If you happen to be a Packers fan who is sick and tired of hearing about Brett Favre(notes), and you're thinking of joining the National Guard and going overseas to get away from it all, stop. It's not going to work. The detainees in Baghdad are going to be just as vicious as the Vikings fans you know.

A Wisconsin National Guard unit charged with keeping watch over detainees in Baghdad decided to put up Packers colors and logos all around the camp. The prisoners noticed, started asking questions and suddenly, Favre became an unwitting ally.

From 620WTMJ's Jay Sorgi (subbing in for the injured Waylon Manning):

"They know Favre by name," said First Lieutenant Tim Boehnen, who is from New Richmond, Wis.

"One of the big words they know now is shenanigan.  They'll constantly talk about 'Favre shenanigans,' 'He's so good for the Vikings,' and 'The Packers have got to really feel bad about that one.'  "

[...] "They obviously then started up the conversations, and started talking about Brett Favre. They soon learned about Favre going to the Vikings, and things just started going downhill from there."

In retaliation, I think our troops should make the detainees watch ESPN's Week 4 Monday Night Football contest between the Vikings and Packers, including pre- and post-game shows. They'll never want to mention Favre again.

Shutdown Corner presents the weekly quarterback power rankings. They're just as arbitrarily decided as normal power rankings, except they rank quarterbacks, not whole teams. Rankings are based on play this year alone and meant to represent who is playing the best football at the current moment.

1. Peyton Manning(notes), Indianapolis Colts
		If he had been facing, for example, the number eight quarterback on this list, Bill Belichick may have punted on that 4th and 2 Sunday night. He wasn't, though. He was facing the number one quarterback, and he knew that guy was going to score from anywhere on the field.
2. Brett Favre(notes), Minnesota Vikings
		This week, Favre became your NFL leader in quarterback rating. In a year where we're blessed with five different quarterbacks with a rating of 100 or better, Favre stands at the top. He's thrown 285 passes, and just three of them have been intercepted. Favre might be asked to do a little bit less than most guys on this list (he's 16th in the league in pass attempts), and he might be in the most quarterback-friendly situation in the league, but he's been close to perfect. Wrangler sales are even up.
3. Tom Brady(notes), New England Patriots
		Brady made some tremendous throws in a losing effort on Sunday night. He didn't get the win, but he did play well enough to continue his rise towards the top of these rankings, where he belongs. He's been over 300 yards in his last four games, which isn't something he hadn't done since Week 1.
4. Drew Brees(notes), New Orleans Saints
		Saints fans are going to be mad at me, but I'm afraid it had to be done. Through his first five games, Drew Brees threw for 13 touchdowns and two interceptions. Over his last four games, Brees has six touchdowns and seven interceptions. That's not good, and I'm afraid it mandates a slide in the rankings. His yardage totals and completion percentages have still been awesome, but to stay in the top two, I'm afraid we need a better TD-to-INT ratio.
5. Matt Schaub(notes), Houston Texans
		Schaub rises a spot, even on his bye week, because it wasn't a particularly great week for the best quarterbacks in the league. But now, after everyone's had their bye week, let's check and see where Schaub ranks in some key statistical categories. He's third in yards passing (behind Manning and Brady) and tied for fifth in touchdowns (behind Manning, Brady, Brees and Kurt Warner(notes)). Not at all shabby.
6. Ben Roethlisberger(notes), Pittsburgh Steelers
		A brutal week drops Benjamin a few spots: He was 20-of-40 for 174 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception. In a huge game for the Steelers, he came up with a quarterback rating (51.5) fewer than 10 points away from JaMarcus Russell's(notes) (43.6). That's not what you're looking for.
7. Philip Rivers(notes), San Diego Chargers
		It was a very solid week for Rivers, who faced an Eagles defense that ranks fifth in the league in opposing quarterback rating. He went 20-of-25 for 231 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. This will be the fourth straight week where Rivers checks in at number seven.
8. Aaron Rodgers(notes), Green Bay Packers
		A good, but not great effort from Rodgers against the Cowboys: 25-of-36, one touchdown, no picks, and just 189 yards. Not good enough to move him up the list, but not bad enough to move him down. He's been sacked 12 more times than anyone else in the league, and more than Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees combined. Dallas got him four times.
9. Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals
		Welcome, Kurt! I'd still like to see more consistency from you, but two consecutive phenomenal weeks will get you in the mix. Over his last two weeks, Warner's thrown seven touchdowns against zero interceptions. If he has another good game this week, it'll mark the first time all year he's strung three quality games together. He's playing the Rams, too, so it's not exactly a tall order.
10. Donovan McNabb(notes), Philadelphia Eagles
		The 450 yards against San Diego were really nice, but would have been nicer if a few more of them had come in the red zone. Again, I'd like to see some more consistency. Really, it was a three-way toss-up here between McNabb, Romo and Palmer, so I thought I'd go with the guy coming off the best week. I'd consider McNabb's grip on the 10th spot very, very tenuous.
Noses pressed against the glass: Carson Palmer(notes), Cincinnati Bengals Tony Romo(notes), Dallas Cowboys

Jon Gruden signed a "long-term" extension today with ESPN that will keep him on Monday Night Football and other network broadcasts for the "forseeable future". In Washington, Cleveland, South Bend, Louisville and all other football towns that will have possible coaching vacancies this off-season, there was much fretting that Gruden's new deal means he won't be available to take over those teams. In the words of another ESPN personality, "not so fast, my friend."

Here's part of Gruden's statement, which was released via ESPN this afternoon:

"Working with Mike, [Ron Jaworski] and our entire Monday Night Football team is the most fun I have had in years, and I am fired up to make this long-term commitment to ESPN. Monday Night Football is special and I look forward to remaining a part of it and continuing to call these great games."

That comment is more telling for what it doesn't say than what it does say. Gruden never addresses whether he's fully committed to the MNF booth for 2010, let alone "long-term", he never says he won't listen to offers and he never says he won't someday go back to coaching. All he says is that he's made a "long-term commitment". The lack of specifics is telling.

Bob Glauber of Newsday reports that industry sources say Gruden told ESPN he's definitely in for 2010, if not 2011, and I have no doubt that Gruden said that. I also have no doubt that he's being totally honest about his intentions. But Brett Favre(notes) thought he'd stay retired both times too, you know? People change their minds. It's human nature.

You don't think if Dan Snyder or Jerry Jones or Notre Dame boosters offer Gruden $10 million per year and the chance to resurrect some of the most historic teams in football history that he's not at least going to listen? He's a football coach without any good reason (that we know of) not to coach football. The comparison to John Madden is thrown around a lot, but Madden stayed out of coaching for a very specific reason: He hated to fly. 

I don't know what's going on in Gruden's mind. Maybe he loves the life of a broadcaster, who knows. But nothing he's done in his decade in the spotlight has indicated he's the type of guy who will be content to sit in production meetings with Eli Manning(notes) on Fridays instead of game-planning for an upcoming opponent.

Today's developments do nothing to shake my belief that Gruden will be back on the sidelines by 2011, at the latest. Although maybe I'm just projecting my hope that he does because, as I wrote last month, as a broadcaster, Gruden is a great ex-coach.

Former New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton has once again spoken up on the new generation. The 69-year-old Hall-of-Famer, who at one point held just about every major career passing record and played in three Super Bowls, has a successful life after football as a sometime TV personality and full-time entrepreneur. But that doesn't keep him from opining on the current group of signal-callers who draw his ire for various reasons.

First, there were his May, 2009 comments on 790 the Zone in Atlanta about serial retiree Brett Favre(notes). When asked about Favre's continued dalliances with the NFL, Tarkenton was more than succinct.

"I think it's despicable. What he put the Packers through last year was not good. Here's an organization that was loyal to him for 17, 18 years, provided stability of organization, provided players. It just wasn't about Brett Favre. In this day and time, we have glorified the Brett Favres of the world so much, they think it's about them ... I kind of hope (Favre's unretirement) happens, so he can fail."

Well, bah, humbug! Of course, Favre put us all through a few months of media torture in his current comeback to the Vikings, but he's certainly isn't failing. As he acclimates to Minnesota's offense, he's lighting it up at an age when most quarterbacks only wish they could. Having swung and missed on Favre, Tarkenton has now taken aim at another NFC Norris quarterback -- one Jay Cutler(notes), fresh from his five-pick disaster against the 49ers last Thursday. Back on the radio went Fran, and back went the mouth into overdrive, on Chicago's "Waddle and Silvy Show" (no, really):

"I really question whether he can play. Quarterbacks need to make their team better. If it's a bad team, they can even make a bad team better. Somebody may say well, even Peyton Manning(notes) couldn't help the Bears. Yes, he could. Tom Brady(notes) could, too. They might not win the championship or get to the playoffs, but they would make that team better. Those wide receivers who are struggling would be better because they would make them better."

Tarkenton then went on to say that the best way for Cutler to prove him wrong was to march into offensive coordinator Ron Turner's office and "tell that coach [expletive]." Tarkenton related a story in which he told the young Dan Fouts to tell his offensive coordinator to kiss off. Of course, one of the guys responsible for Fouts' development was Bill Walsh, San Diego's offensive coordinator in 1976, and I sincerely question the professional future of any quarterback dumb enough to pop off to Walsh.

If he can take it as he dishes it out, I think the best advice for Tarkenton could be taken from that noted military philosopher, Sgt. Hulka: "Lighten up, Francis." The pressure on these guys is bad enough, even when it's self-imposed, without former greats copping headlines with their "Grumpy Old Men" routines at the worst possible time. Telling guys like Favre and Cutler to "get off my lawn!" just stings Tarkenton's own legacy, and that's a shame.

Shutdown Corner is proud to present the weekly quarterback power rankings. They're just as arbitrarily decided as normal power rankings, except they rank quarterbacks, not whole teams. Rankings are based on play this year alone and meant to represent who is playing the best football at the current moment.

1. Drew Brees(notes), New Orleans Saints
		The Saints are turning scoring in the NFL into something more golf-like, where certain teams have handicaps. Against the Dolphins, Falcons and now Panthers, the Saints have given them a bunch of strokes on the front nine, and then Drew Brees just squashes them on the back nine. Brees also retook the lead in 2009 quarterback rating this week, at 106.1.
2. Peyton Manning(notes), Indianapolis Colts
		Manning threw the ball 40 times in the first half against the Texans. Not that that stat makes him a great quarterback, but it does illustrate pretty well just how much the Colts are leaning on him. Earlier in the season, Brees and Manning were clearly numbers one and two here, leaving everyone else to fight for third and beyond. Now, though, we're at a point where the one-two combo could be broken up at any minute.
3. Ben Roethlisberger(notes), Pittsburgh Steelers
		The Steelers were pretty convincing in the second half last night, weren't they? They didn't leave much doubt about who was the better team on that field. What you saw in the second half was legitimate knockout power. Even if a fight isn't going their way, Ben Roethlisberger and the receiving corps still give them the ability reach out and turn your lights off at any moment.
4. Brett Favre(notes), Minnesota Vikings
		Favre had a week off, so he'll sit quietly here in the four spot. There are two things I'll say while we're here, though. First, you know the traditional second-half meltdown from Brett Favre, where he turns into a Juggs machine that can only throw to the other team? That's not coming this year. Secondly, Brett Favre is exactly one-tenth of a point behind Drew Brees in quarterback rating. In fact, the top five guys (Brees, Favre, Peyton, Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers(notes)) are separated by less than three points.
5. Tom Brady(notes), New England Patriots
		Handsome Tom makes a big jump this week, not necessarily based on his 25-of-37, 332-yard performance against the Dolphins, but because his level of play over the last few weeks has so good. It was really only a matter of time before Brady pushed back into the top five; I just wanted to see him string a few good weeks together. He's very close to being vintage Tom Brady.
6. Matt Schaub(notes), Houston Texans
		It wasn't the finest of weeks for Matt Schaub, and I should probably deduct more points because it was a week where the Texans really needed him. Still, he leads the league in yards passing and touchdown passes (tied with Brees with 17), so you can't move a guy like that too far down the list.
7. Philip Rivers(notes), San Diego Chargers
		Rivers threw a pair of interceptions on Sunday, and I was afraid I was going to have to move him down. That last drive, though, salvaged the week, to say the least. I know the Giants secondary isn't the most fearsome unit ever assembled, but still, that's on the road, on the other side of the country, in a hostile environment against a desperate team.
8. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
		Okay, maybe I got a little carried away with Aaron Rodgers at number three last week. Eight is probably a little low for him, too, but there's got to be some kind of a punishment when you throw three interceptions to the Bucs, and even worse, take six sacks. Rodgers is on pace to be sacked 74 times this season. Maybe his offensive line isn't great, but for all the great things Rodgers can do, no one gets sacked that much if they have any kind of pocket awareness and know when to get rid of the ball.
9. Carson Palmer(notes), Cincinnati Bengals
		Sort of like Tom Brady, I feel like Carson Palmer's finally rounding back into his true form, too. His stats from Sunday's game against Baltimore don't really do his performance justice. Cincinnati won that game in part because they had an effective all-around offense, and Baltimore didn't. That starts with the quarterback.
10. Tony Romo(notes), Dallas Cowboys
		Romo wasn't spectacular on Sunday night against Philadelphia, but he did enough to keep himself in the top ten here. Any time you go on the road and win (against a non-Washington-based team) in the NFC East, you've accomplished something.
Noses pressed against the glass: Kurt Warner(notes), Arizona Cardinals Eli Manning(notes), New York Giants Jay Cutler(notes), Chicago Bears Joe Flacco(notes), Baltimore Ravens Donovan McNabb(notes), Philadelphia Eagles Kyle Orton(notes), Denver Broncos

Shutdown Corner is proud to present the weekly quarterback power rankings. They're just as arbitrarily decided as normal power rankings, except they rank quarterbacks, not whole teams. Rankings are based on play this year alone and meant to represent who is playing the best football at the current moment.

1. Drew Brees(notes), New Orleans Saints
		Once again, this week features the Brees/Manning flip-flop at the top, with Brees placing his foot squarely on top of Manning's head this week. He did have the one interception where Falcons DB Brett Grimes climbed air to snatch it out of the sky, but Brees spent most of the game being pretty damn brilliant. I'm not predicting 16-0 for the Saints, but if there's one reason they can get there, it's that the play they get from the quarterback position gives them a very big margin for error in every game. Like last night, for example.
2. Peyton Manning(notes), Indianapolis Colts
		Not a great week for Peyton, but his season so far gives him enough juice to keep the top spot. It's kind of funny that the guy can complete 31-of-48 passes for 347 yards, and I'm calling it "not a great week," but that's the level of quarterback play we're being blessed with this year in NFL National Football League. Sorry, I wanted to try that.
3. Aaron Rodgers(notes), Green Bay Packers
		The Vikings outplayed the Packers, but did Brett Favre(notes) outplay Aaron Rodgers? Sort of yes, sort of no. Favre was just about flawless, but the burden on Rodgers was far greater. The Packers had no Adrian Peterson to lean on, they don't have a great defense, and they didn't get to play with a lead. They asked Rodgers to do everything, and he responded with 287 yards, three touchdowns, and no picks. I'm giving the edge to Rodgers based on degree of difficulty. As a side note: You know who has the best quarterback rating in the league right now? It's not Brees, and it's not Manning ... it's Mr. Aaron Rodgers. The top two is dangerously close to being broken up.
4. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings
		Continuing the Rodgers vs. Favre on Sunday discussion from above, I do have to acknowledge some bias towards Rodgers. I know this, and you know this. I still think a slight edge to Rodgers is the right call. Favre's been amazing, but the Minnesota offense is so perfectly tailored to putting the quarterback in a great position. Obviously, that doesn't mean just anyone could step in and put up the kinds of numbers Favre is putting up, but he doesn't have the weight of an entire offense on his shoulders, either.
5. Ben Roethlisberger(notes), Pittsburgh Steelers
		A week off for Pittsburgh, and Roethlisberger stays put in the five-hole.
6. Matt Schaub(notes), Houston Texans
		Matt Schaub slides a bit this week after a zero touchdown, two interception performance against the Bills. I don't think Schaub will mind, though, because he also got some good news this week: he might soon have a running game, courtesy of Ryan Moats(notes). If the Texans add a consistent ground game to what Schaub and Andre Johnson(notes) are already doing ... sweet sassy molassey, that's going to be quite an offense.
7. Philip Rivers(notes), San Diego Chargers
		It's so difficult to hash out the bottom of this list every week, because there's so little separating so many quality quarterbacks, but it seems like Philip Rivers is the one guy who can be counted on for consistency. His QB rating has been 93 or better in his past four games, and he's never been below 84.5 on the year. Thank you, Phil, for making this slightly easier.
8. Tony Romo(notes), Dallas Cowboys
		Just 15 minutes and 30 seconds into the Cowboys/Seahawks game, Tony Romo had already hit five different receivers. By the end of the game, 10 different Cowboys had caught passes. I love that stat, because it shows that a quarterback is getting through his progressions, making all kinds of different reads, and isn't relying too heavily on one guy. Three stellar weeks for Romo and counting.
9. Joe Flacco(notes), Baltimore Ravens
		Here's what Flacco accomplished on Sunday: 20-of-25, one touchdown, no interceptions, one win against an undefeated team and one big, sloppy wet kiss from Dan Dierdorf avoided after the game. I like Dierdorf, but he does tend to get carried away at times ... and yet, the unyielding river of verbal lust that he lavished on Flacco on Sunday was completely warranted.
10. Tom Brady(notes), New England Patriots
		Brady had the week off, so let's talk about the two other guys who were considered for this spot. First, Eli. After reaching as high as number two on this list, he is now completely gone. Sorry. There are too many good quarterbacks here for three bad weeks to be tolerated. Second, Mr. McNabb. Great, great game on Sunday, but you know what I'd like you to do? Have two of them in a row. You've burned me before, sir.
Noses pressed against the glass: Donovan McNabb(notes), Philadelphia Eagles; Carson Palmer(notes), Cincinnati Bengals; Eli Manning(notes), New York Giants; Kyle Orton(notes), Denver Broncos; Jay Cutler(notes), Chicago Bears

I didn't include the Green Bay Packers in yesterday's Cry, Whine and Moan feature, because I felt like it was a special kind of loss that deserved its own post.

Not that it was the most painful loss of all-time or anything, but it was certainly unique in how it was painful. Most of us will never see our hero, arguably the best player in the history of our franchise, come back in the colors of our arch-rival and then destroy us, cementing the fact that his new football team is now clearly better than his old one.

That just doesn't happen. Not on this level, with a player of that magnitude, between rivals so bitter.

I feel bad for Packers fans. Not because of who I blame for anything that's happened -- blame doesn't really matter anymore. Blame Brett Favre(notes), Ted Thompson, global warming or Emmanual Lewis if you really want to. No matter who's at fault, Packers fans just suffered a loss that packed some serious sting. Forty-five% say it's the toughest loss Packers fans have ever had to deal with.

Karma failed us. After everything that's happened, all the breathless media reports, all the spin, all the lies, all the hurt feelings ... Brett Favre gets to come out on top, both times? This time, in your own front yard? That is not right. That is not just.

Packers fans deserved to win at least one of those games, and it seems cruel that they didn't get to. All they got was to see Favre leaving their field, with his hands raised high in victory.

I guess "deserve" is a concept that doesn't apply here, though. Things happened the way they did because Minnesota has a better football team. They have a better defense and a better running attack. In this case, that means they win. It sucks, but that's how it works.

The reaction in Green Bay today seems surprisingly pragmatic, though. The Packers blogs are worried about things like their head coach, Aaron Rodgers, Johnny Jolly, and Dom Capers (naughty language alert for that last one). Like pretty much every other team out there. The newspapers are a little more Favre-y, but there's just as much focus on things like Cullen Jenkins roasting Dom Capers, and the differences in the rest of the Green Bay and Minnesota rosters.

I'm sure there's a lot of frustration and anger behind all that, too. You have my sympathies, Packer fans. No group of fans should have to go through that, and then get denied satisfaction twice.

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Aside from the Lambeau boos, and the overcooked storylines, and the "Man O' the People, coming off his tractor to save the NFL" garbage, there was a game to play in Green Bay, and it had some pretty serious division ramifications. Early on, it looked like the Packers forgot about that -- Brett Favre(notes) carved up their pressure-proof defense, and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers(notes) was sacked four times in the first half alone. The Vikings and their Mississippi Queen went to the visitors' locker room at halftime with a 17-3 lead, and pumped it up to 24-3 early in the third quarter when Favre threw his second touchdown pass of the day to Percy Harvin(notes). It looked as if the Pack were going to be overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation.

But Green Bay scored the next 17 points unanswered, as adjustments were made to the protection schemes in order to keep Rodgers upright, and the defense got stronger, and Rodgers started hitting his targets. Greg Jennings(notes) and Donald Driver(notes) combined for 14 catches and 147 yards, and the Pack got within five points late in the fourth quarter, 31-26, after missing a two-point conversion. Favre's Vikings went six-and-out on their next drive, and Green Bay had a chance to pull it out. Didn't happen, Even when Rodgers completed a long pass to Donald Driver under extreme duress and was gifted with an extra 15 yards courtesy of Ray Edwards'(notes) roughing-the-passer penalty with 7:33 left in the game, the home team couldn't capitalize. A sack, an incomplete pass, and a missed field goal followed.

Then, the Vikings proved that they simply had more talent on their roster with their final scoring drive. A quick screen to Adrian Peterson netted 44 yards, down to the Green Bay 15, as no Packers defender had an answer for Peterson's downfield motion. Two plays later, Favre hit Bernard Berrian(notes) for the touchdown that put the game out of reach at 38-26. Rodgers followed with a series of desperate incompletions, and it was over.

Quite simply, the Packers aren't in the Vikings' league. They have major issues along their offensive line, they are incapable of putting together a consistent running game, and their defense, while occasionally dynamic, can be burned by speed and sheer physical talent in a way that elite defenses aren't. It may not seem faithful to the Green Bay faithful that Favre could manipulate the situation and wind up on a ready-made team, but there are more important things to worry about. The Packers have some work to do through the season, and into the offseason, before they can challenge this Vikings team.

Brett Favre(notes) was welcomed back to Green Bay today with open arms ... which were then used to figuratively smack him upside the head.

The Packers legend was roundly booed by fans in his first return to Lambeau Field since the acrimonious split he had with the team (and its fans) last year. While some in the crowd politely applauded Favre when he came out for warm-ups, went to midfield for the coin toss and took his first snaps from under center, the vast majority of fans showered Favre with boos. This only continued, as Favre and his new team, the Minnesota Vikings, jumped out to a 24-3 early in the third quarter. 

Among the best anti-Favre items seen at the game were the Fedro-Favre sign (at right), a t-shirts with "True Legends Don't Wear Purple" written in green, a poster that said "We'll Never Forget You, Brent" and a banner flying behind a plane reading "Retire 4 Good". 

Some fans were conflicted about the return. One told the Associated Press that he was a diehard Packers fan, but wanted Favre to do well. More seemed to be of the thinking that Favre was a traitor ("personally I'm booing while I'm crying").

But other Green Bay fans were being more level-headed about the return:

“It’s like going into church on Sunday and the priest says, `Everybody go home, Jesus has now sided with the devil,”’ [Packers fan Mark Fields, who was wearing a Favre jersey with "JUDAS" written on the back] said.

As long as we're keeping things in perspective, I guess.

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When the Packers lost, 30-23, to the Vikings on October 5 in Minnesota, part of the problem was a defensive game plan that was close to downright timid. Dom Capers' defense focused on spying Adrian Peterson with its inside linebackers, and covering the flats and seams as opposed to blitzing Brett Favre(notes). Favre was not sacked once in the game, and defensive end Aaron Kampman(notes) was the only Green Bay defender to record a single quarterback hit. Favre predictably carved the Green Bay defense up, completing 24 passes in 31 attempts for 271 yards and three touchdowns.

Last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers -- owners of another 3-4 defense with great talent -- did to Favre what they do to just about every quarterback they face: Bring pressure from the perimeter and force the quarterback to adjust. Favre was sacked four times, completed only 33 passes in 50 attempts, threw no touchdowns and a pick, lost a fumble, and looked very much like a quarterback who could be flustered by pressure.

The Packers have only 12 sacks on the season -- compare that to Minnesota's league-leading 25 -- but they're fourth in quarterback rating allowed (64.7) and second in Pass Defense DVOA (first overall in Defensive DVOA). Green Bay doesn't have to back the dogs off Favre in an attempt to focus on Peterson, who gained 55 yards on 25 carries in the last meeting. Perhaps it's more about using their defenders differently. Rookie linebacker Clay Matthews(notes) is still adjusting to his role as an edge-rusher in a 3-4, but he has unusual speed and agility for a guy his size. Why not put Matthews over the middle and have him spy Peterson, and drop back in some zone blitzes, instead of being negated off the edge? When these two teams last played, Matthews caused a second-quarter Peterson fumble, which he then returned for a 42-yard touchdown.

There's no defensive scheme that Favre hasn't seen in his career, but that doesn't mean he can't be upended by a few interesting looks. Emotions will obviously be high in Lambeau, and ol' #4 has a history of using emotion to his advantage. The Packers must upend Favre's reunion tour if they hope to avoid a season sweep.