Maybe you've heard the latest comments from former teammates of Brett Favre regarding the comparison of the 1996 Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers to the 2009 Minnesota Vikings. It all started with this comment from Favre himself,

"Physically, and from a talent level, this is the best team I've ever been on."

The comment was made by Favre earlier this season, but it's creating quite a stir as the Packers prepare to face Brett and his new team at Lambeau Field. Lori Nickel of the Journal Sentinal gathered some of the thoughts of Favre's old mates to see what they thought of the statement, and as you would expect, they respectfully disagree.

I was just a wee lad in 1996, well maybe not wee, but I was a lad, and while I can recall the opening play of the Super Bowl and various random memories of that season, I don't really remember that team as well as some others might. In other words, I can't account for the mentality of the team, their overall swagger or their general badassery other than I do seem to recall some thing called the Reg Wedge, but can't find it on the interweb anywhere. Is it possible that the infamous Reg Wedge is a figment of my imagination? Probably, if you take into account some of my other recreational hobbies from late '90s.

Anywho.

The debate is on. Which is the better team? These can be nearly impossible questions to answer. There have been comparisons to the 1995 Chicago Bears, the 1972 Dolphins and so on and so forth. While we can't match them up on the field, we can look at the numbers and they may give us some clue. So let's do exactly that.

1996 Green Bay Packers

The '96 Packers started the season 3-0, 8-1 and finished 13-3. The season opened with a 34-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Bucs in which the Packers forced 6 turnovers and Keith Jackson had three touchdowns. It was a preview of things to come as the Packers not only led the NFL in points scored in 1996 with 456 (28.5 ppg), but they also allowed the fewest with just 210 (13.1 ppg). They were also second in the league in turnover margin at +15.

Team Stats and Rankings

Reggie White recorded 8.5 sacks that season, Keith Jackson caught 10 touchdown passes, Edgar Bennett racked up the yards while Dorsey Levens finished off the drives, Desmond Howard returned three punts for touchdowns, Antonio Freeman nearly went over 1,000 yards with 9 TD's of his own and LeRoy Butler, Doug Evans and Eugene Robinson combined for 16 INT's and nine sacks of their own.

It was complete domination on both sides of the ball which culminated in a championship, the only true mark of a great team.

The 2009 Minnesota Vikings

The season is long from over and this team's legacy is yet to be written, but we can look at the numbers now and see if there is anything that leads us to the same conclusion it seems to have led Brett.

The 2009 Vikings started the season 6-0 before losing last week in Pittsburgh. Their games haven't been quite as decisive as the Packers were 13 years ago, but they have found ways to win none the less. The Vikings are averaging 29.4 ppg (3rd in the NFL) which is very similar to the '96 Packers. Their defense however, is not quite as stingy as the Packers were in '96. The Vikings allow 21.1 ppg which is 17th in the NFL right now.

Team Stats and Rankings

Adrian Peterson is on pace for over 1,500 yards and around 18 touchdowns, Percy Harvin has returned two kicks for touchdowns, Visanthe Shiancoe has 5 touchdowns and is on pace for 11 or 12 this season, Jared Allen already has 7.5 sacks and looks about as unstoppable as Reggie was in 1996 and Kevin Williams has added four of his own. As good as this run defense is, it is on pace to allow more yards than the '96 Packers and the pass defense is no where near as good from what I can tell.

Now this is all based purely on numbers, and these two teams obviously did not face common opponents. The only thing that is the same about them is Favre himself.

Favre in 1996 was in the prime of his career.

His yardage numbers don't represent the best of his 18 years, but his 39 touchdown passes still stand as the most he ever threw in one single season. His 95.8 QB Rating is the second best of his career, and he has not topped that number since the Super Bowl season.

In 2009 Favre is on pace to throw for nearly 4,000 yards and somewhere around 27 touchdowns. His interceptions are the glaring statistic, and that is a good thing for Brett. In 2009 he has yet to throw five INT's, and is on pace to throw only 6-7 on the year, if he can keep up this pace of play. It makes you wonder if Mark Chmura's comment is completely accurate: "I kind of went through the teams position by position and they just aren't as good as we were. And it all starts with Brett - Brett's not as good as he was."

I think I know which is the better team and Favre may have an out when it comes to this one. Remember, he used the words "most talented," not "better." If the Vikings win the Super Bowl in 2009 though, he may get to say "I told you so."

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