Favre forced to face limits of his power in Green Bay

	Brett Favre was upset the Packers weren't able to pull off a deal for receiver Randy Moss. John Biever/SI
	RELATED • KING: Tomlin's challenge, McNabb, NFL notes • Chat about Favre and more at AOL Blogspot
	MAILBAG Peter King will answer your questions each week in Monday Morning Quarterback: Tuesday Edition. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

Mapquest tells us it's 1,036 miles from Brett Favre's offseason home in Hattiesburg, Miss., to his in-season place, Green Bay. It might as well be a million miles. Because the one thing we learned from his failure to woo Randy Moss over the last couple of months is this: he may be one of the true legends in NFL history, but he is nothing more than an employee in the eyes of the Packers front office.

It's now clear that Favre pulled out all the stops in trying to get Moss to team with Donald Driver and Greg Jennings as a potent trio of Green Bay wideouts. He politicked for it internally, had his agent press the Packers to acquire Moss and made it clear that with Moss, Green Bay would be a serious contender for the NFC Central title this year. But as has been the case since he took over, Ted Thompson communicated that he runs the franchise and the quarterback should concentrate on rehabbing his ankle and getting ready for his 17th season in Green Bay.

I don't know Favre as well as I used to, but I do know this -- this failed dalliance with Moss had to have wounded him deeply. He knows Moss. He knows he would have been able to get Moss to play hard, which is something the receiver didn't do in Oakland the last two years. And I don't think this is a case of Thompson telling Favre that he isn't wanted. Thompson does want Favre ... but as his quarterback, not as his assistant general manager. If Thompson could have stolen Moss, who is a risk by anyone's standards, he would have done it.

There's one thing Favre has missed in this whole drama. I think that once the Patriots were in the picture, Moss didn't care about the Packers anymore. If New England hadn't been involved, Green Bay probably would have gotten Moss and Favre would be a happy man today.

But the Packers aren't going to win the Super Bowl this year. The Patriots might. And if you're Moss, and the only thing you really care about right now is trying to win a championship so you can shut the people up who are ripping for you for taking a dive last year with Oakland, there was only one team to go to this offseason. That's New England. Once the Patriots showed even a flicker of interest, Moss would have walked to Foxboro.

On to your e-mail.

NOT A FAN OF THE PACKERS GM. From Brian Gridley of Atlanta: "As a life-long Packers' fan, I'm sad Ted Thompson has decided to waste the final years of Brett Favre's playing career. Thompson, who inherited a playoff team, has done nothing to ingratiate himself to Packers fans, and the recent comments by Favre certainly won't help. Thompson may have some plan to build the Packers for what looks like a far-distant future, but if the team takes a step back this year (which looks likely), the public pressure to get rid of Thompson is going to be intense.

I don't agree. Now if the Packers go 2-14, there's going to be pressure to fire everybody who works at Lambeau Field, but I don't think club president John Jones is going to give Thompson so little time to rebuild the team in his image. I do think it's sad Thompson and Favre don't have a better line of communication. Favre will go down as one of the great players in NFL history, and I think he and the GM should make a better effort to get on the same page, and soon. But as far as Thompson's job being in jeopardy this season, I don't see it.