The Brett Favre saga has evolved into a nightmarish chess match, each move magnified in the national sports spotlight by the mass media. Favre even has his own category on ESPN's "BottomLine." As soon as one side seems to take hold of the situation, new developments slip through the cracks of NFL sources and those close to Favre and the Packers organization.

Favre's arrival at the Green Bay Packers training camp is looming, and what will happen when No. 4 arrives is anyone's guess. The Packers, tenacious in their belief that "Aaron Rodgers is the starter," claim that Favre will only be permitted to participate in individual passing drills. However, will veteran Packers players approve of this? How will these players continue to go about their business in training camp while a Hall-of-Fame immortal legend is forced to sit out of live practices.

What is still befuddling is why the Packers are being so stubborn in their decision. It is understandable that they have committed their future to the inexperienced throwing arm of Rodgers, but after last year's near-Super Bowl season (with Favre as the catalyst), why would they still deny Favre after the situation has reached this point?

The Packers probably were not expecting Favre to pursue his reinstatement to this extent, and the simple fact that they sent a representative to Mississippi to offer him $20 million to stay retired shows they were not prepared to handle the situation. Favre seems to have taken control of the entire situation, because if he truly does show up at training camp on Friday, the Packers will be forced to make the next move.

It seems as though Favre's arrival or non-arrival at Packers camp will be the climax of the entire saga. Then again, every time a new development arises, days later a newer and more intriguing aspect of the situation begins to brew, leaving us to forget what had happened only days earlier.

Favre's training camp decision will ultimately determine the outcome of this bleak situation. If Favre does choose to show up on Friday, Packers GM Ted Thompson and the other members of the Packers inner party will have to make a decision in an atmosphere in which great suspense and intense pressure will linger ubiquitously.

This nightmare continues to worsen for the Packers, and one would have never envisioned Favre's legacy being tarnished in the manner it has been by this summer's events. There seems to be no solution in sight, but if Favre pursues this even further and shows up at camp, Packers management must come to the realization that this nightmare will not go away by itself.

There is an "itch" that needs to be scratched here, and until it is, this brutal battle of wills continues to evolve from a saga to an epic tragedy for the Green Bay Packers franchise.