Before I actually type anything else, I need to tip my hat to Michael Phelps for just capturing his 8th gold medal of the 2008 Olympics, making him the most decorated Olympian ever. I think the thing that amazes me the most is that he is MY AGE and so successful.

Anyways...

As I'm sitting on my couch watching the most talented athletes in the world compete in the Olympics, I have my laptop in front of me with the play-by-play of the Packers' preseason game in San Francisco.

And it's not so pretty.

So ugly, in fact, that I called my dad to complain. "The Packers are terrible!" I told him.

I have nothing against Aaron Rodgers - he's probably going to develop into a great quarterback. But that is the key word - DEVELOP. There is no way that he will be a great quarterback this season. Sorry to sound so pessimistic, but I just can't see a player who sat on the sidelines without throwing (m)any NFL passes in a few years suddenly taking the field and being an awesome quarterback. Not one that will lead a 13-3 team that made it to the NFC Championship to the same place or better this season.

The Packers will be lucky to get over the .500 hump this season.

And I don't blame Rodgers for that. I blame Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson, who will be (if not already) the most despised men in the state of Wisconsin before the end of the year.

And the reason is Brett Favre. The Jets' newest QB had a fantastic game tonight, starting with his first pass and capping off his second series with a touchdown pass. He may be old, but he hasn't lost it. He is still a stellar QB.

And that stellar phenom led the Packers to their inspiring turnaround last season. Favre uncovered some young unknown receivers and developed some household names, at least in Cheesehead Nation. With the help of the currently injured Ryan Grant, Favre is what got the Packers to the NFC Championship last season.

And more than that, Favre is what got McCarthy and Thompson five-year contract extensions and essentially job security. With those extensions, the pair knew they needed Favre out of the picture so they could rebuild. The rebuilding process would screw them over if they waited a couple more years for Favre to fizzle out of steam, because with 3 or fewer years on their contract, they would stand a much more likely chance of being fired. But with a full five years remaining, the Packers won't be too excited about throwing in the towel and paying all that money.

So Favre gave these two men job security and then they gave him the boot. McCarthy and Thompson should be ashamed of themselves for their treatment of the Hall of Fame quarterback. Look at what he did for the franchise and now what? Titletown, a cherished franchise, the Green Bay Packers, have the most tarnished name in the NFL, and that is including names like Michael Vick, Pacman Jones and the New England Patriots. Yes, Vick's treatment of those dogs made me sick, but I'd probably let him play football again if I knew he could get my team to the Super Bowl. Well, maybe. I saw some pretty awful video that we couldn't even put on the air last summer at Fox News Channel, but that's a different story for a different time.

The point of all this is job security. What would you do to maintain it? Would you go as far at Thompson and McCarthy? Or should their names be disgraced for what they have done?