Brett Favre: "What's the nickel defense?"

[Prime Time]

View: https://twitter.com/ZachSDunn/status/872164308880326656

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...l-defense-was-as-an-nfl-starting-quarterback/

Brett Favre didn’t know what nickel defense was, as an NFL starting quarterback
Posted by Mike Florio on June 7, 2017

Getty Images

Most football fans believe star players know significantly more about the game than they do. Sometimes, they don’t.

Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, in his third NFL season and second as the Green Bay starter, didn’t know some of the most fundamental aspects of defensive alignments in football.

“I would always sit in these meetings,” Favre said in a video from a speaking engagement recently posted on Twitter by Zach Dunn. “If you don’t know what’s going on, the trick is to act like you do. And I’m the starting quarterback, and [coach Mike] Holmgren would be up there and he’d say, ‘All right, look guys,’ he’s writing nickel defenses in, ‘We’re gonna do this, we’re gonna attack this.’

I’d always be sitting there going, ‘I hear this ‘nickel defense’ all the time but I’m not real sure what it is.’ Then he’d throw me for a loop and he’d say, ‘Long yardage situation, dime comes in.’ Dime, what the hell is dime? They would say, ‘Over under front’ and, ‘You got this, 3-4.’ I was afraid to ask, I’m the starter. Ty Detmer was over there.

“After about our second year, finally I said, I just got to know, ‘Ty, I got to ask you a question.’ Ty was about as goofy as I was. He says, ‘What’s that?’ I say, ‘What’s the nickel defense?’ He’s just real quiet, he says, ‘You serious?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’m serious.’ He says, ‘Well, they basically take out a linebacker and bring in a DB.’

“I said, ‘That’s it?’ He said, ‘That’s it.’ I said, ‘Who gives a sh-t?'”

And that’s part of what made Favre such a unique personality in the NFL, with supreme talent overcoming his lack of concern about details. It’s hard not to wonder how he’d make it in today’s NFL, where quarterbacks make a full and complete commitment to their craft, relishing practice as much as they relish playing.

 

[NateDawg122]

As good as he was, Favre has to be one of the most overrated players ever. Maybe if he had paid more attention to the details he would've thrown a lot less INTs.

 

[den-the-coach]

Well, now I feel good about Goff and the House of the rising sun.

 

[bubbaramfan]

Sounds similar to Coach Boo talking to his OL last year. "we're going to run cross block "B" zone guard trap":blah::blah: and they're all sitting there thinking " I hope the rest of them know WTF he's talking about, because I sure don't".

 

[tempests]

Sounds familiar to me. I'm pretty sure he's talked about this before.

He never was much of a student or a technician. I've heard that guy admit to throwing passes with his eyes closed.

He was, however, a hell of an athlete and a QB, always a winner, made his teammates better and gave them a chance to be special.

 

[A.J. Hicks]

"Ty. . . Ty. . . I gotta ask you a question" "Ya what's that?" "How do you make Ramen Noodles?"

 

[DaveFan'51]

View: https://twitter.com/ZachSDunn/status/872164308880326656

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...l-defense-was-as-an-nfl-starting-quarterback/

Brett Favre didn’t know what nickel defense was, as an NFL starting quarterback
Posted by Mike Florio on June 7, 2017

Getty Images

Most football fans believe star players know significantly more about the game than they do. Sometimes, they don’t.

Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, in his third NFL season and second as the Green Bay starter, didn’t know some of the most fundamental aspects of defensive alignments in football.

“I would always sit in these meetings,” Favre said in a video from a speaking engagement recently posted on Twitter by Zach Dunn. “If you don’t know what’s going on, the trick is to act like you do. And I’m the starting quarterback, and [coach Mike] Holmgren would be up there and he’d say, ‘All right, look guys,’ he’s writing nickel defenses in, ‘We’re gonna do this, we’re gonna attack this.’

I’d always be sitting there going, ‘I hear this ‘nickel defense’ all the time but I’m not real sure what it is.’ Then he’d throw me for a loop and he’d say, ‘Long yardage situation, dime comes in.’ Dime, what the hell is dime? They would say, ‘Over under front’ and, ‘You got this, 3-4.’ I was afraid to ask, I’m the starter. Ty Detmer was over there.

“After about our second year, finally I said, I just got to know, ‘Ty, I got to ask you a question.’ Ty was about as goofy as I was. He says, ‘What’s that?’ I say, ‘What’s the nickel defense?’ He’s just real quiet, he says, ‘You serious?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’m serious.’ He says, ‘Well, they basically take out a linebacker and bring in a DB.’

“I said, ‘That’s it?’ He said, ‘That’s it.’ I said, ‘Who gives a sh-t?'”

And that’s part of what made Favre such a unique personality in the NFL, with supreme talent overcoming his lack of concern about details. It’s hard not to wonder how he’d make it in today’s NFL, where quarterbacks make a full and complete commitment to their craft, relishing practice as much as they relish playing.

This^ doesn't surprise me at all!!! I remember watching Favre his 1st year in Atlanta, and his 1st year or so in Green Bay. He sucked! Even my wife who knows very little about the game, use to Laugh out Load at how poorly he played back then!! " He really sucks!!" My wife Christa.

 

[Selassie I]

I think he's giving those listening a glimpse inside the head of a kickass QB. He even says that the guy that is brought in for Nickel is many times a more talented player than the one he's replacing. It doesn't really matter if he knows the name given to that particular defensive line-up. Call it whatever you want.... it's still football.

The QB is sizing up the defenders on every single play pre-snap. There's gonna be 11 of them every single time. It's more important to know who you're going to try and beat on the field than it is to know the name somebody wants to give the defense on paper.

That fucker could ball out.

 

[Florida_Ram]

I’d always be sitting there going, ‘I hear this ‘nickel defense’ all the time but I’m not real sure what it is.’ ‘You serious?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’m serious.’ He says, ‘Well, they basically take out a linebacker and bring in a DB.’ “I said, ‘That’s it?’ He said, ‘That’s it.’ I said, ‘Who gives a sh-t?'”

That was an all time classic short story by Mr. Favre

++++

 

[TexasRam]

If QB was solely about brains then Ryan Harvard would be on the way to the hall of game.

If it was all about size and arm Joe Montana would have never happened.

Instincts are very important.

So is playing under pressure.

Among other things.

Truth is, data analysis will never be able predict with complete accuracy what will make a good QB.

 

[tomas]

If it was all about talent/arm strength/size, QB bust (the first overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft) JaMarcus Russell would have been Hall of Fame .

 

[RamFan503]

Favre was just a football player. Nickel? Dime? Fuck it. Who is on the field and which of my receivers, RBs, or routes is going to beat them?

I never thought he was the most talented but I got the feeling he didn't care - he was out there playing the game. And he played it pretty damn well.

 

[Loyal]

Favre was just a football player. Nickel? Dime? freak it. Who is on the field and which of my receivers, RBs, or routes is going to beat them?

I never thought he was the most talented but I got the feeling he didn't care - he was out there playing the game. And he played it pretty damn well.

Yea, I'd take a noknowledge havin' Favre any day of the week, and twice on Sunday's (need someone to cut my lawn).

 

[Mojo Ram]

“I said, ‘That’s it?’ He said, ‘That’s it.’ I said, ‘Who gives a sh-t?'”

Awesome.

 

[shaunpinney]

Thanks for this @Prime Time - Laughed out loud mid drinking tea and almost choked. I love this clip. Just goes to show at the end of the day the game of football is kinda simple - and a player like Favre just plays what's infront of him on the field, playing to the strengths of his team against the weaknesses of the opposition as @Selassie I said.

Also, loved the bit where he says "If you don’t know what’s going on, the trick is to act like you do." I'm a big believer that the illusion of confidence and knowledge plays a big part in success.

 

[Zero]

Laughed out loud mid drinking tea

Would that tea be hot or cold?

 

[Prime Time]

Always loved Brett Favre. Was hoping Austin Davis would be version 2.0. Not to be.
********************************************************************************

Laughed out loud mid drinking tea

Another tea drinker, eh? Mine's Sleepy Time, which explains a lot.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5azvGKGbEjI

 

[Selassie I]

This^ doesn't surprise me at all!!! I remember watching Favre his 1st year in Atlanta, and his 1st year or so in Green Bay. He sucked! Even my wife who knows very little about the game, use to Laugh out Load at how poorly he played back then!! " He really sucks!!" My wife Christa.

Funny that you mention Brett playing in Atlanta.

That particular year, the Rams came to Jacksonville to play a preseason game... but it wasn't to play the Jaguars (they didn't exist yet), it was to play the falcons.

I OF COURSE attended that game. It was great because I was right behind the Ram bench in the 1st row. I had great conversations with a bunch of the players. Again... it was just a preseason game so the starters didn't have to play as much as a normal game. Slater talked to me for what seemed like an eternity... I was in heaven.

Anyway... in the 4th quarter... guess who the falcons brought in to play QB? Yep, it was Brett Favre. And let me tell you... he was slinging that ball around just like he would for the rest of his career. Watching him play was definitely an eye catcher... you could just see his great arm and swagger even back then when he was basically a no name in the NFL. Thank God the falcons didn't hold onto him. Those dumbasses LOL.

 

[DaveFan'51]

Funny that you mention Brett playing in Atlanta.

That particular year, the Rams came to Jacksonville to play a preseason game... but it wasn't to play the Jaguars (they didn't exist yet), it was to play the falcons.

I OF COURSE attended that game. It was great because I was right behind the Ram bench in the 1st row. I had great conversations with a bunch of the players. Again... it was just a preseason game so the starters didn't have to play as much as a normal game. Slater talked to me for what seemed like an eternity... I was in heaven.

Anyway... in the 4th quarter... guess who the falcons brought in to play QB? Yep, it was Brett Favre. And let me tell you... he was slinging that ball around just like he would for the rest of his career. Watching him play was definitely an eye catcher... you could just see his great arm and swagger even back then when he was basically a no name in the NFL. Thank God the falcons didn't hold onto him. Those dumbasses LOL.

Thanks for sharing those nice memories!! I would love to have had a long discussion with Slater, he one smart player!!

 

[LACHAMP46]

. Just goes to show at the end of the day the game of football is kinda simple

Exactly...and some try to make it complicated to feel important....and some think you need a genius to play offensive tackle...

I never get into wonderlic scores for this reason...other to state the obvious, you don't need Einstein to win...I still remember all the Terry Bradshaw jokes too...he sure looked good throwing deep tho.