attempt to return to the Packers, presented the league's Comeback Player of the Year award to Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. The appearance -- and their willingness to joke about that tense time five years ago -- was a sign of a thaw in their relationship. An awkward handshake and hug attempt indicated there is work yet to be done, assuming that was not also part of the script.Video here.
Here's how the funny, if scripted, by-play went:
Rodgers: We're here to present the award for best comeback player.
Favre: You know Aaron, everyone loves when a great player makes a comeback.
Rodgers: Yeah, not always. Sometimes … some people wish that great players would retire and just stay retired.
Favre: Good to see you, Aaron.
Rodgers: You too, man.
As the crowd laughed, Rodgers stuck out his hand. Favre clasped it and seemed ready to hug Rodgers, but neither man knew exactly what to do at that point. After a few moments, Rodgers smiled and said: "That was awkward, uh … ."
If this was a sign that "Favre is ready to reconcile with the Packers franchise, retire his number and get involve[d] in its alumni activities," it was awfully shaky. The awkwardness spoke volumes.
Without question, Donald Driver's number should be retired before Favre should get that honor.
Seeing Favre with Aaron only served to remind me what a jerk Favre has been, all the terrible things he's done and said and the many things he should have said but never did.
Whose idea was this reunion anyway?
I didn't like it at all.
Some relationships are irreconcilable. Some need a very long time before any sort of reconciliation is a possibility.
It's going to be a long, long time before Favre will be embraced by Packer fans. I think a couple of generations will need to die off before that happens. Give it about forty years.