Brett Favre 'Sticks It' to Green Bay, Revives His Youth

MINNEAPOLIS -- So here comes the folk hero once more, teasing when he should be wheezing, charming when he should be farming, reminding us again why we really, really want to love him. Anyone who had buried Brett Favre as a mercurial mope -- and who hadn't, other than friends, family and John Madden? -- was left to shut the hell up Monday night and nod admiringly at another inspirational portrait on a canvas unlike any other.

Five days from his 40th birthday, with so much mid-life stubble on his face that Norman Rockwell would run out of gray paint, Favre left an indelible stomp-print on the psyche of Wisconsin and proved that he's still capable of the spectacular. Remember when he said he wanted to "stick it'' to his old boss, Packers general manager Ted Thompson, who dared to purge Favre from a franchise he symbolized as much as anyone ever has done so in sports? Well, wearing his legendary No. 4 in the Minnesota purple that is reviled by the Green Bay faithful, he regenerated his youth by burning his old team for three touchdown passes, then sprinting off each time and celebrating the way he once did in green and gold -- fist pumps, raised index fingers, high-fives, even a botched chest bump that knocked running back Chester Taylor to the turf.

This might not have been the be-all, end-all to an ongoing drama, knowing the big one comes Nov. 1 when Favre returns to Lambeau Field. But a 30-23 victory, which leaves the Vikings at 4-0 and the Packers and battered Favre successor Aaron Rodgers at 2-2, does give the old man a large measure of revenge over Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy after their bitter divorce last year. And when he wasn't pump-faking, rolling out and humiliating Packers defensive backs -- how about Al Harris yelling at Derrick Martin after they were shamed on a 31-yard touchdown catch by Bernard Berrian? -- he was poking fun at himself on a televised Sears commercial.

That's what we need to see him dabble in more: self-deprecating humor that finds him agonizing for hours at a store over which big-screen TV to buy. Not everything has to be fears and tears, as his cameo in There's Something About Mary told us. As long as Favre acknowledges that he drove America to madness with career flip-flopping for the better part of two years, I suppose we can forgive him and enjoy what could be, if a magical script unfolds, one of the greatest sports stories ever told. Is it too early to imagine Favre leading the Vikings ... you know, I'm not going there yet. Just keep the thought warm on a back burner, and we'll see where it stands in January.

"Thats why I play this game. It's a lot of fun. It never gets old -- even though I do,'' Favre said with a smile, as that stuffy "Skol Vikings'' rally song echoed in the night.

Said Packers cornerback Charles Woodson, with a sour taste: "I didn't expect him to do that. I thought we would have played better, but we didn't. He played a great game and apparently got his wish: He stuck it to us pretty good. All I can do is take my hat off to him.''

You'd never know Favre was on the doorstep of 40. Between an arm that no longer betrays him -- as it did last year in New York -- and a wild "Nashville Guitars'' t-shirt that he wore to his postgame press conference, he looked 25. "My arm feels great,'' he reported, glee and relief in his voice. "It sure didn't feel good last year. I didn't make good decisions then, but it feels a lot better now, and it all starts with the arm, first and foremost. If I have to second-guess pulling the trigger, I shouldn't be here. But it feels good. It's just that the rest of me doesn't.''


What's still stunning, even after seeing Favre's Vikings jersey for two months, is the fact so many Minnesotans have adopted it after hating the man for 16 years. They used to call him "Brett Farts,'' among other ugliness, but now he's the cult star of a team with plenty of marquee players, including all-world running back Adrian Peterson. Sports are bizarre enough to believe almost anything, from Joe Montana in a Kansas City Chiefs jersey to Wayne Gretzky in a Los Angeles Kings sweater. But Favre in Vikings purple? It's the most astonishing switcheroo in NFL history, viewed as betrayal by some Packers fans who always saw him as the country kid from Mississippi who found a new home in the small-town Northlands. Even at Brett Favre's Steakhouse, located at 1004 Brett Favre Pass down the street from Lambeau, fans congregating Monday renamed part of the parking lot "Traitor Trail.'' All of which elicited some unwanted advice from Favre.

"It was 16 great years, and I hope they enjoyed it and appreciated that run as much as I did," he said before Monday's game. "But you just have to let it go and just move on."

That would be called snipping the umbilical cord, though no one doubts that Favre someday will be honored and his number retired on Lombardi Avenue. Afterward, he was more specific, saying he cares more about what his teammates think than the public. "I want to be able to prove to them that I can play,'' Favre said. "I don't know how I'm going to play week in, week out. But I want to show them, and I think they know now, that I can play some. I know there are gonna be Packer fans who still like me and some Packer fans who are unhappy with me, and I can understand. But as long as the guys in the room accept me and we have a good chance to win, it's all that matters.''

No doubt, the men in the room like him. "You guys saw it. He was on fire,'' said the monstrous defensive end, Jared Allen, who was on fire himself with 4 1/2 sacks of Rodgers -- one for a fourth-quarter safety. "He can take [the spotlight]. I'll just be the guy creeping around in the back. If it gives me five sacks a week, I will shut up and not say a word.''

And to think Favre was so nervous before the game, he said prayers at church Monday afternoon. "It really didn't feel that strange playing against them. If anything, it was seeing Aaron, Al, Charles, Nick [Collins] and knowing I used to go against them in practice every day,'' he said. "It was as nervous as I've ever been before a game. I didn't think I would be. When I got to the hotel [Sunday], it kind of dawned on me. When I went to church at 3 o'clock [Monday], I was throwing all kind of prayers out. I said, 'Man, I'm losing it.' So I'm thankful this game went the way it did. The good Lord answered my prayers, I guess.

"It felt a lot like I did when Dad passed away. But both games, I played well.''

On another memorable Monday night in 2003, Favre delivered a brilliant, courageous performance in Oakland after his father, Big Irv, died of a heart attack. This time, he was mourning a divorce from a beloved longtime partner. But being 4-0 in Minnesota removes much of the sting, especially when revenge has been served against Thompson and other management people who elevated Rodgers at Favre's expense. Before the game, he stayed in the locker room rather than socialize with the enemy. "I have a lot of friends on that team, and I knew everywhere you went, there would be a camera in your face,'' he said. "I felt like it would be more of a zoo than it needed to be in what already was a crazy scene. I hope that Packer fans know how I feel about them. But our fans were awesome tonight. I'm telling you, that place was rocking. I've been able to see the good in Lambeau and the good and the bad in here. It was awesome, a great environment tonight -- as I'm sure it will be in several weeks.''

For now, we'll catch our breath and appreciate this night. He easily won the matchup with Rodgers, who has even more pressure to excel than his predecessor, in that he'll be perpetually judged in Cheeseland against the Favre legacy. The coach who still believed in Favre, Brad Childress, wanted him to approach the game like "a cold-blooded serial killer.'' He later said it was "a poor choice of words,'' but sensitivity aside, it's exactly how Favre attacked the Packers in his first game against his former team. While Rodgers committed two costly turnovers and was beaten up by Allen and a fierce Minnesota defense that swarmed a weak Packers offensive line for eight sacks, Favre operated safely in front of a brick wall and devoured the 3-4 scheme of new Green Bay defensive coordinator Dom Capers. Without a doubt, given the magnitude of the night, this was his most impressive outing since leaving Green Bay: 24 of 31, 271 yards, no interceptions and a 135.3 passer rating. Rodgers rallied late to go 26 of 37 for a whopping 384 yards and two touchdowns, but his first-quarter fumble at the Minnesota 33 -- forced by Allen, who else? -- changed the game's complexion.

"He's still got great command of the football, whether command is touch or velocity or being able to pump it,'' said Childress, whose decision to bring in Favre late in training camp thus far has proved brilliant. "He is what he is, a great competitor, so steely-eyed when it comes to competing. Some games are made more for him than others, and I thought he was great. He got excited when we made big plays -- offense, defense, special teams -- and he was stoked up pretty good. But he's done it enough times to keep it in check. You don't want your quarterback crying. He didn't get out of body.''
Of course, Favre has been known to cry, but not when his team is just 4-0. He took advantage of an early Rodgers fumble by driving the offense downfield, rolling out and hitting one of his many weapons, tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, for a 1-yard touchdown. He raced off the field to the congratulations of teammates who genuinely like and respect him, contrary to the so-called "schism'' that supposedly developed when incumbents Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels were scuttled. Rodgers answered with a touchdown pass and his own index finger, but Favre would dominate from there while the young disciple struggled to avoid a relentless pass rush. Favre's pump fake and 14-yard scoring dart to Sidney Rice just before halftime was a work of art, completing a 77-yard drive in which he went 5 of 5 for 54 yards. The Vikings didn't trail again, thanks to a quarterback who came through when the Packers were stacked to stop Peterson, who was held to 55 yards on 25 carries and allowed linebacker Clay Matthews to strip a ball and run for a 42-yard score. They put the onus on Favre to beat them.

He did.

"It is very disappointing,'' Harris said when asked about Favre rising to the occasion. "We can't give away points and have mental errors. As for Brett, he took exactly what we gave him and they came out with a win.''

"I thought Brett Favre played well,'' said McCarthy, who couldn't have been pleased to spit out the words. "I'm proud of us containing their run, but they were explosive in the passing game.'' When the game ended, Favre made sure he talked with Rodgers. "I said, 'Hey, way to battle.' I've been saying all along that the guy can play, and I think he proved it tonight,'' he said. "But it wasn't an easy game for him. Jared Allen is a beast, I just want everyone to know that.''

As midnight approached in his new kingdom, the old man was asked if he proved that he's still a difference-maker in the sport. "You guys can print what you want,'' he said. "I just did what I was expected to do tonight. You make that decision.''

The only answer, for now, is yes.