INSIDE THE NFL
Just for the Fun of It
The Packers rediscover some of last year's magic
by Peter King
Posted: Wed September 24, 1997
Packers coach Mike Holmgren heard it all last week. His Super
Bowl champions were an ugly 2-1. The talk shows were besieged
with flak from fans. Quarterback Brett Favre and defensive end
Reggie White spoke openly about a team that wasn't having much
fun. So Holmgren stepped to the podium at Green Bay's team
meeting last Saturday night and said, "Let's define fun."
Fun, he told his players, is not complicated. "When you win,
it's fun," Holmgren said. "When you lose, it's no fun. You guys
are reflecting on last year and comparing this year to the
euphoria you felt then. You're only going to have that kind of
first-time feeling once. It was a fun, uplifting time. That
time's gone. It's a new season, and no one cares what you did
last year. But I can promise you this: You get there again this
year, and it's going to be fun."
It's not that Holmgren wasn't concerned. On the Monday and
Tuesday after the Packers' skin-of-their-teeth 23-18 home win
over the Dolphins on Sept. 14, he quizzed his coaching staff,
trying to identify reasons for the club's lackluster start. He
asked the offensive assistants if their schemes were still good
enough to beat NFL defenses. The coaches said they were. Then he
asked, "Am I calling the wrong plays? Am I being too
conservative?" Most of the assistants have been with Holmgren
since he took over in Green Bay in 1992, and the staff has good
give-and-take. They assured Holmgren that his play-calling was
fine. "We determined that it was a dropped pass here, a missed
block there," Holmgren said. He decided to stay the course as
the Pack prepared for Sunday's game against the Vikings at
Lambeau Field.
Favre, who had only four touchdown throws coming in, is glad
Holmgren did. The two-time MVP played as good a half as he ever
has, throwing four of his five touchdown passes (which equaled
his career high) as the Pack raced to a 31-7 lead. Several times
Favre came close to losing his cool with a defense that taunted
him and repeatedly hit him after the play. "Their guys are
kicking him, pushing him, spitting on him, and he's still
throwing touchdowns," Green Bay strong safety LeRoy Butler said
afterward. "Without him we'd be lost."
Minnesota roared back in the second half, but the Packers hung
on for a 38-32 win. Clearly, things still aren't perfect in
Titletown. The defense, ranked first in the league in total
yards and points allowed last season, let the Vikings gain 393
yards, let Brad Johnson complete 13 consecutive passes during
one second-half stretch and let Robert Smith run for 132 yards.
Maybe it will be impossible to recapture the magic of 1996.
Holmgren says the only difference he sees between this year and
last is injuries—five starters have missed games or are out for
the year—but it was strange to watch the Vikings move the ball
at will in the second half.
The Packers were lucky that they had Favre, who broke Bart
Starr's franchise touchdown-pass record of 152. Minnesota clawed
to within 31-22 early in the third quarter, and as Green Bay
took over at its 19, Vikings defensive tackle John Randle walked
up and down the line, screaming at the Pack, "I'm coming! We're
gonna bring it! You'll never stop us!" Nine plays, 81 yards and
five Favre strikes later, the Pack had what proved to be the
winning points, on a two-yard bullet to tight end Mark Chmura.
This season may be only four weeks old, but the Packers already
know this much: Repeating will be harder than they imagined.
"Green Bay's still an outstanding team, and they've got a great
chance to win it all again," Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson said
last week. "But last year it seemed like they were more driven.
It's human nature. It's hard to be as hungry when you've got the
ring on."
That doesn't mean you can't have some fun. When Holmgren
addressed his players after Sunday's game, he told them, "Don't
let [anyone] take the joy out of this day. We won, and this is
fun." For at least another week.
Issue date: September 29, 1997
|
