What's the Packers' magic number to forget about Favre?
Fans' consensus: It'll take at least 10 wins
GREEN BAY -- Adam Kissling wore his conflict on his sleeves -- a No. 4 Brett Favre New York Jets jersey, which he wore over a Green Bay Packers T-shirt.
Fittingly, he was torn as he contemplated the ultimate Packers fan's "Sophie's Choice" question: If the Packers played the Jets in the Super Bowl, who would you root for?
"You can't do that to me," said an agonized Kissling. "That's hard. I'd be torn. I'd root for the Packers to win, but if the Jets did win I wouldn't be upset. I'd be happy for Brett."
Kissling, a 25-year-old Packers fan from Menomonee Falls, expressed the mixed feelings many fans in this state are sorting through as they prepare for the start of the NFL season.
A sampling of fans tailgating at Lambeau Field before last week's preseason finale reflected a lingering dissatisfaction with the way Favre's career ended in Green Bay. But few were still taking it harder than Kissling.
"I'm a Brett man," he said. "It still hurts. It'll hurt all season long. I cry myself to sleep."
And what kind of season would it take for the Packers to justify the move from Favre to Aaron Rodgers?
Kissling's magic number is 12-4. "And they better make it to the NFC championship game because if they had Brett they could've been a Super Bowl contender, no doubt in my mind. To get rid of him you've got to get to the Super Bowl to do what you would've done with Brett."
Others are a little less demanding, including Kissling's buddy, Bob Schimelpfenig of Germantown.
"If they make the playoffs, it's a success," Schimelpfenig said. "I'd be happy if they went 10-6. They could win the division and make the playoffs with that."
So 10-6 would make the whole Favre fiasco seem worthwhile?
"No," he conceded. "Not after a 13-3 season last year. But I'm a Packer fan. As long as they win, I'm happy, no matter who's doing the winning."
Jim Lukken of Mount Horeb also set a 10-6 record as the mark of a successful season. "Last year I think they were kind of lucky in some games," he said. "I want Aaron Rodgers to do well, but I thought we had a better chance to go to the Super Bowl with Brett."
Lukken's brother Jeff is a little more inclined to go along with the judgment of general manager Ted Thompson. A winning season would satisfy him.
"Ted Thompson made the decision to get rid of Brett for whatever reason and if they have a winning season, that's fine," said Jeff Lukken. "They might not make the playoffs, but if they're headed in that direction, that's OK. When Brett came they were building and it took awhile. Brett's gone, the decision's been made, so let's move on. It sounds like they have a plan in place; let's go with that."
And if that plan leads to a 5-11 record this season?
"Ted Thompson's gonna be looking for a job," said Jim Lukken.
Paul Loiselle, a Packers fan from Hennepin, Ill., is so devoted to his team that he missed the birth of his daughter in 1996 because he was at a game. As such, he's not inclined to second-guess anybody else's decisions.
"It's not for me to say," he said of the standard for a successful season. "You have to trust in the front office. I know a lot of fans don't, but they're getting paid to make the right decisions."
Al Schwanda, 50, of Germantown, is among the faction of fans who love Favre but had grown increasingly weary with annual retirement drama.
"I always enjoyed the way Favre played the game," he said. "If he had shown this kind of commitment three or four years ago they might not have drafted Rodgers and they wouldn't be going through what they are now. If he had come back at the end of the season and said he wanted to play again, I'd have been happy to see it. But once he said 'I'm retired,' I felt it was time to move on. I could see where the organization needed to move on."
Schwanda said he's been intrigued by Rodgers ever since he saw him pass for 394 yards to lead Cal to a 52-49 victory over Virginia Tech in the 2003 Insight Bowl.
"I remember saying I'd love to see this guy in a Packer uniform someday," he said. "Never did I think it would happen. I really hope he has a good season. I would like to see the guy succeed."
His standard for success: "10-6, maybe 9-7. I'd be content. Your expectations are always the Super Bowl, but being a first-year quarterback, he's going to have growing pains. But I think the organization did what it had to do."
Dan Gentry and his girlfriend Amber Schulz of La Crosse, wearing matching Favre No. 4 Packers jerseys, have pretty much come to grips with the transition.
"I'm over it," said Schulz. "The season must go on. People have to cut Rodgers some slack."
Gentry isn't quite there yet. "I'm still sad about it, but I'm getting over it," he said. "All things happen for a reason, I guess. We're still Favre fans.
"I would hope they're at least 10-6. If they're below that, then it was a bad decision. And if they finish below .500, for sure there will be a lot of upset Packer fans."
PACKERS OPENER
What: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers in an NFC North matchup
When: Monday, 6 p.m.
Where: Lambeau Field
TV: ESPN
Radio: WIBA-FM/101.5 AM
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Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre's success -- or lack thereof -- with his new team, the Jets, seems to be tied to fans' opinions on whether it was a good idea to stick with Aaron Rodgers as Green Bay's starter.
