So due to all this reflecting on Marshall Faulk's career, I have to look back at one special trip I took. Back in 2004, my dad and I took a trip up to Green Bay Wisconsin to see Monday Night Football, Brett Favre's 200th consecutive start, and of course, his opponent, the Rams. We are both fans of Brett Favre, but my favorite player was, without a doubt, sir Marshall.
When we pulled up to the city of Green Bay, I could not believe how small it was. And then, on one side of this town was this gigantic stadium. When its lights came on, the whole town would light up, because no other building was even half of its size. We spent our first day there taking in all of the sights, and getting caught up in the Packer/Brett Favre craze. The entire town was Packers, from the Hardee's menu (which included Favre Fries and the Freeman Burger) to the green and yellow gas stations. The radio stations even played parodies of famous songs that were written to Packers' tunes. And if the Pack was the locals' religion, then Brett Favre was their god. I cannot imagine what the town is like now after all that went down in Brett's final years, but back then he was everywhere. He had his own section in their Hall of Fame, including a 24 hour video that played his highlights. You could buy his gear at most of the stores, including his high school jersey.
Needless to say, those people love their Packers, and I admire and respect them greatly. However, I went there to see my Rams play. We tailgated with the locals the day of, which included me freezing while my dad drank Bloody Marys to stay warm. It was disheartening to see the locals walking by me in T-shirts, and later no shirts, and see them not even shiver. We finished up the festivities and headed to the game. I was in a Marshall Faulk jersey the whole time, and I heard my fair share of heckling on our way there.
We arrived at our seats to find out that they were nothing more than a reserved stenciled number written on a metal bench. You could barely see my number, because the 300 lb woman sitting in the next seat over had to borrow it due to the small size of the spots. So, I squeezed between my dad and her and proceeded to watch.
The Rams didn't give me much to cheer for most of the game, because the Pack stuck it to them. Brett had a good night, and the Packers' defense had a great time picking off our quarterback's passes. It appeared that the brutal weather was effecting the Rams as well. The Packers' fans were loud, and I was pretty annoyed, as I am also somewhat of a sore loser. I got a few yells in there, and dirty looks were coming at me from all angles already. Then, however, the real excitement happened.
The Rams had managed to get down inside the Packers' 10 yard line, and they were lined up with most of the offense bunched at the middle of the field. Then, using his supreme intelligence as he always does, Marshall Faulk motioned out of the back field and sprinted to the edge of the field. Just as he suspected, no body on defense picked him up, and a linebacker who was much slower came out to cover him late. I stood up in anticipation, being sure to scream at Bulger and let him know Marshall was open. The Packers' defense exploded through the line and Bulger barely had enough time to muscle the ball out to the edge of the field. But as usual, Marshall adjusted, making everybody look good, and pulled in the TD.
I exploded in excitement, screaming over and over and jumping up and down. I may have even directed my screams directly at the fans around me due to the way the game had gone. It wasn't until I sat down that I realized my voice was the only one making any noise in the stadium. By the way, we were sitting at the end zone that Marshall scored in, and we weren't far off the field, so it all happened right in front of me. I will always cherish this trip my dad and I took very closely, but this memory will stand out above the rest.
Needless to say, the Packer's fans got their revenge as the 300 lb woman and the other surrounding fans let me know just how excited they were the next time the Packers scored. And the time after that. And the time after that. I was bummed the Rams lost, but I was glad to have been there and seen Brett's start and Marshall's score.
Oh, and last but not least, one of the Packers' fans was none other than my dad. Not only did he help them celebrate each Packers score, but as we left the game he somehow managed to stay 5-6 people away at all times so that people wouldn't confuse him with the idiot Rams' fan. The fans were pretty brutal as we left, telling me not to come back, have a nice trip home, etc. I have since seen worse, but as a 13 year old seeing it for the first time, it was a little rough. Some fans, to their credit, did praise me for supporting my team so that was pretty cool. As a matter of fact, I envy the Packer nation a lot, and wish the Rams fans would be as devoted as those guys. I would definitely go back Green Bay and Lambeau Field, although that place, like the NFL itself, will never be the same without Marshall Faulk.
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