Late last week, all rumors pointed to retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre making a return to play the '08 season, but not as a Packer. He asked for his release from the team that employed him for 17 years. At this, the talking heads in the sports world started predicting which teams would seek and land the veteran QB, from Chicago to Minnesota to Tampa Bay. And of course Washington.

I received a phone call from my off the clock NFL reporter and best friend on Saturday afternoon that Favre was going to be picked up by the Redskins. Upon returning home from the mall (shopping for a hanging pan rack, which is nearly impossible to find in Annapolis by the way), I hopped on FiOS and started surfing ESPN's website. I think this rumor of Favre to Washington was a blip on the radar screen that lasted about a millisecond before the Packers officially announced that they would NOT release Favre and that if he wants to suit up in the '08 season, it will be as a backup to Aaron Rodgers (inherent QB of the Green Bay franchise).

All of this news of the iconic Packer, who was/is the face of the Packer organization for most all of the 1990s through 2007, and the possibility of him becoming a Redskin, recalls a bit of NFL history of an oft-overlooked move that involved the Packers and Redskins the late 1960s.

If you were asked whom is the face of the Packers, all time, throughout the franchise's storied history, who would you name? Vince Lombardi of course, who coached the Packers to nine winning seasons, collecting 5 NFL Championships (two of which were Super Bowls), and is the namesake of the Super Bowl Championship trophy. He retired in 1967.

But, like Brett Favre who announced recently he'd like to come out of retirement, exactly 40 years ago Lombardi announced that he still wanted to coach football. The rumors accelerated. Lombardi coaching somewhere else than Green Bay? Never going to happen. If so, where would he possibly go. Well, he decided to accept the Head Coach position with the Washington Redskins, coaching the Skins to their first winning record in 14 seasons in 1969. The franchise had turned the corner for better and seemed poised for continued success with Lombardi at the helm. Tragically Lombardi was diagnosed with intestinal cancer and passed away in September of 1970. He was succeeded by coach George Allen, who guided the Redskins to 8 consecutive winning seasons.

Favre a Redskin? While it certainly seems unlikely now that the Packers have refused to release Favre, never say never. After all, who would have thought in the summer of '69 that Lombardi would be at the helm of Washington?

Would you like to see Favre in Washington?
Would you like to see Favre play in '08 with another team, other than the Packers and whom?