Can’t teach an old QB new tricks
Few longtime Favre followers were surprised at how the Vikings' season came to an end
Since round the clock coverage from ESPN obviously isn’t enough to feed his giant ego, Brett Favre has taken an additional step to ensure that he’ll be THE story when training camps open for all 32 teams at the end of the month. The veteran quarterback sat down recently for an interview with Men’s Journal – a story that will conveniently hit the newsstands this weekend. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune ran excerpts from the wide-ranging interview on Wednesday. Favre talks to writer Stephen Rodrick about many things, including his decision to retire, his messy breakup with the Packers and his recent ankle surgery. But what we found most interesting – and most telling – were his comments about the interception at the end of regulation against New Orleans in the NFC title game. Here’s what the 19-year veteran said:
“The previous week against the Cowboys, we did the same exact play to [Sidney] Rice. We were up about 25 at the time, so it was different. He came back to me on a broken play, and we got 20 yards. This time, when I let it go, I’m thinking he’s going to come back to me. As he drifted farther and farther away, I could see the corner come in from the other side, and I’m thinking, Oh, shit. As a player you’ve got to pull the trigger. You can’t say, Well, is he going to do what I think he’s going to do? He wasn’t wrong, and in some ways, I wasn’t either.”
Simply amazing, and not at all surprising. This is vintage Favre. First, he finds a way to justify an awful decision. Using logic only he and his sycophantic followers could possibly understand, it was apparently OK to force a throw across the field because that same play worked in a game the Vikings were leading by 25 points the week before. And then, as if already well-aware that no coherent person would be satisfied with that explanation, Favre has another excuse at the ready – one he’s been using for years. He blames the receiver. The only thing that ever changes is how forcefully he pushes his teammate under the bus. A journeyman like Bill Schroeder gets shoved with both hands. A rising star like Rice gets more of a nudge. But either way, the receiver ends up with tire tracks on his back.
General manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy watched as Favre carelessly threw away their chance to go to the Super Bowl in 2007. And then they were forced to listen as the future Hall of Famer casually dismissed his unconscionable season-ending interception as simply “a poor pass.” If Thompson and McCarthy weren’t anxious to have Favre return in 2008 – and we’ve been told many times that they were not – could you really blame them? Besides having a talented young quarterback already on the roster, they had simply lost faith in a man whose postseason record since 1997 was now a woeful 3-7. And because Favre seldom learned from or took responsibility for his mistakes, Thompson and McCarthy no longer believed that he was capable of winning a title. Based on what happened in the Superdome and what was written in Men’s Journal, it appears they were correct.
You guys are really mean, Brett is the best.
How he is able to squeeze that oversized head into any helmet is beyond me.
The Favre apologists to this day claim that Favre was pushed out by the Packers because of TT’s ego or because TT didn’t draft him or for a myriad of other conspiratorial things unrelated to football. My contention all along was that TT and MM simply felt that they had a better chance at winning a championship with Rodgers over the next five years then with Favre for one more year. That was a hard sell to Packer nation at the time. They were coming off a NFC championship game and Rodgers was a complete unknown to fans. Plus, TT and MM were just not willing to explain to fans/media why Favre wasn’t the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Fast forward two years. Rodgers is on the cusp of being a elite QB for years to come. Favre self destructed the Jets chances and shat down his leg AGAIN in the NFC championship game. Favre’s true personality has been revealed to the world. His awe shucks good ole boy perona has been replaced with a persona of being a diva celeb who puts himself above the team and doesn’t want to go to training camp. Two years ago Packer nation was 80% wanting him back and 20% willing to move on. Those numbers have flipped and we owe TT and MM a lot of credit for making the right decision and not the easy decision.
I was ALWAYS in the ready to move on category!!! Great comment though dHoward…
And it wasn’t just the INT that I found interesting… There was also the little tidbit about his motives for all intents and purposes being to stick it to the Packers, Thompson and McCarthy!!! I found that to be quite revealing! He basically admitted that was the case…
I think Favre was incredibly stunned when he wanted to come back and the Packers didn’t have a parade in his honor. He felt he was owed another season. His ego especially couldn’t handle the fact that TT and MM felt they had a better chance at a championship with an unproven A. Rodgers. The Packers knew how it was going to turn out and they really tried to dissuade him from returning. Favre thought he could force the issue as I am sure he believed the Packers were bluffing. They couldn’t possibly release or trade Brett Favre could they? They would be run out of town. When Favre realized that TT and Murphy weren’t going to blink everything turned into a PR game. Favre going on Greta and telling the world that he just wants to play ball and the Packers trying to explain why they want to move on (“crossing the Rubicon”)without bashing their super popular ex-player. It would have been so easy for Murphy and TT to just take him back and go another season with Favre. The fact they didn’t do the easy thing but instead stuck with the decision they thought best for organization shows you what kind of character they posses. I’m not saying TT is a great GM but I have never heard anyone (even Favre) say he wasn’t a man of high integrity.
Funny how the grave errors made by entire teams are meaningless when some clown wants to bash Favre. Recall that their was absolutely no running game against the Giants? That Plaxico was crushing us? Recall that the Minnesota offense fumbled away that game long before Favre was forced to make something happen? In both instances, the teams were IN the game because of, not in spite of, Favre’s efforts.
One only need to see how well the Pack have done since his departure. Obviously all of the pieces were in place except for that spoiler wearing #4. As if.
Someone finally got it right,the fumbles by Minnn. lost that game.It was Favre that had to try and make up for the great running Peterson. The man who gets all this credit and was the one that really lost that game
He also breaks down in the cold.
Favre’s season ended exactly as I hoped and expected it would–with an ill-advised interception in a losing playoff game. It’s the thing he has been better at than anything else (apart from the year or two when the defense was so good that they could overcome it).
The only thing missing was that I was hoping it would be Al Harris returning his interception for a touchdown in the NFC Championship game. Oh well, maybe this year…
To have one’s season end with an interception thrown at the end means your team was THAT close to winning. Doesn’t that say more about a team than it being down by 20 in the 4th quarter and going out in a whimper? Fact is, every team but one ends their season losing. This is probably seen as defending Favre rather than pointing out the obvious… and so is the fact that a number of veteran players would often ‘retire’ and ‘unretire’ during training camp to avoid the grind. I’m not condoning what he does, but until I sit through 18 straight, monotonous, training camps, I can’t say I know what it’s like.
Oh, by-the-way, just how many NFL players even make it to 18+ training camps to be in a position to be bored and be thinking to themself “what am I doing sitting in the same room with players 15 years younger than I am” besides the rare long-snapper or place kicker???
WPsmith… Does a lack of running game somehow justify the HORRIBLE decision Favre made on that play? NO!
I have a photo of that play from Favres perspective. There were 3 other options on that play. ALL of them were more open that Driver!!! Grant right in front of him w/ noone w/in 15 yds of him, Lee in the middle of the field about 10 yds downfield w/ a step on a LB and Jennings running a similar route on the opposite sdie of the field w/ 2 steps on a DB.
For that matter how do you justify the throw vs the Saints this past year or vs the Iggles a few years previous? Quit making EXCUSES for him!!!
Can’t say I always agree with Stroh, but he’s spot on with this one. The ONLY guy not running down the field wide open was Driver. Why Favre threw that ball is still beyond me.
Yep. Favre said it was a poor PASS. It was. But it was a worse DECISION. You could excuse the interception if he found the right receiver and simply made a crappy throw. That happens. But he chose to throw a pass to pretty much the only receiver who WASN’T open.
[...] More feedback on the Favre Men’s Journal interview, this time from Packer Update. [...]
It’s not just one occurrance, it’s a decade of late season ineptitude:
http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/11_3121_Critical_errors:_the_other_side_of_the_Favre_legacy.html
The common factor in each one of these late-season crashes – It’s almost entirely on Favre and his inability to control his emotions and stay the course when the pressure mounts.
This isn’t ‘hating’ on somebody, it’s just the facts. He’s been aweful when it matters most for a decade.
TT and MM had a choice to make two years ago. They knew what they had in Favre. A top 10 QB but a guy who felt that he been around so long he didn’t need training camp or OTA’s or all the off season work with the other players. They didn’t think he had the passion anymore. Did he just want to play on Sundays? Was he willing to put the time in with a young roster in order to be a championship team? He retired. He said he didn’t have that passion anymore. He called them in April and said he might want to play. He changed his mind a few weeks later. Then the phone rings in June and they have to think this guy is just missing football but does he really want to be a full time QB? As great a QB as Favre could be they had to decide what was best for the team. Take back a QB that may not have his heart into it or move forward with a young and promising QB that you think will lead this young team for years to come. It was a tough decision and certainty one they didn’t want to make. Would Favre alone have made the 2008 team a super bowl contender. No way. Would he have stuck around for 2009 at that point? Doubtful. TT and MM made the best decision for the Packers. It is just unfortunate that it allowed Favre to play for a rival that was an average QB away from being a contender.
At the moment, isn’t Brent’s last play for his last three teams an INT?
Ok, what I don’t understand is why I am in the minority of packer fans who still love Brett. 17 years of greatness just wasn’t enough? Sure i don’t agree with the way he went about things when we decided to put on this whole show with his retirement/unretirement. But it really was all blown up way too much. Bottom line is, he screwed up, bad. Ok, and for that he lost his team. He lost green bay. But the whole thing about him being too egotistical. Who cares? Ofcoarse he is, and that’s part of what makes him who he is, and the player he is. The packers are clearly better off now with Rodgers and Favre is probably better off now with the vikes. But we should just appreciate every snap that we are able to watch Brett play cause he is still truly a great player. I hate that everyone looks back on the NFC Championship game and criticizes Favre’s int. What I saw, was one of Brett’s hardest faught games ever. He took a beating like I have never seen before and like a warrior, got right back out on that field and did everything he could for his team to win. It’s unfortunate that it ended the way it did, but, does anyone else remember that the vikings fumbles 6 times? 4 by AP. And twice inside the 10 yard line. In my mind it was one of Favre’s best games and he doesn’t deserve all the heat he takes for it. But as you can tell, he doesn’t care. For him its simple, just a bad pass. And he will be out there next season still amazing us each week. Regardless what you say about him, he’ still the man. But I believe that now we have the better quarterback and the better team. It hurts watching him in purple, and it hurts cheering against him. But, I don’ mind the added competition. It will make our season just that much sweeter to get past Favre and the f-ing vikings in route to the superbowl. GO PACKERS!