The Night Farve Didn't Choke: An NFL Alternate History

So I am a huge Packer fan and the one game that has always haunted me was the NFC Championship in 2007. In our timeline, the Packers lost due to Farve throwing an interception in overtime, and the Giants kicking a field goal and going on to play and beat New England in Super Bowl XLII. I have always wondered if that Packer team would have had a prayer against New England that year. So on to the timeline that would impact all three teams.

Chapter I: The Dream Continues
It was overtime on a chilling night in Lambeau Field. The temperature was around 0 degrees that night and Packer fans were holding their breath both in the stadium and around the country. The score was 20 all as the teams headed to overtime. The Packers won the toss and chose to receive. Brett Farve, the legendary Packer quarterback who had a tendency to choke in big games in recent years, took control of the offense. He threw darts to Greg Jennings and Donald Lee, with a run or two mixed in from surprise running back sensation Ryan Grant. Eventually, rookie kicker Mason Crosby trots on for a 37 yard field goal.

Crosby steps up and the crowd goes silent. The ball is snapped and put down. Crosby gets plenty of distance and the only question is does it have the accuracy. It does and sneaks through the upright. The Packers have held on and Brett Farve will return to the Super Bowl and face the New England Patriots in a rematch of Super Bowl XXXI, a game the Packers won to give Farve his only ring.

The Giants are stunned. All the hard work and the great play of Eli Manning in the postseason was for naught. Tom Coughlin had built this team to contend and surprised everyone with their postseason run, but it was all over. Changes were already being discussed in their front office.

On the other sideline, there is confetti and a Gatorade bath for Mike McCarthy. The second year coach has worked wonders and was well worth the new contract he signed during the week. On the sidelines watching was Aaron Rodgers. He was the quarterback of the future and he had played well in relief of Farve in Dallas, but was waiting for his chance after falling in the draft in 2005. His future was unknown, as was Farve's. But they were going to Glendale and looking to bring Lombardi back home to Green Bay.
 
So the stage was set for a Super Bowl that would be a true shootout in Glendale. Brett Farve, the forever starter of the Packers was facing Tom Brady, the quarterback who had thrown for 50 touchdowns and was staking his claim as the successor to Joe Montana.

Giant Letdown: Giants Lose Heartbreaker
(Green Bay, WI) Tom Coughlin may have woken up the echoes of the Giants of old in Texas, but in the frigid cold in Green Bay, the Giants could not stop Farve in overtime. The Packers are playing in thier 5th Super Bowl and have a chance to win their 13th world title. Eli Manning played well enough, but the Giants defense could not make the stop in overtime, despite playing well for the third game in a row. The question this writer asks is the marriage of Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin paying off, and will wholesale changes be needed to turn the Giants into a contender that can win the big one? And remember this, Tom Coughlin could not win a championship game with Jacksonville, most notably in 1999, when the only team he lost to was the Titans. Of course he lost all three times.

(New York Post January 21,2008)
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The Patriots fans were beginning to feel confident. They felt that destiny was calling them towards a perfect season, and that Tom Brady was going to cap off a dream season in the desert. In fact, companies were already printing clothing saying 19-0 and "The Perfect Season". But the Packers were not a pushover, and the team knew it. New England was preparing for a game that would define thier legacy forever, while in Green Bay, Farve was looking for a perfect ride out into the sunset.
 
I'll be watching this one! If the Packers win, I'd imagine that Favre would retire right then and there, opening the door for Rodgers and causing an untold number of butterflies around the NFL.
 
Chapter 2:Desert Shootout
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Fox Sports was confident that there would be a lot of interest in this event. Joe Buck, who would be working the game, said that this was one of the most interesting matchups, and told the media that he and Troy Aikman would be discussing the two quarterbacks in detail during the broadcast, and in addition there would a camera on each quarterback at all times for the truck to use.

As gameday arrived, there was a search for any sort of unsung players. Most thought that the key was if Ryan Grant could run the ball enough in order to keep Brady and the offense on the sideline. On the other side, the question was could Al Harris and Charles Woodson match up well enough in order to cover Randy Moss and Donte Stallworth in man coverage. However, what the key was to each team was finding a player step up.

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The game started with the roof closed and immediatly the Patriots came out and jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead. Then, in the second quarter disaster struck for the Packers as Farve was knocked out of the game on a hard sack by Mike Vrabel. The Packers looked to be dead in the water as Farve left with bruised ribs and would be out for the rest of the game.

Fox Sports Rush Transcript
Joe Buck: And now, Aaron Rodgers, who has seen limited duty since being drafted in 2005, is going to come in down 14 in the game.
Troy Aikman: No question Joe, this is a huge boost for the Patriots. You could see the reaction on the sideline as they realized that they are a step closer to history. But remember this, Aaron Rodgers has matched up well against PAC-10 teams in college, and Mike McCarthy has had success in grooming quarterbacks, to say nothing of success that Farve backups have had.

Aaron Rodgers surely did not look nervous at all as he calmly tossed touchdown passes to Robert Ferguson and Donald Driver to tie the score. The Patriots kicked a field goal at the end of the half to go in 17-14.

In the second half, things dragged to a defensive struggle as Randy Moss dropped a sure touchdown, and Ryan Grant fumbled in the red zone. Rodgers was stunning the world for holding in there, and then on a pretty deep ball hit Greg Jennings for a touchdown to make it 21-17. Then, in a stunning show of courage Farve suddenly on the sideline came back and went to McCarthy and demanded to go back into the game. McCarthy tried to overrule him, but it was not worth it. Farve went back in the game and Aaron Rodgers was angry about being replaced, as he had done everything correctly. Time soon ran out on the Patriots and perfection was denied. The Packers were Super Bowl champions for the 4th time, and Aaron Rodgers was given MVP honors.
 
Chapter III: Reaction to Duel in Desert

Sportscenter Special Rush Transcript
John Anderson: And welcome into a live edition of Sportscenter on this Super Sunday. All the reaction from Glendale as the Packers beat New England to win their 4th Lombardi Trophy and deny perfection. We will send it out to Chris Berman and the guys for the highlights and reaction. Boom?

Chris Berman: Thank you John and welcome to Glendale. Well, it was a surprising game for a number of reasons. Aaron Rodgers came in to the game with Brett Farve hurt and took control of the game. He looked poised and prepared, and it was a remarkable game. Tommy, your thoughts?

highlights roll and Berman and analysts discuss

Tom Jackson: Aaron Rodgers was super poised and took down a guy in Tom Brady who has been this generation's big game quarterback. I mean, this was a guy who was overshadowed in college by Carson Palmer and Matt Lienart. He came in and rescued the team, and then got passed over by a lot of teams in the 2005 draft. The poise he showed was impressive, and quite frankly Farve never should have played in the fourth. Rodgers was a deserving MVP and if Farve retires, will have the support of Packer fans.

Ron Jaworski: I disagree. This team was built for success and you could tell that after the divisonal game, Green Bay was a serious threat. New England looked like a team that came in expecting to outscore Green Bay, but Al Harris and Charles Woodson are veteran leaders in that secondary. This New England team has just wasted a shot at history that we may never see again.


The thing you got to remember about Farve, is that he is very much a competitor. After that game in Glendale, he was considering not retiring despite having won the Super Bowl. But Rodgers had the claim and the right to run that team because of that game.
-Mike Sherman "Farve: The Documentary"
 
Thanks for the catch. Damn you spelling!
The 2008 Offseason
March 23, 2008
Brett Favre retires
Green Bay, Wi-Today the forever starter of the Green Bay Packers retired from the game. In an emotional press conference, Brett Favre retired from the NFL citing that he had done enough and it was time to go on top. He compared himself to John Elway, saying that he would like to go into the front office someday and he wished Aaron Rodgers well. He said "Aaron has earned the starter's job due to a great Super Bowl and is equal to myself and Bart Starr in terms of legends to play the position. I will not unretire and I advise the fans to give Aaron support and trust, as he has the right to continue his bright future without having me over his shoulder."

After Favre retired, Ted Thompson was looking for a backup. He did not want to into the draft for a backup, because the quarterback class was not as strong as in years past. He then traded a sixth rounder in the draft for Matt Cassel, a solid backup who was Tom Brady's backup and had seen little experience but Mike McCarthy viewed him as a good backup and he could be great in an emergency. That move would impact the Patriots in a subtle way, as events were going to come.

2008 NFL Draft top 10
First Round
1. Dolphins- Chris Long
2. Rams- Cedric Ellis
3. Falcons- Joe Flacco
4. Raiders- Derrick Harvey
5. Chiefs- Matt Ryan
6. Jets- Brian Brohm
7. Saints- Jerod Mayo
8. Jaguars Ryan Cladley
9. Bengals Felix Jones
10. Patriots Matt Flynn

The Packers drafted Jordy Nelson in the 2nd round, and the other notable pick is Cliff Avril.
 
Thanks for the catch. Damn you spelling!
The 2008 Offseason
March 23, 2008
Brett Favre retires
Green Bay, Wi-Today the forever starter of the Green Bay Packers retired from the game. In an emotional press conference, Brett Favre retired from the NFL citing that he had done enough and it was time to go on top. He compared himself to John Elway, saying that he would like to go into the front office someday and he wished Aaron Rodgers well. He said "Aaron has earned the starter's job due to a great Super Bowl and is equal to myself and Bart Starr in terms of legends to play the position. I will not unretire and I advise the fans to give Aaron support and trust, as he has the right to continue his bright future without having me over his shoulder."

After Favre retired, Ted Thompson was looking for a backup. He did not want to into the draft for a backup, because the quarterback class was not as strong as in years past. He then traded a sixth rounder in the draft for Matt Cassel, a solid backup who was Tom Brady's backup and had seen little experience but Mike McCarthy viewed him as a good backup and he could be great in an emergency. That move would impact the Patriots in a subtle way, as events were going to come.

2008 NFL Draft top 10
First Round
1. Dolphins- Chris Long
2. Rams- Cedric Ellis
3. Falcons- Joe Flacco
4. Raiders- Derrick Harvey
5. Chiefs- Matt Ryan
6. Jets- Brian Brohm
7. Saints- Jerod Mayo
8. Jaguars Ryan Cladley
9. Bengals Felix Jones
10. Patriots Matt Flynn

The Packers drafted Jordy Nelson in the 2nd round, and the other notable pick is Cliff Avril.

That top 10 is unrealistic. Matt Flynn and Brian Brohm in Round 1? Flynn was a seventh-rounder. Also, there was no way that Felix Jones and Flacco were going to go that high.
 
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