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Faceoff
Is it time for Packers quarterback Brett Favre to step aside:
By Times staff writers
Published December 11, 2005
YES: PUT TOP PICK AARON RODGERS ON THE FIELD
Brett Favre alone isn't to blame for the Packers' 2-10 record. He has been leading a huddle of "Who's-he's?" since season-ending injuries to receiver Javon Walker and running backs Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport.
Nevertheless, it's time for the quarterback who's made a science of stepping up to step aside.
Favre, 36, is that rare player who can change the game with a flick of his wrist. When things were going well, he was passing for touchdowns from every conceiveable angle. These days, those same throws too often wind up in his own end zone.
With the Packers going nowhere and Favre's career winding down, it's time to pass the torch to No. 1 draft choice Aaron Rodgers.
What's more important: Favre's 217 consecutive starts (237 including playoffs), or the team's future?
Favre's Hall of Fame credentials give him the right to stay in Green Bay as long as he can play, but it doesn't mean he has to have the ball in his hands.
A coach has to do what's best for his players, and for Mike Sherman and the Packers, it's time to hand Brett a headset.
- FRANK PASTOR
NO: BE PATIENT. FAVRE MAY STILL MAKE A PLAY TO SAVOR
In the late 1980s, the Dolphins had plummeted from Super Bowl contenders to tear-your-hair-out bumblers. But there was one reason to continue watching - Dan Marino. You never knew when, even playing for a lousy team, he'd do something that made you gasp at his greatness.
It's a similar situation with the Packers today. True, Brett Favre is no longer in his prime, as Marino was, and Favre's gaffes, not his greatness, inspire most of the gasps this season. But honestly, would you be more apt to watch the Packers going nowhere with Favre at quarterback, or with rookie Aaron Rodgers?
Some might argue the team owes Favre continued starts out of loyalty. I have more selfish interests. I want to see another scramble and backhanded toss that turns a sack into a gain. I want to see a legend take a hit as he zips a completion into dangerous double coverage then bound up in utter joy, patting a rival defensive lineman on the helmet.
I want a final chance to watch one of the most entertaining and unique quarterbacks in history. The Aaron Rodgers Era will come soon enough. What's the rush to end the Brett Favre Era?
- JOHN STRICKHOUSER
[Last modified December 11, 2005, 02:15:36]
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