Ayt wrote:MM deserves a ton of credit, IMO.
Yep
I think it's a mix of three things going on.
1.McCarthy is doing something Sherman couldn't do,getting Favre to avoid taking crazy risks by throwing into triple coverage.
2.While i wanted Moss and still feel the trade should have been made,i do think Favre went into this season feeling the offense would struggle making alot of big plays.So that being in his mind,seeing we had a good defense,and McCarthy harping on avoiding turnovers finally converted Brett on simply taking what the defense is giving.
We don't have a Moss/Javon Walker type that can just jump over defender downfield for a big gain.Brett looks to have accepted that he has a good defense behind him and receivers that for the most part,have skills best suited or shorter pass and run after the catch.Heaving long passes to these guys while covered isn't something they are suited for,so he's not even bothering to try it.
3.Brett just wants to win at this stage in his career.I never felt Brett was selfish the last few years,more he loves making big plays so much and he never fully accepted that his own skills of creating big plays from nothing had taken a fairly big hit.Now we hear how Favre is watching film like crazy and he knows his career is nearly over.The 2-0 start probably revitalized him somewhat given i think he seriously questioned deep down if this team could win more than 8 games prior to the season.
He doesn't seem to be worrying at all about making big plays on his own,simply complete the open shorter throws to move the chains and here and there when a bigger play develops,then throw it longer if the receiver has beat his man.Lastly,when i watch Brett,he looks like a long time vet who has seen every coverage and trusts his smarts now as much as his arm.Nearly each time he calls an audible,the play is a positive.Brett is acting like a coach on the field,sniffing out what the defense is doing pre-snap,it's great to watch.