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Bleach: Favre leads Packers to one final victory
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Also by Michael Bleach:
- Wildcats outsmart, outplay Badgers (November 23, 2009)
- Wisconsin eyes 6th Big Ten win (November 20, 2009)
- Oakland no match for Badgers at Kohl Center (November 19, 2009)
- Bleach: Loss to OSU leaves Badgers wondering (November 18, 2009)
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If soccer’s failure to establish in America has taught us anything, it’s that Americans don’t like ties.
I mean we really don’t like ties.
The NFL suffered its first tie in six years this season in a thrilling 13-13 game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cincinnati Bengals. A feat so impressive, 10-year veteran Donovan McNabb wasn’t even aware it was possible. The MLB has only suffered one notable tie in recent memory — the 2002 All Star Game — and the outcry was so severe a rule was passed to ensure it would never happen again. Even the NHL has taken up the mantle lately, ending games with a shootout since the 2005-06 season to decide on a victor.
In short, Americans need a winner and a loser.
With that in mind, it is time to look at the scoreboard between the New York Jets, the Green Bay Packers and the recently retired (insert snarky comment here) Brett Favre.
Taking all the factors into account, it’s actually pretty obvious who came out on top. It wasn’t a “win-win” — the best thing to come of a bad situation or any other phrase that pundits have been throwing around. One team won, and one team lost (hence the random tangent to lead this column).
Like he did 169 times previously for the Packers, Favre gave Green Bay one last victory when he fled to don the Jets uniform.
And really, it’s not even close.
Favre threw 22 touchdowns and 22 interceptions in 2008 for New York on his way to an equally average 81.0 passer rating. Rodgers on the other hand, put up 28 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and he finished the season with a 93.8 passer rating.
Advantage Packers.
Without a doubt, quarterback is the most important position in the NFL, perhaps in any sport. It is actually so obvious, I feel dumb putting it into writing. Ron Wolf — the man who brought Favre to Wisconsin — once said, “My philosophy is, if you don’t have a quarterback, you’re in for a long Sunday afternoon.”
So how do the futures look for each team under center?
The Packers have a 25-year-old who has been through more pressure than any other first time starter in NFL history and he came out relatively successful. Basically, they have a confident young QB with reasonable potential to join the game’s elite.
The Jets counter with a trio of Kellen Clemens, Erik Ainge and someone named Brett Ratliff. There isn’t a joke clever enough to describe how poor that quarterback situation really is. When the Chicago Bears boast a better QB combo with Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman, you know you are in trouble.
To their credit, the Jets did win three more games than the Packers this year, so the trade wasn’t a total loss. But even with a winning season, New York missed the playoffs and was bitch-slapped by karma when it fell in the season finale to the Chad Pennington-led Miami Dolphins. On top of all that, the Jets have to hand over their third-round pick to the Packers. So how much do those nine wins really mean?
While it may seem cruel how much pleasure I am taking in the Jets’ misfortune, it is hard to feel sorry for them when the signs of Favre’s impending drop off were so obvious.
He turned 39 in October this season, and it’s not like he was the final piece for their Super Bowl puzzle. They mortgaged the future on someone who (predictably) had a huge decline due to age and injury in December.
Furthermore, his image didn’t match his production. While we always heard how clutch Favre was, and no game was out of reach with him under center, that reputation was built on the first five years of his career. In reality, No. 4 only went 3-7 in his last 10 playoff games. While John Madden may not have been aware of Favre’s faults, the Jets certainly should have been.
To top if off, Favre told Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, “Part of me coming back last year, I have to admit now, was sticking it to Ted [Thompson].” Doesn’t it feel good Jets fans, that you had to suffer through an epic collapse this December because Favre was spiting the Packers’ general manager?
All in all, the risk to take on Favre made little sense then and makes even less sense in hindsight. The Jets got exactly what Favre has been delivering the last five years; he started every game, made some exciting plays and threw a lot of interceptions.
So as Favre rides his lawnmower off into the sunset, the Jets are stuck looking for a franchise leader once again with Favre helping the Packers put up a win one final time.
Michael is a junior majoring in journalism. Think the Jets got a better deal than he gives them credit for? Do you enjoy ties in athletic competitions? Let him know at mbleach@badgerherald.com
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IP hash: b139c990
How did this guy get in the J school? What a joke.
IP hash: 8486fb04
Yup. You get it. Funny that so many Brett heads don’t.
IP hash: 9bc86133
Blah Blah Blah. Brett Favre this Brett Favre that. I’m tired of hearing people talk about Brett the way they do. The general management of the Green Bay Packers was flat out wrong. So was Brett Favre for not giving the Packers due time to have a QB game plan. Nonetheless, Brett down right deserved to be there no matter what, and for Ted Thompson not to accept Brett back was a slap across Brett’s face. Brett gave great years in Green Bay and almost made it to the Super Bowl last year only to get shafted? I don’t think so. That’s shady no matter how you look at it. I mean, where is the respect? And why couldn’t have Favre been productive with his young and growing team last year? There is such a thing as chemistry. Yea Rodgers had a good year with over a 90% passer rating but it didn’t mean squat did it? They went 4-12!! Ted Thompson should have let Brett play out his career where he belonged, and that’s in Green Bay! He realistically only had a year or two left, let him play! He can still play! Look at Vinny Testeverde, look at Bernard Hopkins, old guys can get the job done. Rodgers would have got his shot regardless. As a Packer fan and if you’re a football fan, you know that Brett Favre leading the helm would’ve had a better season than 4-12. I feel embarrassed to be a Packer fan right now but I will never be embarrassed of being a Brett Favre fan. I’m Chris Grajczyk and I’m with Brett. grajczyk45@aol.com
IP hash: dc3d6abb
Hey Chris? The Packers went 6-10, not 4-12. Not a whole lot better, but I stopped reading your nonsense when I realized you didn’t even follow the Packers last year.
12>4. The end.
IP hash: c5393620
why take favre back? Rodgers more than likely would not have returned if favre played this year. As a franchise it did not make sense to take #4 back for one year and risk losing a high quality quarterback such as Rodgers for many years to come. As much as I love #4, the Packers and TT made the right choice to move forward for the future. It may not have shown this season but they will get the job down and improve on their “4-12” (ha) season.
What did they do, lose 6 games, I believe by 6 or less points, which can be blamed on the horrible defense that showed up or did not show up the majority of the season.
IP hash: 3a36ac40
Look, the Packers made a horrible decision, yes Rodgers had better Stats but look who he had to work with, overall a much better team than the Jets. Yes Favre fell apart down the line, the cold got to his old bones the same way he did last year, but the better team got them down the line. I honestly don’t think he had the emotional investment in the Jets that he did with the Packers, and Rodgers couldn’t fill the Leadership shoes of Farve. The Packers had no real leader, they were constantly bickering on the sidelines especialy after their losses. Will Aaron Rodger be a great QB for the Packers, Yes. But Favre would have given them more wins this last year.
IP hash: 6089cf1f
Favre announced, tearfully, that he had thought long and hard about it, and decided that he had to retire, that he didn’t have ‘it’ anymore, and the Packers believed him. Rightfully so, too, especially after he had given them so many good years and wonderful times. The only logical thing to do after getting that very public announcement would be to start very seriously preparing Aaron Rodgers for taking the helm of the offense, which is exactly what they did. However, the defense was sub-par and the Packers suffered horribly for that. Injuries also played a significant role this past season, and the Packers had a somewhat humiliating sub-.500 season. However, I expect that the Packers are very well aware of this and are doing major rehabilitation both on their players and on their staff. Disregarding the largely unpredictable injury factor, I believe that the ‘09 Packers are a playoff-worthy team, with a strong quarterback, a damn good receiving core and an offensive line as strong as it is. Draft picks will also be important, and hopefully the Packers will make logical decisions there, as well.
IP hash: 53ba02c3
I love the fact that the guy says that Favre’s success in the clutch was only true in his first 5 years? What about his last year in GB, with 4 fourth quarter comebacks and bringing the team back from a 14-0 in the Seattle game. Yes, his INT against the Giants ultimately cost them the game, but the defense gave up HUGE yardage on the ground and couldn’t make the big play when it needed to. Favre is a legend, and one of the greatest of all time. This guy is right when he says that the move to Rodgers was the right one for the future, but he’s just flat out wrong when he tries to belittle Favre’s accomplishments.