Fifth in a series:
OnMilwaukee.com is publishing exclusive excerpts from the new book, "Brett Favre: A Packer Fan's Tribute." The book was written by lifelong Packers fan Tom Kertscher, a Milwaukee news reporter who authored "Cracked Sidewalks and French Pastry: The Wit and Wisdom of Al McGuire."
"Tribute" captures the highlights of Favre's career and features dozens of behind-the-scenes photos shot by Packers team photographer Jim Biever.
CHAPTER 5 – SUPER BOWL
“You know, I’m going to beat this thing. I’m going to win a Super Bowl. And all I can tell people if they don’t believe me is: Just bet against me.”
-- Brett Favre, May, 1996 after treatment for Vicodin addiction.
Eleven years earlier, in the days leading up to Super Bowl XX, McMahon had made news almost daily: tweaking the NFL by wearing banned headbands, including one bearing the name of Commissioner Pete Rozelle; exposing his buttocks to a helicopter hovering over a practice session; and saying nasty things (a false accusation, it turned out) about New Orleans women.
“He's kind of filled me in on how to moon a helicopter, how to talk about the women down there,” Favre said. "I know exactly what not to do, talking to him.''
But Favre did follow McMahon’s lead to ease his nerves shortly before kickoff.
“McMahon starts throwing footballs at the nameplates on the lockers, knocking guys' names off,” Favre recalled in Playboy magazine. “Pretty soon we're all doing it. Me, McMahon and a bunch of other guys. Balls are flying all over the room. Holmgren comes in and says, ‘What the hell is this?’"
Favre was plenty loose coming out of the locker room, as the Packers scored on their second play from scrimmage.
New England had gotten the ball first, but quickly punted, leaving the Packers to start their first drive near mid-field. On 2nd-and-9 from their own 46, Favre was supposed to make a short pass to tight-end Keith Jackson. Instead, he audibled to “74 Razor,” a post pattern for wide receiver Andre Rison. In the face of six blitzing defenders, Favre hit Rison at the Pats’ 21-yard-line and Rison duck-walked into the end zone.
Holmgren said he trusted Favre to audible – sort of.
“I told him if he audibles it's fine," Holmgren said. "But they have to work and that one worked beautifully."
Before Rison even hit pay dirt, Favre created one of the lasting images from Super Bowl XXXI. He yanked off his helmet and went racing toward the New England sideline before reversing course to the Green Bay sideline, all the while holding his helmet high in triumph. This was the Super Bowl – why hold back? “It was like a home game and Mardi Gras rolled into one,” Favre said.
The Packers boosted their lead to 10-0, but New England responded with two touchdowns to take a 14-10 advantage before the end of the first quarter. Green Bay then grabbed the momentum back, starting the second quarter even faster than it started the first. Less than a minute into the period, safety Lawyer Milloy, in man-to-man coverage, bit on a hard inside step by wide receiver Antonio Freeman. Freeman then blew past him to the outside and Favre tossed a lob that Freeman caught along the right sideline near the 50. Freeman out ran Milloy and safety Willie Clay to the end zone. The longest play from scrimmage in Super Bowl history occurred literally seconds after a TV graphic showed Green Bay averaging minus-yardage on first down.
The Packers continued piling on the points. They were leading 20-10, following a second Chris Jacke field goal, when they drove the ball to the New England 2 with just over a minute left before halftime. Favre capped a nine-play, 74-yard drive by rolling left and then lunging across the goal line. The officials’ call was controversial, but they ruled Favre had hit the pylon with the ball just before his knee hit the ground, putting Green Bay up 27-14 at intermission.
“We never had a doubt that we would win this ball game," Favre would say afterward.
The Patriots did climb to within six points, 27-21, on a touchdown with three and half minutes left in the third quarter. But Desmond Howard blew them out of the game 17 seconds later, returning a kickoff 99 yards for a post-season record touchdown on his way to being named Most Valuable Player of the game. Favre hit tight-end Mark Chmura for a two-point conversion on the final score of the game and Green Bay held on to win, 35-21.
It was Favre’s first championship on any level.
"I hope people didn't bet against me,” Favre said of anyone who doubted his preseason Super Bowl prediction, “because they'd be broke right now.”
OnMilwaukee.com is publishing exclusive excerpts from the new book, "Brett Favre: A Packer Fan's Tribute." The book was written by lifelong Packers fan Tom Kertscher, a Milwaukee news reporter who authored "Cracked Sidewalks and French Pastry: The Wit and Wisdom of Al McGuire."
"Tribute" captures the highlights of Favre's career and features dozens of behind-the-scenes photos shot by Packers team photographer Jim Biever.
CHAPTER 5 – SUPER BOWL
“You know, I’m going to beat this thing. I’m going to win a Super Bowl. And all I can tell people if they don’t believe me is: Just bet against me.”
-- Brett Favre, May, 1996 after treatment for Vicodin addiction.
BRETT FAVRE HAD PREPARED his whole life for Super Bowl XXXI. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t use some advice from his savvy – and nutty – backup quarterback, Jim McMahon.
Eleven years earlier, in the days leading up to Super Bowl XX, McMahon had made news almost daily: tweaking the NFL by wearing banned headbands, including one bearing the name of Commissioner Pete Rozelle; exposing his buttocks to a helicopter hovering over a practice session; and saying nasty things (a false accusation, it turned out) about New Orleans women.
“He's kind of filled me in on how to moon a helicopter, how to talk about the women down there,” Favre said. "I know exactly what not to do, talking to him.''
But Favre did follow McMahon’s lead to ease his nerves shortly before kickoff.
“McMahon starts throwing footballs at the nameplates on the lockers, knocking guys' names off,” Favre recalled in Playboy magazine. “Pretty soon we're all doing it. Me, McMahon and a bunch of other guys. Balls are flying all over the room. Holmgren comes in and says, ‘What the hell is this?’"
Favre was plenty loose coming out of the locker room, as the Packers scored on their second play from scrimmage.
New England had gotten the ball first, but quickly punted, leaving the Packers to start their first drive near mid-field. On 2nd-and-9 from their own 46, Favre was supposed to make a short pass to tight-end Keith Jackson. Instead, he audibled to “74 Razor,” a post pattern for wide receiver Andre Rison. In the face of six blitzing defenders, Favre hit Rison at the Pats’ 21-yard-line and Rison duck-walked into the end zone.
Holmgren said he trusted Favre to audible – sort of.
“I told him if he audibles it's fine," Holmgren said. "But they have to work and that one worked beautifully."
Before Rison even hit pay dirt, Favre created one of the lasting images from Super Bowl XXXI. He yanked off his helmet and went racing toward the New England sideline before reversing course to the Green Bay sideline, all the while holding his helmet high in triumph. This was the Super Bowl – why hold back? “It was like a home game and Mardi Gras rolled into one,” Favre said.
The Packers boosted their lead to 10-0, but New England responded with two touchdowns to take a 14-10 advantage before the end of the first quarter. Green Bay then grabbed the momentum back, starting the second quarter even faster than it started the first. Less than a minute into the period, safety Lawyer Milloy, in man-to-man coverage, bit on a hard inside step by wide receiver Antonio Freeman. Freeman then blew past him to the outside and Favre tossed a lob that Freeman caught along the right sideline near the 50. Freeman out ran Milloy and safety Willie Clay to the end zone. The longest play from scrimmage in Super Bowl history occurred literally seconds after a TV graphic showed Green Bay averaging minus-yardage on first down.
The Packers continued piling on the points. They were leading 20-10, following a second Chris Jacke field goal, when they drove the ball to the New England 2 with just over a minute left before halftime. Favre capped a nine-play, 74-yard drive by rolling left and then lunging across the goal line. The officials’ call was controversial, but they ruled Favre had hit the pylon with the ball just before his knee hit the ground, putting Green Bay up 27-14 at intermission.
“We never had a doubt that we would win this ball game," Favre would say afterward.
The Patriots did climb to within six points, 27-21, on a touchdown with three and half minutes left in the third quarter. But Desmond Howard blew them out of the game 17 seconds later, returning a kickoff 99 yards for a post-season record touchdown on his way to being named Most Valuable Player of the game. Favre hit tight-end Mark Chmura for a two-point conversion on the final score of the game and Green Bay held on to win, 35-21.
It was Favre’s first championship on any level.
"I hope people didn't bet against me,” Favre said of anyone who doubted his preseason Super Bowl prediction, “because they'd be broke right now.”
