Farve: 12 TDs / 3 INTs - How to beat him on Sunday?

[Deputy Nutz]

The time-tested way savvy coordinators have beaten him for years : show him pressure coming from unexpected angles occasionally, but mostly drop back & wait for the brainfreeze throws/poor decisions.

What went wrong in game 1 of the series in your opinion Lamont?

Well, I'm not Lamont but...

I think most would agree that our very basic strategy in the first game was off-base. We didn't expect Favre to be terribly effective, and concentrated on stopping AP, daring the team to ride Favre to the win.

The result - Peterson gets 50ish yards and just over 2ypc. Favre carves us up like a christmas turkey. I don't think we ever had much of a plan for neutralizing Favre.

If this was truly the game plan then McCarthy should be fired, Capers should be fired, and his whole staff on defense should be fired. Hell even the whole offensive staff should be fired for letting them go through that game plan.

Planning to stop AP is one thing, because he is still the most dangerous weapon on the field. What I think happened was that the Packers didn't count on the Vikings opening up their down field passing game quite as much. Favre has a very good play fake and when the team is already over commiting to the run the middle of the field is wide open, especially when you can't get pressure on the QB, regardless if it Favre or any other QB, hell it could be Chad Pennington.


The Packers have to stop the run with 7 guys in the box. They bring a safety down I think Favre carves them up again. Blitz all you want but as soon as the Packer over commit one way or another the Vikings have the talent to move the football down the field.

The Packers defense is going to have to play balanced, that is one of the reasons the Vikings brought Favre in.

Interesting thought I just had. Would the Packers coaching staff have enough balls to commit everything they have to stopping Favre? who cares if AP runs all day long, refuse to let Favre come back and shine at Lambeau. Could it be that personal?

[pbmax]

The time-tested way savvy coordinators have beaten him for years : show him pressure coming from unexpected angles occasionally, but mostly drop back & wait for the brainfreeze throws/poor decisions.

What went wrong in game 1 of the series in your opinion Lamont?

Well, I'm not Lamont but...

I think most would agree that our very basic strategy in the first game was off-base. We didn't expect Favre to be terribly effective, and concentrated on stopping AP, daring the team to ride Favre to the win.

The result - Peterson gets 50ish yards and just over 2ypc. Favre carves us up like a christmas turkey. I don't think we ever had much of a plan for neutralizing Favre.

If this was truly the game plan then McCarthy should be fired, Capers should be fired, and his whole staff on defense should be fired. Hell even the whole offensive staff should be fired for letting them go through that game plan.

Planning to stop AP is one thing, because he is still the most dangerous weapon on the field. What I think happened was that the Packers didn't count on the Vikings opening up their down field passing game quite as much. Favre has a very good play fake and when the team is already over commiting to the run the middle of the field is wide open, especially when you can't get pressure on the QB, regardless if it Favre or any other QB, hell it could be Chad Pennington.


The Packers have to stop the run with 7 guys in the box. They bring a safety down I think Favre carves them up again. Blitz all you want but as soon as the Packer over commit one way or another the Vikings have the talent to move the football down the field.

The Packers defense is going to have to play balanced, that is one of the reasons the Vikings brought Favre in.

Interesting thought I just had. Would the Packers coaching staff have enough balls to commit everything they have to stopping Favre? who cares if AP runs all day long, refuse to let Favre come back and shine at Lambeau. Could it be that personal?

I don't know. How many blown coverages led directly to scores? Weren't there two blown plays that led immediately to TDs? One by Smith and one by a LB? That might have been the plan, without blown coverage you hold them to 17 if neither drive scores? Or 23 if they settle for Figgies.

But Capers also said they were concerned that several pressure packages gave Stephen Jackson his biggest gainers. Now that we have home field and the Vike offense will be slower off the ball, I think the pressure will increase slightly.

[The Shadow]

The time-tested way savvy coordinators have beaten him for years : show him pressure coming from unexpected angles occasionally, but mostly drop back & wait for the brainfreeze throws/poor decisions.

What went wrong in game 1 of the series in your opinion Lamont?

1. Capers concentrated almost exclusively on stopping Peterson.
2. The absence of Bigby hurt tremendously - remember that play to Berrian over Al? Capers was hamstrung with Martin back there.

This time out Capers has to have more balance between stopping Peterson while also containing Fave (and that will be a challenge!).
However : having Bigby at SS will be huge + starting Mathews over Poppinga will pay dividends.
If I were scripting the D. gameplan for this rematch I'd return Kampman to his DE role, with a rotation of Aaron, Jenkins, & Jolly. I'd have Chillar at strongside LB - and sometimes rotate Hawk outside there with Chillar sliding back into the Big Oakie. Barnett in the middle should have Peterson as his primary mission.

[Kiwon]

Well, I wonder about what role the crowd can play....some major psychological warfare, you know.

Favre is always his own worst enemy. He is as emotional as all get out and that could be used against him in what REALLY might be his last game at Lambeau.

How about the Packers start the game with a highlight video tribute? Hall of Fame stuff, testimonies from other Packer greats.

Then put in a special introduction of him as a Packer legend, introduce his wife, introduce his mother, let the crowd give him a standing ovation and cheer and shout "We love you, Brett!"

Encourage folks to come in their Packer #4 jerseys. Make it an unofficial "Brett Favre" day.

I could almost guarantee that his first several passes would be off the mark...

See....Antonio Freeman agrees with me...(maybe)

Ex-Packer Freeman: Lambeau's boos won't shake Brett Favre

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/vikings/2009-10-28-brett-favre-antonio-freeman_N.htm

[Rastak]

The time-tested way savvy coordinators have beaten him for years : show him pressure coming from unexpected angles occasionally, but mostly drop back & wait for the brainfreeze throws/poor decisions.

What went wrong in game 1 of the series in your opinion Lamont?

1. Capers concentrated almost exclusively on stopping Peterson.
2. The absence of Bigby hurt tremendously - remember that play to Berrian over Al? Capers was hamstrung with Martin back there.

This time out Capers has to have more balance between stopping Peterson while also containing Fave (and that will be a challenge!).
However : having Bigby at SS will be huge + starting Mathews over Poppinga will pay dividends.
If I were scripting the D. gameplan for this rematch I'd return Kampman to his DE role, with a rotation of Aaron, Jenkins, & Jolly. I'd have Chillar at strongside LB - and sometimes rotate Hawk outside there with Chillar sliding back into the Big Oakie. Barnett in the middle should have Peterson as his primary mission.

1. Yes, and he pulled it off. They did a good job of keeping him bottled up most of the game.V

2. Bigby should help and the fact Berrian is likely out also helps a little. Vikings offense looked pretty sharp against Pitt. This is going to be a challenge for GB.

[Fritz]

It's easy to be unhappy with Capers' apparent plan since Favre did slice and dice the Pack like a Ronco, but people seem to be pooh-poohing Peterson. The sentiment seems to be "got to stop Favre" or "let's put seven in the box."

You've got to slow Peterson down. You can't not game plan for that guy. You have to account for him, big time.

I agree that it was the two blown coverages that cost the Packers more than any game plan. I would say, though, too, that it appears Capers is starting to use Kampman more effectively, so this might help as well. And if Mathews is out there more, that's a good thing.

Favre will be Favre. He tends to excel earlier in the season and wear down. It's still early - not half way - but this game is later in the day now and it'll be a little cooler. I'll still take my chances with Favre if the Pack can slow Peterson down.

[The Shadow]

Chillar, as a nickel 'roamer', could be used to spy Peterson and would also serve to clog up passing lanes if Favre chooses to pass..

[The Shadow]

No Winfield could be very big.

[RashanGary]

Interesting thought I just had. Would the Packers coaching staff have enough balls to commit everything they have to stopping Favre? who cares if AP runs all day long, refuse to let Favre come back and shine at Lambeau. Could it be that personal?

Horrible idea. Stop AP first. He's twice the threat that Favre is at this point in Favre's career.


I'd run a very similar plan, but on 3rd down, I'd be more aggressive going at Favre. The Vikings do have a dynamic offense with the best RB in football, good weapons at WR and a very good pass catchign TE. They can beat you in all areas of the field. They will score some points. This isn't going to be about shutting the Vikings offense down, it's going to be about getting them in 3rd down, and then getting off the field some of the time. Getting them in 3rd down is about stopping AP and not getting beat with a big play. Getting off on 3rd down will be about getting to Favre. Bottom line, AP is 2/3rds of the equation, Favre is 1/3. Oh yeah a turn over or two is the wild card. If we can get a couple turn overs, I think that is one of our best chances on defense and something we're pretty good at.

[RashanGary]

One thing we may or may not have going for us is the Vikings getting shut out in the run game last time. They may feel some foolish pride to try to run it. If we sell out on the run again and the Vikings keep trying to run, it could get us up early and then we can unload on Favre when they're down a couple scores.

There are a few things I could see happening where the Packers run away with this. My step dad has Sunday ticket. I've seen a lot of Vikings football as well as a lot of Packer football. I might be a homer here, but I think we have the better team. I look forward to beating these guys down. I even think a double digit win is possible.

[bobblehead]

Our overall team may be comparable, even better than theirs, but SO FAR our OL has been so bad it swings the pendulum in their favor. If our OL "cleans it up" then I could drink the kool aid and say we are better, but thats a big if.

[Bossman641]

It all comes down to 3rd down. The defense actually played fairly well on 1st and 2nd down stopping AP, however at one point of the game the Vikings were something ridiculous like 8/10 on 3rd down conversions. Hopefully Matthews + Collins will rectify that situation.

[MichiganPackerFan]

It all comes down to 3rd down. The defense actually played fairly well on 1st and 2nd down stopping AP, however at one point of the game the Vikings were something ridiculous like 8/10 on 3rd down conversions. Hopefully Matthews + Collins will rectify that situation.

How many first downs came on penalties? Some balanced officiating will be helpful too. Remember, MIN was called for NOTHING until the end of the game.

[Deputy Nutz]

Interesting thought I just had. Would the Packers coaching staff have enough balls to commit everything they have to stopping Favre? who cares if AP runs all day long, refuse to let Favre come back and shine at Lambeau. Could it be that personal?

Horrible idea. Stop AP first. He's twice the threat that Favre is at this point in Favre's career.


I'd run a very similar plan, but on 3rd down, I'd be more aggressive going at Favre. The Vikings do have a dynamic offense with the best RB in football, good weapons at WR and a very good pass catchign TE. They can beat you in all areas of the field. They will score some points. This isn't going to be about shutting the Vikings offense down, it's going to be about getting them in 3rd down, and then getting off the field some of the time. Getting them in 3rd down is about stopping AP and not getting beat with a big play. Getting off on 3rd down will be about getting to Favre. Bottom line, AP is 2/3rds of the equation, Favre is 1/3. Oh yeah a turn over or two is the wild card. If we can get a couple turn overs, I think that is one of our best chances on defense and something we're pretty good at.

It really all comes down to Favre, I mean unless AP goes for 300 yards or something, because if you force the Vikes to put the ball in Favre's hand on 3rd it all comes down to if Favre is "on". If he ain't missing and is picking up blitzes on the pre snap and finding his hot reads then the Packers are finished on defense.

If Favre is just mediocre or bad, Packers have an unbelievable shot at winning this game, even if Peterson runs for 125 yards and a score or two. See the Steelers game, Favre had a pick that went for six, and a fumble that went for 6. Game over. Both of those weren't entirely his fault, but they wouldn't have happened if Peterson had the ball in his hands. Favre was having a decent game, not great couldn't score touchdowns in the redzone and commited TOs in the red zone.

Favre has been around the block way too many times for some one to fool him into an int. He throws it, it is on him. Woodson is about the only one that I could see fooling Favre.

[Tony Oday]

1. Man coverage on the WR that locks them down all game to free up the SS to hit AP

2. D line...their O line is brutal, not as bad as ours, but we should be shredding Favre with Kamp, Pickett, Raji and Jolly.

3. left side of our O line. We HAVE to stop Allen and the Williams boys...

4. GJ and DD need to go OFF! What I mean by that is take those 5 yard slants to the house.

5. Crosby cannot miss a kick