woodbuck27
06-30-2006, 11:18 AM
Super healing powers part of Favre's legend
Adding to the Favre legend with the anecdote about the Superman tattoo.
By JASON WILDE/ Wisconsin State Journal
GREEN BAY -- Looking back, it wasn't the smartest thing Brett Favre has ever done. But, for some reason, with all the designs to choose from in that tattoo parlor outside Phoenix, he and Mark Chmura and the rest of their goofy pals settled on the one that couldn't have fit Favre better.
"It was probably nine years ago," Favre said Saturday, chuckling at the memory. "Me and Chewy and a bunch of other guys, on our bye week, went out to Arizona to play golf and stuff.
"Well, we had too many beers and too much sun, and we decided we wanted to get a tattoo -- so we'd be 'eternal friends.' And I don't know, we just picked that one."
So there it is, inked at the top of the Green Bay Packers quarterback's left biceps, the Superman 'S.' And on Monday night, when the Packers face the Miami Dolphins on "Monday Night Football," Favre will once again show the world his superhero side.
"I just think he's not made of what normal quarterbacks are made of," said retired Packers safety LeRoy Butler, Favre's teammate for 10 years. "Whenever he got injured, we knew he was going to play. We'd see him in the training room doing crossword puzzles and icing whatever.
"Brett prides himself on showing up every Sunday and knowing deep down inside that, 'Hey, these guys depend on me, and I'm going to be there.' Ask people who know him. He's not human."
Favre certainly looked mortal two weeks ago, when his left knee bent awkwardly as he was hit by linebacker LaVar Arrington early in the third quarter of the Packers' victory over Washington. As Favre limped off the field, it appeared as if his NFL-record streak of 164 straight starts at quarterback (180 including playoffs) was over, and the 6-1 Packers' season in peril.
But a magnetic resonance imaging test revealed only a sprained lateral collateral ligament. On Saturday, Favre took "just about all the snaps" during the team's 1-hour, 25-minute practice, according to coach Mike Sherman, who upgraded him from questionable to probable and putting Favre in position to further his legend on Monday night.
"I don't know how you can add to that legend," Sherman said. "He's already super-human. When they MRI'ed his knee, they were amazed at how strong his knees were. This is not an ordinary human being at age (33)."
Favre started earning that reputation in 1990, his senior year at Southern Mississippi. One month after having 30 inches of his intestines removed following a horrific car accident, he led his team to an upset victory over Alabama.
But that was only the beginning. Since taking over as the Packers' starting quarterback on Sept. 27, 1992, Favre has been knocked out of three other games -- and each time returned not only to play the following week, but play magnificently.
On Oct. 20, 1994, he was knocked out in the first quarter of a loss at Minnesota with a bruised left hip. Eleven days later, he not only started at Chicago but played a controlled, error-free game in a virtual monsoon, a performance that included a career-long 36-yard touchdown run which ended with him diving into the end zone.
On Nov. 5, 1995, he was knocked out of another loss at the Metrodome with a severely sprained left ankle in the infamous T.J. Rubley game. The ankle grotesquely discolored, Favre didn't practice the following week -- except for a few snaps in 7-on-7 on Friday -- then came out and went 25-for-33 for 336 yards and five touchdowns in a 35-28 victory over the Bears on Sunday.
And on Nov. 12, 2000, Favre was knocked out of a loss at Tampa Bay when he suffered a left mid-foot sprain after a Warren Sapp takedown. Favre left on crutches, but he was back at practice the following Thursday and threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Indianapolis.
"That's just the way he is. He's always been like that, always playing through pain when a lot of other guys wouldn't have played," veteran center Frank Winters said. "That's why they pay him the big bucks."
So you'll have to excuse Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt for not buying the idea that Favre won't be himself Monday night.
"I've had so many unpleasant experiences with Brett that I can't help it," said Wannstedt, the Bears coach in those two remarkable games. "I remember the one game, he kind of gimped down the ramp and there was no way he was going to play or move around, and he threw five touchdowns. I have a tough time getting that out of my mind, to be honest with you."
But how does Favre do it? (Remember, after his 1996 treatment for addiction to the painkiller Vicodin, Favre takes nothing stronger than Advil for pain.) Theories thrown out in the locker room last week ranged from altered play-calling to the rest of the team -- especially the offensive line - picking up its level of play. Both are valid, but they're only contributing factors.
"I think a little bit has to do with the other guys on the field. They elevate their game to protect him and help him do his job," backup quarterback Doug Pederson said. "But on top of that, Brett's the type of guy that (says), 'Oh, OK, all these people say I can't do this or that? I'm going to prove you wrong.' If you say he can't do something, by God, he's going to do it."
Favre, of course, doesn't see what the fuss is all about.
"It's just what you're supposed to do," Favre said, hopping into his pickup truck en route to play golf Saturday afternoon. "When I came back from that car wreck in college, it wasn't like, 'Stop the presses.' I was just like, 'I'm going to go back and play.' So when I got here, when I would have an injury and get over it, I didn't look at it as a big deal.
"Now, obviously, it's a bigger deal because it's a how-many-times-can-he-keep-doing-this type of thing. But I don't worry about it. That's my nature."
Then Favre paused, and a smirk grew across his face.
"Maybe," Favre said, "I picked the right tattoo."
I'm thinking that Brett Favre can rebound again this Season for us. woodbuck27
Adding to the Favre legend with the anecdote about the Superman tattoo.
By JASON WILDE/ Wisconsin State Journal
GREEN BAY -- Looking back, it wasn't the smartest thing Brett Favre has ever done. But, for some reason, with all the designs to choose from in that tattoo parlor outside Phoenix, he and Mark Chmura and the rest of their goofy pals settled on the one that couldn't have fit Favre better.
"It was probably nine years ago," Favre said Saturday, chuckling at the memory. "Me and Chewy and a bunch of other guys, on our bye week, went out to Arizona to play golf and stuff.
"Well, we had too many beers and too much sun, and we decided we wanted to get a tattoo -- so we'd be 'eternal friends.' And I don't know, we just picked that one."
So there it is, inked at the top of the Green Bay Packers quarterback's left biceps, the Superman 'S.' And on Monday night, when the Packers face the Miami Dolphins on "Monday Night Football," Favre will once again show the world his superhero side.
"I just think he's not made of what normal quarterbacks are made of," said retired Packers safety LeRoy Butler, Favre's teammate for 10 years. "Whenever he got injured, we knew he was going to play. We'd see him in the training room doing crossword puzzles and icing whatever.
"Brett prides himself on showing up every Sunday and knowing deep down inside that, 'Hey, these guys depend on me, and I'm going to be there.' Ask people who know him. He's not human."
Favre certainly looked mortal two weeks ago, when his left knee bent awkwardly as he was hit by linebacker LaVar Arrington early in the third quarter of the Packers' victory over Washington. As Favre limped off the field, it appeared as if his NFL-record streak of 164 straight starts at quarterback (180 including playoffs) was over, and the 6-1 Packers' season in peril.
But a magnetic resonance imaging test revealed only a sprained lateral collateral ligament. On Saturday, Favre took "just about all the snaps" during the team's 1-hour, 25-minute practice, according to coach Mike Sherman, who upgraded him from questionable to probable and putting Favre in position to further his legend on Monday night.
"I don't know how you can add to that legend," Sherman said. "He's already super-human. When they MRI'ed his knee, they were amazed at how strong his knees were. This is not an ordinary human being at age (33)."
Favre started earning that reputation in 1990, his senior year at Southern Mississippi. One month after having 30 inches of his intestines removed following a horrific car accident, he led his team to an upset victory over Alabama.
But that was only the beginning. Since taking over as the Packers' starting quarterback on Sept. 27, 1992, Favre has been knocked out of three other games -- and each time returned not only to play the following week, but play magnificently.
On Oct. 20, 1994, he was knocked out in the first quarter of a loss at Minnesota with a bruised left hip. Eleven days later, he not only started at Chicago but played a controlled, error-free game in a virtual monsoon, a performance that included a career-long 36-yard touchdown run which ended with him diving into the end zone.
On Nov. 5, 1995, he was knocked out of another loss at the Metrodome with a severely sprained left ankle in the infamous T.J. Rubley game. The ankle grotesquely discolored, Favre didn't practice the following week -- except for a few snaps in 7-on-7 on Friday -- then came out and went 25-for-33 for 336 yards and five touchdowns in a 35-28 victory over the Bears on Sunday.
And on Nov. 12, 2000, Favre was knocked out of a loss at Tampa Bay when he suffered a left mid-foot sprain after a Warren Sapp takedown. Favre left on crutches, but he was back at practice the following Thursday and threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Indianapolis.
"That's just the way he is. He's always been like that, always playing through pain when a lot of other guys wouldn't have played," veteran center Frank Winters said. "That's why they pay him the big bucks."
So you'll have to excuse Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt for not buying the idea that Favre won't be himself Monday night.
"I've had so many unpleasant experiences with Brett that I can't help it," said Wannstedt, the Bears coach in those two remarkable games. "I remember the one game, he kind of gimped down the ramp and there was no way he was going to play or move around, and he threw five touchdowns. I have a tough time getting that out of my mind, to be honest with you."
But how does Favre do it? (Remember, after his 1996 treatment for addiction to the painkiller Vicodin, Favre takes nothing stronger than Advil for pain.) Theories thrown out in the locker room last week ranged from altered play-calling to the rest of the team -- especially the offensive line - picking up its level of play. Both are valid, but they're only contributing factors.
"I think a little bit has to do with the other guys on the field. They elevate their game to protect him and help him do his job," backup quarterback Doug Pederson said. "But on top of that, Brett's the type of guy that (says), 'Oh, OK, all these people say I can't do this or that? I'm going to prove you wrong.' If you say he can't do something, by God, he's going to do it."
Favre, of course, doesn't see what the fuss is all about.
"It's just what you're supposed to do," Favre said, hopping into his pickup truck en route to play golf Saturday afternoon. "When I came back from that car wreck in college, it wasn't like, 'Stop the presses.' I was just like, 'I'm going to go back and play.' So when I got here, when I would have an injury and get over it, I didn't look at it as a big deal.
"Now, obviously, it's a bigger deal because it's a how-many-times-can-he-keep-doing-this type of thing. But I don't worry about it. That's my nature."
Then Favre paused, and a smirk grew across his face.
"Maybe," Favre said, "I picked the right tattoo."
I'm thinking that Brett Favre can rebound again this Season for us. woodbuck27