He wouldn’t stop grinning.
That’s what had to bother Packers fans the most. Not that Brett Favre beat the gumption out of Green Bay, but that he had so much fun doing it.
Look back through the tape of Monday night’s game (if you’ve got the stomach for it) and you’ll see everything that made Favre such a hero for the Packers. The laserlike touchdown passes. The triumphant finger pointed skyward. The hugging and laughing with his teammates. The cheerleader exhorting his passionate fan base to scream impossibly louder.
Yes, Brett was doing all that and more. But he was doing it for the other side.
He was doing it for the Vikings side.
And he loved every single, glorious minute of it.
Short of throwing a brick through the TV, Packers fans had no choice to watch the whole sordid scene play out. It was betrayal of the highest order, and there was nuthin’ they could do about it. Now they know how the cast of “Saved by the Bell” feels. (Curse you, Dustin Diamond, and your myth-shattering ways.)
Pack fans didn’t even get the temporary satisfaction of a Favrian sack. And my guess is they haven’t felt sicker about losing since… well, since Denver ruined Favre’s quest for a second Super Bowl title.
Favre might still get that second Lombardi Trophy. Minnesota clearly has all the makings of a Super Bowl contender. The Vikings have the NFL’s best running back in Adrian Peterson. They can dominate opponents with both their offensive and defensive lines, a fact the Packers witnessed first-hand. And now, finally, the Vikings have a quarterback to stitch it all together.
Yes, Favre obviously has plenty left in the tank. So much, in fact, that the annual retirement circus seems all the more mind-boggling. And there’s plenty of zip on the passes, so that arm injury is a thing of the past. On Monday, he looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
That doesn’t mean the Packers were wrong to hook their wagon to Aaron Rodgers. Given a choice between two more years of Favre (complete with his retirement waffling) and a decade of Aaron Rodgers, the franchise’s long-term needs won out. Favre going to the Vikings was just the unfortunate collateral damage.
And given that damage, it’s easy to see why Favre would enjoy a little vengeance against his old team. What’s much harder to understand is Favre’s reluctance to admit as much this week. After the win, he was asked several times about revenge, a dish best served under a dome. Favre continued to deny that payback played any motivational factor. The closest he came to acknowledging it was a directive that “You [the media] make that decision.”
Well my decision is an easy one. I think Favre earned his vengeance, and I think he enjoyed it. I saw too many how-do-you-like-me-now smirks to think otherwise. The only thing missing was a headband with “Ted Thompson” written on it.
What Favre freely admits, however, is what’s so problematic for Packers Nation. He’s having fun again, and he doesn’t need Green Bay to do it. While Wisconsin still obsesses over him, he’s the ex-wife who’s moved on. “Anytime you’re 4-0, it’s a blast,” he said.
And speaking of blasts, how about that Packers offensive line? Eight torturous sacks on Rodgers? Were they filming new scenes for Saw VI?
Blame Rodgers for some of it. He still holds the ball too long. But Rodgers’ line is treating him like he stole something.
That’s just one of many problems the Packers will try to fix over their bye week, which will now feel interminably long. You know, like “The Jay Leno Show.” Green Bay’s running game still doesn’t scare a soul. Mike McCarthy looked a step behind Brad Childress (and his beard) when it came to halftime adjustments. And the Packers’ pass defense, supposedly one of the team’s strengths, was shredded Monday night. Poor play from an ever-thinner safety corps was part of the reason, but more concerning has to be the lack of pressure on Favre. He had more time than Methuselah in the pocket.
Which meant plenty of time to flash those maddeningly smug smiles.
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