Brett Favre Squared

Parents of twin boys born in Florida, March 5, 2008 have named the boys "Brett" and "Favre". I think people need to get off of our plan to name our son, "Kaiser".

The Gunslinger Rides Out of Town

After the season ended in January, I wrote that even after coming off of an MVP type year and with all signs logically pointing otherwise, Favre was just enough of a contrarian to go and retire. Unfortunately, I was right (again). Thanks for the memories, Number 4.

A Great Season With a Bad Ending

So the Packers fall at home to the Giants 23-20 in overtime and fail in their bid to go to the Super Bowl. The Packers gave the Giants plenty of opportunities to win and the Giants finally cashed in.

Favre didn't have his best game. His second interception was a killer but the game plan installed by Head Coach Mike McCarthy was questionable. Although, Eli Manning threw the ball 40 times to Favre's 35 times, the Giants had many more snaps and a far higher number of rushing attempts than did the Packers (39-14). Why the Packers didn't run more a week after Ryan Grant went for 201 yards is puzzling. Yeah, the yards weren't there early but you can't just give up on the running game.

All-Pro Cornerback Al Harris was overmatched against Giants' wide receiver Plaxico Burress all game. It didn't help matters that Harris played much of the game with an injured foot. But did the Packers make any adjustments to get Harris help? Uh-uh.

Generally, the tackling was about as poor as I've seen from this team this year. Lots of initial hits in the Giants' backfield still resulted in positive yardage when the first contact is made by someone who bounces off. And for the love of all things Lombardi, Jerrod Bush: FALL ON THE FREAKING BALL. DON'T TRY TO PICK IT UP AND RUN, YOU MORON!!!

That said, the Packers had a great season. Far beyond initial expectations. I figured a 9-7 season and a wild-card playoff spot. They're still the youngest team in the league even with the Old Man of the Mountain, Favre, skewing the numbers. If Favre returns, this year's seasoning can only help them understand what they're capable of and what still needs to be done. Of course, I'm not taking anything for granted until I hear Favre say, "I'm back." While it makes all kinds of sense that he'd come back after having an MVP-calibre season personally and a great year for the team overall, he's just nutty enough to do something unexpected like retire. I'm just not quite ready for the Aaron Rodgers era to begin yet.

Remembering Max McGee

I never saw him play live but every Green Bay Packers fan has seen the greatness of his play in Super Bowl I and knows the legend of his pre-Super Bowl preparation. Many remember Max McGee for his color commentary during Packers games for 19 years. McGee had all the passion for the Packers that Ron Santo has for the Cubs except McGee could string an occasional coherent thought together.

On October 20, 2007, McGee died as a result of a fall from the roof of his home in Deephaven, Minnesota while removing leaves from the roof with a leaf blower. While one may question why a 75 year old needed to be climbing around on a roof, that was just McGee's everyman, self-reliant style. He will be missed.

Smells Like Teen Spirit

Two Florida high school girls were kicked out of the stands at a football game for arriving bodypainted in school colors. The girls wore bikini tops and all of their private bits were covered yet they were ejected while bodypainted boys were allowed to stay.

I'm not the women's lib movement's greatest advocate but come on, fair is fair. The girls took physiological and social differences into account by wearing tops whereas the boys undoubtedly were topless. I have to agree with the girls on this one. Either both genders can wear bodypaint or neither should.

Article HERE.

The Old Man and the TD

So, Brett Favre is washed up and a shadow of his former self? Well he isn't what he was in 1996 but given a modicum of talent surrounding him he still appears well able to get the job done and statistically speaking is a top notch QB. It also helps having an offensive line that keeps him on his feet for the most part.

Now tied with Dan Marino for an NFL record 420 touchdown passes, he will easily surpass that mark most likely starting next week. Peyton Manning may be fast approaching but for now the mark will be Favre's. And it should be noted that this year he is doing it without even a hint of a running game.

Can he keep it going all year? Will defenses adjust? Maybe but it's still impressive to see him doing what he's doing at this stage of his career. Next up are the Minnesota Vikings and given their run defense, it will be up to the arm of Favre to find a way to win in the Humpty Dome.