packinpatland
01-15-2008, 08:25 AM
http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/ny-spjim0115,0,7951776.column
Jim Baumbach
12:21 PM EST, January 14, 2008
The Giants may have momentum, but the Packers have Brett Favre. In fact, the Packers are Brett Favre.
It's truly amazing, when you take a minute to think about it, just how long this guy has been their quarterback. Favre has started 253 consecutive games for the Packers, a remarkable run that began on Sept. 27, 1992.
To get an idea of how long ago that was, consider that the Giants quarterback, 26-year-old Eli Manning, was beginning the fifth grade. Or that 25 of the Giants players hadn't even celebrated their 10th birthday yet. Michael Strahan, the longest tenured Giant, made his debut the next season. The only Giant who was active in 1992 was Jeff Feagles, their 41-year-old punter.
Of all the quarterbacks that threw a pass in the NFL during the 1992 season, only one of them was active this season -- Vinny Testaverde. He deserves credit for longevity, too, but go ahead and compare his career bouncing from team to team with Favre's career. That makes Favre's career look even more impressive.
Or, look at the names of the quarterbacks that year for the other three teams still alive in the playoffs. The Giants, coached in 1992 by Ray Handley, had Phil Simms and Jeff Hostetler. The Chargers started Stan Humphries. And the Patriots used four QBs: Hugh Millen, Scott Zolak, Tom Hodson and Jeff Carlson.
Favre, whom the Packers acquired the previous offseason in a trade with the Falcons, actually took over as the Green Bay quarterback on Sept. 20, 1992. Starting quarterback Don Majkowski hurt his left ankle in the first quarter against the Bengals, and in walked Favre. News reports from that game describe Favre as obviously nervous, reporting multiple overthrown balls. But, in typical Favre fashion, he recovered to rally the Packers with two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a pass into the end zone with 13 seconds left to cap a 24-23 win.
Then Favre began his consecutive start streak the next week and led the Packers to a 17-3 win over the Steelers in Green Bay. A look inside the sports pages of Newsday the next day further illustrates just how long ago that was.
Coverage of the Jets' 18-10 loss the Los Angeles Rams the previous day -- dropping them to 0-4 on the year -- definitely was interesting. The lead to the game story proclaimed their season finished, and Newsday's NFL columnist Bob Glauber tried to bring the fans' expectations for Browning Nagle down a few notches.
"Nagle, looking very much like the inexperienced player he is, threw for only 200 yards, had two interceptions, lost a fumble and was caught for a safety," Glauber wrote. "So enough with the Joe Namath comparisons, already. This is Browning Nagle we're talking about here. Nothing more, nothing less."
The Giants had a bye week, so there was no story, but the Mets and Yankees were still playing, albeit for just a few more days. Remember, this was back during the time when the postseason wasn't a given around here.
The Mets not only lost to the Pirates, 4-2, they also got to watch the Pirates celebrate their second straight National League East title. Remember, this was the season the Mets spent so lavishly for, starting with the free-agent signing of Bobby Bonilla. And they wound up with only 70 wins. And check out this chilling quote that appeared in Newsday's game story. "I didn't want to" watch, Dwight Gooden said of the Pirates' celebration. "If I got any more disappointed about the way things went this year, I think I'd commit suicide."
The Yankees lost 12-2 to the Blue Jays, who would go on to win the World Series that year. But the coverage of the game that day in Newsday was trumped by a story about the antics of Mel Hall. The disgruntled outfielder "paraded around the clubhouse before yesterday's home finale talking about how he expects and wants to leave. Hall, removing the nameplate from above his locker, shouted to anyone who would listen: 'I'm collecting memorabilia to remember my time with the Yankees.'"
The Knicks also were in the news, acquiring Doc Rivers in a three-team deal. Perhaps the most telling sign of the times in that story is when the reporter Curtis Bunn describes the Knicks as "a team capable of challenging for an NBA championship."
In the nearly 16 years since, so much has changed with the New York sports landscape. Not one player on any of the local teams' rosters that year remains there today. But this weekend we'll still see Favre starting for the Packers, just like he has done every game they've played since that September day in 1992.
When Eli was a fifth grader.
Jim Baumbach
12:21 PM EST, January 14, 2008
The Giants may have momentum, but the Packers have Brett Favre. In fact, the Packers are Brett Favre.
It's truly amazing, when you take a minute to think about it, just how long this guy has been their quarterback. Favre has started 253 consecutive games for the Packers, a remarkable run that began on Sept. 27, 1992.
To get an idea of how long ago that was, consider that the Giants quarterback, 26-year-old Eli Manning, was beginning the fifth grade. Or that 25 of the Giants players hadn't even celebrated their 10th birthday yet. Michael Strahan, the longest tenured Giant, made his debut the next season. The only Giant who was active in 1992 was Jeff Feagles, their 41-year-old punter.
Of all the quarterbacks that threw a pass in the NFL during the 1992 season, only one of them was active this season -- Vinny Testaverde. He deserves credit for longevity, too, but go ahead and compare his career bouncing from team to team with Favre's career. That makes Favre's career look even more impressive.
Or, look at the names of the quarterbacks that year for the other three teams still alive in the playoffs. The Giants, coached in 1992 by Ray Handley, had Phil Simms and Jeff Hostetler. The Chargers started Stan Humphries. And the Patriots used four QBs: Hugh Millen, Scott Zolak, Tom Hodson and Jeff Carlson.
Favre, whom the Packers acquired the previous offseason in a trade with the Falcons, actually took over as the Green Bay quarterback on Sept. 20, 1992. Starting quarterback Don Majkowski hurt his left ankle in the first quarter against the Bengals, and in walked Favre. News reports from that game describe Favre as obviously nervous, reporting multiple overthrown balls. But, in typical Favre fashion, he recovered to rally the Packers with two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a pass into the end zone with 13 seconds left to cap a 24-23 win.
Then Favre began his consecutive start streak the next week and led the Packers to a 17-3 win over the Steelers in Green Bay. A look inside the sports pages of Newsday the next day further illustrates just how long ago that was.
Coverage of the Jets' 18-10 loss the Los Angeles Rams the previous day -- dropping them to 0-4 on the year -- definitely was interesting. The lead to the game story proclaimed their season finished, and Newsday's NFL columnist Bob Glauber tried to bring the fans' expectations for Browning Nagle down a few notches.
"Nagle, looking very much like the inexperienced player he is, threw for only 200 yards, had two interceptions, lost a fumble and was caught for a safety," Glauber wrote. "So enough with the Joe Namath comparisons, already. This is Browning Nagle we're talking about here. Nothing more, nothing less."
The Giants had a bye week, so there was no story, but the Mets and Yankees were still playing, albeit for just a few more days. Remember, this was back during the time when the postseason wasn't a given around here.
The Mets not only lost to the Pirates, 4-2, they also got to watch the Pirates celebrate their second straight National League East title. Remember, this was the season the Mets spent so lavishly for, starting with the free-agent signing of Bobby Bonilla. And they wound up with only 70 wins. And check out this chilling quote that appeared in Newsday's game story. "I didn't want to" watch, Dwight Gooden said of the Pirates' celebration. "If I got any more disappointed about the way things went this year, I think I'd commit suicide."
The Yankees lost 12-2 to the Blue Jays, who would go on to win the World Series that year. But the coverage of the game that day in Newsday was trumped by a story about the antics of Mel Hall. The disgruntled outfielder "paraded around the clubhouse before yesterday's home finale talking about how he expects and wants to leave. Hall, removing the nameplate from above his locker, shouted to anyone who would listen: 'I'm collecting memorabilia to remember my time with the Yankees.'"
The Knicks also were in the news, acquiring Doc Rivers in a three-team deal. Perhaps the most telling sign of the times in that story is when the reporter Curtis Bunn describes the Knicks as "a team capable of challenging for an NBA championship."
In the nearly 16 years since, so much has changed with the New York sports landscape. Not one player on any of the local teams' rosters that year remains there today. But this weekend we'll still see Favre starting for the Packers, just like he has done every game they've played since that September day in 1992.
When Eli was a fifth grader.