Top Three Moments in Announcers Gushing Over Favre

Favre hurts team but has fun: everybody laughs.
In the 2004 season playoff game between the Packers and Vikings at Lambeau Field, not much had gone right for the Packers in the first half, but as halftime neared, the Packers were driving. With under a minute left they were near the goal line. Favre scrambled past the line of scrimmage and was heading toward the end zone; it appeared that he could make it in. He could have dove, risking a hit but scoring the touchdown. At the very least, he'd be tackled at the one yard line and the Packers would have a good shot at a touchdown. But to avoid taking a hit, Favre--well past the line of scrimmage--zings an underhand pass to an open (obviously) receiver. Favre gets called for an illegal forward pass past the line of scrimmage.

The announcers (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, and Cris Collinsworth) thought it was a hoot. They were laughing and laughing. We were told how much fun Favre was having. We were told the referee was laughing (it didn't appear that he was). We listened to laughter and enthusiasm over the entertaining Favre.

Of course, Favre's penalty hurt the Packers: instead of either scoring or getting the ball at the one, they got backed up (eventually the Packers missed a field goal). Favre hurt his team with a penalty, but instead of talking about that, the announcers laughed with and praised Favre.

Joe Theismann thinks Brett Favre can rescue humanity from all its ills.
During one Sunday night game on ESPN, the announcers talked about their conversation with Favre that week. Joe Theismann chimed in that he wished everybody in America could sit down to talk with Favre for five minutes.

Why? Is Favre some sort of holy man, a spiritual guru that could bring all individuals to enlightment in five short minutes? Could Favre provide answers to all of society's problems? To the great philosophical questions of the ages? I'm still not sure. But Theismann wants everybody in America to sit down for five minutes with Brett Favre. We'd all be better off if we could just spend a few moments with the emanating spiritual being of perfection that is Brett Favre.

Favre throws interceptions, evidently because his receivers are cowards.
In a 2002 game against the Buccaneers, Brett Favre threw four interceptions. On one interception, Favre threw a slant pass to Terry Glenn, and it appeared Glenn stopped on the play, allowing a defender to catch it. Cris Collinsworth proceeded to chastise Glenn not merely as a poor excuse for a football player, but a poor excuse for a human being. Glenn was a coward. How could Glenn possibly leave Favre hanging like that? We mustn't blame Favre for such an interception: that was all Glenn's fault.

Later in the game, Brett Favre badly overthrew a wide receiver in the middle of the field and was intercepted. Cris Collinsworth was incredulous. How could this keep happening? How could receivers keep quitting on routes? All these atrocious and lazy wide receivers were making Brett Favre look bad. Of course the replays kept showing the ball flying far over the head of the intended receiver. Troy Aikman pointed out that it was a bad pass. Collinsworth couldn't take it: it was all horrible wide receiver play that was tarnishing Brett Favre.

Only later did Collinsworth reluctantly admit that the more times he watched it, that interception "was on Brett." Only reluctantly could Collinsworth admit that an interception (on a horribly overthrown pass) could be the quarterback's fault, and his criticism of Favre was an ah shucks first name chiding, not the virulent, vitriolic anger he showed when he thought it was a wide receiver's fault for the error.

Please, share your favorite moments in announcers gushing over Favre.