Perhaps Rick Esenberg is a better lawyer than football analyst

The Brawler and mini-Brawler have just returned from a camping trip (vaguely reminiscent of William Faulkner's  The Bear), so the Brawler only now has read Rick "Shark and Shepherd" Esenberg's recent opining on the Favre affair (that is: Despite retiring and balking twice in recent months at returning, Brett Favre should be allowed to do whatever he wants because ... well, that's tough to say why.)

And all the Brawler can say is: LOL.

Actually, a bit more. The Brawler's pointed out before that Esenberg is fond of distorting history and omitting unpleasant facts to make his case. Now, that may work in a legal brief. But it doesn't really work when talking about the mighty Pack.

To wit: Esenberg excuses Favre's getting cold at Lambeau, blaming the loss on the D and a nonexistent running game, while ignoring that a shivering Favre also managed to lose at Chicago  to Kyle Orton. Esenberg totally ignores Favre's record in recent years of swooning in the second half of seasons. He criticizes Rodgers for not completing drives in last year's game in Dallas -- conveniently omitting the fact that Favre had trouble completing passes to guys not wearing Cowboys uniforms in that game (obviously that was the D's and running game's fault). He says 4th & 26 wasn't Favre's fault -- while failing to note the interception that doomed the Packers' chances was.

And we should believe this guy's analysis of Iraq or Obama or global warming?

Esenberg also acts as of Favre's routine takes place in a context of routinely jerking the team around over the past three years. Indeed, last year rumors flew from the Favre camp -- as noted here by Shark and Shepherd (who, demonstrating that his football knowledge is superior to Ted Thompson's, dissed James Jones)-- that Brett wants to be traded.

So apparently Thompson should not take any of this history into account in trying to gauge the best direction for the team, assume that a 38-year-old man who routinely waxed all Denmark princelike about what to do will be in fighting shape all season long, and send a message to the team that some players can get away with holding a franchise hostage.

Please.

As always, Bob McGinn, the best journalist in Wisconsin, nailed it.

As a bonus, in the comments to Esenberg's latest on the Pack, the Reddess takes a commenter to task for spelling Favre "Farve." Ignoring the fact that Mr. Reddess has used said spelling in a headline, has referred to Aaron Rogers, a Keshawn Johnson and some guy named Justin Herill (or is it Herrill).

Esenberg said, after Ted Thompson passed on Randy Moss, that "Ted Thompson is an idiot or everyone else is." Esenberg ought to ponder that a bit more.

Comments

[Keith Schmitz]

Conservatives like to be abused.

Not to say Favre was abusing us intentionally and I love the guy, but there was abuse nevertheless.

I'm talking about the past seasons where Farve would end it pondering retirement. I don't live and die on football but there were a lot of fans who are more mentally invested and that's their right.

So in effect Favre, knowingly or not, stopped being a team player and started playing with the fan's feelings with the annual soap opera.

And he also played with the team management. Football teams are rather intricate organizations and not knowing what Favre would do at the close of each season was more stress on the coaching staff than was necessary.

The ironic part is if some company employee would posture like Favre, you would be hearing Rick,Kevin Fischer and the rest screaming to high heaven about that person's entitlement attitude.