He was hard to explain unless you had seen him throw live. The 2-D view of the TV camera just did not do him justice, especially his velocity, the bullet-like nature of his throws, or how far he additionally threw across the field. He was pure excitement. You never really felt behind, just getting ready to strike again, and you were always afraid to leave your seat when he was on the field because anything--anything--could happen, and frequently did.
I saw a lot of great Favre throws. Here are the ones I remember best, because they were in person:
1) #295 to Driver against Panthers in O2 (with daughter Emily; a win at 17-14)
2) #303 to Franks against Lions in O2 (with son Kevin; a win at 40-14)
3) #304 to Henderson also against Lions
*) I suffered the ignominy of seeing Favre throw zero against the Falcons and Vick in a January playoff game in Lambeau, the only home playoff loss (7-27) Green Bay has ever suffered since 1921!
4) #316 to Fisher against Lions in 03 (with son Kevin; a win at 31-6)
5) #317 to Ferguson also against Lions
6) #331 to Green against Eagles in 03 (with brother-in-law Todd; a loss at 14-17)
7) #353 to Walker against Giants in 04 (with son Kevin; the infamous concussion fourth-and-five toss; a loss at 7-14)
8) #361 to Walker against Vikes in 04 (with Mark Warren; a win at 34-31 on last-second winning FG)
9) #362 to Fisher also against Vikes
10) #363 to Franks also against Vikes
11) #364 to Henderson also against Vikes
12) #380 to Ferguson against Bucs in 05 (with son Kevin; a loss at 16-17)
13) #381 to Chatman also against Bucs
14) #393 to Driver against Vikes in 05 (with brothers-in-law Todd and Steve and father-in-law Carl; a loss at 17-20)
15) #394 also to Driver also against Vikes
16) #397 to Jennings against Saints in 06 (with son Kevin; a loss at 27-34)
17) #398 to Ferguson also against Saints
18) #399 to Herron also against Saints
*) no TDs against Pats in 06 (my brother Jerome got ripped off!; a shut-out 35-0 loss with Favre knocked out the entire second half!)
19) #418 to Driver against Chargers in 07 (with son Kevin; a win at 31-24)
20) #419 to Franks also against Chargers
21) #420 to tie Marino's career record to Jennings also against Chargers
22) #428 to Lee against Vikings in 07 (with daughter Emily; a win at 34-0)
23) #429 to Martin also against Vikings
24) #430 again to Martin against Vikings
25) #434 to Jennings against Lions at Ford Field on Thanksgiving in 07 (with Vonne and all four kids in attendance; a win at 37-26)
26) #435 again to Jennings against Lions
27) #436 to Martin against Lions
28) #439 to Donald Lee against Rams at Edward Jones Dome in 07 (with brother Ted at game in which he surpassed Marino for most yards in career; a win at 33-14))
29) #440 to Greg Jennings against Rams
All in all, then, 15 games for 29 TDs: 2 games with none, 3 games with one, 5 games with two, 4 games with three, and 1 game with four.
Go here for the definitive treatment.
Brett sits at 464 now, meaning I saw just over 6 and 1/2% of his Packer TDs (roughly 1 out of every 15). I hope he stays put. But I do expect him to try and pull a Clemens in Nov. We'll see who's desperate enough.
Here's the column I wrote about Favre for Scripps Howard back in September 2007:
Brett Favre: A Packer fan's appreciation
Amidst the National Football League's ongoing melodrama of dogfights and bar fights and underhanded cheating, let's take a moment to thank Brett Favre for everything he's done for the game since stepping onto Lambeau Field in 1992. As a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan, my appreciation for this unique quarterback extends far beyond the statistics to the very character of the man himself.
I've coached hundreds of kids in six sports spread across too many seasons to remember, and each time we take the field I tell them, "Enjoy this moment and revel in your ability to play."
No player in NFL history has met that challenge better than Favre, whose stunning record of 260 consecutive starts, including playoffs, at quarterback stands testament to his personal resilience and intense love for the game.
Four presidential elections have come and gone since Favre first stepped in behind center, and over 200 quarterbacks have made their first NFL start since then. The league's only three-time most valuable player, Favre's most impressive statistic in this ultimate team sport is that Green Bay owns the NFL's highest winning percentage (.625) since he took the helm 15 years ago this month.
Favre has led the Pack to 10 playoffs and two Super Bowls, suffering only one losing season. Only six NFL teams out of 31 sport winning records against Favre, and he's bested each of the Packer's division archrivals: the Bears, Lions and Vikings.
Given his Mississippi roots, Favre's record in frozen Green Bay is most surprising: 40 wins and five losses in games played below 35 degrees.
Favre works hard for his money. He's been on the injured list for one-fifth of those 260 games, playing entire seasons with injuries that would prevent most of us from showing up at the office, much less scrambling from blitzing linebackers.
Get a grip on this one: Favre once played 10 games with a broken thumb on his throwing hand!
Favre's grit is legendary. He's been knocked out of only six games, and in the 15 games he's started since suffering a significant injury, his record is nine wins and six losses.
Here's the most unforgettable scene I've ever witnessed at Lambeau: Favre suffers a concussion following a brutal hit by two defensive linemen on the first down of a drive. Sitting out the next two plays - literally - on the bench, Favre suddenly jumps up just as his back-up leads the offense out of the huddle.
Without being cleared by the team doctor and before Packer coaches could stop him, Favre runs out onto the field, ordering his replacement to the sideline.
Not even sure what play had been called, Favre calmly steps up to the line on fourth down, takes the snap and drops back to throw a picture perfect 28-yard touchdown pass to a Packer wide receiver striding into "my" corner of the south end zone. Team doctors refused to let him on the field again for the rest of the game.
To this day, Favre has no memory of the play.
Last Sunday, I took my son to watch Favre record his record 150th win as a starting quarterback and engineer his 38th fourth-quarter comeback against the San Diego Chargers, putting the Pack at a 3-0 to start the season.
It was the 62nd time in his career that Favre has thrown three or more touchdown passes. The icing on the cake? Brett's go-ahead TD pass tied Dan Marino's NFL career mark of 420 regular-season touchdowns.
Speaking as a Packer fan born too late to enjoy the Vince Lombardi era, the best thing about Favre's tenure is that, as long as he's in the game, my team's virtually never been out of a game.
In those 260 contests, the Packers have lost only 20 games by more than two touchdowns.
That basically means that, whenever Brett's got the ball, the Pack is but one strike away from getting the ball back and possibly taking the lead.
Doesn't always happen, but Brett always keeps you dreaming that it can.
Do yourself a favor this weekend and catch Favre's record-setting touchdown strike against the Vikings. No steroids will be involved, nor any spy cameras, just pure unadulterated fun from a man who still plays - at age 37 - with a boy's love for the game.
Thomas P.M. Barnett holds both a season ticket and company stock with the Green Bay Packers. His grandfather, Gerald Clifford, was inducted into the Packers' hall of fame in 1991 as a long-time company executive.
Only 13 days and I'm at Lambeau!