Don't Favre That Ball, My Friend
Wherefore Art Thou, Romeo?
The Packers beat the L.A. Goats (not G.O.A.T.s) yesterday in a nailbiter (which seemed to be the flavor of the day in the NFL, with the outcomes of several games being in doubt until the last second (sometimes literally).
That was great (that the world’s team won)!
However (there always seems to be a “however”): QB Jordan “Agape” Love still seems a bit discombobulated or out of rhythm/synch. Two of his passes were Favresque (throwing into triple coverage and wildly lofting up a desperation “pass” that was intercepted for a pick-six). Agape seemed to be channeling the spirit of a former Packers QB, Brett Favre. The two most exciting (excitement can be either a positive or a negative emotion) plays of the game were when Agape went Favre on us. If he were to emulate a previous Packers QB, I would prefer it be Aaron Rodgers (although “12” seems to be a bit of an aluminum-hatter of late) rather than the Heart Attack Kid (Favre). The Yosemite-Sam-style gunslinging Mississippian always made things interesting, but he never failed to make me nervous watching him, as he was wont to be both the best player on the field and the worst player on the field at some point during the game — and sometimes even on the same play!
I prefer Rodgers’ cooler, more cerebral style of play (although Rodgers himself Favred it up yesterday when he failed to help the Packers in a loss to the Vikings during which he coughed up three interceptions, a “feat” that it sometimes took him almost an entire season to do when he was in his prime).
Agape’s two passes under discussion canceled each other out (a TD for each side, with the throwing-into-triple-coverage heave being marvelized by a leaping, ball-snatching Jayden “Papyrus” Reed). This is something Favre also did a lot: magic followed by mayhem. Favre was a Jekyll/Hyde quarterback if there ever was one (“Will the real Brett Favre please stand up!”)
More disappointing (because of the selfish nature of it) was Romeo Dobbs’ absence due to “conduct detrimental to the team,” apparently going AWOL from practice (twice) due to pouting about his role in the offense. That was especially bad timing, as one of the Packers’ other receivers, Christian “Hindu” Watson, is injured. And then Dontayvion “Candle” Wicks, although a great route runner (who gets more separation than any other receiver in the league), is going through a bout of the dropsies.
The current situation with some of the receivers reminds me of a quote from Yogi Berra or Walter Stengel or one of those baseball lifers (one of those picturesque baseball-blooded blokes who were players in their youth, managers later, and finally elder statesmen and poster geezers for the sport), when he said something like, “I have three catchers. One can’t hit, one can’t catch, and the other can’t do either.” Of Wicks, Dobbs, and Watson, one might say, “Speaking of three of our receivers: One can’t catch, one can’t put the team first, and the other one can’t stay healthy.”
That’s a bit harsh, though, as usually Wicks can catch, normally there’s no problem with Doubs, and typically Watson is out there.UPDATE FRIDAY 10/11/2024
According to Doubs, his absence wasn’t about his role on the team. Apparently, he didn’t communicate his reason for going AWOL very well, or his reason was not acceptable to the team, or his attitude about it was lacking. Anyway, that’s all in the rearview mirror now, as far as I’m concerned. Forward, Onward, &c!At least we had Tucker “Cheese” Kraft (providing two bulldozing, stiff-arming touchdowns); Jayden “Papyrus” Reed with his magnetic hands, wonderful feet, and acrobatics; and Xavier “X-Man” McKinney (snagging two turnovers) to keep us on the right side of the ledger.
To be clear, I’m not saying Agape is a dud by any stretch of the hamstring (nor was the ulcer-inducing, grey-hairifying Favre, for that matter). Yesterday was Agape’s first win of the season, though, and I’m expecting him to gradually un-Favre himself “moving forward.” Also, as to the receivers, I expect Dobbs to adjust his attitude and Wicks to develop stickier hands (and Watson to get well).
“Availability is the best Ability” — somebody, possibly Bill "Packages" ParcellsI’m still bullish on the Packers, but they’re probably going to be chasing the still-undeflated (or undefeated — that works, too) Vikings for quite some time. With the win yesterday, though, the Packers are “only” two games behind the Minnesotans rather than three. I’ll take it.
