Gruden thought Favre trade to Bucs was done

Jon Gruden will be in the broadcast booth Monday night at the Metrodome to provide analysis of Brett Favre's performance against the Packers. But if things had worked out the way Gruden wanted a year ago, he and Favre might be on the field together as members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization.

Gruden, who was fired as coach of the Bucs after last season, thought his team was going to acquire Favre from the Packers before the quarterback was dealt to the New York Jets last Aug. 7.

"I talked to Brett on the telephone and I think if you talk to Brett yourself both of us thought he was coming to Tampa," Gruden said when asked about the situation today during a conference call to preview Monday's game. "I went to bed at about 20 minutes after 12, 12:30 thinking we had Brett Favre. I was sure we had Brett Favre. When I woke up the next day, Santa Claus didn't arrive. It was a sad day for me."

Gruden was an offensive assistant with the Packers when Favre arrived from Atlanta in 1992 and the two had a familiarity that might have helped in Favre's transition to a new team. Gruden also ran the West Coast offense, a system Favre wanted to continue playing in and one the Jets did not use. For all these reasons the marriage of Favre and the Bucs seemed like a good option, considering the Packers weren't going to allow Favre to go to Minnesota.

"My understanding was we had it done," Gruden said. "[Tampa Bay executive] Bruce Allen was working with [Packers general manager] Ted Thompson in terms of the compensation and I really don't think that any of us knew there was another partner that was willing to get involved at that stage of the game. Remember, it was seven or eight or 10 days deep into training camp. So, I think we were both thrown a curveball. I think both of us thought, Brett and I, that we were going to get the deal done. But there was another partner that developed later that evening somewhere across the next seven or eight hours and fortunately for me I get a chance to see him play on 'Monday Night Football' but it would have been a thrill to coach him again."

So would Gruden still be in Tampa if the Favre trade had worked? "Brett Favre's a winner," said Gruden, who was let go after a 9-7 finish. "He's one of the great quarterbacks of all time. He would have made a difference. I can promise you that."

Gruden also had an interesting theory as to why Favre ended up in New York.

"I think the Jets, the dog gone Jets got involved in this," he said. "I really think that after visiting with Brett earlier in the preseason, I think that the Packers didn't want to trade him to a team that was a) in their conference and b) and most importantly, on their schedule. I don't think they wanted anything to do with this. I think the last thing Green Bay wanted to see was Brett Favre playing quarterback against them. It was a very emotional departure, divorce, whatever you want to call it. Very emotional. And they wanted to give him an opportunity to continue playing and I'm sure they looked at the fact the New York Jets weren't on their schedule, weren't in their conference and they basically allowed him to go play there. I think that had a lot to do with it after visiting with Brett, talking to him and what he and his agent went through."

The Buccaneers played host to the Packers in late September of last season. Tampa Bay won that game 30-21. The Bucs fired Gruden after losing their last four games of the season and missing the playoffs.

Gruden said Favre's exit from Green Bay was "handled in one of the strangest fashions I have ever seen."

"I felt like I was watching a soap opera during training camp," Gruden said. "Is he coming? Is he going? I just don't know that the timing of this thing was appropriate. That a guy like this would go in the middle of the night to play for the New York Jets and then suddenly re-unretire to play for the Vikings against the Packers.

"I sense some bad blood here. I don't have all the facts but I certainly can see why the Packers wanted to get control of their franchise because they know they have a blue-chip prospect in Aaron Rodgers and they wanted to get on with his career. And at the same time they wanted to accommodate Brett by allowing him to play. But I smell some bad blood and that's what makes this game I think very exciting and very unique for everybody."

While Brad Childress has taken some criticism for allowing Favre to come in late, Gruden praised the Vikings coach.

"I tried to do the same thing as Brad did to be honest with you," Gruden said. "I think when you're in a situation where you have a good team -- I was on a team that was 9-7, that won the NFC South, that was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs [in 2007] -- I had some veteran players on my team. Derrick Brooks, Kevin Carter, Warrick Dunn.

"You're accountable to your team and you have to do everything you can possibly do to deliver a championship for your players, your fans, your organization. I compliment what Brad did. He had Tarvaris Jackson in training camp, he got hurt, he missed some time. Sage Rosenfels went out and played against Indianapolis, he got hurt. There were issues at the quarterback position.

"Brett Favre was on [Childress'] radar, he was turned down initially, he called him again and they got it done. I compliment him tremendously for having the guts to go against the norm or go against maybe what some of the analysts thought he should do. He did what he felt gave the Minnesota Vikings a chance to knock the door down, win the NFC North, go to the playoffs and win in the playoffs. I compliment him tremendously. I think it's a bold move, I think it's a great move."