Packers mailbag: Was it something I said?

By Os Davis  |   Friday, October 13, 2006  |  Comments( 13 )

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"Ah, these fans: I love 'em." -Bob Uecker

Sheesh, you would have thought I suggested that Vince Lombardi had been a high-ranking member of al-Qaeda...Here I was, all set to write up a nice pun-laden piece about the hijinks of my new favorite politician, Sandy "I Never Met a Tight End I Didn't Like" Sullivan, when there on Real Football 365 came a barrage of sarcasm, insults and general rage.

"Give me a break" and "if you're going to have a take, make it good" wrote the kinder respondents to the piece on the Week 5 Green Bay Packers-St. Louis Rams game, while epithets of "hack" were hurled at my metaphorical head.

Dripping with sarcasm, one "Al Davis" (C'mon, dude, is that your real name?) stated that "Brett Favre is responsible for the loss Sunday." Uncle Al went on to enumerate a number of Packer gaffes and conclude with "They shouldn't just bench him, they should shoot him."

Look, no one wants to shoot Favre. If this is the answer to Green Bay's woes, it seems he'll have to do it himself. Of course, this year, the bullet will probably be intercepted.

Rick Paquette commented succinctly with the rhetorical question, "How would you do at your job if you were surrounded by new hires?" Matt Hayton added that play resulting in Favre's game-ending fourth-quarter fumble was "on the O-line" and the apoplectic John G. (more on my new friend later) agreed, stating that it was "a breakdown by the offensive line." No argument here, guys: Poor Tony Moll (who I'm told plays guard) was literally brought to his knees as the line collapses, exposing Favre like a sexually-explicit email on CNN.

No, the fodder for further debate comes later in John G.'s tirade which excuses the fumble on a "desperate swipe" in addition to the Pack's truly pathetic line. This writer goes on to state "about how a HOF career is over because of one play (a ridiculous assumption to begin with) you should at least have seen the play."

Now, hold it right there, Mr. G. Perhaps my piece wasn't quite clear on the matter, but I meant to suggest that Favre's error was representative of his current capabilities. Please indulge some clarification: The fourth-quarter fumble (like the four consecutive incompletions against the New Orleans Saints at that game's end) was symbolic. S-y-m-b-o-l-i-c.

As for not seeing "the play" itself, this is in fact a "ridiculous assumption." G., it's everywhere. Look, here it is on YouTube:

In fact, this particular highlight clip is quite useful, as it appears that nothing but daylight existed between Favre and the wide open David Martin before the QB was hit on the fateful play. Of course, Martin probably should have had flashing neon lights on his jersey to indicate his presence - damn him for ruining the play for Favre!

I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize, however. This sportswriter should probably look at things more objectively like Favre's fans do and consider the bigger picture.

After all, Green Bay fans should be happy that, with the sorry state of the line, their quarterback is managing to complete 73 percent of his passes while being sacked an average of three times a game. Oh, wait, that's David Carr of the Houston Texans, a guy who's had essentially zero protection throughout his career and into this season without the benefit of an Ahman Green or Donald Driver.

Instead, perhaps we should consider that this team hasn't quite come together yet, and that this quarterback, though erratic at times and having posted a shaky preseason, still has to adapt to some new receivers and inexperience on that O-line. Oops, sorry again, that's Drew Bledsoe, a dude whose completion rate and (perhaps this is significant if the objective is to win games) whose Dallas Cowboys' win total are higher than Favre's.

All right then, let's just have a little respect. After all, this is a guy who won MVPs, took his team to two Super Bowls and, despite a relative lack of mobility, is still one of the more exciting QBs in the game. There's no way such a veteran hand should be replaced on a team that, at 1-4, must act quickly to gain a playoff spot, even if the second option is a well-regarded first-round draft pick. Damn, wrong again: That's Kurt Warner, currently holding the clipboard for the Arizona Cardinals.

A reality check may be in order for some. Look, everyone loves Brett Favre, remembering his amazing unorthodox style and the way he resurrected Titletown with some of the great squads of the 1990s. The 2006 version of Favre has been given break after break in the press, beginning in the days of mini-camp when the Packer asked rhetorically, "What are they going to do, cut me?" (Imagine the furor if, say, Brad Johnson or Donovan McNabb had uttered the same.)

Seriously, has such collective blindness ever helped anyone in the NFL this much? And has anyone ever been hurt by it as much as Aaron Rodgers, who, with a bit more time on the bench, may ultimately greater resemble Marques Tuiasosopo than someone you'd actually want starting?

Complaining about the offensive line weakness (and oh, boy, is it weak) is one thing, but remember that Favre chose to play on this team, the "most talented" he's ever been on.

One final desperate pro-Favre train of thought holds that the man should at least be allowed to write his name in the record books. Currently, he stands 17 TD passes behind Dan Marino. Playing at peak performance (which many seem to believe he is) means that he should be breaking this mark on opening day 2007. On the bright side, George Blanda's career interception mark is well within reach for 2006, with Favre needing just 17 more; not too difficult for a guy that, surely due to crummy receivers, threw 29 last season.

One more letter came from a writer known as "Packer Nation," who stated that "Three solid games in a row is something that Favre has pulled off about once in the last three years. The odds favor a classic Favrian multiple turnover game. Of course, I'm sure it'll be blamed on the line, the receivers, the defense and the coaching."

And that one's two weeks old...

More stuff on Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers at RealFootball365.com
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's...
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