We still don’t know who will start at quarterback for the Green Bay Packers Sunday when they visit the Tennessee Titans. But if Malik Willis gets the starting nod, he will be facing the team that gave up on him and traded him last month after just two seasons with the team.
During his tenure with the Titans, Willis started only three games. He won one of them while completing 35-of-66 passes for 350 yards. He ran for one touchdown and threw three interceptions.
One year after selecting Willis in the third round of the draft, the Titans selected their present starter, Will Levis, in the second round. Levis surpassed Willis on the depth chart and started nine games as a rookie last season.
If he starts on Sunday, Willis will get the chance to play in a game against Levis and his former teammates. The former Liberty star is taking it all in stride, however, and says that’s not really on his mind.
“I could care less, bro,” Willis told reporters this week. “I think I got paid the whole time I was there. I’m more than blessed for the opportunity they’ve given me. They brought me into this league, whether those guys are there or not. That organization, they took a shot on me.”
Whether he’s emphasizing it or not, this game has to mean a bit more to Willis than many others.
If Willis starts, this would not be the first “revenge game” for a Packers quarterback. Unfortunately, these games have not always gone well for the quarterbacks and the team.
Lynn Dickey had his chance for a revenge game against the Houston Oilers. The Oilers drafted Dickey in the third round in 1971 and he made 10 starts in his four seasons with the team (he missed the 1972 season due to injury).
The Packers acquired Dickey for cornerback Ken Ellis, veteran quarterback John Hadl, and some draft picks before the start of the 1976 season.
In Week 2 of 1977, the Packers hosted the Oilers at Lambeau Field. The game was tied 10-10 in the closing minutes. Dickey drove the Packers from their own 25 to the Oilers 8-yard line where the Pack faced second-and-goal. Dickey looked to throw to running back Barty Smith in the flat, but his pass was deflected by Oilers defensive end Al Burton. Houston cornerback Willie Alexander intercepted and ran it back 95 yards for the winning score. The Packers lost 16-10.
Dickey finished the game by completing 16-of-26 passes for 193 yards. He threw one touchdown to Steve Odom but also was intercepted three times.
Brett Favre also had his chance at a revenge game in his first season with the Packers. The Atlanta Falcons took Favre in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft. Falcons coach Jerry Glanville didn’t like Favre, and the rookie threw only four passes with the Falcons. He didn’t complete any of those passes and two of them were intercepted.
The Packers picked up Favre from the Falcons in a trade before the 1992 season. Favre took over as the starter after Don Majkowski was injured during the Packers Week 3 comeback win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Two weeks later, he made his second career start. This one came against his former team at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
Favre had a productive day, completing 33-of-43 passes for 276 yards. He threw one touchdown to Sterling Sharpe and was intercepted once. But the Packers had no answer for the Falcons offense as Chris Miller threw three touchdown passes including two to future Packer Andre Rison. The Packers lost 24-10.
In the long run, the Packers got the better of both of these quarterback trades, although neither Dickey nor Favre was able to get revenge on their former teams in their first meeting against them.
Will Willis get the chance to face the Titans on Sunday? If so, will he fare better than Dickey and Favre? While he may be downplaying it right now, there’s little doubt it would be sweeter for Willis to show the Titans what they lost when they traded him away last month.
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You can follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers
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