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Favre has all the answers
QB leaves Vikings dazed, confused
By BOB McGINN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Nov. 11, 2007
Green Bay - The game plan was hatched by coach Mike McCarthy and coordinator Joe Philbin. The execution was left up to Brett Favre.
Together, they put on an offensive clinic Sunday in the Green Bay Packers' 34-0 victory over the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field.
"It was almost like Brett Favre had our defensive playbook in his hands or something," rookie cornerback Marcus McCauley said with a dazed look on his face and weariness in his voice. "In this league, guys make adjustments. Those guys were smart over there."
All day, the Vikings' defense, which ranked 10th in points allowed, was a step or three behind.
"The first quarter, every tendency we had, they went against," safety Dwight Smith said. "Every one.
"Three receivers, two backs. Pass formation. They ran the ball today.
"Then we have our guys in Cover-2. We're not worried about the draw because they don't run. So he's pump-faking and running the draw. Very definitely (unpredictable)."
When the rout was finished, the Packers' offense had no turnovers, two false-start penalties, 488 yards, 29 first downs and almost 41 minutes of possession time.
It also was responsible for welcoming McCauley, a bright third-round draft choice from Fresno State, into the big leagues.
"Games like this make you wonder how long you can stay in the league," McCauley said. "People said days like this would happen but I didn't think it would.
"Brett Favre is the legend that they say he is. I've never seen a quarterback make adjustments like he does. Basically, he just does what he wants to do. He was kind of jerking us around all day."
McCarthy minimized the impact of defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams by running wide with Ryan Grant and spreading the Vikings out.
"Please don't compare him to (Dorsey) Levens," safety Darren Sharper said. "But he's a decent running back and runs the ball hard. Their scheme, that zone blocking, means there's going to be some holes, and if he just gets downhill he's going to get some yardage. If they can get close to 100 yards each game on the ground they'll be hard to beat."
On 82 snaps, counting penalties, McCarthy employed two or more backs just 26 times. Six came from a Power-I set in which Grant ran five tosses for 17 yards.
"They were able to run the football against our seven-man front, which most people haven't been able to do," defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said. "They did a great job preparing for us."
Thirty-six plays came from shotgun formation, all with at least three wide receivers on the field. In total, the Packers ran 61 plays with at least three wide receivers, including 13 with no running back.
Against such multiplicity the Vikings generally remained in a two-safety shell hoping their four-man rush would disrupt Favre. Frazier, who blitzed on 37.5% of passes in the first meeting, was reluctant to pressure this time without injured cornerback Antoine Winfield.
"When you have arguably your best corner out," Smith said, "you're going to try to put in as many wide receivers as you can to see how deep we can go."
Green Bay's five wide receivers split almost equally 20 receptions for 290 yards.
"(Donald) Driver is playing good but they've got so many options, Driver gets forgot," Sharper said. "I like (Greg) Jennings a lot. For a rookie, (James) Jones is playing extremely well. Not a burner and not a guy who's going to make you miss, but he's a smooth type who, if he's open, he'll catch it. Koren (Robinson) looked like he's in excellent shape. And 82 (Ruvell Martin) is a big, tall guy. Not bad."
When the coverage was adequate and the rush drew near, numerous times Favre danced forward a step or two before firing.
"I mean, I just think it's Brett," Sharper said. "A lot of times, what they're running, it's kind of like backyard football, to be honest with you. They just let guys run and wait until guys get open.
"Brett's so smart. He's throwing the ball quick, even when he's in shotgun," Sharper said. "He looks for a quick read. If that's not there, he holds it for a little bit and lets guys get uncovered. That's tough to stop."
At times, Frazier dropped defensive linemen off into coverage attempting to confuse Favre. But only once did Favre come close to throwing an interception.
"Last week, we tried to pressure (Philip) Rivers because he's a young guy and with guys around him he tends to struggle," McCauley said. "Whereas with Favre, it seems like he is almost better.
"His pump fakes are like actual throws. He throws his whole body into them. How do you not respect it? Then he pumps one way and goes the other.
"Pretty much every play he did at the line. I've never seen a quarterback with the confidence to be able to do that."
Blend in four shovel passes (McCarthy hadn't called one since Week 3) for 13 yards and two screens worth 18 and it became an offensive masterpiece.
QB leaves Vikings dazed, confused
By BOB McGINN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Nov. 11, 2007
Green Bay - The game plan was hatched by coach Mike McCarthy and coordinator Joe Philbin. The execution was left up to Brett Favre.
Together, they put on an offensive clinic Sunday in the Green Bay Packers' 34-0 victory over the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field.
"It was almost like Brett Favre had our defensive playbook in his hands or something," rookie cornerback Marcus McCauley said with a dazed look on his face and weariness in his voice. "In this league, guys make adjustments. Those guys were smart over there."
All day, the Vikings' defense, which ranked 10th in points allowed, was a step or three behind.
"The first quarter, every tendency we had, they went against," safety Dwight Smith said. "Every one.
"Three receivers, two backs. Pass formation. They ran the ball today.
"Then we have our guys in Cover-2. We're not worried about the draw because they don't run. So he's pump-faking and running the draw. Very definitely (unpredictable)."
When the rout was finished, the Packers' offense had no turnovers, two false-start penalties, 488 yards, 29 first downs and almost 41 minutes of possession time.
It also was responsible for welcoming McCauley, a bright third-round draft choice from Fresno State, into the big leagues.
"Games like this make you wonder how long you can stay in the league," McCauley said. "People said days like this would happen but I didn't think it would.
"Brett Favre is the legend that they say he is. I've never seen a quarterback make adjustments like he does. Basically, he just does what he wants to do. He was kind of jerking us around all day."
McCarthy minimized the impact of defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams by running wide with Ryan Grant and spreading the Vikings out.
"Please don't compare him to (Dorsey) Levens," safety Darren Sharper said. "But he's a decent running back and runs the ball hard. Their scheme, that zone blocking, means there's going to be some holes, and if he just gets downhill he's going to get some yardage. If they can get close to 100 yards each game on the ground they'll be hard to beat."
On 82 snaps, counting penalties, McCarthy employed two or more backs just 26 times. Six came from a Power-I set in which Grant ran five tosses for 17 yards.
"They were able to run the football against our seven-man front, which most people haven't been able to do," defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said. "They did a great job preparing for us."
Thirty-six plays came from shotgun formation, all with at least three wide receivers on the field. In total, the Packers ran 61 plays with at least three wide receivers, including 13 with no running back.
Against such multiplicity the Vikings generally remained in a two-safety shell hoping their four-man rush would disrupt Favre. Frazier, who blitzed on 37.5% of passes in the first meeting, was reluctant to pressure this time without injured cornerback Antoine Winfield.
"When you have arguably your best corner out," Smith said, "you're going to try to put in as many wide receivers as you can to see how deep we can go."
Green Bay's five wide receivers split almost equally 20 receptions for 290 yards.
"(Donald) Driver is playing good but they've got so many options, Driver gets forgot," Sharper said. "I like (Greg) Jennings a lot. For a rookie, (James) Jones is playing extremely well. Not a burner and not a guy who's going to make you miss, but he's a smooth type who, if he's open, he'll catch it. Koren (Robinson) looked like he's in excellent shape. And 82 (Ruvell Martin) is a big, tall guy. Not bad."
When the coverage was adequate and the rush drew near, numerous times Favre danced forward a step or two before firing.
"I mean, I just think it's Brett," Sharper said. "A lot of times, what they're running, it's kind of like backyard football, to be honest with you. They just let guys run and wait until guys get open.
"Brett's so smart. He's throwing the ball quick, even when he's in shotgun," Sharper said. "He looks for a quick read. If that's not there, he holds it for a little bit and lets guys get uncovered. That's tough to stop."
At times, Frazier dropped defensive linemen off into coverage attempting to confuse Favre. But only once did Favre come close to throwing an interception.
"Last week, we tried to pressure (Philip) Rivers because he's a young guy and with guys around him he tends to struggle," McCauley said. "Whereas with Favre, it seems like he is almost better.
"His pump fakes are like actual throws. He throws his whole body into them. How do you not respect it? Then he pumps one way and goes the other.
"Pretty much every play he did at the line. I've never seen a quarterback with the confidence to be able to do that."
Blend in four shovel passes (McCarthy hadn't called one since Week 3) for 13 yards and two screens worth 18 and it became an offensive masterpiece.
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