Talking NFL

Today, we’re proud to have our first interview published here at Talking NFL. With the Green Bay Packers getting ready to take on the Seattle Seahawks in this week’s NFC Divisional Round playoff, it’s fitting that the subject of our interview is best known for discovering and recruiting the 2007 SI Sportsman of the Year, Brett Favre.

Mark McHale was an assistant football coach at the University of Southern Mississippi when a few high school coaches changed the course of a quarterback’s life and the USM program. The football coaches told McHale to visit a school to see a player named Brett Favre…

In his new book, 10 to 4, Brett Favre’s Journey from Rotten Bayou to the Top of the NFL, Mark McHale and Brett Favre, with the help of award-winning sportswriter Tim Stephens, detail how the coach’s persistence enabled the gifted, but raw quarterback to prove himself at college football’s highest level and lay the foundation for becoming the winningest quarterback in NFL history and its only three-time consecutive Most Valuable Player.

The book provides a fascinating behind the scenes look at how the college recruiting process works, along with some great stories from Brett’s early career that showed Mark and the rest of the coaching staff at USM just how special he could become. Most of all, it’s amazing to read the early chapters of this book and discover just how close Brett came to not receiving one scholarship from a Division 1 school. Had Mark and the University of Southern Mississippi not stepped up to the plate, we might have never seen this gunslinger step onto an NFL field…let alone become a legend in the game.

• Back in 1986, you were the Offensive Line Coach for the University of Southern Mississippi, and went on a recruiting trip to Hancock North Central High to visit Brett Favre. What we your first impressions of Brett as you watched him play?

I was not impressed when I first watched him play because Irvin (Brett’s dad and head coach) didn’t have him throw the ball but maybe 4 times the whole game! However, I was very impressed with Brett in pre-game warmups where he really showed off his arm. During the second game I went to, I did see one pass that was absolutely phenomenal; it was a 50 yard TD pass that had smoke coming off it.

• What were your first impressions of Brett off the field like when you first met him?

I actually met him before I saw him play, and it was based on those impressions that I decided to come back and see him perform in a game. When I first met Brett at his dad’s field house, he displayed so much confidence in his persona–he was very confident, but not cocky. It gave me a gut feeling to pursue him.

• Is it true that when Southern Miss offered Favre a scholarship, it was to play safety? How did that offer come about?

Every Thursday we would talk about the recruits from each coaches geographical area. When I brought up each prospect’s name, the head coach (Jim Carmody) would always ask me, “can he play another position?” That’s when I saw the opportunity to up the odds to recruit Brett.

I told Jim he was a safety that played like a linebacker–very tough–he could play for us at safety if he didn’t work out at quarterback. This stuck in the back of the head coach’s mind when we lost a linebacker from Atlanta and he offered Brett to fill a defensive slot in that recruiting class!

(more…)

This week Sports Illustrated released the name of their annual Sportsman of the Year, and for the 2nd time in the last 3 years the award was given to a football player (woo-yah!).

In 2005, it was Tom Brady.  This time around, it’s 16-year veteran and Green Bay Packer icon Brett Favre who claims the honor.  A quick excerpt from the SI.com article explaining their choice (a must read for all Packers fans, like reader Cherie who writes for 451 Press’s Watching Private Practice):

When Favre decided to return for the 2007 season, even die-hard Cheeseheads must have been hoping only that he would not tarnish his legacy. What no one expected was that Favre would reinvent himself yet again, enjoying one of his best years at age 38 while cajoling a talented but callow team to a stunning 10-2 record. Along the way he passed two significant milestones for quarterbacks, overtaking Dan Marino atop the alltime list in touchdown passes (436 at week’s end) and victories by a starter (157). He trails Marino by 449 in passing yards, another mark that should soon fall.

But one record above all others speaks to what Favre is made of: his Ripkenesque streak of consecutive starts at quarterback, which stands at 249 — more than five seasons ahead of the next player on the list, Peyton Manning.

It is for his perseverance and his passion that SI honors Favre with the 54th Sportsman of the Year award.

The annual Sportsman of the Year selection always bring with it a great deal of debate and discussion after the fact.  However, it’s nearly impossible to argue with this year’s choice.  Take into consideration Favre’s lengthy career, the records he’s now breaking at age 38, the Packers 10-2 record, and the personal hardships he’s overcome, and it’s hard not to admire him, regardless of whether or not you’re a Packers fan.

However, there are certainly other figures in the NFL worthy of recognition over the past year.  Here’s a short list of other candidates who (in my mind at least) could have been named Sportsman of the Year:

Tony Dungy - Overcame the loss of his son to become the first African-American head coach to win the Super Bowl.

Tom Brady - Past winner is having his best season ever as a pro & the Patriots still haven’t lost a game (regardless of just how close they came to losing in Baltimore!).

LaDainian Tomlinson - Shattered record for most rushing TD’s in a season last year, and just reached 10,000 career rushing yards plateau.

Roger Goodell - NFL Tyrant Commissioner has certainly impacted the league with his new NFL Personal Conduct Policy and handed out tough punishments to players and teams alike.

Randy Moss - Given up for dead in Oakland, has resurrected his career in New England and leads the league with 17 receiving TD’s.

Peyton Manning - As much as it pains me to write this, Peyton did bring home a title this year.  You could also argue that he’s done more with less this season that ever before in his career.

Michael Vick - For all the wrong reasons.

Anyone else you would have nominated? Let us know in the comments below…

(AP Photo/Sports Illustrated)

SI, Sportsman of the Year, Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers

When the NFL decided to add a 3rd game to the Thanksgiving day schedule, I’m sure part of the reasoning was that it would increase the odds of having at least one good match up. Sadly, that was not the case yesterday: every single contest was a blowout, over by the 3rd quarter at the latest.

Let’s take a look at each game & compare the ugliness of watching it to a comparable awkward moment you may have shared with a family member on turkey day:

Packers 37 - Lions 26

Having lost their last three games, Detroit is beginning to show their true colors (and they are not pretty like a rainbow). At least this match-up had some history to it. Brett Favre’s storybook season continued as he threw for 3 scores, broke a franchise record with 20 straight completions, and surpassed Dan Marino’s league record for most career games with three or more touchdown passes (63). (Speaking of which, did you know that every time Brett Favre breaks a Dan Marino record, an angel gets it’s wings?)

Unfortunately, this game wins the dubious distinction of “not as close as the score indicates”. The Packers were up 34-12 early in the fourth quarter, and though the Lions made a late charge, it came up well short.

Thanksgiving moment watching this game was similar to: Weird Grandpa Joe showing up an hour early and using the time to tell you all about his recent hip replacement surgery.

Cowboys 34 - Jets 3

Karma continues to kick the ever loving crap out of Coach Man-Not-So-Genius. Oh, and remember those preseason concerns about young Kellen Clemens? Well, nevermind (for now at least). That interception to Terence Newman for a TD was just hawful.

Of course, I’d be ashamed of any Cowboys fan who was able to enjoy that victory. You know full well that the Cowboys ran up the score by throwing a garbage-time TD on the Jets with just 6 minutes left in the game. Honestly, what were the starters still doing in there? Where’s the sportsmanship? Whatever will we tell the children?!

[/bad impersonation of d-bag sports writer]

Thanksgiving moment watching this game was similar to: Losing in the pre-meal backyard football game to these guys:

Colts 31 - Falcons 13

Joey Harrington and Roddy White gave the beat-up Atlanta fans hope when they connected for a 48-yard bomb to put the Falcons up 10-0 in the first quarter. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there. Peyton threw 3 TD passes in the 2nd quarter, and the real Adam Vinatieri decided to show up this week, hitting a 24 yard field goal with no problems.

Thanksgiving moment watching this game was similar to: Either your Uncle Henry arguing with his mail order bride at the dessert table (in Russian), or cousin Janice getting arrested for seducing nephew Bobby at half-time. Pick ‘em.

Thanksgiving, NFL, blowouts, family dysfunction, football dysfunction, crabcakes and football

Not only is Brett Favre still an amazing quarterback, but he’s quite considerate as well. For anyone on the east coast who was thinking, “oh, great! An overtime game - I can’t stay up much later for this…” Favre made sure to take care of business 16 seconds into the extra frame.

Yet another great moment for anyone who loves watching #4 play the game.

Unless of course, your a Colorado sports fan. Then that TD bomb was pretty much the icing on your suck-tastic sports weekend cake. (hey, how about them Avalanche, huh?!)

Green Bay Packers, Brett Favre, Denver Broncos

It’s hard not to get sentimental when it comes to Brett Farve.  The guy plays with his heart on his sleeve, is only in it for the W’s (insert your own heart-string plucking cliche here, etc.), and has gone through some seriously tough times in the last few years.  Plus, he’s been written off for dead more frequently than Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers combined.  Well you can stop working on his tombstone, because he and the Packers are very much alive (to the chagrin of Aaron Rogers, who probably has lengthy discussions of despair with his clipboard every Sunday).

Yesterday, # 4 engineered yet another late game victory when he hit speedster Greg Jennings for a 57-yard TD pass that put the Packers ahead of the Chargers to stay in a 31-24 victory.  That touchdown also tied Brett Favre with Dan Marino for the most touchdown passes in NFL history.  A record he seemed to be completely unfazed by…

“I could care less about the record,” Favre said after the game. “Everybody’s congratulating me, but I told them it doesn’t mean anything if we don’t win the game.”

The Packers now stand alone in first place in the NFC North, and are only one of five undefeated teams remaining (along with the Colts, Patriots, Steelers and Cowboys).  Nice going, Favvvre!

Speaking of which, do you realize that There’s Something About Mary is almost 10 years old?!  What’s more amazing; the fact that Favre (at age 38) is still slinging touchdown passes, or that Ben Stiller (at age 41) is still staring in romantic “comedies”?

…I’m going with the latter.

Images and informational portion of story courtesy ESPN

Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers, undefeated, record, you know Marino is pissed, Ben Stiller, one trick pony