Sports Radio Interviews

Mike Holmgren Is Not Surprised By the Way Brett Favre is Playing

The play of Brett Favre this season has been incredible.  I have never been a big fan of Old Number 4, but I have to say that I am amazed by what he is accomplishing this season in Minnesota.  Not only is his team one of the top teams in the NFL, but he is slinging the ball around like he’s 30 as opposed to 40.  This past weekend Brett Favre went back to his old stomping grounds of Green Bay and walked away from Lambeau Field with a giant smile on his face and victory for his team.  It was one of the more anticipated games of the season around the NFL and another guy that was interested in the game was Brett Favre’s former Head Coach, Mike Holmgren.  While Holmgren remains off the sidelines, he’s still an interested observer in all things NFL including his former quarterback Brett Favre making his return to a place where they spent a number of years together.

Mike Holmgren joined ESPN Radio Chicago to talk about the play of Brett Favre this season, his emotions watching the Packers/Vikings game in Green Bay this past weekend, whether or not he thinks Favre hates the Packers and also chimed in on the situation with Jim Zorn in Washington.

What were your specific emotions watching Vikings/Packers game?

“Well you know, I’m pretty far removed.  But I’ve talked to Brett in the last year probably more than I have in the previous 10 years.  As he was going through this thing, I must admit, I stopped being surprised by what he does.  That happened a long time ago.  But he’s playing so well and he played so well yesterday against a very good defensive team, I believe.  That’s another remarkable story in a very unusual and great career.”

Could you make a solid argument that this the best that Brett Favre has played in his career so far?

“Well, you know what; those are tough things to say.  I think more was asked of him in the past. Certainly when we started together in Green Bay, and Tom (Waddle) would remember this stuff…that Sterling Sharpe, we had a Sterling Sharpe and then a young Brett Favre and that was about it.  Then as we got better, our offense was one that heavily relied on the passing game.  He was great at that.  I think now in Minnesota he is playing very well, but they’re not asking him to do as many things, in my opinion.  Now when he has to make certain throws and he has to do certain things, certainly.  But with that great running back they have, it kind of helps their philosophy of stuff.  I think he’s, you know he’s 40 years, how old is he, 40 years old?  And he’s playing great, but he’s had other great, great years, yeah.”

Was there ever any thought that Brett Favre would not be able to co-exist in that offense, because he may want to do more?

“No, no, on the contract I think as his career nears the end here, I think that’s one of the reasons he came back.  In fact, I know it is.  That’s one of the reasons he came back, he didn’t feel the weight of the world on his shoulders, which is kind of the way it’s been most of his career.”

Do you believe Brett Favre hates the Packers?

“No, no.  I mean it was a very emotional time as I think any of us going through what he went through would have some sort of emotional reaction.  Because he invested a lot into that place and they came right back to him, they loved him there.  Even with all the noise and stuff yesterday, as I told him a few times in the last year, time has a way of kind of healing most things.  The club did what they felt they had to do.  Brett did what he felt he had to do.  I said this before, had I been there, I hoped it wouldn’t have been so.  We could have created a situation where there wasn’t so much animosity.  I was kind of sad about the whole thing.”

Would you have liked to hear more cheers on Sunday for Favre?

“No, I think people, the fans there are wonderful.  They’re great fans, they’re gonna react.  When I went back in there after, in our first Monday night game with Seattle, quite honestly I didn’t want my kids to go ‘cause I didn’t want them to be a part, I didn’t know what to expect.  To be quite honest, they were wonderful.  They were wonderful to me, but I’m a coach, I wasn’t a player and I hadn’t been there as long as Brett had been there.  Really the people invest their lives in that team and their players.  I thought it was a pretty normal reaction.  I would say this, it was hard for me, and it still is, to see him in purple.  That is really hard for me.”

Could you take us through what the bus ride could have been like for Brett Favre?

“You know what is? quite different. I remember coming in there and some of the players, God gee they see my name on the highway sign and so on as the turnoff.  That was kind of fun, ‘cause they didn’t think I knew anything and now they realize ‘wow’ I’m on a highway sign so I must know something.  But going in there and having been there and then coming in as a competitor, there are a lot of emotions that go into that.  Because people talk about how unique a place it is and it is because the size of the city, the ownership situation all that stuff.  That’s real, so when you come in there, I saw the same tailgate set-up, the same people been doing the same thing for 35-40 years. Then you get in there, they still remember the good things I’ve done, but when the kick-off starts they’re rooting for the Packers.  There is no, that’s the way it is and that’s the way it should be. That’s what keeps that place going and keeps it the way it should be there.  Brett I’m sure had those same thoughts.  He’s kind of downplaying it a little bit, as I would have expected him to.  But if he’s going to be real honest about it, it was very emotional.”

Were you torn with what when on with Jim Zorn?

“Well, I thought it was very unfair to put a coach in that position.  The position they put Jim in, it shouldn’t have happened in my opinion.  If you’re upset with me as a playcaller or how the team is going, fire me, but don’t do that.  Don’t pull the rug from under me, tie my hands, and make me look foolish.  That’s a poor choice of words.  Take away what I came there for in the first place, don’t do that.  That was my feeling.  Sherm Lewis is a great guy, was a great coordinator and a great friend.  I thought he was put into a little bit of a tough situation too.  As the season goes on, I think people recognize that.  That bothered me a lot.  Jim Zorn is one of the nice people.  I’m a nice guy, but I’m not that nice.  Jim Zorn is really a nice man and so what they did, I did not like it at all.”

Listen to Mike Holmgren on ESPN Radio Chicago with Waddle & Silvy

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