Coach Favre

by dwarg on Nov 24, 2009 1:47 PM CST

Listening to KFAN this morning and they had Zygi Wilf, Sidney Rice and Shank on. They were in Austin MN doing some community outreach with kids. Paul Allen was with them and they called in a couple segments.

The interesting thing about it was they asked Sidney what the big difference was from the last two years that has helped him come on so strong. I'll try to quote him from memory:

The big difference is Brett Favre. I think of him as a coach and a player. Last year, you wouldn't see me going home with a laptop to study the other team's coverages. That was the first thing Brett did when he got here. We started watching film together and looking at the coverages we're going to be facing. We text each other all the time. He's always asking, "have you seen this, have you seen that?" I've learned as much from him as I have from anyone in the last two years.

This mirrors comments Percy Harvin has made about Favre texting him about looking at other receivers (Wes Welker) for examples and he then downloads the footage onto his laptop.

Two things strike me about this.

One, you mean no one on the coaching staff was following up with Sidney last year and making sure he was putting time in his playbook (laptop) looking at opposing coverages?! It was leaked to the media when Daunte turned in his playbook they checked the time logs and he hadn't even looked at any of the plays during his offseason rehab. Laptop playbooks were something Brian Billick started back when he was with the Vikings and took to a whole new level when he went to coach the Ravens. Now all teams use them and can track player time on them. Billick was famous for riding players that weren't putting enough time in their playbooks. Apparently, our coaches are not so good at following up on that.

Two, I've heard a lot of people talk about Favre as a coach in comments here, but from what I'd heard about his time with the Jets and Pack I wasn't sure that made any sense. He may have been better then I'd heard with the Pack, but it sounds like he's taking it up a notch in the mentoring realm knowing this is probably his last shot at a title. Between what other players are saying and listening to the way he talks to his teammates (NFL video) on the field it really seems like coaching would be a great role for him to transition into if he wants to stay near the game instead of perpetually mowing his lawn in Mississippi when his playing days are over.

Although he may need to get over his spanking fixation if he wants his players to take him seriously a few years down the road.

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.

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Comments

Last year, you wouldn’t see me going home with a laptop to study the other team’s coverages.

I don’t think that means he didn’t study his playbook and the coaching staff should be held accountable. Brett Favre no doubt has an insight about coverage schemes and what opponents are doing to disguise coverages and what Sidney could do to recognize them.

by LoveHate on Nov 24, 2009 2:39 PM CST reply actions

At minimum,

it means that Rice has improved a lot in a short amount of time (which we already knew) with insight he wasn’t getting from the coaches before. He also benefitted from an elite WR training camp (perhaps the same one CC ran or still operates?), so it seems that the more coaching he gets outside of Childress, Bevell, etc., the better he’s gotten so far.

by KC Viking on Nov 24, 2009 3:34 PM CST up reply actions

WR Camp

I read that it was set up by Fitzgerald, and he got buy-in from Cris Carter and Jerry Rice. I hope they get together and do it again, it’s obviously made a difference. It makes me think that perhaps, the Vikings WR coach George Stewart needs to take some notes.

Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!

by DCPurple on Nov 24, 2009 5:31 PM CST up reply actions

Favre is the Greatest QB in NFL History..................

What I have been saying since day one.

by REVENGE4FAVRE on Nov 24, 2009 2:45 PM CST reply actions

Is this post some sort of macro on your computer?

by DCPurple on Nov 24, 2009 5:31 PM CST up reply actions

it appears anytime Favre is mentioned

Don't question my fandominium.
"the notorious D.I.B."- samdaman

by dolphinsinbuffalo on Nov 24, 2009 7:11 PM CST up reply actions

if not

I bet he can type it out pretty quickly

by Salty on Nov 25, 2009 9:13 AM CST up reply actions

One, you mean no one on the coaching staff was following up with Sidney last year and making sure he was putting time in his playbook (laptop) looking at opposing coverages?!

That’s pretty amazing…. more, it’s incredible that teaching the players how to study the great players of the game, present and past, isn’t a standard part of their training regimen. It just seems like a no-brainer, else each player is developing in a vacuum, re-inventing the wheel every time.

Something else that came out when Sidney Rice was giving an interview is that when he came back after that WR camp, he started staying after practice to put in more time working alone if need be, with the other WRs when possible. He credited that with being a big factor in his improvement.

Now this sounds fine but it makes me wonder if perhaps the Vikings aren’t putting in as much practice time as they should be. When the player that’s developing the best turns out to be the one who is putting in an extra 30-60 minutes every practice, and putting in extra studying the playbook and how other great players ply their trade, maybe that’s a clue for Chilly to think about…

by DCPurple on Nov 24, 2009 5:39 PM CST reply actions

Coaches

Are limited in the time they can force players to practice ,study etc its the Greats that spend time after practices and in free time honing skills.What we need to hope is T.J. is seeing what it takes,besides donning a Helmet.During the game thread I had asked about Rosen someone said he was on the Injured list.anybody know if this is true.Iremember just before the bye week they should a sidline shot and Rosen was asking what Favre was seeing in the Pictures.

by speedlod on Nov 24, 2009 6:58 PM CST up reply actions

Yes coaches are limited

And it is great that so many of our players find Bretts knowledge and willingness to share it
as a source of extra motivation and focus!

A bird in the hand is worth about 10.99 at KFC and makes me lick my chops
Yummy!!!!!

by kdog69 on Nov 24, 2009 7:33 PM CST up reply actions

Coaches limitations

What are the limitations that NFL coaches are under in terms of setting the amount of time players practice and study the playbook and film footage?

by DCPurple on Nov 24, 2009 10:43 PM CST up reply actions

brett the mentor

I think this is another indicator that Brett is more “at home” with the Vikings…he seemed to have zero interest in mentoring as a Packer. I think the Packers environment was hostile to him for several years (as in since Thompson arrived) before he ever left.
That’s one of the reasons I will remain a Vikings fan after he retires (after 8 years as a Packers fan). They treated him right.

by lorenzo4 on Nov 24, 2009 9:04 PM CST reply actions