Sports Then and Now

So, the Favre talk starts again…

He is reportedly said to retire… again. If he really does retire from the sport, he would retire with the most wins (181) and touchdowns (497) of any quarterback. He also holds the record for most consecutive starts, of course. Brett has started every game since September 27th, 1992. That’s right… 285 consecutive starts. The closest person to him in that category is Peyton Manning. Manning has 192 consecutive starts throughout his career with the Colts.

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Courtesy of Engy’s

Favre was beaten and battered by the Saints.

The popular question following the victory by the New Orleans Saints over the Minnesota Vikings to clinch the NFC Championship and the right to play in the Super Bowl has been, “Are you happy now?” Happy is not the word I use.

Watching Sunday’s game I grimaced at every painful hit given by the Saint defense onto the Viking quarterback. Every tackle that was borderline late, I winced at. But each time the veteran QB got up off the Superdome turf and returned to the huddle. Every time but one, then he was helped off the field at the end of a possession. While watching the trainers and doctors of the Vikings checked him out and re taped his ankle, many wondered if he would answer the bell. But like a great title fighter he came back in to take his licks and fight his team one more time.

But was I happy the Vikings lost? No, I was relieved.

I was relieved that the one time QB of my favorite team, the Green Bay Packers wasn’t able to take the division rival to the Super Bowl. Throughout the year all Packer fans were expecting the “old” Favre to come back. We were waiting for Brett to begin forcing the ball, being intercepted and costing the Packers a possible victory. Green Bay fans would shrug it off as “Brett being Brett.” We felt that is what made him the QB that Packer fans fell in love with.

But the divorce wasn’t pretty and eventually Brett wanted to prove to the administration of the team that he parted ways with that he could still play. He did take Green Bay to the NFC Championship game in his last year in Wisconsin just two years ago and he knew there were still many touchdown throws left in that right arm.

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Will cosmic forces decide which teams will play in Super Bowl XLIV?

Something cosmic is about to happen.

The New York Jets, a wild card team, continued to play over their heads, lead by a gangly, tall, brown-eyed, brunette quarterback, a strong running game, and a punishing defense, they surprised everyone winning two playoff games on the road in order to play the Colts.

Does that sound about right? Of course. It is the 2010 New York Jets.

Wrong. And right. It is also the 1969 New York Jets. Same description: wild card, tall dark and young quarterback, strong ground game, strong defense, wild card, playing over their heads as momentum builds.

In 1969 the quarterback was Joe Willie Namath. While lounging on Miami Beach in the week leading up to Super Bowl III, the kid couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He guaranteed a Jets victory.

In the first two super games, the NFL, represented by Vince Lombardi’s Packers, totally dominated their AFL opponents: Kansas City the first year, Oakland the second. Everyone just assumed that the Baltimore Colts would make it three in a row. This, especially because the Jets were a wild card. Most of the pundits had them at either the third or fourth best AFL club. Everyone expected the Jets to be dragged across the field and trampled at the Orange Bowl. Read the rest of this entry →

Each week, Sports Then and Now picks one NFL matchup and looks through the history books to find an intriguing past meeting between the two teams. We recap the game and hopefully help reintroduce (or introduce for you younger readers) you to some of the greats (and in some cases not so greats) from the history of professional football.

The Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers have played a lot of good and important games since the Vikings entered the NFL in 1960, but there may not have ever been a more anticipated meeting than the one this coming Monday night. Though the game is being played in Minnesota and Brett Favre will not make his return to Lambeau Field until November 1st, this game officially cements the divorce between Favre and the Packers.

When Favre steps on the field to face the Packers wearing the purple, gold and white of the Vikings, there is no turning back.

This is the game that Favre has been waiting to play since the Packers called his bluff and escorted him to New York more than a year ago. This is the game the Packer fans have been waiting for since Favre showed his true colors and intentions by orchestrating his release from the Jets and then signing with the Vikings.

In preparation, I thought it would be fun to look back at one of Favre’s better outings for the Packers against the Vikings. Indeed, the quarterback feasted on the Vikings throughout his career. In 31 games against the Vikings, Favre led the Packers to 17 wins while completing 62% of his passes for 7,379 yards and 54 touchdowns with 33 interceptions.

For our Classic Rewind, we go back to September 21, 1997 and a game in which Favre and the Packers lit up the scoreboard and then held on to defeat the Vikings.
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Welcome to the “What’s old is new again” edition of Waiting for the Weekend.

Brett Favre Doesn’t Care, Why Should We?
If I’ve realized anything from this nagging Brett Favre saga it is that he really doesn’t care what people think of him.

Oh, I think he cared what people though of him 3-4 years ago when it looked like his career might end with him being benched and the Packers stinking up the NFL. And, I think he will care again someday when he is once and for all too old to legitimately play the game.

However, I think after the taste of success he had with the Packers in 2007 and the realization in his own mind that he is still good enough to play in the NFL, he has decided that playing the game – and doing it on his own terms – is more important to him than what others might think.

There is no question that Favre is a selfish SOB who has put himself above his team for years. Who knows, that may be one of the reasons he only won one Super Bowl for a Green Bay team that had as much talent as any team in the league for nearly half a dozen years.

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Favre, the school bully, stole Jackson and Rosenfel's lunch money

Enough is enough! Michael Felger said it on Sports Tonight on Comcast Sports Net. I couldn’t agree with him more. Brett Favre, go away please! Everyone except the state of Minnesota (who crashed the Minnesota Vikings website for tickets), doesn’t give a rat’s fat @ss anymore (this just in….the rat has just announced his @ss doesn’t care either!).
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