THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, January 21, 1997 TAG: 9701220596
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: 43 lines
GRAPHIC
1996 league rank: 5th overall (1,838 running, 3,697 passing,
345.9 per game)
Offensive philosophy: Traditional West Coast offense. QB Brett
Favre has a remarkable ability to make the short-drop passing game
work, killing defenses with the short pass and the screen pass,
anything that lulls the defense to the line of scrimmage, so Favre
can try some deep throws. Favre has hit 30 of 44 passes in the
postseason.
What makes it work: Two great tight ends in Keith Jackson and
Mark Chmura, who have five catches in two playoff games, but have a
combined average of 12 yards per grab. Most teams have one tight end
who can catch, one who's a glorified tackle. These guys do it all.
Then there's the emergence of RB Dorsey Levens. He was one of the
few carry-overs from the '95 team that advanced to the NFC title
game who had room to grow. Levens was MVP of the title game and cut
some into Edgar Bennett's time and carries.
When they became good: Start and finish with the acquisition of
Favre in February, 1992. He was a third-string QB in Atlanta; GM Ron
Wolf, having just hired Mike Holmgren as coach, surrendered a
first-round pick to the Falcons.
Red-zone success: 4th in the NFL. Packers had 62 possessions
inside the opponents' 20 and scored 36 touchdowns and 16 field
goals. TD percentage: 58.1.
Achilles heel: Favre is slow getting out of the gate, and the
Packers offensive line is solid, but not scary. Who knows what Andre
Rison shows up.
They're in trouble if: New England coach Bill Parcells, a
defensive-minded genius, and defensive coordinator Bill Belichick,
find a way to keep Favre and his receivers off-balance. Patriots
were sixth against the run and Green Bay isn't a grind-it-out club.