Good excerpt from ESPN Page 2...

[evad04]

ESPN Page 2: Bill Simmons

This is Bill Simmons, a writer from espn.com and his "power rankings"

I enjoyed it and thought you all would as well.

4. Green Bay

During Larry Bird's last two years on the Celtics, when his back was killing him and he was just about cooked, Dee Brown and Brian Shaw showed up, Reggie Lewis was coming into his own, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish were healthy again, Eddie Pinckney was emerging off the bench ... suddenly, they were playing fast-break basketball and Bird's game was completely rejuvenated in the process. The most fascinating dynamic? The respect the young guys held for Bird, Parish and McHale -- because of that respect, the youngsters followed instructions, never took a game off and never stopped busting their butts. You could see the reverence they had for the older guys, just like you could see how much the old guys loved playing with them. Even though they never made the Finals because Bird kept getting hurt, those were meaningful seasons for everyone who cared about the Celtics. Like two generations colliding. Everyone had the right level of urgency, as well as the proper level of appreciation for what was happening.

We're seeing the same thing happen with Favre and the Packers right now. It's not that "he's having fun" and "he's managing the game" and all the crap that the talking heads are spewing. This goes deeper -- it's about a seemingly washed-up superstar who landed in the right situation, realizes it, appreciates it, embraces it and, invariably, his skills regenerated and his team reinvigorated itself in the process. Everyone keeps mentioning how much fun Favre is having; nobody is mentioning his teammates. Each guy looks happier than the next, and if you think these guys aren't killing themselves to make sure Favre succeeds, you're crazy. (NFL Films caught a great moment before the Vikings game when each of his receivers was talking about how much he wanted to catch No. 421.) Most of them are young enough to remember watching Favre in his prime, and most of them are smart enough to appreciate that they've become part of something that's bigger than just a typical 4-0 season. Throw in Lambeau and it's the most amazing sports story in awhile. I just wish the Packers had a running game. Or even the mirage of a running game.

 

[Greg C.]

That's a nice bit. Thanks for posting it. I was worried in the preseason when Favre was griping at the receivers a lot and talking about the good old days when his receivers ran the right routes, but it all seems to have worked out well.

 

[cheesey]

That's a nice bit. Thanks for posting it. I was worried in the preseason when Favre was griping at the receivers a lot and talking about the good old days when his receivers ran the right routes, but it all seems to have worked out well.

So far, so good!

 

[Cory]

I completely disagree with that guys assessment. Comparing Larry Bird and Brett Favre at the end of their careers isn't accurate, IMO. That and the fact is that YES Favre IS putting the extra work in...playing smarter...making more big plays.

 

[tromadz]

I stopped reading Simmons long ago.

Which is sad, cuz he WAS AWESOME! Now....no.

 

[BryanAschenbrenner]

So Favre is throwing bullets and usually very accurate throws because his teammates are doing all the work? Right.

 

[Cory]

So Favre is throwing bullets and usually very accurate throws because his teammates are doing all the work? Right.

I know. It's obviously all of Favres teammates that are doing all of the work. What a joke.