GOD IS BACK!
Favre snapping out of his glory daze
September 21, 2001 Print it
The glory days, it seemed, had passed by Brett Favre like the guy Bruce Springsteen sang about.
Ravens coach Brian Billick shares a common opinion when he says, "Brett Favre is a tremendous quarterback, but clearly he's not where he was a few years ago physically. At some point, age figures in. Brett Favre has a whiplash style of delivery and a physical nature as a player. That takes a toll. I don't know that this is the case, but he could be like a guy with a great fastball that eventually disappears."
After all, Favre's passer rating over the last two years was 76.3, down 17 points from what it had been the previous five years. He had strung together 141 consecutive NFL starts, which exposed him to more hits than Yahoo!. At 31, he had turned gray at the temples, and had more in common with Max McGee and Fuzzy Thurston than Peyton Manning.
Time was blitzing him from all angles, and all of his options were covered.
But Favre's most majestic moments usually have come when hope has been reduced to a flicker. So Favre sidestepped the rush. He bought some time with the feet that supposedly had become heavy. He hit the impossible target with the arm that supposedly had lost its accuracy.
Now, he could be making the comeback of his career after leading the Packers to four straight victories to close out last season, having what many thought was his best training camp, and starting the 2001 season with a virtuoso performance against the Lions. Say what you will about Manning, Kurt Warner, Daunte Culpepper and Donovan McNabb, but when Favre is on top of his game, no one is better.
"I was kind of hoping he was at the end," Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin says. "But now it looks like he's going to have a really big year."
Much of Favre's drop-off was rightfully blamed on a series of thumb injuries in 1999 and a nasty case of tendinitis in his throwing arm last year. But the player hadn't changed as much as the sea in which he was submerged had.
Many expected it would be liberating for Favre to be out from under the thumb of Mike Holmgren, who after the 1998 season left as the coach in Green Bay for greater control, as the coach and general manager in Seattle. The truth is Favre missed Holmgren the way retirees often miss the workday. Holmgren gave him discipline, structure, direction and, to a degree, purpose. "Brett is coachable, very coachable," says one former Packers assistant. "But he needs discipline. Every day he needs to be told exactly what you want. Too much freedom is not good, and Mike was the constant."
Without the coach who had helped develop Favre from an unruly castoff, the dynamic changed. How could a "players coach" such as Ray Rhodes walk in from Philadelphia and give guidance, leadership and criticism to a three-time MVP? He couldn't, and it was reflected in Favre's performance.
"I have a lot of respect for Mike," Favre says. "Always will. What he did for me, not only in this part of it, but also to give me a chance, sticking with me through the tough times. Off the field, he was my dad away from home. Not that I needed one, because I surely didn't think I did at the time. We just evolved into a good team together, me and him."
Favre also missed Holmgren's play calling. Favre reminisced about it one day in training camp. "He just knew what plays to call at the right time, knew what buttons to push," Favre says.
The hiring of Mike Sherman, who has a lot of Holmgren in him, helped Favre. "It is different without Mike Holmgren, but Mike Sherman is a tough guy," says Eagles coach Andy Reid, Favre's former position coach. "He won't put up with a whole lot. He cares about him, and that means something to Brett."
Now, Favre is in his second season with Sherman as his coach and Tom Rossley as his coordinator. After having three head coaches in the last three seasons, Favre is benefiting from the stability. This is the first season since 1998 that he fully understands what to expect from his coaches.
It's a myth that the Packers' offensive scheme has remained static. It's still called the West Coast, but it isn't the offense that Favre won the Super Bowl with any more than AT&T is the same phone company your grandparents once used to call home. Every coach who gets his hands on this offense has tweaked it a little.
The biggest difference is the emphasis has shifted to the running game from the passing game. But if the running game clicks, like it did in the Packers' 28-6 season-opening victory, Favre can be more dangerous than ever. "We want our game to center on our backs so that defenses have to single up people on the wideouts," Rossley says.
When the Packers do pass, they don't do it the way they used to. Play action has become prominent. Favre says the deep route really isn't a part of the offense anymore. The check down, meanwhile, has become a much bigger part. For the first time in Favre's years in Green Bay, a running back, Ahman Green, led the team in receptions last season.
This trend became especially evident near the goal line, where Favre once was nearly automatic. In his MVP seasons, 1995-97, Favre averaged 16 touchdown passes from the 10-yard line in. The last two years, he averaged 9.5 touchdown passes from the 10-yard line in. The reason is the last two years, the Packers usually opted to run when deep in enemy territory, which is kind of like having Michael Jordan act as a decoy on a shot to win the game. From the 3-yard line in, Favre handed off on 20 of 23 plays the last two years. In his last MVP year, he threw on 14 of 21 plays from the same point. Don't think that didn't show up in his passer rating.
"Mike Holmgren's philosophy was, 'I don't care about the running game -- it helps to have one, but when we get inside the 5, we're throwing,' " Favre says. "And we haven't been stopped yet. Don't wait until third down or fourth down to decide to pass it when everyone knows. Pass it on the first down. We were unstoppable, and I still feel like I'm unstoppable. I guess other people feel different."
Favre has pleaded his case with Sherman and Rossley, and it apparently has been heard. In their Week 1 victory, the Packers threw twice in their only opportunities inside the 10, not including the four plays at the end of the game when the Packers were trying to run out the clock. The familiar result, by the way, was two completions, including a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bubba Franks.
Part of Favre's production drop-off the last two years could be attributed to throwing to players such as Franks instead of players such as Mark Chmura. He was surrounded by talent of a reduced quality and quantity. Robert Brooks no longer was with the team. Antonio Freeman's production went south. Depending on receivers with less talent, less experience and less motivation affected Favre's completion percentage and passing yards. The hope in Green Bay is that this year, young players such as Franks and Corey Bradford are ready to benefit from playing with a brilliant passer.
There is little doubt Favre still can be that. Reid, who did a video examination of all the Packers' games last year, testifies that Favre is as accurate as ever, and his arm is as strong as ever.
"Physically, he's still one of the great players in the league," says Raiders coach Jon Gruden, who worked with Favre as a Packers assistant. "He still has a bazooka for an arm. If you take the 10 best throws, the greatest plays he makes every year, you say there aren't many people in the world who can do that."
Sherman says Favre might be half a step slower, and that he looks a little stiffer. But he says Favre still avoids the rush as well as any quarterback. So, Favre might be showing a little age in his legs. No big deal. He's a passer, not a showgirl.
It is possible no one in any sport has raised the bar on risk taking and surviving quite like Favre. It seems Favre has a knack for softening the blow and remaining whole. "When he takes hits, he always falls away from the hit," Reid says. "It looks evil, but the majority of the hits are not killers. Even when he throws the ball, he falls away."
After a smart offseason and a training camp in which each of his throws was monitored, Favre is healthy for the first time in three years.
"Physically, he's probably on top of his game," says former Packers general manager Ron Wolf. "He's 31. That's when some guys hit their peak. If we're starting teams, I'll pick him first. You pick anybody you want, and I'll beat you. In all my years in football, I've never been around a player as good as him. And I still think he can become better."
Joe Montana, John Elway and Steve Young played some of their best football when they were older than Favre is today. Favre might or might not be able to exceed the highs he hit during his MVP run. But he still can throw that speedball by you. Those glory days haven't passed him by yet. |
