"Physically, and from a talent level, this is the best team I've ever been on."
That's what Brett Favre said a few weeks ago about his Minnesota Vikings.
And fans in Wisconsin dusted off commemorative programs, pulled out VHS tapes, arched an eyebrow with a little attitude and thought, "Brett, all due respect, but are you for real?"
So you can imagine what his 1996 teammates think.
The Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl after the 1996 season with Favre playing in his MVP prime and with the Minister of Defense, Frankie, Chewy, LeRoy, Free and the Gravedigger. They got big-time performances from starters and backups, top draft picks and castoffs. They dominated on defense, did what they pleased on offense and were kept in check by an all-star cast of coaches.
Today's 6-1 Vikings are good, and running back Adrian Peterson is the man. Favre kindly backed off his statement by saying he wasn't trying to slight his '96 team.
But his old mates sure seem to have good memories, and they had plenty to say about comparisons between the two teams and Favre's "homecoming" to Lambeau Field on Sunday.
LeRoy Butler, safety: "To say that the team he's on now, after seven games, is better than the '96 team - that's just preposterous. Not only did we have the No. 1 defense in 1996, but we had No. 1 special teams.
"I bleed green and gold so much. I don't want somebody to beat my team. This is my team. I played 181 games, I was there before Brett, before Reggie White and Ron Wolf and everybody. This team means a lot to me, so when somebody calls up on the radio show: 'Brett Favre is the one that turned everything around' - it's almost a disrespectful slap in the face."
Antonio Freeman, receiver: "You look at this Minnesota Vikings team and they have common strengths. I don't think their skill guys are as good as our Super Bowl team. Desmond Howard was a game-changer; Percy Harvin with already two kickoff returns for touchdowns. If you're talking playmakers, yes this Vikings team has them all across the board, anchored by the best back in football, Adrian Peterson. This Minnesota Vikings team hasn't had any injuries. Heading in to Week 16 and the playoffs, how healthy is your team? We saw Bernard Berrian pull a hamstring. How healthy is he down the stretch, now that he has a tweaked hamstring going into those cold-weather games where it is tough for a hamstring to loosen up and stay loose?
"The coaching advantage they have is that Brett is so comfortable. Darrell Bevell, the Vikings' offensive coordinator, said: 'Hey, Free, this offensive system is so simple, I could sign you right here today and in an hour you could be running it.' So that has to be a plus for Brett. He didn't have that in New York."
Mark Chmura, tight end: "I kind of went through the teams position by position and they just aren't as good as we were. And it all starts with Brett - Brett's not as good as he was.
"They have Adrian Peterson, but I think Chester Taylor is a guy. We had Dorsey (Levens) and Edgar, that's pretty good balance. Our tight ends were clearly better (laughs). I may be biased. Their offensive line may be a little bit better. Our quarterback was 10 times better, our receivers were better, our special teams were much better.
"I mean, you're talking about the No. 1 defense in the league at that time, maybe one of the best defenses ever to play the game.
"Don't get me wrong. Favre is still a good quarterback, but he was unbelievable in the day. When we played back then, teams feared us. I don't know if teams fear the Minnesota Vikings today. We knew no one could beat us at home, absolutely nobody.
"I'm still green and gold all the way. I hate Minnesota; I can't stand Minnesota. I don't care if Brett is playing there. It didn't bother me, him with the Jets. But Minnesota I know personally I could never do it. I would just retire."
Ken Ruettgers, left tackle: "No doubt there was great talent on that 1996 team, great leadership and the coaching staff was phenomenal. In the spring, during workouts, I came home and told my wife: 'This team is going to the Super Bowl.' It's just that feeling you get when you're around guys who are all putting their own egos on the backburner and coming together for what's best for the team. We had some teams that were talented in the past, but there was no team where it was like, 'Wow, we're going this year.'
"It was probably weirder last year seeing Brett in a Jets uniform. I've heard, 'Favre should have retired.' No matter what we think he should do, in America, you can pursue your dream. And if he still has the passion to play and wants to pursue it, I say go for it. That's the beauty of freedom in this country."
John Michels, left tackle: "Brett was coming off an MVP year, Reggie White was at the top of his game, Mark Chmura was a Pro Bowler. We were pretty stacked. They had lost to Dallas the year before in the NFC Championship Game and were favored in 1996. We had superstars, but we didn't have superstar attitudes.
"When Brett signed with Minnesota this year, I said that's my pick as favorite to win the Super Bowl. Adrian Peterson is just an incredibly special player; you cannot help watch him with awe. Jared Allen is just tearing up the league right now. The offensive line is good. Defense is solid. They're an incredibly talented team and the one thing they were missing was a standout player at quarterback."
Edgar Bennett, running back: "I think the strength of that '96 team was the team itself. That's the key to any championship - that camaraderie, that chemistry - and not just the guys in the locker room. The coaching staff, the organization, it's everybody working for that one common goal."
Santana Dotson, defensive tackle: "Really the test of the tape - and I'm sure Brett would agree - is, are you standing in the winner's circle at the end of the year? The Vikings look solid. Smart. What teams are doing right now is taking away Public Enemy No. 1, Adrian Peterson, and then challenging Brett to beat them with his arm. And Brett being a Hall of Famer, he's been able to do that six out of the last seven weeks. Now you'll see people kind of picking their poison of when they're going to try to attack or take Favre out of the game plan and take chances with Adrian. Defensive coordinators will try to mix it up a little bit.
"The Williams brothers (Pat and Kevin) are two of the better defensive tackles out there right now, but I would not compare them to the defensive line of 1996. Gilbert, Reggie White, Sean Jones - Sean had 100-plus sacks, Reggie had almost 200. We were a complete defensive line. We played 90% of the snaps. We were a little more consistent, more of a dominant defense, down in and down out. Fritz Shurmur was an NFL legend, a throwback, himself. By the time we worked with him he had already had 30 years in the NFL.
"Seeing Brett in purple, when I first saw it I kind of threw up in my mouth. Once he finally retires and he flips up that helmet for good, we all know the records and that Brett Favre will be known as one of the greatest Packers ever to play the game.
"But I do understand the fans and how their anger has heightened with him in a purple jersey. The fans should feel free to boo, yell and go crazy on Sunday. When that jersey comes off and he decides to retire, we'll bring him back home."