Wednesday, August 29, 2007

The Much Maligned Decline of a Legend

As Brett Favre's career draws to a close, the media has provided a number of different opinions regarding his career and potential retirement. Now head coach Mike McCarthy suggests Brett will be a game manager. Brett responded in the media that he was not a game manager and would continue to be a playmaker.

Therein lies the biggest issue: those two are not necessary mutually exclusive. Many believe Joe Montana to be the greatest quarterback of all time. Montana certainly did not have the strongest arm in the league, nor did he take the most shots down the field. Montana managed the game. The best signal caller in the game today is a "game manager." There is not greater game manager, maybe ever, than Peyton Manning. The difference is Peyton Manning is a playmaker. It is the job of the quarterback to make plays and not make mistakes, regardless of his skill set. Any team who believes they have a quarterback who they'd just assume not have to throw at all, is in a tenuous position. The only reason a team like the Ravens at the turn of the century could do it is because they had an all-time great defense and a fantastic special teams.

Brett Favre is not, nor has he ever been, nor will be ever be a "game manager." Not in as much as you hand him the ball and say, "Just don't screw it up." That is not Brett Favre's game, it never has been. That is what made Brett one of the most feared playmakers in the league in his prime, a guy who could hurt you in so many ways. The only thing that seems to be lacking this year from any other Brett Favre Packer team is playmakers at the skill position. However, further review might prove otherwise.

Brett Favre won a Super Bowl and an MVP while throwing to Don Beebe and Andre Rison. Granted, Robert Brooks and Antonio Freemen started that year, but neither played 16 games, and Brooks didn't play in the post-season. The next year, an arguably better team, lost to the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl, but John Elway's team was arguably superiorly equipped on offense. Elway had a 2,000 rusher in Terrell Davis. He had a future Hall of Famer in Rod Smith on one side, and one of the great possession receivers of the decade in Ed McCaffrey on the other side. If that weren't enough, he had arguably the greatest receiving tight end ever(At least at the time) in Shannon Sharpe.

Against an excellent Broncos defense Favre completed 25 out of 42 passes for 256 yards and 3 touchdowns, with 1 interception. Elway finished the game completing just 12 out of 22 pass completions, for 123 yards and 1 pick. Elway won the game...how can this be? Some lucky breaks and key defensive break downs allowed the Broncos to eek out a victory, in spite of Elway's effort, not because of it.

When "experts" list the greatest quarterbacks of all time Montana's name normally comes up with Elway's, Terry Bradshaw, Bart Starr and any number of other greats. Montana is perhaps the most overrated PLAYER and quarterback of all time. Cool under pressure, and a come back whiz, Montana was a surgeon on the football field, but if you wanted a quarterback to win you one game Montana's name is not at the top of the list. The same can be said for Bart Starr. Starr was meticulously accurate and efficient with the ball, a game manager before it became a derogative term. A quarterback's success is based on his ability to win games. Steve Young is the ultimate testament to Montana's ability. Young took a similar team running a similar offense and had similar success (At a time when the NFC was far more competitive). The leaves Elway and Favre.

Elway needed 14 seasons before he won a Super Bowl, and as mentioned, the team won the first for reasons not in Elway's direct control. Elway "lead" that team to a win only in as much as he was the quarterback. He played in 5 Super Bowls and holds the Super Bowl record with 8 throws to guys with the other color jersey (a record I was sure Jim Kelly would have held).
Elway did have the ability to make plays with his legs, probably the most effective run/pass QB of all time. He had a knack for making plays a way no one before him had.

UNTIL...

Brett Favre. Brett Favre makes plays that are unexplainable, unimaginable, and often indescribable. He is a coach's dream and a play by play announcer's nightmare. Brett Favre would win a game, or die trying and thats how he went about it every single week. If there was 1 game that needed to be won to save the planet from certain death, the man who would give the Earth the best shot to remain free would be Brett Favre.

Favre is on the verge of breaking almost every QB record he does not already hold, and will do it in less time than the current record holders. The only three-time league MVP in history never played with a Hall of Fame offensive player and while racking up 10 NFL records. Favre is second in 10 other categories and third in 3 more, with only a small chance he won't be first in the majority of those categories after the 2007 season barring injury.

While he never wracked up rushing yards, Brett had probably the best pocket presence and ability to improvise in the pocket ever. While players like Michael Vick had the ability to make people miss and turn sure sacks into big gains, or Elway could take off and turn 5 yards into 25 just as easily, Elway is the most sacked QB in history and Vick consistently threw picks and took bigger losses trying to turn a bad play into a big play.

I write this with the worry that I pull a Bill Simmons with David Ortiz(after he compared Ortiz to Larry Legend). Regardless of what happens this year however,(With the Pack probably not contending for a Super Bowl title) Favre is the greatest of all time, regardless of what "experts" say about guys named Montana, Elway, or Unitas.

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