Stats don't bear out the What Favre brought to the field.
"greenwhiteandnogold" wrote:
Your argument sounds compelling at first blush, except it fails utterly to explain either the 2005 seasons (4-12) or the 2006 season (8-8). Where was Favre's mystical influence those years?
Oh, wait, what's that I hear? It was all the defense's fault those years?
Figures.
In the face of empirical facts, your argument falls flat on its face.
"Nonstopdrivel" wrote:
Are we talking about 05 or are we talking about 08? Last I checked, we were talking about 07 and 08.
The team was very different from 2005 to 2008 than it was form 2007 to 2008. Completely different teams. Granted, there were a couple of new players from 2007 to 2008, so you can't say that Favre was the only difference. Albeit, he was the only major move.
In 2005 we had a completely different team, different receivers, different O-line, different defense. Completely Apples to Oranges. Let me see... we had Driver in 05, we had Favre in 05, we had KGB in 2005... hmm... didn't have Jones, didn't have Jennings, didn't have Grant, didn't have over half of the starters we had then.
In the face of empirical facts, your argument falls flat on its face.
"obi1" wrote:
So you are saying that there is no real HUMAN element to football?
That stats will bear out all aspects of the game?
So There was nothing special about Reggie White? The Packers would have won without him right?
How about Bart Starr? Ray Nitschke? Paul HOrnung? Max McGee? They were true champions and football players before Lombardi came along... Right?
The truly great teams have that one catalyst who can take the cream to the top and bring up the level of EVERY player.
What statistic points out what Reggie White meant to the Packers OFFENSE by his presence? or the Psyche of the whole team?
How well do you think the Packer defense of the 60's played because in the back of their minds they knew they had great players like Starr and Taylor on the OTHER side of the ball? HOw do we measure that?
IF you are only searching for EMPIRICAL evidence, you close your mind to the possibilities that their might be something other than facts and numbers to football...or LIFE for that matter.
TRY searching your heart for a change. Last year, a player who is a living legend in the NFL, who was contemplating retirement because he was beginning to feel a bit washed up, played his heart out and inspired his whole team to do so.
They WON close games without a running attack and was buoyed by his heart, grit, and intensity. The whole team rallied and won the tough, close games.
That is NOT the case this year, the leader that carried the team retired, unretired, unceremoniously was traded. His replacement has the talent to lead the same team but not the experience or the panache... YET!
As a result, the similar, tight, closely contested games that resulted in wins last year are losses THIS year and the same basic defensive team is performing without the same heart, intensity or the desire.
You can keep looking for empirical evidence but it doesn't have to conk me upside the head for me to see that this team lacks the heart that it had last year. The prestige, the swagger, the persona of playing with a living legend who may have been playing his last season as a Packer is NOT there.
Ask yourself this question. IS there empirical evidence that GOD exists in heaven? Many people may not believe that there is that evidence but they believe in their heart that he does exist.