Imagine Cal Ripken Jr. returning to Camden Yards to play against the Orioles, or Peyton Manning facing the Colts or even Derek Jeter playing in Yankee Stadium against the Bronx Bombers. Sights like these just don't make sense to your eyes. Neither will the sight of Brett Favre sporting Viking purple in Lambeau on Sunday.
Very few athletes have meant more to their respective towns than what Brett Favre meant to Green Bay. In Green Bay, Favre came before God. He may have grown up about 1000 miles away from Green Bay but he was the perfect representative of that town with his blue-collar, ripped jeans, hard working image. His gunslinger mentality and his knack for doing whatever it took to get the W easily won over the Packer faithful. This town that eats, sleeps and breathes football had gone almost three decades without the trophy named after their former coach before their savior brought it back home. If Favre had retired after his premature emotional farewell, he may have been regarded more highly in Green Bay than Vince Lombardi himself. Shoot, the next stadium in Green Bay might've even been named after him. But of course, it wasn't to be.
There's so much intrigue and so much at stake in Favre's return to Lambeau on Sunday. How will Favre handle his emotions? How will the crowd react when he trots into the huddle? How fired up will his former teammates be to face him at home? Will Favre's current teammates rally around him as they did a few weeks ago in their matchup in Minnesota? How will Aaron Rodgers fare in round 2 of "did we make the right decision in letting Favre go?" There are so many questions to be answered and so many sides to look at. Let alone the fact that this game has huge implications to decide who will win the NFC North.
For Favre, this game is going to be a tough one to handle...much tougher than the Monday night matchup with the Packers a few weeks ago. It'll start with the pregame, which may be the most difficult time for him. As he rolls up to the stadium, years of memories will start flowing through his head as he looks at the place he used to call home. He'll feel uncomfortable in the one place he's never been in Lambeau...the visitor's locker room. Then nostalgia will hit as he runs through that tunnel onto the tundra (which shouldn't be frozen, temperatures projected at 48 degrees). Then he'll look up in the stands and feel a multitude of feelings. He'll see the fans...some with signs saying we miss you or why did you ever leave...making him feel sad and guilty. Others will have angry signs, maybe making him feel as if he had committed treason by leaving or give him extra motivation to win. More nostalgia and mixed emotions set in as he looks across the field at his former teammates and coaches. The ones he used to battle with now looking to hunt him down. As he takes the field on his first possession maybe he'll be thinking about all the touchdowns he threw here and how he owned this field. Maybe he'll throw a TD, forget he's a Viking now and try the Lambeau Leap (that could be disaster!). Or maybe he'll be haunted by his last pass here...an interception that cost him and some of the guys on the other side of the line of scrimmage a Super Bowl berth. As the game goes on, Favre will probably worry less and less about the history and more about the task at hand. But it's not going to be easy for him at any point.
For Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, there may be even more to prove. For three seasons Rodgers, a first round draft pick had to watch from the sideline and learn from Favre. He was extremely patient, despite knowing he wouldn't start over Favre and that Favre never got hurt so he wouldn't fill in during an injury either. Two years ago he got his break when the Packers decided to make Rodgers the future of this franchise and give up on the legend. So far, Rodgers has put up all the right numbers and all the wrong letters....Ls instead of Ws. Uneasiness has settled in among the fans. It's pretty apparent that the Vikings have the better supporting cast right now. But win or lose, the blame usually falls on a quarterback and Rodgers knows he needs to prove to the town of Green Bay that the management made the right decision in going with him. And it's wins, not yards that will do that.When the game is on the line does Rodgers have that magic to get it done?...the same magic that made Favre immortal in Green Bay.
The supporting cast knows it has to help out Rodgers as well. The offensive line wants to redeem themselves after their embarrassment in the Metrodome. The defense wants to put pressure on Favre and force him into mistakes instead of being picked apart like it was last time. Against a team as talented as Minnesota, it's going to take a drastic improvement in all areas for the Packers to give Rodgers a chance.
But looking past all the drama and hoopla there is a game to be played....a game between a 6-1 team and a 4-2 team. A win for the Vikings would put them 2.5 games up on the Packers, which would basically be a three game lead because the head-to-head sweep would give Minnesota the tiebreaker. The way the Vikings are playing, that kind of lead would be almost insurmountable. If the Packers win, it's pretty much a brand new ball game in the NFC North division race, with the Pack just a half game back and a head-to-head split with Minnesota. So this game is ENORMOUS for both teams.
The anticipation for this game is unprecedented for a regular season game. Rodgers and Favre have been waiting for it since Favre signed with Minnesota in August. I know it will be a hard fought game with a raucous crowd and plenty of emotion...but I don't know who will come out on top. Ultimately I think the winner will be determined by Brett Favre. Can he live in the moment or will the past be too much to handle? We'll soon find out.
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