Green Bay sees its Super Bowl window

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The turnabout has been amazing, really.

The talk about Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre the past few years has almost solely revolved around the timing of his eventual retirement. It seemed time was being extended each year.

Now, with the Packers armed with a first-round bye in the playoffs by virtue of their 13-3 record, time may be running out.

"I would say that the chances of going 13-3 for any team, the chances of getting the first-round bye — in our case, we had a very good chance of getting home-field advantage — don't come around very often," said Favre, 38. "I would say at this stage of my career, as opposed to '95 and '96, where you could say, 'We'll get 'em next year,' a lot can change in a year. If you look at last year and the previous year, yeah, it is an opportunity that is right in front of us that hasn't presented itself in quite a while."

A decade, to be exact.

In 1997, the Packers finished the regular season 13-3 and had a bye as the NFC's second-seeded team, just like this season. They converted that into an appearance in Super Bowl XXVII, where they fell 31-24 to the Denver Broncos.

Green Bay hasn't been past the divisional round since, going 2-5 in the process.

That's why many players in the Packers' locker room realize that an opportunity as good as this one, to get Favre one more Super Bowl title, doesn't come around very often.

"Oh, absolutely," said wide receiver Koren Robinson, the former Seahawk. "Hopefully we get it, but I'm definitely happy to be part of the whole ride. We would love to send him out right."

"Right" means sending Favre into retirement like former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway. He beat the Packers and then the Atlanta Falcons the next year in consecutive Super Bowls and then rode off into retirement.

If Favre is to follow Elway, he's likely going to have to use the same script. Elway had long since shed the gunslinger label and rode a potent rushing attack on his glory trail. Although Favre carried the Packers for much of this season, his recent playoff history would indicate that he needs to be part of an ensemble cast starting with the divisional playoff game Saturday against the Seahawks.

In those seven playoff appearances since the Packers' last Super Bowl, Favre was intercepted 16 times (six against the St. Louis Rams in 2001), threw 11 touchdown passes and had a passer rating of 70.8.

From 1993 to 1997, Favre owned an 8-4 postseason record, threw 23 touchdown passes against 10 interceptions, and his rating was 92.0.

"I'm disappointed we didn't win more Super Bowls," Favre said. "But you know, I'm not ashamed by anything I did."

Obviously Favre has not often had the same talent level around him since the consecutive Super Bowl appearances. And the Packers trailed at halftime in all but two of the five losses.

Favre had great production this season. His completion percentage of 66.5 was the best of his career. His seven 300-yard passing games tied a career high, and his 4,155 passing yards (third), 95.7 passer rating (third), 15 interceptions (tied for third) and 356 completions (fourth) were among the best marks of his 17-year career.

"If you look at us offensively this year, we're back up where we were when we were very productive and ranking with the all-time Packer greats," Favre said. "That's pretty good."