The Favre bashing -- whats up with it?

[TruthSeeker]

Favre played poorly for a few years (while many in the media were telling us how great he is e.g. John Madden) and most made excuses for him. He set a record for interceptions in a season and people said that he was just doing what he needed to do on a bad team.

Now Favre starts playing smarter, controlled football and not throwing interceptions and guess what? His team starts winning! Coincidence? I don't think so. It's certainly not all Favre, but he contributed to the losing in previous seasons and he's contributing to the winning this year. Why did Green Bay lose to Chicago on Sunday? A big reason was Favre's characteristic dumb play interception - the exact thing that he has not been doing earlier this year but regularly did the past few years.

Favre's refusal to mentor fellow QBs on the team really turned me off. It said to me that Favre is all about himself, not about the team.

I'm glad Favre has turned it around this year. But realize that Favre changed. He stopped doing a lot of the dumb things he had been doing and started doing what he should have been doing all along. I think his stubborness to do things his way was a significant factor in a lot of the poor passes he's been making. He always envisioned himself as simply a gunslinger and continued to be that even when his team needed someone more conservative. Hopefully, he'll keep it up. Because if he reverts to his former ways (like the ill-advised pass against the Bears), it will be reflected in more losses for Green Bay.

 

[Mogamedogz]

I still hate him for '97 too. I can hold a grudge with the best of them.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Favre was right and McCarthy was wrong. McCarthy needlessly burned a timeout.

I though so too, but you don't argue that point with your HC in public after the fact.

 

[Deus Irae]

I though so too, but you don't argue that point with your HC in public after the fact.

The coach had probably just cost the team 4 points (as the half played out, this turned out to be the case), and everyone with any knowledge of the game understood this. This is just fishing for reasons to complain.

 

[unoriginal]

Favre played poorly for a few years (while many in the media were telling us how great he is e.g. John Madden) and most made excuses for him. He set a record for interceptions in a season and people said that he was just doing what he needed to do on a bad team.

What season did he do that in? Honestly, most of this stuff about Favre being bad is just exaggeration.

I though so too, but you don't argue that point with your HC in public after the fact.

The sideline is now out-of-bounds for player-coach arguments?

 

[TR2TO4TD]

Im a huge fan of bret farve, i started giving him respect the weekend his father died and he played monday night. I remember it was like watching a robot on the field designed to do everything perfectly and then him crying afterwards stunned at what he had done. Anyone else think that was an incredible showing?

 

[spacecrime]

If Favre had a real running game he'd be the favorite to show up in the SB next February,

Only if he buys a ticket on ebay.

Favre had a good year in 2001, sucked in the 2001 playoffs, and has been mediocre ever since. He is riding on his 90's reputation. The Packers are going nowhere as long as he slings the ball like he did against the Bears.

 

[TruthSeeker]

What season did he do that in? Honestly, most of this stuff about Favre being bad is just exaggeration.

Favre sets a record for interceptions in a season and you don't think he had any bad years?

 

[spacecrime]

The sideline is now out-of-bounds for player-coach arguments?

I would think that any public forum would be out of place for a player to argue with his head coach, but I'm old school.

 

[unoriginal]

Favre sets a record for interceptions in a season and you don't think he had any bad years?

I was asking what season that was that Favre set the record. I think you'll find that it was no season, because Favre never even came close to that record. From http://www.nfl.com/history/randf/records/indiv/passing :

 Most Passes Had Intercepted, Season
42 	George Blanda, Houston, 1962
35 	Vinny Testaverde, Tampa Bay, 1988
34 	Frank Tripucka, Denver, 1960

Please note that in the above list, Tripucka and Blanda threw all their interceptions in 14 game seasons.

I would think that any public forum would be out of place for a player to argue with his head coach, but I'm old school.

I think a player as wizened as Favre might have something to say. He has, after all, been in the NFL longer than McCarthy.

Junior Seau got into a fight with Pepper Johnson last year, and we had nothing but good things to say about his competitiveness.

 

[Fahrenhype]

I agree that Brady won't be playing when he is 37 because he won't be chasing the dragon, or whatever that phrase is for trying to recapture that first high. He's got three rings, has a realistic expectation of getting at least one more (maybe two if he doesn't suffer a traumatic injury) and will have nothing left to achieve. He is not a stat chaser so I don't see him sticking around in attempt to break some records.

Favre can play as long as he wants and I'm sure the Packers and their fans are glad he is still around. But Brady will have done enough to retire whenever the hell he wants, which will probably be after another six seasons or so. It stinks as a fan to think he may have reached the halfway mark in terms of career length but if a guy is happy with what he's done and wants to get out before he faces a serious health problem you can't hold it against him.

I still hate him for '97 too. I can hold a grudge with the best of them.

I don't know... things happen for a reason. Would there have been pressure to go back to Bledsoe in '01 after he healed if he had been the QB to deliver the franchise it's first lombardi trophy? I'll take the SB loss to Green Bay and a necessary bump in a road that led us to where we are today. :rocker:

 

[PatsFanInVa]

I agree that the guy had become a joke by last year.. it's nice that he'd doing well now, but it's almost like that'll just encourage him.

I made a bet after his "last" game last year, when it was "all but certain" he was going to retire. Again. This incredulous Vikes fan I know put five bucks on him being gone forever, and considered it easy money, what with Brett emotionally mugging for cameras and the like. It cracked me up.

Of course he's back again. He'll keep being back again until they send him to a glue factory or something, face it. Interceptions, touchdowns, doesn't matter. And I'm sure the remainder of this season will soon bear that out. Again.

I don't like that he called out his own teammate (Javon Walker) because he was holding out, sticking his nose into someone else's contractual business. Not to be too comparative, but what was the Brady approach? Not a word to the media on Branch, beyond one interview when he expressed a rare moment of personal attachment, to talk about how unselfish Deion typically was. What was his approach on the Moss deal? Restructure to make it happen... because he wants to have FUN by having a good receiver. Um, did you ever hear Brett talk about restructuring? No, you heard him criticize his own team mate.

Then it was the press conferences to talk about retirement. Then to talk about not retiring. Then one weird one where he talked about how there was no reason for a press conference anyway. At least that one was honest.

Then last season -- more photo-ops in what "might be his last game."

It's gotten so that the brass in GB consults Favre on whether they're allowed to make certain personnel decisions.

Hey, you guys like it that way in GB, I guess. The Pats aren't built like that. You know what I think we'll see in seven years (or maybe 10...?)

I think we'll see him play until it's time for the new guy to come in. Then I see him doing for the kid what Drew did for him. Maybe I have rose colored glasses on, but I can definitely see him mentoring the Cassel or whoever until he's ready.

What did Brett say?

"It's not my job to mentor him."

Yeah, he does like to have fun. More than he likes his teammates. More than he likes to win.

PFnV

 

[PatsFan#37]

The main reason for the Favre bashing here is this is a Patriots board not a Packers board, go to their board if you want to hear positive things about him.

 

[JJDChE]

He gets flack because Pats fans have Tom Brady. We can afford to sneer at lesser HoF quarterbacks.

While I'm at it, George Blanda, Norm Van Brocklin and Terry Bradshaw were **** quarterbacks too. I'm sick of all the ballwashing they receive from older fans. You talk to them, you'd think Brocklin could walk through walls. Completely overrated.

I wouldn't call Favre a "lesser HoF QB". In his prime he was probably better than Brady or Manning.

 

[sanvara]

Brady wont be playing at 37, I can GARUNTEE you that (because he wont need to).

Like you know what Brady will be doing at 37. He a close friend of yours?

 

[OhExaulted1]

I was asking what season that was that Favre set the record. I think you'll find that it was no season, because Favre never even came close to that record. From http://www.nfl.com/history/randf/records/indiv/passing :

 Most Passes Had Intercepted, Season
42 	George Blanda, Houston, 1962
35 	Vinny Testaverde, Tampa Bay, 1988
34 	Frank Tripucka, Denver, 1960

Please note that in the above list, Tripucka and Blanda threw all their interceptions in 14 game seasons.



I think a player as wizened as Favre might have something to say. He has, after all, been in the NFL longer than McCarthy.

Junior Seau got into a fight with Pepper Johnson last year, and we had nothing but good things to say about his competitiveness.

I think what he meant was he tied the All-time record for INT"s at 277 with eaorge Blanda. Look just below the info you spotted, it just hasn't been updated.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/FavrBr00.htm

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/BlanGe00.htm

 

[TruthSeeker]

I was asking what season that was that Favre set the record. I think you'll find that it was no season, because Favre never even came close to that record. From http://www.nfl.com/history/randf/records/indiv/passing :

 Most Passes Had Intercepted, Season
42 	George Blanda, Houston, 1962
35 	Vinny Testaverde, Tampa Bay, 1988
34 	Frank Tripucka, Denver, 1960

Please note that in the above list, Tripucka and Blanda threw all their interceptions in 14 game seasons.

My bad; going off a faulty memory.

I'll revise my statement. Favre led the NFL with the most interceptions and you don't think he had a bad year?

 

[JJDChE]

I think what he meant was he tied the All-time record for INT"s at 277 with eaorge Blanda. Look just below the info you spotted, it just hasn't been updated.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/FavrBr00.htm

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/BlanGe00.htm

Favre also has 4,500 more attempts and 190 more TDs than Blanda.

 

[dhamz]

1 - he's a drama queen who once called a press conference in the offseason to announce he had not made a decision about retirment.

2 - the media fawning over him, ignoring his bad plays, and making so many excuses for him I heard Boomer Esiason ask a Fox TV guy once if the network had mandated he not be criticized.

3 - he simply has been a bad QB the last 2 years. Not mediocre, not average, but BAD. His play has been a major reason that team has been losing games the last 2 years. His horrible play was a major reason they went home in the playoffs the years prior to that. Combine that with 1 and 2 and you get a guy people are tired of and are going to bash.

 

[unoriginal]

I think what he meant was he tied the All-time record for INT"s at 277 with eaorge Blanda. Look just below the info you spotted, it just hasn't been updated.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/FavrBr00.htm

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/BlanGe00.htm

I read this first in (of all places) a Peter King column, but its right in those links you provided, so I'll bring it up here.

It took George Blanda 4007 attempts to reach 277 interceptions.
It took Brett Favre 8433 attempts to reach 277 interceptions.
Only Dan Marino has attempted more passes than Brett Favre. John Elway is a distant third.

My bad; going off a faulty memory.

I'll revise my statement. Favre led the NFL with the most interceptions and you don't think he had a bad year?

I can count the Packer offensive players who were as good or better than Favre in those years on one hand. Chad Clifton, Mark Tauscher, Donald Driver. Certainly he played poorly, but at no time was he the limiting factor on that offense, or the worst quarterback in that division. In fact, he's been the best, continuously, since 1992.