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Y! MyWebBengals, Favre have a history
Sunday, October 12, 2008
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The last time the Cincinnati Bengals faced Brett Favre, the ending was storybook — just like the first time they met.
They battle again today, Oct. 12, with Favre in his first season as quarterback of the New York Jets after spending 16 years with the Green Bay Packers.
"All I remember is winning," Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer said about a 21-14 victory over the Packers in Cincinnati on Oct. 30, 2005. "It's been awhile since we've had one of those.
"You watch that last drive and it's one of those things where it's, 'Uh oh, it's Favre.' You never know when the game's over. Fortunately, we had some fan interference that saved that win for us."
Gregory Gall, 31, jumped from the stands, ran onto the field and stole the ball out of Favre's hand as he dropped back to pass on the final drive. Gall was arrested for criminal trespassing, but that break in the action allowed the Bengals' defense to regroup.
"He was the key," Palmer said about the fan. "I think he should have got the game ball."
Crazy, huh? Well, let's go back to Sept. 20, 1992 — a day that lives in infamy for the Bengals because a star was born at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
Summoned from the bench in the first quarter when starter Don "Majik" Majkowski suffered a severely sprained left ankle on a sack by Bengals nose tackle Tim Krumrie, Favre became an instant legend, leading the Packers — who trailed 17-3 — to an electrifying 24-23 victory.
Favre, almost miraculously, has started all 257 regular-season games in his career since then.
It's a favorite trivia question by sports talk radio hosts. Who caught Favre's game-winning TD pass with 13 seconds remaining? Kitrick Taylor.
All four current Bengals' starting defensive backs — cornerbacks Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph, and safeties Chinedum Ndukwe and Marvin White — were between 7 and 9 years old at the time.
"What year did (Favre) come out in, '42?" Jets coach Eric Mangini said. "The gray hair. The gray beard. The fact that most kids played 'Madden' with him at the quarterback — he gets all that stuff. What's great, though, is the way he makes those guys feel at ease and feel comfortable and the way that he works with them.
"One of the things I especially respect about Brett is just what a regular guy he is. He's got such an incredible resume, this incredible body of work. But it was really important to him when he came in that he was treated like everybody else; that he did everything that the group was doing. He wanted to fit in. He didn't want any sort of special consideration. It takes a unique guy to have that much success and take that approach."
Three reasons Bengals will win
1. They can't lose 'em all. Sooner or later they will get the break they need to win a close one.
2. Backup QB Ryan Fitzpatrick took starter's reps in practice and shouldn't look as rusty as he did in 20-12 loss to the Browns.
3. Jets QB Brett Favre decides to challenge double coverage one or two times too many, as has been known to happen.
Three reasons Jets will win
1. They dominate up front. NT Kris Jenkins is salivating at the thought of overpowering C Eric Ghiaciuc. And pass-rushing LB Calvin Pace is too quick for T Stacy Andrews.
2. Favre and WR Laveranues Coles click for scores as Bengals CB Leon Hall falls victim to double moves.
3. They force Bengals RB Chris Perry into more mistakes. He has five fumbles already, three lost.
