The Curse of Brett Favre

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2011-02-07T16:09:00.000-06:00

He's not done yet

2010-10-31T21:29:00.002-05:00

Favre's last pass with the Vikings must be an interception. It was with each of his other three teams.

Records are meant to be broken

2010-09-20T07:23:00.002-05:00

The Trog is counting down to Favre's latest attempt to set an NFL record. Read all about it.

We'll remember you like this, Brett

2010-01-26T15:36:00.004-06:00

Favre joins al Qaeda

2009-11-20T22:10:00.007-06:00

The bastard.

I compare what Favre did to Churchill switching sides to the Nazis and the asshole has to one up me by joining fucking al Qaeda.

It seems that the Brett Favre-Green Bay Packers saga is such a worldwide phenomenon that it's being used by detainees in American military camps.
According to a military official, detainees at a Wisconsin National Guard camp in Iraq are using Brett Favre as a manner of getting at the guard troops there.

"They know Favre by name," said First Lieutenant Tim Boehnen, who is from New Richmond, Wis.

"One of the big words they know now is shenanigan. They'll constantly talk about 'Favre shenanigans,' 'He's so good for the Vikings,' and 'The Packers have got to really feel bad about that one.' "

Giving aid and comfort to the enemy. Brett Favre is a mother fucking terrorist.

Cursed!

2009-10-26T20:49:00.003-05:00

Wow. Favre blew that worse than any of Aaron Rodgers' 4th quarter failures last year.

A tap on the shoulder from Vince and Curly before Brett returns to the Hallowed Turf of Lambeau Field next week.

Pissant.

Has the curse been broken?

2009-09-15T19:52:00.002-05:00

Bears at Lambeau

Last year: Bears 20, Packers 17 in OT

This Year: Packers 21, Bears 15

Just the opposite of last year, this time it's the Packers who are outplayed but find a way to come back late in the game to win.

Maybe Brett shouldn't have pissed on Vince's grave.

Different season, different curse

2009-08-18T19:18:00.002-05:00

One doesn't spit on the legacy of Lambeau and Lombardi like this. Watch out Brent Farve. You went too far by joining the Vikings. The bad mojo is back on you.

The End? Nope!

2009-05-05T20:22:00.002-05:00

JSOnline reports that The Curse will be up close and personal for the Packers this year.

Green Bay - Retired quarterback Brett Favre and Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress will meet later this week to discuss Favre's possible return to the game with the Minnesota Vikings, according to an ESPN report.

The meeting will happen at a "undisclosed" location. Werder said the information came from "a source with direct knowledge of discussions between the two parties."

Both Favre and agent Bus Cook have said Favre is retired and will remain that way. On Monday, Favre was asked via text message whether he was going to play again by ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer. Favre replied: "NO."

The report also says Favre has not been working out and did not have surgery on his torn biceps tendon. "Favre may believe the injury can heal on its own as did a similar problem with his left shoulder while he played in Green Bay," the report said.

One year down, 49 to go.

The end?

2009-02-11T20:25:00.002-06:00

For the second time in less than a year, quarterback Brett Favre has announced his retirement.
There was not much fanfare involved this time.

Favre simply sent an e-mail to his preferred media outlet, ESPN.com, that he had instructed his agent to inform the New York Jets that he was retiring. The Jets later confirmed that they had been apprised of his decision and released statements from owner Woody Johnson and general manager Mike Tannenbaum.

According to ESPN.com, Favre said he would not conduct a farewell news conference similar to the one he had March 6 of last year.
"I'm an emotional guy, and I'm sure people are tired of seeing me get emotional," Favre said. "People would probably say, 'Oh, here he goes again.' I think it would just be better for me to just thank the Jets, and I sincerely mean that. It was well worth what I invested. But I'm going to just quietly step away. . . "

Favre made those comments a week after the season ended. In retrospect, it was apparent then that he planned to retire, although the Jets asked him to take his time.

With his football retirement will the Favre Curse retire too?

This is not good news ...

2009-01-30T09:28:00.003-06:00

Shut up Rodgers, don't piss off Brett any worse. From JSOnline:

In the chat, Rodgers said that, after the Packers lost to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship in January 2008, he and Favre left as friends. But there's been no communications since.
Here's the transcript:

Kiley: "You must say to yourself, why doesn’t Brett speak to me. What could it possibly be? …"

Rodgers: "I don’t know. That’s a question for him. I’m not going to put words in his mouth…. When we lost to the Giants [in the 2007 NFC Championship], we left as friends, and I haven’t talked to him in a year…."

Irvin: "Why will you not reach out to him?"

Rodgers: "I did."

Irvin: "So you called him and he did not call you back."

Rodgers: "Yeah."

If this keeps up, the Curse will last centuries.

More here.

Blog navigation help

2009-01-29T17:49:00.004-06:00

Welcome visitors. My original explanation of the Favre Curse is here.

Enjoy.

The Curse gains another believer

2009-01-18T08:00:00.006-06:00

From Motown, a letter to the Sports Editor of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (this was copied from the dead tree version, no online link is available), postulating a "curse" on the Packers.

Cursed decision ruined Packers' season

Let's assume beyond reasonable doubt that Brett Favre did want to lead the Packers again in 2008. Rather than being welcomed home with open arms, he was cast aside by the general manager, coach and president of the team like garbage.

The team subsequently failed miserably while being led by a new quarterback who had a relatively decent individual record but was unable to provide the winning direction that Favre had done for so many years before.

Now the same GM is given another year to blindly go where he has gone before. I remind you of history concerning the Detroit Lions.

After winning three NFL championships, they traded Bobby Lane away. Supposedly he said they would not win another title for 50 years. Even though Favre said no such thing, in fact just the opposite by saying he would always be a Packer, is it possible that the same "curse" might follow to Green Bay as well?

Baker Urdan, Southfield, MI

I have couple quibbles with Mr. Urdan's letter. First, it is pretty clear that Mr. Urdan did not watch the Packers play football this season. It was not a matter of A-Rod being unable to provide winning direction to the team. The Packers lost because they could not field a defensive unit that could prevent opponents from scoring at will in the 4th quarter.

Second, as great as Brett Favre played as a Packer, he was no Bobby Lane. Lane was a winner, 3 NFL Championships in his 9 years with the Lions. Favre won only one Super Bowl in his 16 years as a Packer, a good player, but not in Bobby Lane's class.

Brett was "a one-year wonder, just a fart in the wind," as Mr. Wolf succinctly put it.

The Favre Pick

2009-01-10T09:04:00.002-06:00

The ACME Packing Company provides this summary of the Packers picks in the 2009 NFL draft.

The Packers currently have nine draft choices: seven of their own, one from the Saints, and one from the Jets. Compensatory picks have not yet been determined. Here's how the draft order shakes out:

Round Pick Overall Notes Pick Value

1 9 9
1350

2 9 41
490

3 9 73
225

3 17 81 from NYJ (Favre trade) 185

4 9 105
84

5 9 137
37.5

6 9 169
24.8

6 16 176 from NO (2008 Draft) 22

7 9 201
12

TOTAL --- 9 --- 2430.3

Keep an eye on that 81st pick. That is what the Packers received for trading away this.

G CMP ATT PCT YDS AVG TD LNG INT RAT
16 343 522 65.7 3472 6.7 22 56 22 81.0

Evaluating the trade

2009-01-03T20:54:00.002-06:00

Tom McMahon set the standard before the season began. He is soliciting feedback on Ted Thompson's decision here.

Clash of the Curses

2008-12-27T18:20:00.000-06:00

"I think we're going to shock a lot of people with a great game. I feel like we're going to win," he said. "Not to take anything away from Green Bay, but we're a great football team. I know the record doesn't show it, but I'm going to say it."

-- Lions RB Travis Fisher

Tomorrow could be the end of the Curse of Bobby Lane. The Lions complete their 51st year without a championship in stellar fashion, a record 0-15 going into the game with the Packers. This is the Lions' very own Super Bowl. An achievement in itself that would put a smile on Lane's face.

The Packers, not taking anything for granted, stumble into the game losing 5 in a row and 7 of their last 8. If the Packers can maintain this level of play, the Lions will avert the humiliation of having the worst season in NFL history.

That could be a sign of things to come. Things like 50 years of losing for the Green Bay Packers.

Chicago 20, Packers 17 - Overtime

2008-12-23T18:35:00.006-06:00

The set-up was perfect. The Bears give the ball back to the Packers in range for a long field goal. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers expertly passes the Packers into range for a game winner, and the Packers burn most of the clock. Rodgers first fourth quarter come from behind win is close to a lock.

The ESPN motor mouths knew it, too. They had graphics and talking points ready.

But Brett wouldn't let it happen. Blocked!

Bears win in OT. Another dagger from the Favre Curse.

Cursed

2008-12-07T09:35:00.001-06:00

What other possible explanation than Brett's Curse?

The curse should be inactive for today's game against the Texans. The Packers are safely out of the playoff hunt, no need for the curse this week.

Carolina 35, Green Bay 31

2008-11-30T16:00:00.003-06:00

A stellar game by Aaron Rodgers, 29 of 45 for 298 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air. The Hail Mary that was intercepted following the Panthers final touchdown should not have been necessary. Rodgers even had 26 yards on 5 carries rushing. You cannot blame the loss on Rodgers, his play was Favre-like.

First downs: Packers 25; Panthers 15
Total yards: Packers 438; Panthers 300
Time of possession: Packers 37:52; Panthers 22:08
Turnovers: Even until the Hail Mary

The Packers take the lead with a field goal with under 2 minutes left, and the Panthers come back with a touchdown on just 2 plays. The first play a bomb to Steve Smith on which Rod Woodson had coverage position until he slipped.

There is only one reason that the Packers lost this game, The Curse of Brett Favre.

The Curse of Brett Favre

2008-11-29T12:00:00.002-06:00

Until today, I have been a naysayer of those criticizing Ted Thompson's decision to trade Brett Favre to the New York Jets for a 2009 draft pick. By my logic, the drop-off in quarterback quality with Aaron Rogers was not exceptional and the Packers will end up with a potential future star with that high draft pick from the Jets. I analogize the trade to getting something for a used car that would otherwise not be driven again.

I have also been hard on Favre jock-sniffers Kevin Fischer and Huckleberry Dumbell. They are focused on the quarterback position where statistically Favre and Rogers have been a toss-up, 94.1 to 90.5 QB Ratings following last Monday night's fiasco in New Orleans. The reality is that Aaron Rogers is not losing any more games for the Packers than Favre normally did. It has been the Packers defense this year that is losing games. Fischer's and Dumbell's comparisons to the 2007 Packers also ignore the fact that the team was incredibly lucky with injuries last year.

I've been of the same mind as Jib, who said this week.

1. Think back on how many shootouts the Packers won with Brett over the years. Having trouble coming up with more than a few, aren't you? That's because the ultimate gunslinger wasn't actually all that good in shootouts. He was undisciplined and made a ton of errors when games seemed to be spinning out of control. Like you, I was hoping for Favre-like big plays in the second half from Rodgers. Unfortunately, even Favre did not make those plays very often in games like last night. He was more prone to toss 5 interceptions in games like last night.

2. You all are right. The Packers do miss the pass rush that Brett brought last year. And he was a stout run stopper, too.

3. You all are right. The Packers do miss the blanket-like pass coverage Brett brought to the secondary of this team.

But earlier today I learned of The Curse of Bobby Lane. The parallels are troubling.

In 1958, after leading the Lions to 3 NFL Championships and providing Detroit nearly decade of Hall of Fame play, the Lions traded Bobby Layne. Bobby was injured during the last championship season and the Lions thought he was through and wanted to get what they could for him. According to Legend, as he was leaving for Pittsburgh Bobby said that Detroit "would not win for 50 years".

For nearly 50 years the Lions have searched for answers and each time they think they have one, it gets foiled and they have to start from scratch all over again. The team is constantly in a rebuilding state with an ever constant Quarterback controversy (Ala Munson/Landry, Peete/Ware, or Harrington/Garcia).

And.

Upon his retirement in 1962, Bobby held the NFL record for most career pass attempts, completions, passing yardage, and touchdown passes (since broken). However, it was his leadership and will to win that, to this day, separate Bobby Layne from his quarterback contemporaries. He willed three average Detroit Lions teams to championships in 1952, 1953, and 1957.

Layne and Favre were cast in the same mold.

"Bobby Layne never lost a game. Time just ran out. Nobody hated to lose more than Bobby."
-- Doak Walker

How many time has that been said of Favre?

I now understand that it is not the quality of the quarterback's play that is losing games this year. It is the bad mojo that the Packers now carry from Thompson's treatment of Favre. The lesson of the Lion's treatment of Bobby Layne bodes ill for the Packers chances of success for decades.

How long until we can add the Favre Curse to this list of famous sports curses?

Cross posted at Headless Blogger.

Round	Pick	Overall	Notes	Pick Value
1	9	9		1350
2	9	41		490
3	9	73		225
3	17	81	from NYJ (Favre trade)	185
4	9	105		84
5	9	137		37.5
6	9	169		24.8
6	16	176	from NO (2008 Draft)	22
7	9	201		12
TOTAL	---	9	---	2430.3