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BETTING ON BRETT: Can Favre Bounce Back for the Pack?
By Tim Roberts / covers.com
Hey, Brett Favre. How do you know when you’ve been around awhile?
“You know you’ve been around a while,†Favre tells the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal,
“when… you look at the roster and guys were born in the 80s. That’s when (wife) Deanna and I started dating, 1983.â€ÂÂ
Wow, Brett Favre! You have been around awhile!
One thing that hasn’t been around for a while is the Packers’ offense. Favre hasn’t had much fun learning coach Mike McCarthy’s new system, largely because so many plays are similar to the old offense. They just have different names now.
“I’m having to brainwash myself to what we did call, not only last year, but the last 15 years,†Favre says. “Now we are calling it something different. It’s been difficult.â€ÂÂ
‘Difficult’, however, is a word best left to describe the Packers’ 2005 season. They went 4-12.
The first sub - .500 record in Favre’s career. Losing running back Ahman Green and wide reciever Javon Walker early on left Favre to fend for himself. Green Bay’s loss to Minnesota in Week 7 made the Pack 0-3 in the NFC North and 1-5 overall, essentially eliminating them from the playoffs before the midway point of the season.
Favre forced passes all season, setting a new career high for pass attempts. He was picked off 21 times while throwing only six touchdown tosses over the final 10 weeks of the season.
Bettors might wonder how the Packers will improve in 2006. Inserting McCarthy, the 49ers offensive co-ordinator last year, at head coach might have made sense a decade ago. But last year’s Niners ranked dead last in the NFL in offense. A frustrated Walker also forced a trade to Denver, leaving Favre without a top-notch target.
There were grumblings in Wisconsin that Favre’s delayed decision to return for another season cost Green Bay a shot at Terrell Owens.
And to top it off, Favre isn’t convinced he’ll receive top-notch protection this year.
“I think on offense the biggest question mark is the offensive line,†Favre told The Chicago Tribune.
“We might start two rookies at guard. What can you do? If they’re the best guys, you play them, but they’ll make mistakes. Going in, I don’t think a lot of people expect a lot out of us,†Favre concludes.
The books agree. Sportsbook.com currently lists the Packers at +600 to win the NFC North and +8500 to win the Super Bowl.
Packer lines to open the season will be similarly negative. “The early-going lines will reflect the team`s overall performance last season,†say Bodog.com bookmakers,
“and not so much Favre at the helm.â€ÂÂ
Favre, however, refuses to concede that the Packers are rebuilding. He told reporters for ESPN that he feels fine and expects the Pack to go 9-7 and return to the playoffs.
That’s exactly the kind of talk that will make Green Bay a poor value again this year. There’s a recipe for a public team and the Packers have the two key ingredients: a successful team history and a recognizable star player. Favre’s massive popularity goes beyond his football exploits.
He has already overcome an addiction to painkillers, has publicly dealt with his father’s death and wife’s battle with breast cancer and had his hometown of Kiln, Mississippi destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
Unfortunately, such off-field activity doesn’t contribute to bankrolls.
The Packers went 46-24 from 2001 through 2004, but only 36-33-1 against the spread over that same span. They were 6-10 against the spread last year, two games better than their straight-up record, largely because they covered the three games in which they were underdogs of at least seven points.
They also stole the meaningless season finale against the resting Seahawks. Green Bay does have a cushy out-of-division schedule this season thanks to its poor 2005 showing, but any value in that schedule will likely be negated by the Pack’s public status.
So Favre will keep backup quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the bench at least one more season and has a few early opportunities to back up his bold playoff talk.
But if Green Bay starts 2006 as slowly as it did last year, McCarthy will be faced with a tough choice. He`ll either have to keep the legendary Favre at the helm, or admit that the Pack is rebuilding and give Rodgers some meaningful snaps.
By Tim Roberts / covers.com
Hey, Brett Favre. How do you know when you’ve been around awhile?
“You know you’ve been around a while,†Favre tells the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal,
“when… you look at the roster and guys were born in the 80s. That’s when (wife) Deanna and I started dating, 1983.â€ÂÂ
Wow, Brett Favre! You have been around awhile!
One thing that hasn’t been around for a while is the Packers’ offense. Favre hasn’t had much fun learning coach Mike McCarthy’s new system, largely because so many plays are similar to the old offense. They just have different names now.
“I’m having to brainwash myself to what we did call, not only last year, but the last 15 years,†Favre says. “Now we are calling it something different. It’s been difficult.â€ÂÂ
‘Difficult’, however, is a word best left to describe the Packers’ 2005 season. They went 4-12.
The first sub - .500 record in Favre’s career. Losing running back Ahman Green and wide reciever Javon Walker early on left Favre to fend for himself. Green Bay’s loss to Minnesota in Week 7 made the Pack 0-3 in the NFC North and 1-5 overall, essentially eliminating them from the playoffs before the midway point of the season.
Favre forced passes all season, setting a new career high for pass attempts. He was picked off 21 times while throwing only six touchdown tosses over the final 10 weeks of the season.
Bettors might wonder how the Packers will improve in 2006. Inserting McCarthy, the 49ers offensive co-ordinator last year, at head coach might have made sense a decade ago. But last year’s Niners ranked dead last in the NFL in offense. A frustrated Walker also forced a trade to Denver, leaving Favre without a top-notch target.
There were grumblings in Wisconsin that Favre’s delayed decision to return for another season cost Green Bay a shot at Terrell Owens.
And to top it off, Favre isn’t convinced he’ll receive top-notch protection this year.
“I think on offense the biggest question mark is the offensive line,†Favre told The Chicago Tribune.
“We might start two rookies at guard. What can you do? If they’re the best guys, you play them, but they’ll make mistakes. Going in, I don’t think a lot of people expect a lot out of us,†Favre concludes.
The books agree. Sportsbook.com currently lists the Packers at +600 to win the NFC North and +8500 to win the Super Bowl.
Packer lines to open the season will be similarly negative. “The early-going lines will reflect the team`s overall performance last season,†say Bodog.com bookmakers,
“and not so much Favre at the helm.â€ÂÂ
Favre, however, refuses to concede that the Packers are rebuilding. He told reporters for ESPN that he feels fine and expects the Pack to go 9-7 and return to the playoffs.
That’s exactly the kind of talk that will make Green Bay a poor value again this year. There’s a recipe for a public team and the Packers have the two key ingredients: a successful team history and a recognizable star player. Favre’s massive popularity goes beyond his football exploits.
He has already overcome an addiction to painkillers, has publicly dealt with his father’s death and wife’s battle with breast cancer and had his hometown of Kiln, Mississippi destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
Unfortunately, such off-field activity doesn’t contribute to bankrolls.
The Packers went 46-24 from 2001 through 2004, but only 36-33-1 against the spread over that same span. They were 6-10 against the spread last year, two games better than their straight-up record, largely because they covered the three games in which they were underdogs of at least seven points.
They also stole the meaningless season finale against the resting Seahawks. Green Bay does have a cushy out-of-division schedule this season thanks to its poor 2005 showing, but any value in that schedule will likely be negated by the Pack’s public status.
So Favre will keep backup quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the bench at least one more season and has a few early opportunities to back up his bold playoff talk.
But if Green Bay starts 2006 as slowly as it did last year, McCarthy will be faced with a tough choice. He`ll either have to keep the legendary Favre at the helm, or admit that the Pack is rebuilding and give Rodgers some meaningful snaps.
I said 10-6. I figured he'd have to be more of a homer than me, after all, he's playing.
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