Normally the Wednesday press conference after a humiliating 16-13 loss to a bad Raider team would be brutal enough. Today, though, you won't be hearing Brett Favre field too many questions about the Oakland pass rush. No, it's a good bet that the lion's share of the questions won't have to do with the Raiders. Or the Jets, for that matter. The questions will be about the Lions and the Packers.
The allegations that Favre called Detroit to help them prepare for the Packers have raged for three days and Favre will be in front of the firing line for the first time. He texted a denial to Peter King but has otherwise remained mum on the story broken Sunday morning by FOX's Jay Glazer. Unless you watch ESPN, you've seen this story grow and grow and now the wave will crash down on the man right in the middle of the storm.
There's nothing against the rules about calling a team and giving them scoop on another squad, nor should there be, but that doesn't make it right. Just because something is legal doesn't make it ethical or appropriate behavior and if Favre did try to screw the Packers, he's pretty petty and immature for a 39-year-old. The wisest course of action would be for Favre to reiterate his denial to King but something tells me that Favre won't play it that close to the vest.
The damndest part of the whole imbroglio is that it has nothing to do with the Jets and nothing to do with fixing the flaws in the offense that's got a ton of them. Not that talking to reporters at practice on a Wednesday is going to do anything to improve the unit, mind you. The team certainly isn't in need of the Defcon One distraction that this story has become and, hopefully, puts their part in it to bed this afternoon.
UPDATE: When Favre denied the report to King, he called the report "total BS." He sang a different tune in today's meeting with reporters. Matt Millen, then GM of the Lions, called him, ostensibly to discuss hunting plans but turned the conversation toward Detroit's upcoming meeting with the Packers. He asked Favre if the Pack had done anything special to prepare for last year's meeting. Favre answered the question with his memories from that game (Favre had 22 straight completions) but said he didn't have a playbook or game plan or, in his mind, anything that would help the Lions all that much in this year's contest.
The important distinction from Glazer's original report is that Millen called Favre and that was the only conversation, although Favre assumed others were listening into the conversation. Glazer said Favre placed the call and then spoke with position coaches on Detroit's staff. He also said it was 20-25 minutes as opposed to the 90 minutes originally reported.
There's no doubt that this happens all the time when players switch teams. Favre himself pointed out that the Jets asked Calvin Pace about Cardinal tendencies. The distinction of who made contact is the key here and, if Favre's being totally truthful, should put an end to the entire scandal.
