I can’t tell you how relieved the Monkey and I are that the big story this weekend is about a player’s performance on the field as opposed to an official’s miscall. 
We’ll talk about Brown’s feat and the greater meaning …

When I was a kid, we played a lot of backyard football, sometimes even with full pads, and one of my favorite backyard football rules that our neighborhood put into play concerned touchdowns and extra points. We decided that the player who scores the touchdown would be responsible for kicking the extra point (PAT) on the following play. If that person was unable to kick, then his team would be forced to instead go for two.

Nonetheless, it wasn’t terribly shocking that the Giants ultimately ran away with the game against the Rams, 41-13, but what was shocking was the fact that the Lions not only engineered a phenomenal comeback to go ahead 25-24 with just 7:41 remaining in the fourth quarter, but also squandered that lead and got thoroughly torpedoed in the process, thanks to a Packers field goal, rushing TD, and two Jon Kitna interceptions being returned touchdowns, all within about three minutes.

Does this mean I suddenly join the Aaron Rodgers Fan Club Space Craft, piloted by none other than Chief Rodgers’ Enthusiast Ron “Jaws” Jaworski? No it does not. Does this mean that I would not like the Jets to succeed with Packers legend Brett Favre at the helm? No, in fact nothing would make the New Yorker in me happier. Does this mean that I no longer wish that Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy realize the errors of his ways with respect to his actions during the Brett Favre Saga? No. But it does mean that focus my energy on the positive aspects of this story now that the first week of the 2008 NFL Season is finally under wraps? Read below to find out…

I was a little worried during the 2008 Draft when Redskins management made their focus offensive skill players as opposed to finding standout offensive or defensive linemen in the draft’s opening rounds. Are we seeing a glimpse of this folly now during the preseason, or was this game an aberration, a case of over-confidence or poor game-planning?

The Monkey and I contend that The Football Gods will smite the 2008 Green Bay Packers for their hubris, inflexibility, and short-sightedness. The idea that the Packers will be able to orchestrate a playoff push without a single quarterback on their roster with an NFL start gracing their resume is ludicrous. The Packers are the youngest team in the NFL and that youth and inexperience will prove to be a detriment as this upcoming season unfolds.

Just think: Favre had an opportunity to play for Buccaneers, who compete in the weaker NFC, have Green Bay on their schedule, and were a playoff team last year, but now has to come over to the Big Apple’s Red-Headed Step Child Franchise in the midst of a directionless rebuilding process and attempt to piece together an enduring conclusion to his legacy.

I don’t think there will be any quarterback controversy, but it’s nice to know the Redskins seem pretty solid at the QB position with Campbell developing nicely, Todd Collins proving last year that he can come in and deliver solid performances (3-1 as starter to finish last season), and now Brennan bringing another dimension to the offense, vying against Collins for the backup role.

* If the Packers are so confident of the skills and quarterbacking-acumen of Mr. Aaron Rodgers, they should have no problem with allowing him to demonstrate his supremacy over Mr. Brett Lorenzo Favre in open competition.
* If the Packers truly care about winning now, not in the future and in the hands of an unproven backup, they should welcome home Mr. Favre.
* If the Packers really want to increase their advantage against a Division rival over the next several years, they should trade Favre to the Vikings in exchange for a couple valuable draft picks, negatively impacting the Vikings ability to draft quality players in the future.
* If the Packers truly respect the man that literally built the modern-day Packers franchise through his grit, determination, and maverick spirit, they should release him. But someone else said this better than me and the Monkey: “If you love someone, set them free.”

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.