Favre shrugged

By Os Davis  |   Wednesday, November 08, 2006  |  Comments( 6 )

Green Bay Packers
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At the post-game press conference, Brett Favre's shoulders sagged in the typical natty white T-shirt, seemingly to literally carry the metaphorical weight of this entire Green Bay Packers team that the QB bears. "I was telling Ingle [Martin, who else is named Ingle?] before I came in here. It doesn't get any easier."

Sure, we all know that Favre was simply running off the expected well-worn jockspeak cliché, which, by decorum, should always follow a loss, but it was hard to avoid the symbolism of the man's body language. What Favre didn't say spoke volumes. Channeling one or another of the "Lethal Weapon" movies and a hundred other Hollywood buddy-buddy action flicks, Favre's body screamed: "I'm getting too old for this s---!"

What never gets easier? Acquiescing to shaky play-calling. In the game Sunday at Buffalo, Favre showed that he can still play. Sure, there was the absolutely brutal selection on the fourth-quarter pass that landed in the hands of Ko Simpson. (Yes, Drew Bledsoe got slammed to the Dallas Cowboys' pine for less than this, but we've accepted that such standards slide off the Teflon Packer.) On the other hand, check out how the old dude threaded the needle with a laser to Donald Driver on a one-yard slant against the nickel.

What never gets easier? Here's one: Losing a game when utterly outplaying the opposition in the numbers. Just look at these lying statistics. Total yards: Packers 427, Bills 184. On third down: Packers 7-of-16, Bills a pathetic 2-of-11. First downs: Packers, 26-11. Passing: Favre and Green Bay, 28-of-47 for 280; J.P. Losman and Buffalo, 8-of-15 for 102 measly yards. Losing games like this would get old for any mortal man.

Of course, the key stat was in turnovers. The Green Bay Work In Progress turned the ball over a depressing four times to the Bills' fascinating zero. (Did you know that Buffalo had a minus-4 differential going into this thing? The Bills have lept to statistical respectability in the category in one game.)

What's interesting in the perception of the turnover battle is that the usual Favre-otism displayed by fans and media has been turned aside, with undue blame put on the QB. Though the fourth-quarter pick essentially ended up sealing the deal, as a team the Pack generally shot itself enough times to put an entire millipede family on the IR.

Scott Wells was particularly amazing. While Favre is perceived of as having fumbled twice, the stats officially give both to Wells for his comical snaps from center. The snap on the count of two that smacked Favre in the face is an automatic entry onto NFL blooper reels, though they'll probably give Favre the ol' "America's Most Wanted" pixel face effect to protect his identity.

In the old days, Favre might have screamed at his own player, he might have left the field visibly seething. On Sunday, the ball bounced stupidly away, and instantly there was that gravity sloping Favre's shoulders closer to earth. Defeatedly. Powerlessly.

(Incidentally, if Favre, Wells and, say, Ahman Green had spontaneously followed the play with a full-on "Three Stooges" routine with helmet smacking and eye gouging, would the refs have flagged it?)

What never gets easier? Carrying a team. Why? Age.

Nearly every week when putting together a Packer column or two, this sportswriter wonders what it is about Favre that makes us want him to succeed so badly. (Yes, even me, despite a "detracting" RealFootball365 column or two about the man.)

Joe Theismann's nauseating love affair with the man aside, most NFL observers are in Favre's corner. Even outside Wisconsin, the majority is seemingly cheering The Grizzled One on, despite the "What are they going to do? Cut me?" and "Maybe we just ain't that good" remarks. Favre is loved despite his reported refusal to help develop Aaron Rodgers and his willingness to preen for cameras.

So why the adoration for Favre? Because he gave Titletown its name back? Because of the consecutive games streak? Because he is, perhaps, the most exciting QB of my generation's lifetime?

Here's a thought. Maybe we don't want Favre reminding us of inevitable age, preferring instead to believe that the years on the driver's license are just a number and that a 37-year-old can still carry the NFL equivalent of the Atlas-like weight-of-the-world burden: a highly inexperienced, mostly star-bereft Green Bay team. Maybe we want another tale of glory against the ultimately unassailable enemy - Time. Maybe we just want another feel-good story of the season, of the year, of the decade, of the century. Maybe we want him - and ourselves - never to age...

Now that's heavy.

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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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