Brett Favre could have been a Buccaneer in 2008, what could that have changed...

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Gruden thought Favre trade to Bucs was done

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Jon Gruden will be in the broadcast booth Monday night at the Metrodome to provide analysis of Brett Favre's performance against the Packers. But if things had worked out the way Gruden wanted a year ago, he and Favre might be on the field together as members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization.
Gruden, who was fired as coach of the Bucs after last season, thought his team was going to acquire Favre from the Packers before the quarterback was dealt to the New York Jets last Aug. 7.
"I talked to Brett on the telephone and I think if you talk to Brett yourself both of us thought he was coming to Tampa," Gruden said when asked about the situation today during a conference call to preview Monday's game. "I went to bed at about 20 minutes after 12, 12:30 thinking we had Brett Favre. I was sure we had Brett Favre. When I woke up the next day, Santa Claus didn't arrive. It was a sad day for me."
Gruden was an offensive assistant with the Packers when Favre arrived from Atlanta in 1992 and the two had a familiarity that might have helped in Favre's transition to a new team. Gruden also ran the West Coast offense, a system Favre wanted to continue playing in and one the Jets did not use. For all these reasons the marriage of Favre and the Bucs seemed like a good option, considering the Packers weren't going to allow Favre to go to Minnesota.
"My understanding was we had it done," Gruden said. "[Tampa Bay executive] Bruce Allen was working with [Packers general manager] Ted Thompson in terms of the compensation and I really don't think that any of us knew there was another partner that was willing to get involved at that stage of the game. Remember, it was seven or eight or 10 days deep into training camp. So, I think we were both thrown a curveball. I think both of us thought, Brett and I, that we were going to get the deal done. But there was another partner that developed later that evening somewhere across the next seven or eight hours and fortunately for me I get a chance to see him play on 'Monday Night Football' but it would have been a thrill to coach him again."
So would Gruden still be in Tampa if the Favre trade had worked? "Brett Favre's a winner," said Gruden, who was let go after a 9-7 finish. "He's one of the great quarterbacks of all time. He would have made a difference. I can promise you that."
Gruden also had an interesting theory as to why Favre ended up in New York.
"I think the Jets, the dog gone Jets got involved in this," he said. "I really think that after visiting with Brett earlier in the preseason, I think that the Packers didn't want to trade him to a team that was a) in their conference and b) and most importantly, on their schedule. I don't think they wanted anything to do with this. I think the last thing Green Bay wanted to see was Brett Favre playing quarterback against them. It was a very emotional departure, divorce, whatever you want to call it. Very emotional. And they wanted to give him an opportunity to continue playing and I'm sure they looked at the fact the New York Jets weren't on their schedule, weren't in their conference and they basically allowed him to go play there. I think that had a lot to do with it after visiting with Brett, talking to him and what he and his agent went through."
The Buccaneers played host to the Packers in late September of last season. Tampa Bay won that game 30-21. The Bucs fired Gruden after losing their last four games of the season and missing the playoffs.
Gruden said Favre's exit from Green Bay was "handled in one of the strangest fashions I have ever seen."
"I felt like I was watching a soap opera during training camp," Gruden said. "Is he coming? Is he going? I just don't know that the timing of this thing was appropriate. That a guy like this would go in the middle of the night to play for the New York Jets and then suddenly re-unretire to play for the Vikings against the Packers.
"I sense some bad blood here. I don't have all the facts but I certainly can see why the Packers wanted to get control of their franchise because they know they have a blue-chip prospect in Aaron Rodgers and they wanted to get on with his career. And at the same time they wanted to accommodate Brett by allowing him to play. But I smell some bad blood and that's what makes this game I think very exciting and very unique for everybody."
While Brad Childress has taken some criticism for allowing Favre to come in late, Gruden praised the Vikings coach.
"I tried to do the same thing as Brad did to be honest with you," Gruden said. "I think when you're in a situation where you have a good team -- I was on a team that was 9-7, that won the NFC South, that was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs [in 2007] -- I had some veteran players on my team. Derrick Brooks, Kevin Carter, Warrick Dunn.
"You're accountable to your team and you have to do everything you can possibly do to deliver a championship for your players, your fans, your organization. I compliment what Brad did. He had Tarvaris Jackson in training camp, he got hurt, he missed some time. Sage Rosenfels went out and played against Indianapolis, he got hurt. There were issues at the quarterback position.
"Brett Favre was on [Childress'] radar, he was turned down initially, he called him again and they got it done. I compliment him tremendously for having the guts to go against the norm or go against maybe what some of the analysts thought he should do. He did what he felt gave the Minnesota Vikings a chance to knock the door down, win the NFC North, go to the playoffs and win in the playoffs. I compliment him tremendously. I think it's a bold move, I think it's a great move."

Hmmmmm

1.) If the Bucs/Favre relationship had gone smoothly in 2008, The Vikings would have had Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson in 2009 (the year they went to the NFC Championship).

Meaning the Vikings wouldn't have been there, aka the Cowboys and Saints would have been in the NFC Championship (because of how well the Boys were playing) AND the Cowboys had already beat the Saints that year in New Orleans, when the Saints were undefeated.

2.) Josh Freeman might not have been drafted by the Bucs in 2009 if they felt Favre still had a lot of football in him... even though you could definitely argue they might just have had Freeman start behind him from the get-go, what most people thought Freeman needed at the time.

3.) The Jets wouldn't have gotten Favre, and maybe Mangini's tenure in New York would have lasted longer (since a huge part of the reason he got fired was due to the dip they had when Favre's elbow injury came out afterwards). Pennington and Clemens were set up to have a QB duel in the training camp leading up to 2008, and the day after Favre was traded to the NYJ, Pennington was released.

Had he not been released.. the Dolphins may have not made the playoffs that year.

And the Ravens (winning AT Miami), might have had to play someone tougher, lost in Rd 1, and not have advanced on to the AFC Championship Game.


*Disclaimer: I know this is a bunch of what-ifs, but I more want this to be a Domino Effect type of post, as in how it changed the landscape for a year or two in the NFL.*
 
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Man....don't bring back that season. I don't want the memories of that Panthers-Bucs MNF game to start coming back.

Who knows what would have happened, but that team we had that year was pretty damn good. Had Favre been our quarterback I'm pretty sure he would have ended up with more than 12 TD's and 6 INT's. We looked like a Super Bowl contender with the team as is before that Monday Night massacre.
 
Hypothetical stuff, sure... but the Ravens, Dolphins, Vikings, Jets, Bucs, Cowboys, Saints, and Colts would have been affected.

That's 8 teams. Realistically the NFL.
 
Man....don't bring back that season. I don't want the memories of that Panthers-Bucs MNF game to start coming back.

Who knows what would have happened, but that team we had that year was pretty damn good. Had Favre been our quarterback I'm pretty sure he would have ended up with more than 12 TD's and 6 INT's. We looked like a Super Bowl contender with the team as is before that Monday Night massacre.
what happen im serious i dont remember that bucs team at all
 
Bucs and Panthers had the two best records in the NFC, Monte Kiffin said he was going to take the Tennessee DC job once the season was over and then a few days later we had our MNF game. Deangelo Williams and Johnathan Stewart destroyed the Bucs defense like I've never seen a defense get destroyed on the ground. Bucs lost the next 4 games to end the year and ended up missing the playoffs then Kiffin left, Gruden got fired and the Bucs released Derrick Brooks and every other vet outside of Ronde.
 
Bucs and Panthers had the two best records in the NFC, Monte Kiffin said he was going to take the Tennessee DC job once the season was over and then a few days later we had our MNF game. Deangelo Williams and Johnathan Stewart destroyed the Bucs defense like I've never seen a defense get destroyed on the ground. Bucs lost the next 4 games to end the year and ended up missing the playoffs then Kiffin left, Gruden got fired and the Bucs released Derrick Brooks and every other vet outside of Ronde.
derrick brooks last season thats not the year delhomme pulled the delhomme in the playoffs ? didn't he throw 4- 5 picks on his bday 
 
Yeah I remember the Bucs got out to such a hot start that year, and everything just fell apart.

Jeff Garcia still was a good option in 2008, even though his numbers did dip a little from 2007, but that was expected.
 
Yea esp the jets I wonder what would have happend with that team and if Mangini would still be there or if chadillac would have brought us past the afc game
 
derrick brooks last season thats not the year delhomme pulled the delhomme in the playoffs ? didn't he throw 4- 5 picks on his bday 

Yep I think he did that against the Cardinals in the NFC Championship game if I remember correctly. I know the Super Bowl ended up being Cardinals-Steelers. That was a great damn game :pimp:
 
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