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I'm joining the chorus of players, officials, talking heads and members of the public who think this Favre fiasco has gone on far too long.

I tried to put it in perspective. I'm not a Green Bay fan, and I was getting more than a little annoyed with the way the situation saturated media outlets. So I tried to see it like the diehard Packers fanatics and all those in Green Bay who showed up at training camp chanting for #4.

What if one of the superstars from a franchise I loved retired, then changed his mind, then ultimately ended up finishing out his career somewhere else? What if, instead of Brett Favre and Green Bay, it was Cal Ripken, Jr. and the Baltimore Orioles? That's a scenario to which I could almost relate. As someone who'd grown up rooting for an icon like Ripken, giving my whole heart and soul to the O's, I'd probably want the organization to welcome him back unconditionally.

But I have no special ties, or even much interest, in the Green Bay Packers and while I had a bit of a thing for Brett Favre and those dimples and rugged good looks, I am Over It.

To an outsider like myself, the situation just seems really sad. Favre, whining in various news conferences, just strikes me as a guy who doesn't want to acknowlege he's past is prime and  is just making himself look bad by stubbornly refusing to give it up while the giving's good, and if I see one more clip of him crying while fake-retiring, I might scream.

I've gone on record as saying I wished he and the Packers had gone to the Super Bowl last season. I would've been fine with him deciding to give it another go this year. But he didn't make that decision. He bowed out, gracefully one might say, at least until he changed his mind.

More than three weeks ago, Favre flat-out denied rumors he wanted to play again. Fine. If he wanted to prove how much he wanted in, that wasn't the way to do it. The next thing I heard was that he asked to be released. Nothing says "I'm committed to returning and playing for yall" better than that, right? And it was all downhill from there.

I don't blame Green Bay for not wanting Brett back if he's just going to be a whiny divo the whole time. I don't blame the team for being just a little salty for the situation their former superstar created. If, as most of the commentators agree, the Packers need another QB, they were silly to let him go, but from what I've seen, he didn't give them much choice. At this point, they just want him to go away. I second that.

As I see it, the only positive about this situation is the increased attention Aaron Rodgers has received. The spotlight's been mostly on Brett, but whenever it falls on Rodgers, he shines. This is a tricky situation all around, and Rodgers' situation was going to be difficult enough even without the controversy.  Every time I've seen him in interviews, I've been impressed by his calm, his confidence, and his poise. The best possible outcome I can envision is that Rodgers fills Favre's shoes better than anyone's expecting and gets the spotlight all to himself. He'll just need to carry himself as well on the field as he does on camera.