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Tuesday, November 2
Updated: November 3, 2:28 PM ET
 
Holmgren's inside info foils Favre

By Greg Beacham
Associated Press

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- If the break wasn't complete before, it is now. Mike Holmgren has shown how to beat Brett Favre.

Brett Favre
Brett Favre was flattened by the Seahawks defense in his six-turnover performance Monday night.
The Seattle Seahawks' first-year coach and general manager spent extra time with his defensive coaches during the week leading up to Seattle's trip to Green Bay. After seven years of managing the Packers offense, Holmgren was able to share information about how to stop the unit he built from the ground up.

All those tips paid off spectacularly, and Green Bay's offense flailed against the Seahawks' superior game plan in Seattle's 27-7 victory Monday night. Holmgren's recipe for beating Favre: constantly changing defensive sets, extensive blitzing and heavy coverage on his favorite target, Antonio Freeman.

"(Holmgren) knows Brett as well as anyone," Packers coach Ray Rhodes said. "You have to take some of that into account."

Teams around the league will watch tapes of the game and implement similar strategies when they face the Packers. Holmgren refused to take credit for one of the worst performances of Favre's career, but his team's play belied his words.

"I think when you play a great player, you hang on for dear life," Holmgren said. "All you can do is mix up your defenses."

Holmgren was 54-6-1 at Lambeau Field, and he hasn't forgotten how to win there. The Packers practically crowned him the homecoming king Monday night.

"What upset me was we lost our poise," said Ray Rhodes, who has lost as many home games (one) as Holmgren did in his last four seasons.

"We played out of character a little. It hurts because it came at home more than coming against Mike. To get beat like this against anybody is tough."

The Seahawks' defensive scheme invited Favre to make mistakes, and the three-time MVP -- who often looked much more like the raw youth that Holmgren molded into a poised quarterback over seven years -- fumbled twice, was intercepted four times and missed countless opportunities.

Holmgren's defense played tight on Freeman all game, often matching star cornerback Shawn Springs against him. Springs responded with two interceptions, including a pick in the end zone to kill a scoring opportunity, while Freeman had only two catches for 10 yards in one of his worst career games.

That forced Favre to try to find Bill Schroeder, Corey Bradford and tight end Tyrone Davis. While Bradford had a career-best 106 receiving yards, including a 74-yard touchdown catch, Schroeder was limited to three catches for short gains, and Davis dropped three passes.

"We went into San Francisco years ago, and our plan was to stop Jerry Rice," Freeman said. "With (Holmgren) knowing this offense, it was no surprise to me that he was going to limit the number of times I touched the ball."

Holmgren and defensive coordinator Jim Lind also went after Favre with a number of safety blitzes, keeping Favre uncomfortable in the pocket all game. He sprayed his passes all over the field, throwing four interceptions and narrowly missing at least three more.

Favre's frustration was felt by the rest of the offense. Right tackle Earl Dotson, usually a mild-mannered player, was ejected when he picked up two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, though his teammates said he was only responding to a punch thrown by Seattle's Chad Brown.

The Packers had no explanation for their terrible performance in one of their most anticipated home games in years.

"Teams just don't come in here and do that," said safety LeRoy Butler, the longest member of the Packers. "We thought we were ready to play. I don't know what happened."

Rhodes' entire game plan is built around Favre making big plays. When he was unable to do it, the Packers were doomed. When the head coaches, who worked together in San Francisco and Green Bay, embraced at midfield after the game, they both were ready to move on from the uncomfortable evening.

"I told Ray, this one is behind us," Holmgren said. "Now we can go back to coaching and playing."





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