I watched half the game last night, Packers v Vikings, mostly because of the Favre v Packers matchup. Plus I love football, and so I kicked it on while wiping down some tile and finishing applying grout. Tia was blogging, and when she finished, I think I had tested her patience enough and switched to a sitcom.
As I watched, and as I listen to ESPN this morning, I’m a little amazed. I hear so many people talking about how championships matter for the Hall of Fame, the scoreboard is the final judge, and even how the MVP comes down to having a playoff bound team. After all, your individual stats don’t matter as much if the team isn’t successful.
So why do so many people say Rodgers is better than Favre? I’m sorry, I just don’t see it. I hear the same argument for Carson Palmer in Cincinnati.
If you can’t lift the team, and generate wins, then I’m not sure you’re a great quarterback (or hitter, shooter, whatever matters in your sport). As much as I think you can talk talent, I hear Jeff George quoted as being immensely talented, but not being able to win. So why doesn’t this apply to Rodgers or Palmer? It seems that so many people are willing to give them passes based on their team.
I have never been a Favre fan. I was happy to see the Broncos beat him, see the Cowboys stop him in the playoffs for years. I think he’s too much of a gambler for me, and that he’s lucky with some of those throws.
But he wins. He gives you a chance to win, and while I thought his throw against San Francisco at the end was a little lucky, he made it, and it was quite a throw. I think he hits that 3 times out of ten, not 8, but still.
Watching him last night, with that little-kid-turn-your-body-and-wing-it delivery, it’s amazing. He can still hum the ball across the field in ways that I think few guys can. There are some strong arms, Cutler among them, but not that many that can wing a ball on a line 40 yards like it appears Favre still can.
I’m still not a fan, but I’ve come to respect his talent, and his ability to win. Until Rodgers and Cutler can win more games, they’re not the best QBs in that division.
Posts
1 comment:
Indeed. Favre has already won two games this year that neither of the other two QBs on the Vikings roster would have won.
With respect to AR, one of the things we were talking about in the office this morning is that had it been Favre getting hit by a DE coming off the corner, he likely would have audibled to more screens on that side and stopped that nonsense. After two games getting teed off on like that, GB's coaches aren't doing AR any favors, and he's not doing them to keep himself alive, either. And that's the difference between the two. Favre looks for ways to beat you. He wants to beat you. And yes, he'll gamble to beat you, because he always wants it all. I'm not a big fan of his gambling, but that's what sets apart Favre, Brady, and Peyton. They don't lament that you're tearing up their team. They try to find a way to get the job done. Eli and Big Ben are starting to enter that discussion because you can see them begin to understand that figuring out how to win is what they are expected to do.
Post a Comment