Brett Favre watch: Day 3

Deanna Favre goes for a ride a nice lawnmower.

What went down? An insanely informative and enlightening debate with a group of friends who also happen to be astute football enthusiasts on NFL.com.

The topic … will Brett Favre return to the NFL in 2009?

It was a spirited debate that was all over the board, touching on such subjects as the Vikings’ laughable lot of QBs, Willard Scott, Can’t Buy Me Love and tractors.

With minicamps opening this weekend … It appears that Favre talk will slowly fade away for the time being as rookies get their first taste of life in the NFL. That’s a much more intestesting talking point. So, let’s change the subject.

Something that came to mind after two beers last night: The Packers received a third-round pick from the Jets as a result of the Favre trade last summer. That pick, No. 83 overall, was dealt from the Packers to the Patriots with a host of other picks when Green Bay moved back up into the first round to pick USC LB Clay Matthews. The Patriots, meanwhile, selected North Carolina WR Brandon Tate, a long-term project for Bill Belichich and crew to eventually mold into a contributor in the Patriots’ victory machine.

What struck Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff was this … did the Packers intentionally unload this pick? Given the nature of the Favre trade last summer, and the hard feelings that followed, the tag of “he’s the guy the Packers got in exchange for Favre” might be too much to bear for any rookie, much less a third rounder who likely may never be a major contributor in Green Bay.