Here’s what me and the Monkey (sic) know about the current state of affairs between“The Gunslinger” and his not-quite-yet former team:

• Favre won a Superbowl in 1997, the Packers’ first Championship in 30 years.
• Favre played quarterback for the Packers for 16 seasons, and 253 consecutive starts, an NFL record for a QB.
• Favre holds the NFL record for career touchdown passes.
• Favre holds the NFL record for passes completed.
• Favre holds the NFL record for career passing yards.
• Favre holds the NFL record for most 3000+ passing yard seasons.
• In 2007, at the age of 38, Brett Favre logged the third-best statistical season of his career and best season since winning the Superbowl, leading his team to just one game away from the Championship with the youngest roster in the league.
• In 2008, the Green Bay Packers offer to pay their marquee unretired QB $20 million to “re-retire.”

So why on earth is it that the team that Brett Favre has essentially personified for nearly two decades does not want him to take the reigns for the 2008 season? And offering him a multi-million dollar contract to go back down to Mississippi and throw balls to some high school players? Is there something we’re missing here? If ever a “non-employment” offer of 20 million bucks could be insulting, this would be the time.

When you consider what Favre means to the organization and to the Green Bay community it’s inconceivable that they would not want him to lead the team for another season, “un-retired” or not. At his age, it’s easy to say that the game may have passed him by or that he’s lost a step, but that line of thinking goes out the window when you consider his statistical accomplishments from last season. Granted, he threw a couple ugly interceptions against the Superbowl Champion New York Giants, but hey, those same Giants defeated the only undefeated regular season team in NFL history, so it’s not like the Giants were a bunch of slouches stealing a game from the old-timer.

From this Monkey’s perspective, the only question that the Packers organization should be considering is just this: who is best poised to lead this team and win now? Not tomorrow. Not in the future. And not maybe. Now. I can’t see anybody fitting that bill for Packer Nation other than the real “Iron-Man,” Mr. Brett Lorenzo Favre.

Let’s call a spade a spade. Who are the best QB’s in the NFL right now? Peyton Manning and Tom Brady for sure, Drew Brees, Matt Hasselbeck, most likely, but isn’t it arguable that Brett Favre could be included in a group of the top five, top ten at least? And one thing’s for certain, we can all be sure of one QB who’s most assuredly not in that top five bunch…

Aaron Rodgers has been named Packers starting QB by Coach Mike McCarthy. He must be looking pretty damn stellar to beat out a first-ballot Hall of Famer coming off one of his best seasons ever without even a head-to-head competition in Packers Training Camp, considering he’s never started a game or played in much meaningful NFL action.

The idea that Rodgers is going to seamlessly replace a legend, pick up where the team left off, and lead the Packers to the playoffs is ludicrous. Sometimes, you never a replace a legend. Don’t believe me? Ask the Denver Broncos. Or the Miami Dolphins. A notable exception is the San Fransisco 49ers; but in their case Steve Young had already proven himself while Joe Montana recuperated from injuries.

So What Gives?

The only explanation I have for what we’re seeing is a terrible case of hubris on the part of all parties involved:

• On the part of Favre, for not thinking through his decision making process properly when he bid farewell to the NFL, for going public with Greta Van Sustern (of all people), and for not actively engaging team management about his intentions in a timely, private, and respectful manner. But hey - the guy’s a Libra (like me), so how can we expect him to be good at making tough decisions?
• And on the part of Packers management and coaches, for essentially disowning their most famous, important, and accomplished player in franchise history. They have repeatedly expressed their intention on moving forward as an organization and putting their plan for the future into place.

Granted, it’s important for a team to want to move foward and a team must think about the future, but winning in the future on the shoulders of a fourth-year untested rookie shouldn’t come at the expense of winning now.

What Brett’s Horoscope Has to Say

Here’s something interesting I pulled from Brett’s horoscope for the month of July:

The real fear you’re struggling with is that of isolation. It’s as though you feel removed from yourself as well as from the world…you are starting to feel angry about being isolated. The problem is that it’s not entirely true. There are key facets of your life where you are visible, participating in the world and the focus of true admiration…Please recognize that your work is not only having an impact, but you are reaching people on the emotional level as well. You are finally involved with something that expresses your true values, your commitment to caring for the world, and which meets the most important criteria of all, contacts people personally. Therefore, you can feel good about responding to the call for leadership. If you’re feeling isolated, let that stand as a reminder of the condition of 99 percent of the population, and is a key part of why you must do the work you are being called up on to do.

Many have urged Favre to go back to Mississippi. Those people don’t understand what it means to be a competitor. It is in their blood. They cannot control it. It urges them to do things that “regular” people don’t quite understand. Other players know this, but every retired player who says Favre should step away is simply jealous that he still has the physical skills to be on top of his game.

So What Will Happen?

Mark my words, Brett Favre will be a Minnesota Viking before this thing is done. As much as the “right thing to do” is to bring the Prodigal Son back into the fold, at this point Packers management have displayed their inability to do right by Favre, so they might as well go all the way. What was at first unthinkable — dealing him to a Division rival — has now become a genius strategem. Instead of granting Favre’s release so he could sign with a Division rival and get nothing, how about trade him to a Division rival, get something in return, and damage that team all at the same time? In exchange for a draft pick or two the Packers will get this monkey off their back, unload a very expensive contract, and modestly debilitate their rival’s future draft, thereby weakening them as a franchise for years to come. Machiavelli himself would be proud.

And the downside? Only losing to the hands of the Favre-led Vikings in the season opener on the grand stage of Monday Night Football, that’s all. Last year, the Vikings were a quarterback away from serious playoff contention. With Favre at the helm they could be dangerous. And they have Green Bay on the schedule twice. Get ready Aaron Rodgers.

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The Monkey and I have always maintained that disfunction is like poop; it always rolls downhill. When there is a flaw in leadership, it emanates through an organization like a sickness, making the entire organization fundamentally sick.

This idea holds true in the case of Army 2nd Lieutenant Caleb Campbell, who as the best football player to emerge from the Academy since QB Ronnie McAda, was drafted by the Detroit Lions in this year’s NFL draft, due to a change in Army policy that allowed military members with significant talents to be released from active military service.

Campbell’s selection by the Lions was both the feel-good story of the 2008 Draft (spectators in New York City, the site of the draft, broke out into raucous applause, chanting, “USA, USA!” when his name was called), and a point of controversy among many who felt that Campbell was shirking his duties and the Army sending a mixed message.

As a West Point graduate, I applauded and supported this policy by the Army and pick by the Lions in a blog post here, arguing that the benefit of recruiting new talent and inspiring young people and football fans alike would outweigh the cost of losing one soldier on the battlefield, as Campbell’s primary duty when not in football training would be to work as an Army recruiter and public face for the West Point athletic program.

And in case you haven’t been keeping up with Army athletics lately, the West Point football program has strung together one of the lowest winning percentages in Division I college football over the last ten years, ever since the last time an Army player was drafted (Ronnie McAda), who led the team to a 10-2 record and bowl game appearance against Auburn in 1996.

But at its heart - this story isn’t about wininng percentages or boosting up ailing football programs or creating “feel-good” stories. It’s about living up to one’s word.

Duty, Honor, Country?

The Military Academy has a simple, three word motto: “Duty, Honor, Country,” which the greater Army has adopted at least unofficially. The problem is that the facts indicate that the expectation of living one’s life according to the principles of dedication to duty, adherence to honor, and love of country only go one way. The military expects its members to behave according to this immutable ethical code, yet has proven time and time again, especially within the context of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, that this code doesn’t apply to the highest levels of the organization, doesn’t apply to the policy makers, spokespeople, and “deciders.”

Need proof? Campbell’s case is the most recent example. He fulfilled his duty, served and played with honor, and no one can doubt his love of country. By entering the NFL, he was simply adhering to a policy that in design would not only benefit himself personally, but the military, the NFL, and the nation as a whole. In a league often plagued by immaturity on the part of players, coaches, and management, imagine what kind of impact on the locker room and playing field a player with Campbell’s leadership training could have positively influenced.

If the Defense Department had a problem with the Army’s policy, they should have done something about it back in 2005, when the policy was first initiated. Changing the goal posts in the middle of the game is reneging a contract and a horrible display of integrity. And not only did the DoD breach a contract with an individual soldier, but they breached a contract with the Detroit Lions, who essentially squandered a valuable draft pick on a player who at the end of the day was deemed in eligible for play. There’s a real case for a lawsuit by the Lions against the military, although there’s no way in a million years their management would pursue such a tactic, as it would be a PR nightmare for them, while legally justified.

Need more proof? The Jessica Lynch story is an embarrassing example. In the early days of the war, the military sold to the American public a made-for-Hollywood story about Jessica’s brave stand against her captors and subsequent Rambo-esque rescue by Special Forces. Only problem was that her one-woman stand against Iraqi soldiers was a fabrication and her rescue was staged. But the military sold the lie nonetheless, to trump up public support for the war and to put up a “pretty face” on what was quickly becoming an ugly affair (little did we know at the time of Jessica’s capture and rescue how ugly it would become - Abu Ghraib, Gitmo, & Haditha anyone?)

But one of the most egregious examples of the “vacuum of honor” at the highest levels of the military (as well among several mid-level leaders), ironically also involves the NFL. And that is the sad story of Army Ranger Pat Tillman, former NFL star, who lost his life at the hands of his comrades in the hills of Afghanistan in 2005. Once again, the military brass sold an outright lie to the military, the American public, and most disgustingly, to the Tillman family. The facts of the case are frankly too heart-breaking to recount here, but again the military expects all from the rank and file but displays nothing but dishonesty when it really counts.

I began by saying that poop rolls downhill. It is my belief that the lack of integrity among military leadership (and LET ME BE CLEAR - I AM NOT ASSAILING IN ANY WAY THE INTEGRITY OF THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVE ON THE FRONT LINES), flows through the organization from top to bottom. At the top of the poop pile is George W. Bush, Propagandist and Faker in Chief, who has surrounded himself with schemers and charlatans who have deprived this nation of its greatest treasures: its youth and its resources.

The military leadership has had so many opportunities to “make things right” over the course of these wars and its failures to live up to the core principles of DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY, in several notable examples undermines the progress and integrity of the men and women on the ground. The fact remains that achieving integrity will remain an energetic impossibility until integrity is restored to its highest offices.

RELATED POST: Army’s Caleb Campbell No Draft-Dodger

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As a West Point graduate and former Infantry officer, I was thrilled to learn that the Detroit Lions drafted Army cornerback Caleb Campbell in the seventh round of the NFL Draft this weekend in New York City. Not only was I happy to see a fellow alum be recognized for his accomplishments, but I was also gratified to see the Army’s new policy, which in certain cases allows cadet athletes to go pro, working as it was designed.

The intent behind the rule is multi-tiered. On one level, it was created to attract and encourage other talented high school athletes to attend West Point and thereby bolster Army’s athletic program, particularly their football program, which has been swimming in despair for over a decade. With America at war for the last six years in Afghanistan and Iraq, many patriotic young Americans have chosen to serve by attending the Military Academy. While these young men and women have significantly enriched our armed forces on the field of battle, West Point has struggled on the fields of friendly strife, most likely due to the fact that many talented athletes, who may have chosen to attend West Point during peacetime, have now chosen to take their chances at other college athletic programs, without the risk of dying in combat.

I remember my father, who was a professor at West Point during the waning years of the Vietnam War in the 1970’s, telling me about how horrible Army football was during that time period, as they could simply not recruit the same kind of athletes that would be attracted the program during peacetime. While I was attending West Point, America was enjoying a time of relative peace, and the program prospered. During those years, the biggest reason many athletes would choose West Point over other programs is that West Point remained a Division I program. West Point gave talented athletes an opportunity to play at the highest level of competition. If it weren’t for West Point, many of these same athletes would have had to choose Division II or Division III programs, because the vast majority of these athletes didn’t have the size or the skills to play for other major college programs.

The other reason the Military Academy enacted this policy was in the interest of PR and recruiting. The incredible level of attention given to a seventh round pick is unprecedented. Campbell’s selection by the Lions has already worked wonders for the reputation of the Army football program. He will be a poster boy for not only recruiting talented atheletes to attend West Point, but also for attracting young men and women to serve in the regular ranks of the Armed Services in general.

While for many Campbell’s selection is a “feel-good” story, there hasn’t been a lack of detractors either, criticizing this policy for being unfair or preferential towards football players. The fact is, at least a half dozen other athletes have also benefitted from this policy, although Campbell is the first football player to do so and is clearly the most high-profile instance of this policy in action. Some people might say that Campbell is shirking his duty. Others might complain that all of those tax-payer dollars supporting his college education and military training have gone to waste. Still others might say that this policy will undermine the integrity of the armed forces and only encourage others to take advantage of West Point’s “free ride,” only to leave for the NFL upon graduation.

I want to address each of these points:

1) Campbell is shirking his duty. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Campbell is following the rules to the letter. Over the next two years Campbell will wear “two-hats.” He will be an NFL rookie, struggling to make the team and make an impact on the playing field. And when he is not playing or practicing, he will be an Army recruiter, working day and night to attract others to the Armed Forces. If he remains on the team after two years, he will have the option to “buy out” his military contract and revert to Reserve status, still remaining an Army officer with certain obligations.

2) Campbell’s Education and Training Have Gone to Waste. The needs of the Army are many. They don’t just need “trigger pullers.” They also need smart, capable individuals that can serve in different ways. If Caleb Campbell can encourage just a handful of talented young men and women to attend the Academy who ordinarily wouldn’t have chosen to serve, he has fulfilled his mission.

3) Campbell Will Only Encourage Others to Take a “Free Ride” at the Academy. When I was a cadet at the Military Academy, we used to say that a West Point education was a quarter million dollar education shoved up your ass one penny at a time. There is nothing “free” about going to West Point without paying for actual tuition. Only a select few individuals have the integrity, courage, and commitment to see it through to a successful completion. Even if dozens of talented athletes now decide to attend West Point as a direct result of Campbell’s success, a miniscule number will achieve what Campbell has accomplished. The odds of getting drafted by the NFL are minute, even for incredibly talented players at “big school” programs. And even if one is drafted, the odds of remaining in the NFL are even more remote.

I am reminded of a friend of mine at the Academy who was the last Army player to be drafted by the NFL. His name is Ronnie McAda, and he was a quarteback chosen by the Green Bay Packers with the last pick of the final round of the NFL Draft back in 1997. Ronnie was a fabulous athlete, leading Army through its last truly successful campaign, compiling a 10-2 record and a bowl game appearance against Auburn, as well as a barn-burner last second loss to Notre Dame during the regular season. Incidentally, year after year, the last man taken in the draft is nicknamed “Mr. Irrelevant,” due to the nearly impossible odds of this caliber of player remaining on an NFL roster for an appreciable period of time. Ronnie didn’t have the benefit of this policy, which would have given him more freedom and leeway to compete at the elite NFL level of competition. He went to training camp on his leave but had to return to active duty, much like Roger Staubach had to decades before. Who knows if Ronnie would have made an impact in the NFL if this policy were in place back then. But there is no doubt that if he did, he would have benefitted the Army and West Point in a different and important way.

RELATED POST: Caleb Campbell: Casualty of Military’s “Integrity Vacuum”

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Let me tell you, the Monkey loves the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). The Monkey loves anything that is irrational, inconsisent, inequitable, and fraudulent. The Monkey cherishes events that create unneccessary drama, defy common sense, and cause us humans to needlessly squabble. The Monkey revels in a system that provides disproportionate advantage to the few. The Monkey basks in a concept that claims to be cutting edge, but has its roots in antiquity, steeped in money and “Old Boy” power.

And yet, one of my objectives in this blog is to not simply rant and rail against perceived injustices in the world, for that is the work of the Monkey. On the contrary, it is my hope to provide alternative solutions to the problems of the world, especially problems in which the Monkey has a hand. So without further ado, I present the first in my series of articles called: PROBLEM SOLVED.

There’s plenty of information out there concerning the BCS: where it came from, what its trying to do, how it uses a computer algorithm to calculate the National Champion in college football’s most athletic and competive Division. For argument’s sake, I will summarize it like this: in college sports most lucrative and high-profile competition, there is no playoff to determine a national champion. Instead, there is a supercomputer somewhere that mashes up a bunch of numbers concerning each Division IA’s strength of schedule, winning margin, etc., in order to basically rank-order a handful of teams. Then it basically takes what it calls the #1 Team and the #2 Team, and assigns a post-season Bowl Game to them. The play the game and a champion emerges. And oh, there are also several human polls out there that also have a hand in determining the top teams in the country. Sometimes the polls and the computers match up, sometimes they don’t. Either way, determining the true national champion is pretty simple, huh?

In no other major sport does this insanity occur. The NFL, Major League Baseball, the NBA, Major League Soccer, and the NHL all have playoff systems to determine their champions. The lower-tiered (less competitive, smaller-school college football divisions) all have playoff systems to determine their champions. I simply can’t think of any sport that doesn’t use some type of playoff to determine a champion.

Perhaps the exception would be professional boxing, which uses a ranking system. But boxing has a “rolling” championship system, in which there isn’t a 2007 season, for example, that ends with a bunch of boxers vying for the title. The boxing champion simply wins his title and defends it against all comers. And now that I think about, that system might be really cool for college football. The champion keeps the title until it loses. Let’s see how long the big power brokers who make the decisions in college football would allow that to happen before switching to a playoff system.

The major problem I have with the current system is that certain teams are essentially ineligible for the championship, based on their respective school’s historical performance. The prime example this year being the University of Hawaii, which is major college football’s ONLY undefeated team. They have no shot at the title simply because previous Hawaii teams haven’t won the title. And don’t let people tell you it’s because of strength of schedule (critics have said their competition hasn’t been top-notch). Ohio State is currently playing for the national title against LSU and has a schedule teeming with powder puffs.

The difference is Ohio State has won the national title before and has been a periennial powerhouse. Imagine if the same logic carried over to the NFL, that prerequisites for Superbowl contention were strength of schedule and strength of program, i.e., prior playoff appearances. The Monkey would say: “The New England Patriots are currently undefeated but, hey, they play two of the NFL’s worst teams four times a year (Jets, Dolphins)! Those games don’t really count.” Or on the other hand, take a hypothetical situation in which the Houston Texans are undefeated. Because they are an expansion team, the voters in the polls would essentially make them Superbowl ineligible. “Oh no, you guys can’t compete for the title because your program has only been around for a few years, and we’re not sure if this season is a fluke or not. Stick around until next year and if you post another great season then, we’ll consider you for the title even though this year you’re pretty good.” This is what is happening with Hawaii and it’s a travesty.

Anyway, keeping in the spirit of my series, Problem Solved, I modestly propose a simple 16-team playoff scenario. I will explain that scenario in my next post, but let me give you a teaser to keep you salivating until then. It involves ALL the Division IA conferences, not just the majors. Every team that suits up and that we deem Division IA will have an opportunity to vie for the National Championship. Every team.

And oh, I will also provide predictions for each round, including scores and my take on who the True National Champion would be. Oh heck, I’ll give you a hint: it ain’t Ohio State!

To be continued…

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