Now comes “The Great Favre Wait,” Green Bay’s winter reality show that keeps Packers fans everywhere on the edge of their sleds.
Will he or won’t he? Come back, that is.
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Bears fans are every bit as interested, considering Brett Favre is the best quarterback that regularly plays in Soldier Field.
After Sunday’s 31-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Favre sounded more convincing than usual that he will seriously consider retirement.
After watching Favre throw four interceptions in his fourth straight disappointing playoff finish, some Packers watchers were even wondering whether it’s time for the 35-year-old legend to go. He threw 13 interceptions and six touchdown passes in those four playoff losses.
Both reactions were emotional. As surprising as the Packers’ loss might have been, a Favre retirement would be downright shocking, even though the subject has become an annual off-season event that could no doubt be televised.
As Favre mows his lawn in Mississippi and cameras roll, he would be thinking mainly of one thing: How realistic are the Packers’ chances of winning another Super Bowl?
Favre started this season admitting anything less would be a disappointment, and he would start next season the same way. But after getting to the divisional playoff in Philadelphia last season and then regressing this season, there are as many questions surrounding coach-general manager Mike Sherman’s future as there are Favre’s.
A sampling of Monday’s Wisconsin headlines:
Venom flies after shellacking.
Much of the heat falls on Sherman.
Choke’s on us.
After this, now what?
It feels like era came to an end.
Favre’s admittedly dismal performance provided another sobering glimpse of how the Wisconsin landscape will someday look without him. At the same time, it was an alarming reminder of how the Packers are essentially a one-man team.
If Favre isn’t on, the Packers are off. Whatever happened to Ahman Green?
Favre was forcing passes early to wide receiver Javon Walker and when Walker got hurt, he could rely only on receiver Donald Driver. Third receiver Robert Ferguson missed the game with an injury.
The Packers’ offensive line is by far the team’s best unit, built to protect the franchise. The entire defense looks like it’s built to destroy the franchise.
A defense that can’t tackle is like an offense that can’t catch or pass, a situation familiar to Chicagoans.
Among Favre’s postgame comments was this take on the role of the offense: “In order for us to win, at least this season, we had to play nearly flawless football. We had to score points.
“Do I get mad at our defense? Am I down on them? No, because it is what it is.”
What it is is incapable of competing on a playoff level. Last season, Sherman fired defensive coordinator Ed Donatell after the Packers blew a fourth-and-26 and enabled the Eagles to tie the score. Successor Bob Slowik, former Bears coordinator under Dave Wannstedt, is now taking similar heat after his players missed at least nine tackles Sunday, a recurring theme all season.
So before he buys a round-trip ticket from Green Bay to Mississippi, Favre is expected to at least extract a hint from Sherman that the defense will get help.
“It’d be easy to walk off the field after that and say, `I’ve had enough,'” Favre said. “But I’m going to try to be as fair to myself and this team as possible.
“I still feel like I can play, although I question that right now.”
Coaches and quarterbacks
If you didn’t notice, coaches Mike Shanahan and Mike Holmgren have. Shanahan hasn’t won a playoff game without John Elway and Holmgren hasn’t won one without Favre.
Monday, Shanahan praised current Denver quarterback Jake Plummer, who tied Elway’s team-record 27 touchdown passes but threw a league-high 20 interceptions. The Broncos must pay him $6 million on March 1 to keep him under his current contract, and Shanahan said that was all but a done deal.
“He handled pressure extremely well and that’s what quarterbacks are asked to do,” Shanahan said. “He had one stretch of four games, there were eight interceptions, where he didn’t play well. I’d like to throw those games out, but I blame myself as much as Jake. I put him in situations he shouldn’t have been in.”
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Shanahan denied that wearing the hats as head coach and top personnel guy is too much for him to handle, as many–including some former players–suggested over the season.
“The only way you have a great organization is if you’ve got great people at every position,” Shanahan said.
“I’m talking about college personnel, pro personnel, general manager, and without those people you don’t succeed. It’s been that way since I’ve been here.”
Coaching search
Cleveland Browns interim coach Terry Robiskie became the fourth candidate interviewed to replace Butch Davis, joining New England defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, Philadelphia offensive coordinator Brad Childress and Pittsburgh offensive line coach Russ Grimm. According to the Akron Beacon Journal, Baltimore defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and Miami defensive coordinator and interim coach Jim Bates also will be interviewed.
The Browns lost four straight after Robiskie took over for Davis, but he inspired the players to win the final game of the season and snap a nine-game losing streak.
The Browns and San Francisco 49ers are the only teams without coaches.
The 49ers also have interviewed Crennel and plan to interview Tennessee offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger.
Chargers plans
Quarterback Drew Brees reiterated Monday he wants a long-term contract from the San Diego Chargers.
“It’s up to them to decide what they want to do,” Brees said.
Brees will become a free agent March 1 and the Chargers could put a “franchise” tag on him for an estimated one-year cost of $9 million.
They then could either trade him or let him compete for the starting job with Philip Rivers, their quarterback of the future. The long-term contract seems more like a long shot.
“Three weeks from now, we’ll huddle up and go over our players and options,” general manager A.J. Smith said.