Last night was probably one of the more devastating nights for me as a Packers fan as I watched the New York Giants claw and fight their way past the Green Bay Packers and into the Super Bowl.
The reason it was devastating was not because the Packers lost; on the flipside, they had an amazing season, going further than anyone ever expected them to, and have a great young team that's going to remain competitive for a long time. No, what was so devastating to me was how the Packers responded to the conditions. For a team that prides itself as a "cold weather team" and a team that supposedly has the upper hand when it comes to these sorts of weather conditions, the Packers looked cold, and it showed in their play.
Never mind the fact that Al Harris couldn't stop Plexico Burress, or that Green Bay's stellar run defense somehow managed to allow over 120 yards on the ground to Jacobs and Bradshaw (who?), when it came down to critical plays the Packers looked desperate and cold. Eli showed poise and command. Favre showed impatience and recklessness. One might look at the box score this morning and say, "wow, Favre didn't get sacked. That's saying a lot for against a team such as the Giants which has prolific pass rushers in Strahan and Umenyiora." One the one hand, that shows what a great game Green Bay tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Taucher played. On the other hand, it showed that instead of taking a sack or throwing the ball away, Favre threw the ball into crowds desperately, resulting in one critical interception.
And I guess that's ultimately a reason the Packers lost the game. You know what you're going to get with Favre, a gunslinger with the gambling mentality to go for broke every single time. He's like the Prefontaine of passing, and deep down inside you respect that courage and recklessness, the fearlessness to say "it's now or never" any time he has the ball...but sometimes the price you pay for that courage will cost you everything.
Images courtesy of NFL.com.