Favre/McCarthy Have Everything to Make 2007 a Success
By CHRIS HAVEL
Mike McCarthy and Brett Favre seemed especially animated during their mid-week news conferences.
The reason is the season.
For now every game is winnable. Every goal is attainable.
The necessary and tedious work of training camp and the exhibition season is behind them. The awesome potential for an exhilarating ride is only a pre-game introduction, a coin toss and an opening kickoff away.
When the Green Bay Packers’ coach and quarterback run through the tunnel for Sunday’s noon game at Lambeau Field, they do so from vastly different paths and perspectives. The second-year head coach is eager to build upon what he believes is a foundation for success. The 17th-year quarterback is anxious to test his mettle—and his team’s—against pro football’s finest.
At first blush McCarthy and Favre—the young coach and the grizzled quarterback—may seem a study in contrast. The truth is they aren’t so different at heart. They share a passion for football, a desire to succeed and a fondness for laughter. They demand respect and they get it. They take the game seriously without taking themselves that same way. They abhor back-stabbers and butt-kissers, they admire loyalty and courage, and they strive for perfection. They don’t always reach their goals, but they relish the attempt just the same.
Their relationship is based on a rare but simple premise. Don’t tell me what I want to hear. Tell me what I need to know. If you trust me, and likewise, the rest will work itself out.
It isn’t a coincidence that in 2006 McCarthy became a better coach, and Favre a better quarterback, by season’s end. They did so in the spirit of one of the most wonderful words in the English language: Together. Now they are anxious to see where it takes them, and the Packers, during the tremendous challenge that lies ahead.
The 16-game regular season schedule is a marathon, but nothing compared with what can feel like an interminably long and occasionally insufferable off-season.
The coach and the quarterback grasp the importance of preparation. Without it, McCarthy wouldn’t be the 14th coach in Packers history, and Favre wouldn’t be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Their willingness and discipline to do the small things has put them in position to accomplish the great things. The fear of failure doesn’t haunt them. It drives them.
But all the preparation, anticipation and expectation is superseded by one thing: The game. Coaches coach it, and players play it, and it is why McCarthy and Favre seemed especially rejuvenated earlier this week. The impending three-hour tussle with the Philadelphia Eagles is so close they can taste it. It awakens memories of games gone by, and conjures feelings ranging from pulling on their Pop Warner jersey for the first time to taking that first step onto the NFL’s shrine known as Lambeau Field.
Coach Andy Reid’s Eagles, and in particular defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, present a tall task. They are among the finest at what they do, and they have players such as Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook and Brian Dawkins to impose their will and work their magic.
But McCarthy and Favre aren’t without weapons. They have a defense that has the potential to be dominant. It features Aaron Kampman, A.J. Hawk, Al Harris and a surrounding cast that is more than capable. They also have a true pro in Donald Driver, and young talents in Scott Wells, Greg Jennings and Brandon Jackson to do their bidding.
The Packers aren’t as good as they are likely to be by December, but they surely are better than they were a year ago.
McCarthy has the wisdom of a much older coach, and Favre has the enthusiasm of a much younger quarterback. While McCarthy strives to be one of the NFL’s best, Favre continues to be exactly that regardless of what the so-called experts have to say.
They have everything they need to make the 2007 season a resounding success.
Best of all, they have each other.
Chris Havel is a freelance writer, best-selling author and host of northeast Wisconsin’s top-rated sports radio talk show, Sports Line, heard Monday through Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sports Radio 107.5 FM and 1400 AM THE FAN. He writes a weekly column exclusively for Packers Fan Tours’ Website throughout the 2007 season.
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