05
Mar
| FAVRE FROM JUST ANOTHER QUARTERBACK |
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| Written by Jack Ebling | |
| Wednesday, 05 March 2008 | |
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I never interviewed Favre alone. I was there at the Silverdome when he rolled left and fired right to a reappearing Sterling Sharpe to end one promising Lions’ season. And I remember asking him if football was still fun after a rare, recent defeat in Ford Field. “Losing is never fun,” Favre said. “But I know how lucky I am to have this opportunity.” He wasn’t the only one. Watching Favre was always interesting. It didn’t matter if you loved him or hated him. Dave Ellis, a lifelong Packer-hater and the host of “Spartan Sports Zone,” always called him “Mississippi Stupid” and mocked some mind-boggling decisions. That was all part of the package. Favre loved to take chances - much bigger gambles than Green Bay did when it stole him from the Falcons. The best athletes make others better. Favre made his sport better. And he made us smile on Sunday afternoons, even when he punctured our favorite team’s defense. His jeans commercial doesn’t do him justice. A boy in a man’s body ought to get dirty. He ought to whoop and holler and help some Warren Sapp-size opponent off the ground so he can beat him again. The thing I’ll never forget about Favre was the most distinctive walk in sports. When he sauntered into a huddle or a pressroom, everything stopped. The real fun was about to start. Despite watching thousands of games in hundreds of venues, I’ll always wish I’d made the trip to Lambeau Field to see Favre in his element. That almost happened for his final game, an overtime loss to the Giants in the NFC Championship. It had to end with a Favre interception or a touchdown pass. That’s exactly what happened. New York went on to beat another pretty fair quarterback. And Favre went home - to Green Bay, then back to Mississippi where he’ll fish and hunt and play golf without worrying about blitzes. He can be as flatulent as he wants to be now. And he can wear jeans every day of his life. Maybe he’ll even resurface from time to time to remind us all of what sports should be. Despite the dad’s premature death and his wife’s battle with cancer, Favre did the near-impossible as a pro athlete. He made us better for watching him, too.
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