Favre Devastates the 49ers...again

Awful memories crept back into my mind on Sunday. As I watched Brett Favre step onto the field with 80 yards to go facing a four-point deficit to the 49ers with a minute and a half to go, I sat on the edge of my seat with discomfort. My friend Gary, (also a 49ers fan) who was watching the game with me, was way too confident and kept telling me that we had it in the bag. I never feel comfortable in these situations. If I have to rely on one of my favorite teams' defenses to hold onto a lead in the final moments of a game I'm going to be nervous. It doesn't matter if the Terps have a two-point lead on the last possession of a basketball game, if the Orioles are trying to close out a game in the 9th, or if the Capitals are clinging to a one-goal lead in the playoffs. I'm always going to be a little worried. But if Brett Favre has one last drive against the 49ers, I'm absolutely frightened.

After the 49ers won the Super Bowl in the 1994-95 season, it looked like they were going to add a second chapter to their dynasty. The team of the 80s never really had to rebuild, it just reloaded with the transition from Montana to Steve Young and many don't realize how many times the Niners were in contention for the Super Bowl in the 90s. Entering the 1995 playoffs, the Niners were the hottest team in league winning 7 of 8 to close the season and were the 2nd seed in the NFC. San Francisco had a matchup at Candlestick against Favre's Packers in the Divisional Playoffs. Green Bay came out and just smacked the Niners in the mouth repeatedly, rolling to a 27-17 victory. This started a trend that to this day gives me nightmares.

The next season...Packers beat the Niners in the Divisional round at Lambeau en route to a championship. The next season...Packers beat the Niners in Candlestick in the NFC Championship (we had the best record in the NFC that year). The following year when we actually beat the Packers in a Wildcard game after TO's remarkable game-winning catch, I was in tears because I'd never seen the Niners beat Favre (by the way this is the best call by any broadcaster, ever.) Of course the next week we lost to Atlanta. Favre got us one more time in 2001-02 to make it 4 for 5 against the Niners in the playoffs.



Favre may have been my most hated athlete during those times. He possibly took two or three Super Bowls away from San Fran. Who knows maybe we would be looked at as the premiere franchise in the history of the game instead of the Steelers? As the years passed and the 49ers haven't even been part of the playoff hunt, my feelings toward Favre started to change. As he got older, I started to root for him because he continued to make remarkable plays and carry his team against all odds. And of course he wasn't hurting my team!

When Favre stepped into this situation, I thought maybe this time we could hang on. Favre is 80 years old and grayer than ever. The 49ers defense had played remarkably well all season up to that point. And I thought that under Singletary the defense would be too disciplined to give up the big play. But deep down I still had a wrench in my gut. As I watched him run the 2-minute drill, I felt sicker and sicker. And after the 32-yard TD pass to Greg Lewis (who?) with two seconds left, I wanted to yack my chicken cheesesteak and fries all over the bar at Glory Days. The state of shock and anger I was in was indescribable and could only be compared to the way I felt after two Maryland basketball losses: a 2008 loss to Clemson where the Terps blew a 20 point lead with 5 minutes left and the infamous 2001 loss to Duke when Maryland blew a 10 point lead with 50 seconds left. Instantly, I was back to putting Favre on the list of my most hated athletes again.

I was so satisfied with the way the Niners had fought on the road without their best player...only to be handed a sickening loss. At 3-0 we would be in a perfect position to take the NFC West. I know it's early but if we had a two game lead over Seattle and Arizona along with the wins we had already had over both of those teams we would be in great shape. Most of all I just wanted us to be the talk of the NFL. Playing on the west coast and not making the playoffs for the past six seasons I rarely even hear about the Niners on the national spectrum unless it's another coaching change. This kind of road win most certainly would've put us in the spotlight for a change.

It took me three hours to recover from the defeat. I had to watch other football games to get that one off my mind. Of course the constant highlights during halftime and postgame reports made me relapse back into another state of disgust. But there was something that finally gave me an optimistic view of things...Singletary's postgame reaction.

"I'd rather we lose now, taste it, chew on it, swallow it, and get better. I want them to remember what it feels like, learn from it and go from there," Singletary said.

Singletary somehow spins this loss into a positive! He calls it a learning experience. If I were a player or coach, I would've been so devastated I don't think I could've spoke to the media, let alone look at the bright side of things. He shook this loss off like it was a fly on his arm. He is incredibly optimistic and incredibly smart. He knows that with a young team like this, you can't allow them to sulk and let it have an impact on future games. He sends a message to the team to hold your heads up and move on. It seems like Singletary knows how to push all the right buttons to get this team headed in the right direction. This just reflects on what kind of a coach and what kind of a man he is.

All of a sudden I feel OK about the Niners again. Singletary really changed my outlook on the season. If I'm this inspired by Singletary, the players have to be psyched. They can take this loss and use it as motivation to beat their next opponent. It sure helps that the Rams are visiting Candlestick on Sunday. Just anybody but Brett "the 49er killer" Favre