Third 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 3 -- COLD
"They pay me a lot of money to play in those conditions." -- Brett Favre on playing in the cold.
FOR A BOY FROM BALMY ROTTEN BAYOU, Brett Favre sure was at home in the cold. In his first 35 home games when the temperature at kickoff was 34 degrees or less at kickoff, Favre went 35-0.
For his career, Favre was 42-5 -- an 89% winning percentage. Along the way, he won sweet revenge against enemies like the Dallas Cowboys -- and made many teams wail for their warm blankies.
A sampling of the best cold-at-Lambeau memories
Nov. 23, 1997: Packers 45, Dallas Cowboys 17 -- The deer hunters’ blaze orange may have clashed with the gold "Title Towels" on this day at Lambeau. But when it’s minus-4 degrees, Packer fans throw fashion to the wind.
This was a day made for cold-cocking the Cowboys.
Dallas hoped to extend its eight-game winning streak -- including three playoff victories -- over the Pack. At halftime, each team had had the ball 15 minutes and the score was tied at 10.
But in the second half, Green Bay scored on each of its four possessions, steamrolling Dallas with drives of 69, 73, 61 and 88 yards. For good measure, rookie safety Darren Sharper returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Big D’s defense had come into the game ranked second in the league. It left having given up more points than any Dallas squad had in 12 seasons.
The offense didn’t have much, either.
``It was a pretty good whippin' the second half,'' said quarterback Troy Aikman.
``The last time I got beat like this was by my father," added receiver Michael Irvin, "(and) my father's been dead for quite a while.''
Irvin had dropped two balls he would have caught in warmer weather and Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith fumbled two handoffs.
Dallas deserved a deep freeze. The last seven of the previous eight match-ups with Green Bay had been played in Texas -- the final one serving as strong motivation for the Packers. In that game, with his team leading 18-6 with 20 seconds to go, Dallas head coach Barry Switzer called a time-out so that Chris Boniol could tie an NFL record by kicking his seventh field goal of the day.
On the day of retribution, much of the punishment was inflicted by Packer running back Dorsey Levens, who posted a franchise-record 190 yards on 33 carries. Favre even audibled out of passing plays to give Levens the ball.
``I knew we had them when they left the field two minutes early in warm-ups because of the cold," Levens said.
The pounding by the Packers took its toll. Dallas linebacker Randall Godfrey got flagged for two cheap shots, including a roundhouse to Favre’s helmet; and, after the game, Godfrey had the gall to call Green Bay the dirtiest team he’d faced.
"We're just a bunch of dirty bandits," joked Packers tackle Ross Verba.
Favre threw for all four of the offense’s touchdowns, but he did blow it on one play. Deion Sanders made an interception and returned it 50 yards for a TD. Even the supremely self-centered one, however, gave Favre his due.
``He's absolutely unbelievable,'' Sanders said. ``He is truly the most valuable player in this league, because without Brett Favre, the Green Bay Packers are not the Green Bay Packers.''
Dec. 31, 1995, NFC Wild Card Game: Packers 27, Atlanta Falcons 20 -- Favre awoke to freshly fallen snow, which told him the Atlanta Falcons were in big trouble for the NFC Wild Card Game. The temperature reached 30 degrees by kickoff, but Lambeau Field offered fog as well as flurries to contend with in the first half.
It was a throwback kind of day, wrote Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer, "missing only John Facenda in a voice-over role."
The Falcons talked big, having defeated the world champion San Francisco 49ers the previous week to make the playoffs. The cockiness showed in the first quarter, when Eric Metcalf caught a Jeff George pass for a 65-yard touchdown -- and then Metcalf teased as though he would make a Lambeau Leap.
"It was the last time the game would seem very humorous for Atlanta," Ford wrote.
In the first half, Favre completed passes to nine different receivers. When the Falcons closed to within 27-17 early in the fourth quarter, he drove his team 70 yards, hitting Levens with an 18-yard pass for a touchdown.
"That kind of drove the stake in their heart," Favre said.
The next day, the NFL announced Favre had won the first of what would be three consecutive Most Valuable Player awards.
Dec. 11, 1994: Packers 40, Chicago Bears 3 -- The temperature was 15 degrees with a wind chill of 6 degrees -- the coldest game between the two teams in 18 seasons. The Bears took a 3-0 lead, then got flattened with 40 unanswered points.
Bears defensive lineman Alonzo Spellman, who was dumb enough to guarantee a victory at Lambeau, claimed to have no regrets.
"The bottom line is that the media here took what I said and I guess cut some of the words out. It got Brett Favre kind of fired up," Spellman said.
No doubt. The Packers gained 516 yards -- including Favre’s 250 yards passing -- dwarfing the Bears’ total of 176.
"On a normal day, I can throw with the best of them," Favre said. "On a day like this, I am the best one."
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 3 -- COLD
"They pay me a lot of money to play in those conditions." -- Brett Favre on playing in the cold.
FOR A BOY FROM BALMY ROTTEN BAYOU, Brett Favre sure was at home in the cold. In his first 35 home games when the temperature at kickoff was 34 degrees or less at kickoff, Favre went 35-0.
For his career, Favre was 42-5 -- an 89% winning percentage. Along the way, he won sweet revenge against enemies like the Dallas Cowboys -- and made many teams wail for their warm blankies.
A sampling of the best cold-at-Lambeau memories
Nov. 23, 1997: Packers 45, Dallas Cowboys 17 -- The deer hunters’ blaze orange may have clashed with the gold "Title Towels" on this day at Lambeau. But when it’s minus-4 degrees, Packer fans throw fashion to the wind.
This was a day made for cold-cocking the Cowboys.
Dallas hoped to extend its eight-game winning streak -- including three playoff victories -- over the Pack. At halftime, each team had had the ball 15 minutes and the score was tied at 10.
But in the second half, Green Bay scored on each of its four possessions, steamrolling Dallas with drives of 69, 73, 61 and 88 yards. For good measure, rookie safety Darren Sharper returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Big D’s defense had come into the game ranked second in the league. It left having given up more points than any Dallas squad had in 12 seasons.
The offense didn’t have much, either.
``It was a pretty good whippin' the second half,'' said quarterback Troy Aikman.
``The last time I got beat like this was by my father," added receiver Michael Irvin, "(and) my father's been dead for quite a while.''
Irvin had dropped two balls he would have caught in warmer weather and Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith fumbled two handoffs.
Dallas deserved a deep freeze. The last seven of the previous eight match-ups with Green Bay had been played in Texas -- the final one serving as strong motivation for the Packers. In that game, with his team leading 18-6 with 20 seconds to go, Dallas head coach Barry Switzer called a time-out so that Chris Boniol could tie an NFL record by kicking his seventh field goal of the day.
On the day of retribution, much of the punishment was inflicted by Packer running back Dorsey Levens, who posted a franchise-record 190 yards on 33 carries. Favre even audibled out of passing plays to give Levens the ball.
``I knew we had them when they left the field two minutes early in warm-ups because of the cold," Levens said.
The pounding by the Packers took its toll. Dallas linebacker Randall Godfrey got flagged for two cheap shots, including a roundhouse to Favre’s helmet; and, after the game, Godfrey had the gall to call Green Bay the dirtiest team he’d faced.
"We're just a bunch of dirty bandits," joked Packers tackle Ross Verba.
Favre threw for all four of the offense’s touchdowns, but he did blow it on one play. Deion Sanders made an interception and returned it 50 yards for a TD. Even the supremely self-centered one, however, gave Favre his due.
``He's absolutely unbelievable,'' Sanders said. ``He is truly the most valuable player in this league, because without Brett Favre, the Green Bay Packers are not the Green Bay Packers.''
Dec. 31, 1995, NFC Wild Card Game: Packers 27, Atlanta Falcons 20 -- Favre awoke to freshly fallen snow, which told him the Atlanta Falcons were in big trouble for the NFC Wild Card Game. The temperature reached 30 degrees by kickoff, but Lambeau Field offered fog as well as flurries to contend with in the first half.
It was a throwback kind of day, wrote Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer, "missing only John Facenda in a voice-over role."
The Falcons talked big, having defeated the world champion San Francisco 49ers the previous week to make the playoffs. The cockiness showed in the first quarter, when Eric Metcalf caught a Jeff George pass for a 65-yard touchdown -- and then Metcalf teased as though he would make a Lambeau Leap.
"It was the last time the game would seem very humorous for Atlanta," Ford wrote.
In the first half, Favre completed passes to nine different receivers. When the Falcons closed to within 27-17 early in the fourth quarter, he drove his team 70 yards, hitting Levens with an 18-yard pass for a touchdown.
"That kind of drove the stake in their heart," Favre said.
The next day, the NFL announced Favre had won the first of what would be three consecutive Most Valuable Player awards.
Dec. 11, 1994: Packers 40, Chicago Bears 3 -- The temperature was 15 degrees with a wind chill of 6 degrees -- the coldest game between the two teams in 18 seasons. The Bears took a 3-0 lead, then got flattened with 40 unanswered points.
Bears defensive lineman Alonzo Spellman, who was dumb enough to guarantee a victory at Lambeau, claimed to have no regrets.
"The bottom line is that the media here took what I said and I guess cut some of the words out. It got Brett Favre kind of fired up," Spellman said.
No doubt. The Packers gained 516 yards -- including Favre’s 250 yards passing -- dwarfing the Bears’ total of 176.
"On a normal day, I can throw with the best of them," Favre said. "On a day like this, I am the best one."
