Scout.com: Packers-Favre Meeting Goes Five Hours

Packers-Favre Meeting Goes Five Hours

This story originally published on VikingUpdate.com

Brett Favre (Joe Murphy/Getty)

By Viking Update Staff

Posted Aug 5, 2008

The Packers were expected to have a press conference Monday night to discuss their plan with Brett Favre, but after meeting with Favre for five hours, the media session was delayed until at least Tuesday.

Just when it seemed like the Brett Favre saga was over and Packers fans could rest easy that they had No. 4 back, yet another wrench got thrown into the works.

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy met with Favre last night and a meeting that was expected to last a couple of hours – surely enough time to get their differences hashed out – last five hours. The conspiracy theorists on the Vikings’ side of things are holding out one last hope that the delay is because the Packers are trying to work out an 11th-hour deal to trade Favre before he officially steps on the practice field.

Packers public relations director Jeff Blumb came to the podium of reporters waiting to get what they expected to be a final resolution to the problem, saying that the meeting wasn’t done – not by a long shot – and that the press conference scheduled for Monday night had been postponed.

“Brett Favre and Mike McCarthy started talking at 6 o’clock,” Blumb said. “They’re still talking and I don’t know how much longer it will go. What does it mean? It just means they’re still talking. Rather than keeping everyone here until we don’t know how long, as a courtesy to you guys, we decided we’re just going to try again tomorrow.”

Favre and McCarthy didn’t leave Lambeau Field until almost 11:30 p.m., five-and-a-half hours after they were scheduled to start.

It is just the latest in a series of twists and turns in this story that has given both Favre and the team as many extensions as possible and, for those who believe a deal can be worked out between the Packers and the Vikings, hope that the delay was a result of trying to get a compensation package worked out.

Jay Glazer of FoxSports.com reported that Favre's career with the Packers appears to be over, but they are still looking for a solution that fits both sides well, whether that is a trade or his release or another option. McCarthy and Favre are expected to meet again this morning, according to Glazer.

It seemed ironic that the Vikings were cleared of tampering charges on the same day Favre returned to the active roster of the Packers. Earlier in training camp, when addressing one of the many questions he has fielded concerning Favre, Vikings coach Brad Childress said that the team had no discussions about trading for Favre and that they likely couldn’t while under investigation by the league. With that hurdle removed, some have theorized, the Vikings and Packers could now have a dialogue about what it would take to compensate the Packers for their disgruntled quarterback.

Everything should come to a head today. Favre is slated to take the practice field this afternoon to begin practice and, if he remains with the Packers, it is almost impossible to imagine him losing a fair competition for his starting spot. But, like everything else in the Favre saga, it has been a hall of mirrors that would seem to be more deception than reality, so who knows what to expect today?

TUESDAY NOTES

How bad do the Packers think the backlash of this scenario could be with their fans? The team has hired Ari Fleisher, the press secretary for George W. Bush from 2001-03, as a media consultant. Apparently the Packers are preparing for the worst and want to nip the weapons of mass destruction talk in the bud.

The first casualty of the Favre War was cornerback Condrew Allen, placed on injured reserve to open a roster spot for Favre. Allen was listed on the Packers injury report Monday as having just a bruised knee – a minor sounding injury for being placed on I.R.

A Vikings defensive end corps that was already thin due to the release/trade of Erasmus James, the leukemia battle of Kenechi Udeze and the lingering back problems of Ray Edwards took another downward turn Monday with the announcement that Brian Robison may need surgery on a varicose vein in his left leg. Robison spent part of Monday night in the Twin Cities and returned to Mankato by dinner time. He was riding his bike with a bandage on his knee. An update is expected today as to the plan moving forward.

Gus Frerotte was out of practice with a back inflammation that has been bothering him the last two days. He is expected back in practice today.

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