My Favorite Memories of Brett Favre

Originally posted on http://digitaldiatribes.wordpress.com on March 4, 2008 before he unretired.

This is not a post that delves into the greatest moments of Brett Favre. This is a post that is just me sitting here, pulling moments from my brain. Many are great moments, many are just the little things that make Favre’s tenure in the NFL so darned memorable. There will be many that I forget. Please add a comment with your own favorite memories. Before I do this exercise, let me just say that I am more emotional about his retirement than I thought I’d be. No, not sobbing… just sentimental. I feel priveleged to have watched him play all these years. Thank you, Brett, for those memories. And here they are:

His number… #4

First completed pass – to himself, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, during relief of Don Majkowski in a blowout loss (I remember lamenting to my wife during this game, as the Packers were headed to 0-2 under first-year coach Mike Holmgren, “All I want is to see the Packers have a good team in my lifetime.”

First game-winning drive, against the Cincinnati Bengals, the very next game. With just over a minute to go from 87 yards away, a long sideline completion to Sterling Sharpe, and the capper, a 27 yard TD to Kittrick Taylor. (If my numbers aren’t perfect, it’s because I’m doing this from memory)

His one and only Lambeau Leap. There’s a reason there was only one.

News: 01-31-2008 – McCarthy’s the man, 2012 Aliens, Problems with Ethanol, and Disappearing Bats

Originally posted on http://digitaldiatribes.wordpress.com on January 31, 2008.

LINK: Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy is fans’ Coach of the Year

Hey, maybe youse guys outside of Wisconsin don’t care, but whenever there is Packers news to be had, everything else takes a back seat. Bill Bellicheck won the Coach of the year as voted on by the AP a few weeks ago, and so I was surprised when I saw the headline that McCarthy had won. I guess this was a fan ballot.

Anyway, congrats, Mike! Thanks for a great year, even if it did end on a disappointing note. I was among the mass of freezing bodies at Lambeau field for the Championship game. Even with that loss, it was a heckuva year, and you deserve this honor.

LINK: Time to start working on the Red Carpet for ET

I’m a fan of the weird stuff. It interests me. The year 2012 holds a lot of weight in doomsday circles. One of the reasons for this is the Mayan Calendar that ends at that time. Some people think the world will end, some believe it will enter us into a New Age, and so on. Much of this is occultic in nature, and really needs to be treated carefully. This story is yet another one of those delusional elements: saviors from space will come to us and bring us peace.

Brett Returns! My thoughts…

Originally posted on http://digitaldiatribes.wordpress.com on February 5, 2007.

I had originally intended to comment on this on Saturday, Feb. 3, but the weekend got away from me. I just wanted to throw out my two cents, as a Packer fan, my thoughts on Brett Favre’s decision to return for a 17th season. In random order, here they are:

-All season long, I thought for sure he’d come back for another season. In that respect, the decision is no surprise. And then I saw him cry on camera after the Packers defeated the hated Bears. Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure. I mean, he cried. On TV!

-His returning last season really makes no sense if he didn’t return this season. Had the Packers finished 4-12 again and showed little sign of improvement, then it would be understandable that he may decide to call it quits. As it is, the Packers showed progress with a young team, and it would make no sense to ride out a year of rebuilding to stop now.

-Maybe he’s not the best anymore, but he’s a bona fide starter in the NFL, and better than any other alternative the Packers would currently have.

-People who argue that it actually hurts the Packers that he returns have no history on their side. The theory, apparently, is that you need to shove a young guy in and “develop” him. Poppycock. History says that it works both ways. In some cases, young guys develop when they play, in other cases, they don’t. In some cases, guys benefit from being on the bench, in other cases they don’t. There is no set formula for the successor. Trust me, I know. I played football in high school and watch it on TV a lot.

-It’s kind of funny that nearly all Packers fans want him back and really think it’s best for the team, and it’s the non-Packers fans that are making the arguments against his return. I suppose an outsider may think this points to Packers fans being delusional, but my picture of Reggie White spoke to me and told me I’m being perfectly rational.

-All other things aside, as one fellow fan said best, Favre simply needs to finish the story. Let’s face it, football fans today, and especially Packers fans, are lucky to witness this guy play. I’ll be telling my young kids and grandkids about the Favre years, God willing. If he can break all the records where he is currently in second, and finish his career with a trip to the playoffs, then he will have finished the story. Go out while – if not on the very top of the heap, then at least as a success – and rewrite the record books.

So, those are my thoughts. And when Brett called and asked me for advice last week, that’s pretty much what I told him. He thanked me for my insight, and the next day announced his return.

Coincidence? I think not.