PACKER UPDATE

JOLLY'S NO GENIUS, BUT HE CAN PLAY

Johnny Jolly’s personal foul penalty in the first quarter of last Sunday’s loss to the Vikings was dumb, and even worse, it was incredibly selfish. In the biggest game of the season, the fourth-year defensive end was thinking only of himself when he head-butted Chester Taylor, and in the process, allowed Minnesota to continue a drive that would ultimately result in a touchdown. The former Texas A&M standout compounded that gaffe by not showing even the slightest bit of remorse following the game. Jolly has been skewered in the press ever since. And deservedly so. But he also deserves something else - a heck of a lot of credit for his play this season. 

Jolly has been surprisingly effective in his first season at a new position. “The kid’s already one of the better 3-4 ends in the league,” opined a scout for another team. “He’s strong, quick and powerful and his motor is always running. He and [Ryan] Pickett always stand out when I watch video. Those two big guys are why Green Bay has been so tough to run against in the past four or five weeks.” Drug arrest and stupid penalties not withstanding, Jolly is a quality young player at a position that’s extremely difficult to fill. You can be sure that GM Ted Thompson will be weighing the pros and cons when he sits down with his entire staff after the season and decides what to do with the [maybe] unresticted free agent-to-be.

'BRETT DIDN'T WANT TO RETURN'

It was almost a throwaway line at the end of a long broadcast, but what Troy Aikman said late in the fourth quarter on Sunday should’ve received a lot more attention. The former quarterback turned FOX broadcaster stated - rather emphatically - that Brett Favre didn’t want to return to the Packers after his brief “retirement” in March 2008. If that’s accurate - and there’s little reason to believe that Aikman would make up stories on national television - then Favre is even more disingenuous than we all thought. Remember, the future Hall of Shamer spent the summer of ‘08 telling anyone who would listen just how much he wanted to return to the Packers. All the while you have to believe that he had area code 952 on his speed dial.

Why wouldn’t Favre want to return to Green Bay? Let’s count the reasons. He didn’t like GM Ted Thompson. He didn’t like the fact that neither Thompson nor head coach Mike McCarthy got down on their hands and knees and begged him to return. He didn’t like having to show up for trivial things like minicamps and OTAs. In short, Favre wanted to be with an organization that would cater to his every whim. And while it took him about 12 months longer than he wanted, he finally found his utopia in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Desperate franchise. Check. Subservient offensive coordinator. Check. Spineless coach. Check. It was a match made in football heaven.

Why does any of this really matter? Maybe it doesn’t, but all those “Packer fans” who cheered for Favre at Lambeau Field should know the truth. Their hero never really wanted to play a 17th season in Green Bay. He wanted out, and he wanted to exit stage west. Sure, Thompson and McCarthy were ready to move on. But apparently so was Favre. The only difference is that No. 4 didn’t have the balls to say so.