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Kiwon
06-15-2007, 02:33 AM
Favre shut down with sore shoulder

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Brett Favre wont be doing any heavy throwing again for a while. Swinging a softball bat also might pose a challenge.
The Green Bay Packers quarterback said Thursday that he has a sore right shoulder — his throwing shoulder — which prematurely ended his participation in the organized team activities.

"I probably could practice, but it really don't make a lot of sense to go out and make it any worse," Favre said. "I think it's probably just tendinitis or something like that."

The team held Favre out of practice Wednesday and Thursday.

Coach Mike McCarthy said the medical staff doesn't consider the injury to be serious.

Favre, however, won't be on the field next Monday and Tuesday, when the Packers conclude their workouts.

That means Favre will have been on the field for seven of the 12 organizied-team-activity practices, which have been spread out over three weeks. He also was held out of the first workout May 30.

Despite the physical setback, McCarthy was pleased with Favre's work both on and off the field as the team turns its sights to the start of training camp in late July.

"The biggest thing we got out of Brett being here No. 1 is to be around the younger guys (and) doing the adjustments we've made in our scheme getting ready for the season," McCarthy said. "I was late for practice today because I was with Brett going through some of the red-zone and third-down adjustments that weve made, just finalizing that and making sure were on the same page."

Favre will remain in the area through the weekend.

His annual celebrity softball game, which pits the Packers offense against the defense, is Sunday.

Favre typically plays shortstop in the game, which raises money for the Brett Favre Fourward Foundation, but he said Thursday that he would probably be limited to being a designated hitter.

"I don't even know if that's the smart thing to do," Favre said.

After he returns home to Mississippi following the game, Favre said he would ease back into throwing a football in the six weeks leading up to training camp.

"Last year, I threw at my daughter's high school, with some of the kids there. I expect to do that again," he said. "I had a lot of fun doing it. Plus, it helped me out a great deal."

Favre, 37, also has benefited at his advanced age the last couple years from working with a personal trainer at home in the offseason.

The workouts, which are structured to strengthen the quarterbacks core, were scaled back earlier in the spring as Favre recovered from arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle in late February.

Favre, though, is eager to be put through increased training for an hour each day for a few weeks, starting in late June or early July.

"I don't have the self-motivation I once had," Favre conceded. "It's frustrating to me, it's disappointing at times that I just can't make myself get up and go do it. It's much easier to say, Ah, I'll do it tomorrow.

"The difference being theres going to be people chasing me (on the field) in about six weeks. So, I better do it."

Favre said he has had discussions with McCarthy this offseason about moving him out of the pocket more than he has in recent years.

The cardio-based workouts include resistance drills that are tailored to try to keep Favre agile on his feet and give him endurance for the course of a game and a 17th NFL season.

"Were doing stuff thats really good for my style of play," Favre said. "It's in-pocket stuff, making the first guy miss, trying to quicken my first step. Not trying to run a 40-yard dash any faster, but being able to move around and throw from awkward positions. It's core training, strengthening your core and not trying to go out and bench press 400 pounds."

Favre wears a heart monitor during the workouts. The exercise repetitions are done at an accelerated rate to simulate what Favre endures on game day.

"The average play is about 4 seconds. So, each exercise is 4 seconds (and) rest for 30," Favre said.

The results from being pushed by a personal trainer have been to Favres liking. He said he is at an ideal weight of 220, which is a far cry from the pounds he carried early in his career. Favre recalled being as heavy as 245 in 1993, his first full year as Green Bays starter.

"When we won the Super Bowl (in the 1996 season), I was 236. I probably had a little different weight on me at the time," Favre said with a knowing smile.

His well-chronicled days of drinking are long behind him.

"I feel good. I've taken better care of myself, not great, but better care of myself," Favre said. "I have to admit I kind of eat what I want, I just don't eat a lot of it. I don't kill myself in the weight room or (doing) cardio, but I do enough, and as training camp gets closer, increase it a little bit more."

packinpatland
06-15-2007, 07:40 AM
Just a small bump in the road. :wink:

MJZiggy
06-15-2007, 02:28 PM
Notebook: Shoulder, Ankle Not Concerns For Favre

by Mike Spofford, Packers.com
posted 06/14/2007

Brett Favre sat out the last two OTA practices this week with minor soreness in his shoulder, but otherwise the veteran quarterback feels he's in good physical shape with six weeks to go before the start of training camp.

Favre and Head Coach Mike McCarthy both said the shoulder soreness, which Favre termed tendonitis, is nothing serious, while the recovery from offseason ankle surgery continues to go as expected, with only occasional soreness. Also, Favre said his weight is at 220 pounds, which is as good as it's been in a while.

"Obviously I'm not in opening-day shape right now, but I feel pretty good," Favre said during his press conference on Thursday. "I felt like I threw the ball better with each practice. I started feeling better physically moving around, (but) my legs are not where they will be."

After his annual charity softball game on Sunday, Favre plans to return to Mississippi to continue working with his personal trainer on the core strengthening he's done in recent years. Thus far Favre's offseason conditioning has been limited due to the ankle surgery, but he expects to be back to full-speed workouts shortly.

The daily workouts focus on quarterback-specific drills to improve his strength and agility, and they're a productive follow-up after getting his body loose in nine days of OTAs, seven of which he practiced.

"I came away from not one practice thinking, 'Man I've got a ways to go,'" Favre said. "I came away with the thought after each practice, 'That was good,' physically and mentally. I got out of it what I wanted to get out of it.

"I wasn't going to the Pro Bowl after any of these practices, but I felt I got a lot accomplished, so we'll go into this five- or six-week training session feeling pretty good, knowing I've got a ways to go, but I'm up for it."

Favre is also up for moving around in the pocket more this season than he did last year. Whether it was the nagging ankle, or the inexperience on the offensive line, or some of both, that kept Favre more stationary in 2006 is difficult to say.

But Favre and McCarthy have talked about running more keeps and rollouts this season and believe it can still be an effective part of Favre's game. McCarthy said it's something defenses still respect, having seen defensive ends line up wide and rush well up the field to take away the edges on Favre.

"You're always critical of yourself of a number of things, but I could have probably moved him a little more last year than I did," McCarthy said. "I had concerns why I didn't, and that's irrelevant now, so that's something we may look to do more in the future."

Favre feels his body will be up to the task, though as expected at this stage of his career, it will simply take more work.

"I think that's what I do best," Favre said of moving the pocket. "We've talked about it numerous occasions, and (McCarthy's) going to go to it, so I have to be ready for that. I get tired a lot quicker now than I used to, so after a play I have to be able to regroup and run the next play."

Attendance, injury updates
Cornerback Charles Woodson participated in a full week of OTAs this week, saying that he told McCarthy he would show up at some point in June and kept his word.

Cornerback Will Blackmon has missed several workouts due to a minor groin injury, and McCarthy is hoping he'll be back on the field next week for the final two OTAs. Receiver Greg Jennings also has missed some practices because of a hip flexor.

Receiver Robert Ferguson has been back to full duty for most of the past two weeks, getting clearance on his foot injury from last season, but first-round draft pick Justin Harrell has remained limited to individual and position drills with the defensive line because of his biceps injury, and he is not likely to participate in team (11-on-11) drills until training camp.

Double duty
The Packers added a new twist to the regular ball-security drill in which skill players catch a simulated punt and then run through a gauntlet of players trying to strip the ball.

On Thursday, they already had one ball in their hands and had to catch the punt one-handed, then protect both footballs from the reaches and grabs.

Safety Nick Collins and receiver Carlyle Holiday both caught the second ball flawlessly. Receiver Shaun Bodiford did so as well, beginning the drill by lying on his back and then getting up and running to catch the second ball, while receiver Ruvell Martin and cornerback Jarrett Bush both bobbled and dropped the second ball.

Plenty of looks
Who ultimately lands the kick return job for the Packers this season may depend on how the workload for other offensive roles is handled. But at this point, running back Vernand Morency was taking the first reps during Thursday's kick return work, with Bodiford getting the second look.

Draft picks Brandon Jackson, David Clowney, James Jones and DeShawn Wynn all took turns as well, as did second-year back P.J. Pope.

Plays of the day
With Collins in position for a possible deflection, Jones neatly snagged a 12-yard curl from Aaron Rodgers. Collins appeared to get a hand on the ball, but Jones snatched it away, spun and took off upfield.

On defense, Bush ran stride-for-stride with Calvin Russell on a sideline route and leaped at the right moment to deflect, then intercept, a pass from Ingle Martin.