Thoughts on Favre

As I was riding home from my haircut last night, discussing the Packers with my mother, I had an epiphany:

I would fully accept Brett Favre's retirement.

Now, I'm not stating what he should or should not do; I don't make the decisions for him. I am just stating how I would feel about his retirement and his legacy.

When I was younger, the thought of Favre retiring was a sad thought. I had a feeling that the day he retired would be a day of mourning for me and that I would shed many tears. After all, Brett Favre is the only quarterback I have known with the Packers. I cried after the infamous 4^th & 26 in Philadelphia. I cried after the Monday Night Massacre in Baltimore (hey, I was there). And I cried Sunday after Tynes' field goal split the uprights.

But now I've re-evaluated my thoughts on this matter. I don't want any confusion, I want him to come back. I feel he can take the Packers all the way next year, despite a tough schedule. I feel he is the one to take them back to the Promised Land.

But he really does not need to come back, just to make me happy.

The man has it all. He has a ring. He has the touchdowns record. He was the wins record. He has the yards record. He has just about every record for quarterbacks. Oh yeah, he has the interceptions record too, which I actually think is a pretty cool record to have. It really showcased how he played the game. People say that his legacy will be defined negatively if the interception he threw to Corey Webster is the last pass of his NFL career. I, however, do not necessarily think that would be a negative thing. The interception showed how he played the game. He wasn't afraid to take risks. People say that that was the wrong way to play the game, but it was exciting.

There we have it. I don't want Favre to retire, but I would fully accept it.

What are your thoughts?

Clifton added to Pro Bowl roster

Packers left tackle Chad Clifton was added to the NFC Pro Bowl roster Tuesday, replacing Seattle Seahawks tackle Walter Jones.

Clifton earned his first trip to Honolulu in eight seasons in the NFL after starting all sixteen games this past season. Clifton has only missed one game since returning from the pelvic injury that ended his 2002 season against Tampa Bay. Clifton, a 6-foot, 320-pound tackles, was a Pro Bowl alternate in 2004 and 2005.

Clifton joins Brett Favre, Donald Driver, Aaron Kampman, and Al Harris, also a first-time Pro Bowler in Hawaii.

Thanks for the Memories

PackerNation, it was great.

We weren't supposed to be there.

Our quarterback was too old. He was supposed to only be there for individual glory. He wasn't supposed to make something out of nothing on third down and flip the ball while stumbling for a first down. He wasn't supposed to help. But he came through. He went above and beyond everything.

Our running backs were too young. Hell, we didn't have a running back. But still. They came through for us. They weren't supposed to do anything. Two rookies, a first-year player, and a journeyman? Please, nothing was supposed to happen. But it did happen. We had the horse and we rode him in.

Our wide receivers were supposed to be young and inexperienced. Not this year, but maybe next year. But no. THIS year. They pulled through. They made the records. They were clutch.

Our tight ends were supposed to be too old and nonexistent. But they weren't. One came through for us, even though they said he was too old. The other broke out and came out of nowhere and became a top tight end.

Our line was supposed to be too young and inexperienced. They had their moments. They weren't the line from 2003, but it worked. They cleared the path for the running game second half of the season while giving the quarterback plenty of time to throw.

The defense was supposed to be mediocre. Instead, they were great. Another dreadlocked star emerged out of the secondary while the other dreadlocked star held down the fort.

Our kicker was supposed to be too young. But he was in the led in the NFL in points. He was successful.

Fact is, we weren't even supposed to be close. But we were so close. Take pride in that fact PackerNation.

Thanks for the memories.

A Reflection

The following is an excerpt from Action-Reaction: January 20, 2008 on Ramblings From The Suburbs.

The air is electric today. I don't think I have been this pumped up for a game in a long, long time. Why? Well, in case you live under a rock, my Packers are in the NFC Championship Game. I'm not going to go too in-depth into the game because of superstition, but yeah, I'll just talk. I have been waiting a long time for this. I was merely four years old when the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI. My family was living in a one-floor rancher, a half-hour from everywhere in Southern Maryland. My grandparents were visiting from Oregon, and we were having a great family time watching the Super Bowl. Now, I had developed a love-affair with the Packers earlier that year. I was an impressionable young child. Something about watching that Favor dude in the #4 jersey just captivated me. There was something about those green jerseys and yellow helmets and the cheeseheads and the frozen tundra and the name Lambeau just had me. I remember making fun of my aunt two weeks before the Super Bowl after the Packers had just finished off the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship Game because she had a Kerry Collins, Carolina Panthers travel bag. I mocked her endlessly, but she put up with me. I was just that kind of child. So the game rolled around and I was the only one in the household rooting for the Packers. I barely remember anything about the game except for Desmond Howard sprinting past Adam Viniateri into the endzone. That play still gets me to this day. The image that stays with me to this day is Favre running around on the field, helmet held high, after throwing the touchdown pass to Andre Rison in the first quarter. The Packers went on to win, and I was a Packers fan for life.

Now, the summer of 1997 was a summer of change for me. My family moved from Southern Maryland up to a little town (now a huge-a** area ripe with urban sprawl) because my dad had taken a job at a little Catholic high school. My sister went through there and now I am currently going through there. In the fall of 1997, I started kindergarten and became more aware of my surroundings. I started clipping box scores out of newspapers (WTF?) and saving them. I cut anything out of the paper that remotely had to do with the Pack Attack. I watched all their games. My mood was devastated if they lost. My life started to depend on them. I got my first Brett Favre jersey from my godfather (sadly, we gave it away later, not realizing the significance of it), and I just started to watch the Packers. Then Super Bowl XXXII came. I had watched the Packers defeat Steve Young and the 49ers the week before in that mud bowl. My sister, three years older than me, much to my horror, was becoming a Broncos fan. We fought many times over this. Anyway, I sat through Super Bowl XXXII. The game just didn't feel right to me. The Packers weren't in their reliable home jerseys (I used to abhor the white road jerseys, but they have grown on me as I now possess one) and the Broncos just looked too good. The game ended. I sat down in our dining room (I was watching it on a little ten-inch TV) and cried. It was painful. I felt like my world was ending.

The 1998 Packers season was another I would like to forget. I myself take full responsibility for their loss in the Wild-Card game to San Francisco, because my benevolent godfather had given me a Steve Young jersey for Christmas (it still remains one of my most prized possessions, because, hey, it's Steve Young). I cried again when Terrell Owens caught that pass in front of Darren Sharper after the blow fumble call on Jerry Rice. I still haven't forgiven you Mr. Rice. As for you Mr. Owens, well, ha, that's another blog for another time. I almost lost one of my good friends, Craig, because of that game. Craig was the first Packer fan I met at my new school and his dad is the biggest Packer fan I know. I'm going to their house tonight to watch the game. Whenever I went over to Craig's house to chill, his dad would pull out some Packers DVD or VHS and we'd just sit and watch it. Sadly, Craig has become a Titans fan. That's another story.

Anyway, 1999-2004 are dark years for me. My interest and obsession with the Packers waned, and I became, gulp, a Ravens fan. Got that out of my system thankfully. I still had my Packers moments. In fourth and fifth grade, when I won back-to-back Geography Bee titles, I was wearing my new Brett Favre jersey. Remarkably, I have had the same Brett Favre road jersey since fourth or fifth grade. It still fits thankfully. In sixth grade, again at a new school, I immediately solidified myself as the number one Packer fan. The summer before and the summer before that (I get years mixed up too much), I had gone to Green Bay and the Packers training camp. Great experiences for me. Anyway, people knew I was a Packers fan, and I liked that they knew. In seventh grade, the Packers started off 0-4, and sadly, I gave up on them. They rallied back to finish 8-8 or 9-7 or something like that. I forget whether or not that was the year that Irv Favre died (might have been my sixth grade year), but I still have a tape of the Raiders game. This summer they showed it on NFL Network when I was out at my grandparents (converted fans now) and I made my cousins sit down and watch it and explained the significance to them.

Now, 2005 is the worst year in recent memory for Packers fans. The 4-12 season. The injuries. Javon Walker, my new second favorite player getting hurt and demanding a trade. Black Monday in Baltimore. I was there, but that's ANOTHER blog for another time. The sad part was I was a diehard that year. That hurt so bad. (It's now 11:47 AM ET. I'm writing a lot.) But I didn't lost faith. I applauded the McCarthy hire and the A.J. Hawk and Greg Jennings selections in the draft. But in 2006, because of the new workload of high school mostly, I was indifferent to their 8-8 season. But then I discovered a little thing called FanNation, and that rekindled my fire. This year has been one of the best ever for me. This is the closest I have followed the Packers EVER and it has paid off. People don't get why I'm skipping a party tonight. They don't get that I am now mentally insane, thanks to #4 of the Green Bay Packers. So now I sit in my yellow room, staring at my Packers pennant, my Lambeau Field panoramic, my Packers sheets (crap, gotta make my bed), my Super Bowl XXXI poster, and my Brett Favre poster.

And I think to myself, "What a wonderful world."

Blogging Interruption

Sorry folks, but I won't be able to keep up my Packers blogging for a while due to exams coming up and having to study. If anyone wants to pick up the slack, just let me know. Thanks.

DJ

GO PACKERS!

McCarthy finishes second in AP COY voting

In any other year, he would have won it. If a certain team with a certain quarterback and certain wide receiver didn't happen to go 16-0, Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy would by walking away with the AP Coach of the Year Award. Instead, McCarthy finished second, gathering 15 of 50 votes. Belichick won with 29 votes.

McCarthy has spearheaded a Packer revival after taking over for the fired Mike Sherman after a 2005 season in which the Packers were 4-12. In his first season in 2006, McCarthy lead the Packers to an 8-8 record and four-straight wins to end the season, with much of the momentum carrying in to this season. The Packers started 4-0 on their way to a 13-3 finish.

Also getting votes were Wade Phillips, Jack Del Rio, Tony Dungy, and John Gruden.

Although McCarty did not walk away with the AP Coach of the Year Award, he still won the Coach of the Year Award, as voted on by NFL Alumni. McCarthy said of the Don Shula Coach of the Year Award, "I'm thrilled to be recognized by the NFL Alumni Association."

Can anyone see any irony here? McCarthy wins the award named after Don Shula while Belichick doesn't, despite leading the Patriots to an undefeated season. Hmm.

Bigby named Defensive Player of the Month

Green Bay Packers safety Atari Bigby has been named NFL Defensive Player of the Month for December. During the month of December, Bigby tallied a tied-for-league-leading four interceptions and nine tackles. Bigby came up big in the Packers Week 15 victory over the St. Louis Rams, where he had a career-high two interceptions. Bigby received Defensive Player of the Week honors for that effort.

Bigby is in his second season out of University of Central Florida and has started all 16 games for the Packers this year. He has recorded 86 tackles, five interceptions, nine passes defended, and three forced fumbles this season.

Bigby joins defensive end Aaron Kampman (October) as the Packers' second Defensive Player of the Month.

Jackson named Rookie of the Week

Green Bay Packers rookie running back Brandon Jackson was named Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week after rushing for 113 yards on 20 carries in the Packers 34-13 victory over the Detroit Lions. Jackson also had 2 receptions for 22 yards. Jackson has 267 yards on 75 carries in 11 games. Jackson has started three games this season.

Jackson, a second-round pick out of Nebraska, was originally the starter when the season began, but quickly lost his job to DeShawn Wynn and Ryan Grant, while the return of Vernand Morency also took away some of his time.

Jackson beat out New York Jets linebacker David Harris, Carolina quarterback Matt Moore, Ravens quarterback Troy Smith, and linebacker Jyles Tucker of the San Diego Chargers.

Jackson joins wide receiver James Jones and kicker Mason Crosby as other Rookie of the Week recipients from the Packers.

2008 Opponents Determined

The NFL has released the Packers slate of opponents for 2008. The schedule is made under the following formula (copied from Packers.com):

-Home and away against its three division opponents (6 games).

-The four teams from another division within its conference on a rotating three-year cycle (4 games).

-The four teams from a division in the other conference on a rotating four-year cycle (4 games).

-Two intraconference games based on the prior year's standings (2 games). These games match a first-place team against the first-place teams in the two same-conference divisions the team is not scheduled to play that season. The second-place, third-place, and fourth-place teams in a conference are matched in the same way each year.

The official 2008 schedule, with playing dates and times, will be announced in the spring.

The Packers will play the following opponents at home:

• Detroit Lions
  
• Chicago Bears
  
• Minnesota Vikings
  
• Atlanta Falcons
  
• Carolina Panthers
  
• Dallas Cowboys
  
• Houston Texans
  
• Indianapolis Colts
  

The Packers will face the following opponents away from the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field:

• Detroit Lions
  
• Chicago Bears
  
• Minnesota Vikings
  
• New Orleans Saints
  
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  
• Seattle Seahawks
  
• Jacksonville Jaguars
  
• Tennessee Titans
  

Essentially, the Packers are facing the NFC North, NFC South, AFC South, and the first place teams from the NFC East and NFC West. The combined record of their opponents in 2007 is 114-87. The Packers only face one team that lost 10 or more games in Atlanta. The schedule also includes six playoff teams.

Here's more of a breakdown of the Packers 2008 schedule:

NFC North Opponents
The Packers held their own against divisional opponents this year, going 4-2 in the tough North. However, both of those losses were costly losses to the rival Bears. If the Packers want to continue their dominance, they must be able to at least 5-1 in the division in 2008 because of the toughness of the rest of the schedule. Not to mention these games, as rivalry games, have much higher stakes.

NFC South Opponents
The South is one of the more perplexing divisions in the NFC. All the teams have potential to be very good, but most of the time they amount to middle-of-the-road teams. The division champion Bucs finished the year 9-7. However, all of the teams in the division are dangerous. Tampa Bay, New Orleans, and Carolina can beat any team at any time. As for Atlanta, well, I don't really know what is going on with them so it is too early to tell whether or not they will be a threat.

AFC South Opponents
This is the toughest part of the schedule for 2008. No team in this division finished lower than .500. The once lowly Texans finished 8-8 and in last place. The Colts are a contender every year and the Jags have plenty of potential on the defensive side of the ball. The Titans have a young core of players built around Vince Young that continue to improve while the Texans are just improving with time. However, the Packers meet the Texans in Lambeau, and Houston, despite their 8-8 record, was 2-6 on the road.

Other Opponents
Filling out the rest of the schedule are the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks. The Packers hope to avenge 2007's 37-27 loss to Dallas at Texas Stadium at Lambeau Field, while they face former coach Mike Holmgren in Seattle. Brett Favre has had much better success against the Cowboys at Lambeau, while it will be a test for the Packers to visit Seattle, one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL.

Must-See Games for 2008

Any game against a division opponent – Can't beat NFC North football.

Dallas @ Green Bay – The Packers look to take revenge on the John Madden-anointed "next Brett Favre" and the rest of the Cowboys. Could quite possibly be a rematch of the NFC Championship Game.

Indianapolis @ Green Bay – If Brett Favre returns, he will face the man who may very well take his records in Peyton Manning.

Green Bay @ Seattle – The Seahawks are still a bit stung from that Wild-Card game a few years back ("We're going to take the ball and we're gonna score") and the matchup against Holmgren is always a good one.

Green Bay @ Tampa Bay – Some good ol' fashioned NFC Central football.

More must-see games could emerge as the playoffs play out.

I'm not going to lie, the Packers drew a tough schedule, but they can very well be successful. It will also show if they will be contenders for years to come.

Worst-case scenario: Not going there.

Best-case scenario: 16-0.

Likely scenario: 11-5/12-4.

Go Packers!