Gruden/Favre

magnus · Sep 30, 2009 at 9:25 PM

Gruden claims it was going to happen last year, and should've.

In a conference call with reporters held in advance of the Monday night game he'll be working from the ESPN broadcast booth, former Bucs coach Jon Gruden explained that, in August 2008, he thought that Brett Favre would be traded from Green Bay to Tampa Bay.

"I talked to Brett on the telephone," Gruden said, per Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I think if you talk to Brett yourself -- both of us thought he was coming to Tampa. I went to bed about 20 minutes after [midnight] or 12:30 [a.m.] 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.

"My understanding was we had it done," Gruden added. "[Former Bucs G.M.] Bruce Allen was working with Ted Thompson in terms of the compensation. And I really don't think any of us knew there was another partner that was willing to get involved at that point. So I think we were both thrown a curve ball. Both of us, Brett and I, thought we were going to get the deal done. There was another partner that developed later that evening, somewhere across the next seven or eight hours."

As we've consistently heard it, however, the Packers were never going to trade Favre to the Buccaneers, and that the Packers used Tampa's interest to leverage the Jets into giving up more in order to land Favre.

And Gruden seems to have heard the same thing.

"The Jets, the doggone Jets, got involved in this," Gruden said. "I really think after visiting with Brett earlier in the [2009] preseason, I think the Packers didn't want to trade him to a team a, that was in their conference and b, 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."

If Favre hand landed in Tampa, Tony Kornheiser might still be in the MNF booth.

"He would have made a difference," Gruden said of the team that finished 9-7, resulting in Gruden being fired. "I can promise you that."
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presidence99 · Sep 30, 2009 at 9:35 PM

not surprising, the Favre love was cause for some Garcia unhappiness.

hasbeen99 · Oct 13, 2009 at 12:58 PM

Gruden would've killed Favre. #4 don't get micromanaged.

Internet Explorer · Oct 13, 2009 at 1:29 PM

hasbeen99 said: ↑

Gruden would've killed Favre. #4 don't get micromanaged.
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They spent 3 years together in Green Bay with Gruden as WR coach. They were familiar with each other.

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Gruden/Favre

magnus Chump-proof

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Gruden/Favre

magnus Chump-proof

presidence99 This MARRIAGE?

hasbeen99 Fighting the stereotype

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