While Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers have vastly different personalities and playing styles, they share some notable commonalities, too. Both spent the bulk of their careers as the face of the Green Bay Packers to start with. They both won a Super Bowl each, and both took great pleasure in tormenting the Chicago Bears.
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As the Packers’ franchise quarterbacks for a combined 34 seasons, Favre and Rodgers kept Green Bay assertively on top of its fiercest divisional rivalry. Favre went 22-10 against the Bears during his time in Wisconsin, while Rodgers was even more dominant, boasting a 24-5 record.
Brian Urlacher, who spent his 13-year NFL career with the Bears, had faced off against both legendary quarterbacks. In a recent conversation with Johnny Manziel, the Hall of Fame linebacker reflected on the Packers-Bears rivalry and what it was like to go up against each of them.
Urlacher admitted he idolized Favre growing up, admiring his toughness, fearlessness, and ability to play through pain. “He [Favre] is such a badass, like he was tough. He played hurt. He was a gunslinger, took chances. It was unreal because he’s such a competitor. Same with Rodgers. Rodgers is a badass, too,” described Urlacher.
Favre had a cannon for an arm, wasn’t afraid to take risks, and led with a contagious competitive fire. Rodgers, too, had that same competitive edge, although he expressed it in a cooler, more calculated way.
Urlacher relished the challenge of facing both quarterbacks. He loved jawing with them at the line of scrimmage, knowing they’d fire right back. The trash talk was spirited but respectful — nobody ever crossed the line.
“They are just competitive guys, and they are fun to play against. Win or lose, whatever, they were fun to play with. There’s a great banter. Not mean banter, but good banter back and forth and just fun dudes to compete against,” Urlacher added.
The battles with Rodgers were particularly memorable for Urlacher. He recalled how difficult it was to disguise coverages against someone with Rodgers’ football IQ. Known for his elite pre-snap reads, Rodgers often knew what the defense was doing before the snap.
To combat that, the Bears’ defense had to get creative. They frequently changed calls, used bizarre codewords, and even gave their plays ridiculous names just to throw him off. They couldn’t beat him with standard disguises, so they had to outthink him, or at least try.
Controversy is another unfortunate common thread between Rodgers and Favre. Despite their brilliance and professionalism on the field, both have found themselves in the spotlight for the wrong reasons off it. Rodgers has often drawn criticism for promoting conspiracy theories and fringe pseudoscience, alienating fans and pundits alike with his offbeat takes.
Favre’s controversies surfaced after his retirement and were more serious in nature. The controversies, which include an alleged involvement in a Mississippi welfare fund fraud case, and another allegation of sending inappropriate messages to a New York Jets employee, have even damaged his legacy.
The recent documentary Untold: The Fall of Favre delves into the allegations against him and the public’s initial reluctance to hold him accountable. Despite the damning evidence presented, Urlacher remains doubtful of the claims against the three-time MVP.
He believes the media has painted Favre as guilty without due process, insisting that people are too quick to judge athletes based on headlines alone. Urlacher added that he’ll only believe the accusations if he hears it directly from Favre himself. Until then, he’s standing by him.
