I've spent the first part of this week sitting at my kitchen table with the data in front of me. Lots of data. Mounds of data.

Enough data to make Bill Gates drool.

And all of the data is about the Green Bay Packers.

I spent almost three days shaking my head after the horrible play call that Mike McCarthy made. I could not come up with a reason a team that’s running the ball so well would attempt to throw a one-yard pass for a touchdown. On first down. On the road.

But, I got over the call. McCarthy is a rookie and as such he’s going to make mistakes and this one qualifies.

But, while looking at this data, I find that my opinion is starting to change regarding the greatest Packer of them all, Brett Favre.

I'm pretty sure I know what I'd like to see happen to Favre and the Packers, but I'm not sure how to go about making it happen.

I think it’s safe to say that the Packers are not going to get into the playoffs this year. They've already lost five games and have either four or five more almost certain losses on their schedule. That means no playoffs.

Oh, I'm sure the rest of the season will be fun. God knows it’s enjoyable watching Favre play with his exuberance and enthusiasm.

But, more than loving Favre, I love the Green Bay Packers.

And I think it’s time they find out of Aaron Rodgers can play quarterback in the NFL. If he can't, they better find one who can, either in the draft or through a trade. But, the important thing is to get an answer to that question.

What that means is, of course, is that Brett Favre should stop being the starting quarterback for the Packers. (I never thought those words would pass my lips.)

The question is how do you make that happen?

Favre isn't going to volunteer. That’s so far out of character that we better realize this leopard isn't changing his spots.

So, that means Ted Thompson and McCarthy have to do this. Sure it’s a tough decision, but they get paid to make tough decisions.

The best choice is to do this with Favre’s cooperation and understanding. Find a way to do it how he'd like it done. Either let him retire to the bench, to Mississippi or trade him to a team that thinks it’s a great quarterback away from the Super Bowl. Give him options and help him make the decision that’s best for him.

But let’s be clear about one thing:

The Packers really can't sit around any more on this one. They have to make it clear to Favre that something needs to happen, and that it’s going to, with or without his cooperation.

I hate writing this. But I hated it when Robin Yount retired, too. And the fact is that the team is bigger than any player, including Favre.

And there is enough doubt about Rodgers that the Packers simply can't afford to wait until after the season to figure out if the guy can play. It’s a difficult decision to write off a season half-way through. But, sometimes short-term pain is necessary for long-term gain.

This is going to be ugly, no matter how it’s handled. But I think the Thompson-McCarthy regime would gain some badly needed credibility if they could engineer this switch with a minimum amount of disruption.

This isn't just a test for Aaron Rodgers. It’s a test for the Packers.