It's not an uncommon situation. You and your significant other break-up and you start seeing someone new. However, after seeing how your life goes on without him or her, your ex changes his or her tune and wants back in your life.
Well, for the Green Bay Packers, that new summer fling you've brought off the bench -- pun intended -- is Aaron Rogers, and that old flame is Brett Favre.
After threatening to do so several times before, Favre announced his retirement earlier this year. Many thought him the quarterback who cried wolf, that is, until he actually went through with it.
But when he saw the other boys getting ready for training camp, Favre got cold feet and decided that his Hall of Fame arm had a few more tosses in it, and he made the appropriate actions to return to the NFL.
This is where the ex-boy or girlfriend analogy comes in.
Aaron Rogers has been waiting in the wings for his turn to play, and when the Packers' starter retired, he finally got it. Despite outcries from fans desperate for the good old days, the Packers' organization decided Favre could not just decide to come back and be their starter.
We think all parties involved have handled this situation as well as anyone could hope for, except maybe for Favre's initial desire to play for another team in the Packers' division, like the Minnesota Vikings, so he could shout a nice "ha!" to his former teammates as he ran past them twice a season.
After his trade to the New York Jets, however, the Packers made sure that New York couldn't trade Favre to Minnesota after receiving him, without paying dearly with several first round draft picks.
That's why you don't bite the hand that feeds, Brett.
Since he did turn down $2 million annually for the next 10 years to not return to the league, we do believe that his desire to return to the turf was genuine. But this situation proves that no matter your hero status, you can't call fives in the NFL -- someone's going to take your seat.
Aaron Rogers now has that seat as Green Bay's starting quarterback, an opportunity he has waited his turn for. And it's reasonable enough to believe that should he do well, the sting the Packers fans are feeling at losing Favre could be soothed with a winning record. That doesn't make them fair-weather fans, it makes them flexible and open to change.
So, while Favre could have saved everyone involved quite the headache by taking care of this several weeks ago, we wish him well with the Jets. But we also hope Rogers is up for the challenge of assuaging the pain of the thousands of scorned Favre fans; and for his sake, we hope out of sight is out of mind in Green Bay.
