There are a lot of days each year that make us all happy. Thanksgiving comes to mind. The 4th of July is another. Christmas morning if you are a kid or have kids. And then of course there’s the two days a year when the Packers smack around the Minnesota Vikings.
As a lifelong sports fan, there really is only one organization I truly despise… and that’s the stupid purple-clad football club from Minnesota. There are a million reasons why, including a near drop-down, drag-out fight between my wife (former Vikings fan, current Packers fan) and the best man in one of her best friend’s wedding (die-hard, idiot vikings fan), and I won’t bore you with all of them. But I don’t like them.
Aaron Rodgers took a major step towards leaping into the hearts of Packer fans Monday night
So it was doubly enjoyable yesterday to see Aaron Rodgers win opening night against the hated horn-heads. Based on what I’m hearing, Favre’s ghost was everywhere last night in Lambeau Field (It sounds like there were many more Favre JETS jerseys in the crowd than there were Rodgers PACKERS jerseys) but Rodgers and the Packers were unfazed. The first quarter (in which the Packers set an NFL-record by committing 2,397 penalties) looked pretty ugly and the game never really got pretty… but a win’s a win.
Most importantly, it reminded me why I was so excited about this team and honestly, it never had a whole lot to do with the quarterback position anyway. The Packers defense is pretty good, downright dominant at it’s best… and they can run the ball. Aaron Rodgers doesn’t have to be Superman, he just has to be good (and the second highest completion percentage in an NFL starting debut in history definitely falls into the “good” category) and this team should win the NFC North easily.
Go Pack!
As for Brett Favre, I definitely found myself pulling for him. I was excited that he threw a long TD pass in his second series… I was happy Jets fans got to see a glimpse of the gunslinger that will capture (and, at times, break) their hearts on his second TD throw. And my stomach-churned like it was a Packers game when the Dolphins drove down and almost stole the game.
I really hope good things happen for Favre this year. I hope he stays healthy, I hope he plays well and I hope the Jets shock everyone by winning that division (infinitely more likely now that the man Favre finished 2nd to in the MVP race last year is done for the year). But I don’t want him to win the Super Bowl. I just can’t cheer for that. I spent so many seasons (including of course last season) hoping, wishing, praying he could get one more ring to solidify his position in the “Best QB of all-time” debate. But not anymore. Because if he wins a Super Bowl in a Jets jersey, then we have to share him. Jets fans will always claim him as one of their own, the old veteran who had enough left to take them to the promised land.
I don’t want that. I don’t want to share him.
Word, man.