Packers Part Ways With Beloved QB
By "Fran Erickson III"

Off-Season 2103 (Green Bay) - Green Bay Packers' President and GM Todd Ricotta would seem to have it no other way. Ricotta, largely successful since taking over in Green Bay 80+ seasons ago (just how old is Ricotta anyway?) after the much publicized divide in Buffalo that culminated in Ricotta's brother and Assistant GM, Mark, taking over the Bills and leading their franchise to even greater success over the same time period, is always eager for a good headline.

And if it's a headline he wants, then it's a headline he will get...and this time it could be his own in the form of an announcement regarding his firing if the 2103 season is not a successful one.

As news of Ricotta's decision to release 4-year starter Tyrone Pitts surfaced, Ricotta, normally available to comment on personnel moves, was strangely absent when the news broke and the paperwork submission notifying the league of the roster move was confirmed.

But the absence of Ricotta's voice doesn't translate to silence in this town, one that loves its Packers as much as it loves its beer.

'I've seen Ricotta make some questionable moves over the years, almost as if he's solely making them for the thrill of it or to make a headline, and until now I've always given him the benefit of the doubt...but this move has me feeling pretty sick,' said Benjamin Oglivy, a long-time season ticket holder.

Mr. Oglivy, who surely had the time in mind when Ricotta, some say out of spite, traded QB Adam Short in the 2097 off-season to Dallas (the team that waived him after his rookie season over a decade earlier) days after Short failed to capture the 2096 Sundby Cup in a 22-20 loss to the Houston Texans.

'Pitts has had the best 4-year stretch of any Packers quarterback I can remember...how could they just cut him like that?' said Frannie McMay, another disappointed Packers' fan who was just too shaken by the news to say any more.

Indeed Pitts has performed exceptionally well the past 4 seasons after being acquired from the Oakland Raiders prior to the 2099 season. His 13,761 yards, 109 TDs (20, 27, 28 and 34 over the 4-year stretch) and only 21 INTs during that time frame are astonishing feats of individual accomplishment. Perhaps more notable are Pitts' leadership qualities, as he lead the Packers to an improbable 2099 Sundby Cup run in which the Packers outscored their opponents (Detroit, Dallas and New England) by a combined score of 96 - 33.

If any heat from the public outcry is being felt by Ricotta, he has only himself to blame. Ricotta's decisions heading in to the 2102 season to invest 89 million dollars (nearly 60% of the 150 million dollar salary cap) on 4 defensive lineman has left Ricotta with little flexibility to keep players such as Pitts on the roster.

The release of Pitts may not be salary cap related however, which raises a whole other set of questions about the motivation behind the move and the nature of Pitts' relationship with the organization.

The Packers' acquired long-time QB Roman Romberg from the Washington Redskins prior to the trade deadline. At the time, with Pitts on the roster and firmly in place as the starter, it was believed that Washington stipulated Romberg as being part of the deal that brought LB Garfield Stanton to Green Bay to help shore up a depleted linebacker group.

Hindsight though offers a more startling possibility...was Ricotta, eager to find a scapegoat for the Packers failing to win another Cup the past 3 seasons, looking for a way to make Pitts the fall guy and found an 'out' when he acquired Romberg, making the same salary as Pitts, from Washington?

'I never thought about it that way...maybe this move wasn't at all salary cap related,' speculated an anonymous source from within the Packers organization.

Pitts, rumored on his way to Chicago to meet with Bears' officials, like Ricotta, has been unavailable for comment since his release. The Bears, with the Texans likely not looking to acquire a veteran quarterback and the Dolphins being at the 53 player roster limit, are taking a long look at Pitts, who with great mobility has another 4-5 productive seasons ahead and could flourish in the Spread offense that the Bears favor.