I can't remember being that tense during a game. When it was over I was shaking so hard I couldn't pick anything up. And then I started to laugh. Hard. And then I realized I had tears running down my face. I wouldn't say I was crying, but, well, okay I was.
Yeah, sure, it's a reaction that is hard to explain to a lot of people. Prior to this game I approached it as Favre returning to Lambeau. And then I read an interview with Favre where he talked about playing there for so long and how he enjoyed and valued every touchdown he ever threw in that stadium, and he was bittersweet that this would be his last game there.
And then I saw the game differently. It was Favre's last turn in Lambeau (unless the Vikings make the playoffs and the Packers have home field advantage). That changed the game and changed my attitude towards Favre. It is an understatement to say that for years I adored the man. Really adored him. And the adoration of Favre is hard to explain to a non-Packers fan and even harder to explain to a non-football fan. Someone asked me how I could go from love to hate so quickly. Easy: There is a very thin line between love and hate. It is one thing to crap all over the team and the management of said team. It is another to crap all over the fans. And with the Packer Organization being majority owned by the fans, it is hard to separate the two. The ownership of the Packers makes the relationship between the fans, the team, and the players incredibly personal. So, when a player like Favre tries to pass his going over to the Vikings as "nothing personal" and he asks Packer fans to still love him.... Well, he doesn't get it. He never got it. It means something to be a Packer, and after all those years, he never got that. So, well, fuck him.
The game went from watching the former star quarterback return to his former stadium, to a last hurrah, and possibly overwhelmingly emotional return of a player to where he was the king. And the return came during a season when it was obvious he had stayed too long, and the season that his "aw shucks" small-town boy facade was crumbling.* There was something almost sad about his return. Tonight, after all those years of watching him as a Packer--after the painkiller addiction (we forgave him), Deanna's cancer, his father's death (we mourned for him), his interceptions and emotional freakouts during games (we forgave him; there was always next time)--we had one last chance to watch him play--and beat him.
It was a back and forth game. The Packers got lucky--very lucky--with certain calls. McCarthy called some questionable plays. Rodgers made some bad decisions. But in the end, the Favre that I knew and loved was the one who lost the game. He threw two interceptions that lead to scores. I think it was the emotion and pressure that got to him. After all those years, I've seen him choke the same way again and again. And this time, I cherished every single moment of it.
I do thank you for the memories, "Brent." I enjoyed watching you play. But you are and always will be a traitor, and I very much enjoyed watching you choke.
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| Display of Favre Vikings Jerseys at General Mitchell Airport in Milwaukee. I'm surprised no one had defaced them. |
*Anyone who knew anything about him and his behavior during his early years with the Packers, and before he and Deanna were actually married (their daughter was seven years when they got married), shouldn't be surprised by the whole sexting thing. Many high-profile Packers had reputations of hitting up the bars in Appleton and Milwaukee, and there are plenty of stories about what Favre and random girls did in various Green Bay bars. Green Bay is small. Appleton is smaller. And even though Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin, a Packer can't hide there.
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