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Vintage Favre claims revenge was not a factor

EDDIE LEE
NFL Posts.com

In post-game interviews on Monday night, the only times Brett Favre provided curt answers was when the word revenge was brought up for discussion.

“It’s sweet but it has nothing to do with revenge,” said Favre after leading the Vikings to a 30-23 win over the rival Packers, the team he spent his first 16 NFL seasons with.

Sure.

That’s why you tried to engineer a trade to Minnesota immediately after being banished by Green Bay prior to the start of last season.

Tired of your retirement waffle, you were jettisoned from Wisconsin to make way for your apprentice, Aaron Rodgers, and ended up in New York.

Forget that you restored the broken pride of the Packers franchise. Or the Super Bowl you added to Lombardi’s pair, or the three MVP awards over 16 seasons, or the countless records that include The Streak.

No, you’re right. This one just “carried a little more weight.”

Sure it’s “sweet” to be 4-0 when you’re about to turn 40 but this wasn’t just an October game between division rivals.

A rollicking crowd. ESPN fawning. A final teammate approval test. A chance to show up Packers GM Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy.

“I was nervous as I’ve ever been before a game,” you admitted after a nearly flawless 24-of-31, 271 yards and 3 TD performance.

You said you were throwing prayers around all afternoon, so many you thought you were “losing it.”

There was the added steel in your gaze, the extraordinarily exhuberant pumps and celebrations. After the game, double and triple hugs for former teammates.

If revenge is not the right word, perhaps redress can fill the void.

The Vikings, as a team, came out looking to make someone pay for these debts and unfortunately for the Packers, that someone turned out to be Rodgers.

Missing LT Chad Clifton didn’t help. Vikings DE Jared Allen turned his replacement, an out-of-position Daryn Colledge, into a turnstile, with or without blocking assistance from a back or tight end.

Allen was in Rodgers’ grill all night and came up with a career-high 4.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a safety. That’s a season for some linemen. The Vikings registered 8 sacks in all.

Despite comments that Packers defenders were eager to face Favre without a red (no-hit) practise jersey, Favre remained mostly untouched and picked apart a defense that was geared to stop RB Adrian Peterson (25 carries, 55 yards and 1 TD).

“(Favre)’s still got great command of the football,” said Vikings coach Brad Childress. “Whether it’s touch, velocity, whether it’s a pump or he lets it go. He is what he is, a great competitor.”

Against his old team, Favre’s entire arsenal was on display — in prime condition.

Screens. Outs. Seams. Fades. Crosses. Bombs. He was locked in. Eight different receivers touched the ball, led by Bernard Berrian, who hauled in 6 passes for 75 yards and a TD.

Favre said the pre-game jitters actually helped him focus.

“I felt a lot like I did when my dad passed away. Both games I played well so maybe that’s a good thing.”

In the second quarter, Clay Matthews arrived with a gang of tacklers, stripped the ball from Peterson and returned the fumble 42 yards for a TD. If not for this score, the game was ready to turn big time purple. The Vikings dominated both lines of scrimmage and were more physical than the Packers from the outset.

Rodgers wasn’t shabby but his two costly turnovers – a fumble off a sack and an interception by Antoine Winfield — when the Packers were knocking on the red zone were too much to overcome.

Rodgers threw for 2 TDs and a career-high 384 yards, many of which came after the Packers had fallen behind by 16.

With the win, Favre became the first quarterback to beat all 32 teams. And he saved one of his best performances for his former team.

“I definitely wanted to get this win for Brett,” Peterson said. “He downplayed it all week, but I just knew it meant a lot to him. I could see it in his eyes.”

So could everyone else.