Who says there can't be football offseason drama that doesn't involve current players, coaches, general managers, or even scouts? Anyone who thinks that surely didn't know about the impact that an attempted rule change, or a documentary released about a legendary player, can have. Players and coaches find themselves answering questions about decisions they had nothing to do with and, in some cases, things that don't impact them. But luckily, for the Packers world, we had the annual Green Bay charity softball game at Fox Cities Stadium to enjoy and raise our spirits a bit. We'll get to that a bit later to help pull us out of what happened earlier in the week in Packerland. But first, to the drama.
Social media kicked off in the mid-2000s and was a big game-changer for the world. Luckily for me, MySpace didn't catch wind until I was a few months away from graduating high school, and Facebook was still a college socializing site where you were required to have a .edu email address to join. For me, it was a way to meet other people I went to school with to make a few friends, and also a great way to stay in touch with all my friends who went off to different colleges. It hadn't become nearly as toxic an environment as we often see today, with all the other sites joining in as well. As a result, simple things like NFL rule changes, or rule change attempts, suddenly get blown way out of proportion, much like the recent attempt to ban plays like the "Tush Push."
First off, the act of an offensive player aiding the ball carrier by pushing or pulling, or even carrying, was once illegal. This is not new. Packer fans should be well aware of this, as in the most famous play in the team's history, a player is trying to make sure he can't be viewed as aiding the ball carrier. That's right, in the Ice Bowl, during Bart Starr's famous QB sneak to score what would be the game-winning touchdown, running back Chuck Mercein is seen pictured behind Starr with his arms up in the air. Many like to think he's signaling a touchdown in sort of a celebratory action, seeing Starr in the end zone. But when Mercein is asked about this, he states that he has his arms up in the air to show the officials that he isn't pushing Starr into the endzone. If he were doing so, a flag would've been thrown.
So, the thought that the proposition is an act of weakness is a bit ridiculous, as this action was once illegal, and it wouldn't be far-fetched to make it illegal again. Yes, social media has had a field day with the Packers proposing this. Anyone who's not a Packer fan thinks it's the Packers trying to get back at the Eagles for their loss to them in the playoffs. When actually, it was actually released that the NFL pushed the Packers to propose this change. Of course, the vote failed 22-10, falling short of the required amount of 24 votes to pass by just two.
I've thoroughly enjoyed the mockery from Eagles fans stating they hope the Eagles run the play 10-straight times on the Packers when they meet on November 10th. That sounds just fine to me. Run a play that only gains a yard or two if it's not stopped 10 times to open the game? The Packers will gladly enjoy holding the Eagles' offense to at least three straight three-and-outs. It's also precious watching Bears and Vikings fans laugh about it when their team voted in favor of the ban as well. Next time, check the score board before you talk, folks.
Coincidentally Packers have had pretty good luck stopping said "Tush Push" in recent history, so, once again, this is all social media driving a proposed rule change way out of proportion. We'll meet on November 10th and see what happens, Philly.
The Brett Favre Documentary
On May 20th, a documentary was released on Netflix titled "Untold: The Fall of Favre." It covers the rise of Favre, but then hits on a pattern of unchecked behavior, including the famous picture sent to Jenn Sterger during his time with the New York Jets.
I will start this out by saying that I personally have not seen the documentary yet, so I am mainly commenting on what I have seen in the news about it since its release. I haven't been a Netflix subscriber for some time, and I don't think that's changing any time soon.
Little was known about the incident back when it happened, as the NFL seemingly did a pretty good job of covering it up. It was a scandal, but a scandal that quickly became a joke. Just thinking back to my recollection, I had thought that Favre and Sterger knew each other and were perhaps awkwardly flirty, and Favre took it to an uncomfortable level by sending an unsolicited picture of his privates. We knew it happened, but it went from a serious topic to a punchline and a humorous new Halloween costume using your Favre jersey in no time. The seriousness was not there, it seemed to have been swept under the rug as a lie or "mishap."
The documentary, however, states that Sterger had never met Favre. But suddenly she began receiving voicemails and emails from who she believed to be Favre making advances on her. She states she never led him on at all or played along, and over time, it led to the picture being sent as another attempt.
Throughout Favre's career, he was always seen as this simple southern hick, more or less, that somehow, was this insanely great football player. His intelligence of the game seemed to be borderline backyard-level at times, yet he would carve up NFL defenses with ease. You could say it was magical. It's said that in true southern boy fashion, the only person who could keep Favre in line was his father. But when Irv Favre, Brett's father, passed in 2003, the only person in charge of Brett Favre was Brett Favre; his father was no longer there to check him. If I'm being honest, it's not a surprise given Favre's tendency to be a careless loose cannon for all those years, but it's still a disappointment.
Growing up, Brett Favre was like a superhero to me. My enjoyment of the Packers started during his first season as a starter around 1992-93, when I was only 5-6 years old, and that didn't end until his final game as a Packer in 2008, when I was 20 years old. I'll forever cherish the great memories of his time throwing a football in Green and Gold, but man, his time after the Packers really makes it hard to look at him now with admiration.
Jordan Love, Matthew Golden, and the Packers Charity Softball Game
Okay, let's end on a lighter note. First off, is Matt LaFleur trying to create a signature look? It seems like we see him in a white or gray hoodie with a black vest over it a lot lately. Perhaps he wants to make sure his fashion choices are out there when the historians look back at his career. Vince Lombardi has his famous shirt and tie with a tan coat and black hat. Matt LaFleur is going to have his gray hoodie and black vest.
Moving on. The Green Bay charity softball game was this past Friday at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, WI. This is always a fun event that to many signifies that football season is getting even closer. Donald Driver has been the host of the event for a long time and was in attendance on Friday, but he passed the torch over to Jordan Love last year, who hosted the event for the second time. The game is always a blast for those in attendance to see some of the Packers' current players, even those new to the team, and occasionally, some former players show off their softball skills.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway, media-wise, from the event was Jordan Love's comments on his newest weapon, first-round receiver Matthew Golden. From the little time they've had together so far, Love states that Golden is a "great dude" and is "excited to see his potential on the football field." Love went on to say, "But just the start we've had, he looks like a stud. He looks like a very polished receiver, I'm excited to see just how far he can take it."
We all know that this is the first time since 2002 that the Packers have chosen a wide receiver in the first round. It's something that's been drilled into our brains for the last five years. But it's not just that, this is the first time in it seems like ages that the Packers' first-round pick hasn't come with an asterisk saying "could use a year or two to develop." Matthew Golden isn't expected to be WR1 right off the bat, but he's expected to contribute to the Packers' offense from day 1. Seeing this type of blessing from Jordan Love even before training camp raises the excitement level that much higher.
I can't lie, it's refreshing to see your starting quarterback speaking highly of a rookie so soon instead of spending all of camp and possibly a quarter or more of the season making them "earn their trust."
Yes, that was a little bit of an Aaron Rodgers jab, and I think we've heard enough of him in the media lately that I don't have to get into it. However, I will admit that I enjoyed his little shots at the Bears this past week. Once a Packer, always a Packer, I guess.
That being said, I think we can all agree that we hope if Jordan Love also has a legendary career, that his time after the Packers doesn't take the odd and regrettable turns that Brett Favre's and Aaron Rodgers' have.