A Snow Game for Two Old Dads
Packers quarterback Brett Favre turns to hand the ball off in the blinding 3rd quarter snow. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
“That was awesome. I’ve been hoping for that for 17 years. I wanted to play where you couldn’t see the field and the snowplow comes out. It just kept getting worse and worse.”
—Green Bay Packer Quarterback Brett Favre on the playoff game against Seattle on January 12, 2008 at the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field.
Well, Brett, old boy, I’ve got 12 years on you. As my Getty compadres Jamie Squire and Matt Stockman and I were driving to Green Bay this past Saturday, it began to snow. Nothing blizzard-like, just a good sized snow shower. I mentioned to them that this was my 29th season shooting NFL football and I had never shot in a real “snow game.” Oh, I’ve had my moments in bizarre weather during my career. Heat, brutal cold, rain, sleet, light snow, you name it. I had a couple of games in the old Browns stadium in Cleveland that were messy. I was hit by a frozen dog bone in one of them and taken down by a defensive back who hit me at the knees while I was slipping on ice trying to get out of the way in another. Someone from the “Dawg Pound” also once hit a Bengals quarterback right in the back of the helmut with a frozen dog bone as he was calling the signals. In January, 1986 as the Chicago Bears were completing a whipping of the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game, it began to snow lightly and fans starting cheering…the snow.
But considering I’ve been shooting in Chicago and Green Bay that entire time, the lack of a game in a major snow event has been surprising to me and most of my colleagues.
This time last year in this space, I was writing ad nauseam about the Chicago Bears and their march to the Super Bowl. What a difference a year makes. The Bears pretty much stunk all season while 38 year old Brett Favre marched his young team to a 13-3 record and a date in the NFC Championship game in Green Bay this coming Sunday. My consulation prize for the season was that two of the three Packer loses came at the hands of the Bears and I was able to tweak my Wisconsin friends on the way to the last game in Chicago by calling for a Bear upset. But Saturday, my friend of 20 plus years, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel staff photographer Tom Lynn, came walking into the photo area at Lambeau Field and the first words out of his mouth to me were, “Where are the Bears playing today?” The “border war” between Bear fans and Packer fans continues on, as it has for 70 years.
The Seahawks looked in control after recovering 2 Packer fumbles and scoring in the 1st quarter. (Photograph by Matt Stockman/Getty Images)
I’ve never liked the Packers, going back to the 60’s when I was a kid. My Dad was a Bear fan and I was a Bear fan. But for the record, I must admit that I have enjoyed covering Brett Favre almost more than any other player I’ve shot over the years, other than Walter Payton. As I’ve told people countless times, to me Favre is the Michael Jordan of the NFL. He has always been able to win games on his sheer will, abilities and talent. I wish I knew how many times I’ve seen the Packers seemingly out of a game with 3 or 4 minutes to play only to have Favre rally the team to a win. I know I’ll have my detractors, but I really believe he is better than Montana, Elway and Marino. Not to mention the 23 Bear quarterbacks that have started games since he became the starting quarterback for the Pack 17 seasons ago. If you’re a real NFL fan, you’ve got to love the guy, no matter what your favorite team might be.
Bears kicker Kevin Butler attempts a field goal in the “Fog Bowl” on December 31, 1988. (Allsport photo by Jonathan Daniel)
Seahawks kicker Josh Brown hits a 27 yard field goal in the 3rd quarter against the Packers. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The snow Saturday was extremely light before and during the early part of the game. The Packers found themselves in a 14 point hole right away thanks to two fumbles by running back Ryan Grant. Lynn was pessimistic as we knelt in the end zone. “Hard to come back from 14 down,” he said glumly. “Hey, number 4 has hardly been on the field,” I told him. I knew I was just blowing snow past Tom, because he loves Favre and has seen him do the same thing I have over the years, only more so. Indeed, Favre rallied the team to tie the score…and then it really started to snow.
At one point in the third quarter, it was snowing so hard that I could barely see the players on the field. I was reminded of another game I covered on New Year’s Eve in 1988, the ledgendary “Fog Bowl” in Chicago, a playoff game featuring the Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles. The weather started out sunny, then late in the first half the fog rolled in off of Lake Michigan and no one, not players, fans, TV cameras, announcers, photographers, you name it…could see the action on the field. Somehow Randall Cummingham threw for over 400 yards in that game and the Eagles still lost. I clearly remember standing on the sidelines, hearing the quarterbacks call the signals, the lineman grunting and groaning after the snap and then a loud “THUMP” as the ball was caught by a receiver I couldn’t see.
Sports photographers hope for snow games because we feel you’re bound to come away with some interesting pictures. In the second half, Matt and I stayed on the field and Jamie went up into the stands and made some great looking photos. But great pictures were made that day from all locations as the Packers continued their amazing season by crushing the Seahawks 42-20. Once it started snowing hard and Favre got on a roll, there was no stopping the Pack. And to see Favre have so much fun playing the game made an old Dad like me feel great. I’ve been calling him “Grandpa” all season but the guy played like a 23 year old.
After evading two Seahawk defensive lineman and almost falling down in the snow, Favre completes a shovel pass for a 1st down as he slips on the frozen tundra. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Fans cheer as the Packers take on the Seahawks and the elements in the second half. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packer offense prepare to run a play against the Seattle Seahawk defense in the 3rd quarter. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Brett Favre of the Packers celebrates a 3rd quarter touchdown run by teammate Ryan Grant. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The NFC Championship game this weekend looks to be a doozy. Weatherwise, anyway. Current predications are for single digit HIGHS and perhaps more snow. The game starts at 5:30 Central time which means it will only get colder as the game wears on. There’s a reason they call Lambeau Field the “Frozen Tundra” my friends. I pity you Giant fans. Grandpa Brett wants to get back to the Super Bowl and he’s not about to let a little cold or snow get in his way.
Tags: Football, Green Bay Packers, NFL, photos, Seattle Seahawks, Sidelines
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