Favre homage: on bended, creaky knee

The multi-award winning "All Pro Sports Football Series" ... featuring Brett Favre, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Reggie White, Jack Del Rio, Brent Jones, Jim Lachey, Eric Allen, Rodney Hampton, Jeff Gossett and Jeff Jaeger and Coach Don Shula ... narrated by Emmy Award winning Roy Firestone ... is available at http://www.allprosportsfootball.com and 1 888 79 FOOTBALL ...

the most innovative football ... see http://www.allprosportsfootball.com ... , basketball and automobile racing series ever produced for home entertainment featuring: eleven of the greatest NFL football players and the most successful coach in NFL history; five of the greatest NBA basketball players and one of the most successful coaches in NBA history; and six internationally recognized automobile racing champions ... . sharing their life stories and demonstrating their skills in a very entertaining setting of upbeat music, three dimensional digital graphics and action footage.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-erskine29nov29,1,1615388.column?coll=la-headlines-sports
From the Los Angeles Times
COMMENTARY
Favre homage: on bended, creaky knee
Chris Erskine
Man of the House

November 29, 2007

NBC has "Bionic Woman." The NFL has Brett Favre, the bionic man. Guess which one is having the better season? I don't know what you're eating, Mr. Favre, but pass the candy dish.

You're maybe the last American hero. A postmodern DiMaggio. A Wyatt Earp. You're about 140 years old, with the smile of an 8-year-old and a gun like Zeus.

You do all the things the other superstars don't. You play in that city by the bay, an obscure little place with more chipmunks than people, more deer rifles than cellphones. Up there in northern Wisconsin, you don't ride in limos; they just send over Santa's sleigh.

You're us, which isn't so bad -- at least if you ask us. You're not some natty dude, a blingy gold-toothed Liberace. No three-pointed kerchief in your suit pocket, like the male mannequins back in the Fox studio. No sir. You wear your hair like the 18th green, short and fast. You could comb it with a golf towel.

Yep, we appreciate your sense of style -- the plain gray T-shirts and the faded jeans. You've got that same lovely wife you started with. Your beard's getting a little frosty, the jowls a little puffy, but she's stuck by you, that woman. Through your tough times. And you through hers.

Love your loyalty, love your work. The cynics claimed you were done. "Retire, fool," they said last season. "Put a fork in Favre. His popper has popped."

Turns out they were the fools. They forgot you were part Choctaw, part '56 Chevy. You're having your greatest season yet, playing like a legend. And like a scrub who just appreciates the chance to suit up.

Sure, your wheels don't work like they used to. People forget that you have the same degenerative hip disease that permanently sidelined Bo Jackson. At 38, you can sprint with the kids for about three half-steps, then ... look out ... cruuuuuuunch. Those first steps on a Monday morning must really snap-crackle-pop. Talk about a working stiff. Welcome to the club.

When you're not at work, you're at home, just like the rest of us middle-aged saps. I'll bet she's already nagging you about all the Christmas junk, huh? Brett, can you bring those boxes up from the basement? Brett, how about hanging the outdoor lights on the birch tree? That sort of stuff. Like the rest of us, you don't need a holiday to remind you of your blessings.

Yep, you're us all right, and we couldn't be more thrilled. You don't like to miss work under any condition. It's just the way you were raised. A guy thing. You don't miss work. In almost 300 games, including two Super Bowls, you haven't missed a start. It is the sports stat of our time.

And we certainly don't mind your sense of craft, your safecracker's cool. One moment, you're zinging thunderbolts across the middle. The next you're looping 9-iron shots in the end zone. The laser bomb that beat the Broncos? Boom! Brilliant.

You're what we all hoped to become in the backyards of our youth. You play as if you're hanging with your pals, and the sun is setting and the moms are calling everyone home for supper. Come on, Brett, your buddies say. One more. One more series ...

Blanda. Nicklaus. Aaron. They all played their respective games a long time, gave us old-timers hope. Now you're our time machine, our fountain of goof.

Tonight you'll play the Dallas Cowboys, that little franchise down in Texas that has always given the Packers fits. How great is that, a Cowboys-Packers game that really matters? Lombardi will be watching from his skybox, barking out commands, wondering where the hell Hornung is.

Also cheering will be millions of gimpy guys a little past their prime for whom you've become this year's most compelling sports story. An inspiration. A Perseus in cleats.

So, come on, Brett. One more. One more series ...

chris.erskine@latimes.com

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Favre: Record-setting day vs. Lions 'nothing spectacular'

Favre: Record-setting day vs. Lions 'nothing spectacular'

The multi-award winning "All Pro Sports Football Series" ... featuring Brett Favre, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Reggie White, Jack Del Rio, Brent Jones, Jim Lachey, Eric Allen, Rodney Hampton, Jeff Gossett and Jeff Jaeger and Coach Don Shula ... narrated by Emmy Award winning Roy Firestone ... is available at http://www.allprosportsfootball.com and 1 888 79 FOOTBALL ...

the most innovative football ... see http://www.allprosportsfootball.com ... , basketball and automobile racing series ever produced for home entertainment featuring: eleven of the greatest NFL football players and the most successful coach in NFL history; five of the greatest NBA basketball players and one of the most successful coaches in NBA history; and six internationally recognized automobile racing champions ... . sharing their life stories and demonstrating their skills in a very entertaining setting of upbeat music, three dimensional digital graphics and action footage.

Favre: Record-setting day vs. Lions 'nothing spectacular'

By Larry Lage
The Associated Press November 22, 2007
Brett Favre sported a white T-shirt, carpenter’s pants and a scruffy beard. It was the only time he looked like just another guy on Thanksgiving.

Favre set a Green Bay record with 20 consecutive completions and finished with a season-high 381 yards and three touchdowns in the Packers’ 37-26 victory over the slumping Detroit Lions.

“I threw it. They caught it,” he said simply. “Nothing spectacular.”

Yeah, right.

The three-time MVP put together another sensational performance that made the 38-year-old quarterback look as if he’s back in his prime. Favre’s seventh 300-yard game of the season matched a team mark he set in 1995.

“He’s the greatest ever,” Lions quarterback Jon Kitna said.

Green Bay (10-1) matched its best 11-game record since 1929 and the NFC North leaders have a four-game lead with five games left in the regular season.

The Packers can improve their chances of earning home-field advantage in a week if they win at Dallas.

“One game is not going to define us,” Favre said. “It may have some implications for the playoffs, but we can’t worry about that right now.

“We’re going to enjoy this one today.”

The Lions would love to forget it.

Detroit (6-5) lost its third straight game, making its playoff picture bleak because it would lose wild-card tiebreakers against the New York Giants, Washington, Philadelphia and Arizona.

“We aren’t where we want to be, but we are where we need to be,” Kitna said. “We have to get to 10. Ten gets you in.”

Kitna said before the season he would be disappointed if Detroit didn’t win at least 10 games. Now, the Lions might struggle to finish .500 with tough games left including matchups with Dallas at home and on the road against Green Bay and San Diego.

“There’s no panic in my life,” Detroit coach Rod Marinelli insisted. “This is a tough challenge, but I believe in these players.”

Green Bay overcame a six-point deficit in the first quarter and Favre’s pinpoint passes helped it lead 34-12 early in the fourth.

Just when Detroit looked as if it was going to be routed for the fourth straight time in its marquee game, Kitna connected with Calvin Johnson in the end zone and Kevin Jones scored to pull the Lions within eight.

Green Bay got the ball back with 6:34 left and took time off the clock, setting up Mason Crosby’s third field goal to put the game out of reach with 1:44 to go.

Favre completed 31 of 41 passes, and his streak of 20 straight spanned the first and second halves to surpass the team record of 18 set by Lynn Dickey in 1983 and matched by Don Majkowski in 1989.

At one point, Green Bay called 17 straight pass plays.

“You never think he’s going to miss one,” Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said.

The streak ended when Koren Robinson was just out of bounds on a catch in the end zone.

“We blew it,” Greg Jennings said.

Jennings caught two TD passes and Donald Driver had 10 receptions for 147 yards, enjoying another day that Favre is his quarterback.

“When I came in 1999, he was playing the same way he’s playing now,” Driver said.

Like a kid, Favre was fired up when he saw an available ice cream sandwich on a table after walking away from his news conference.

“Oh yeah,” he said.

The only glaring mistake Favre made came after the first snap when a guard tripped him as he was trying to hand the ball off.

“Maybe I was a little slow coming out, but that’s never happened,” he said with a grin.

Ryan Grant had 101 yards rushing and a score after running for just 7 yards in the first half, helping Green Bay take time off the clock.

Kitna was 19-of-40 for 224 yards with a TD and an interception. Johnson had 83 yards receiving and a score. Jones added 93 yards rushing and a TD.

Too often, the Lions had to settle for field goals and Jason Hanson made each of his four attempts. They drove to the Packers 23 twice and their 32 on their first three drives, but came away with just two field goals.

“We didn’t make plays in the red zone early in the game, and that was the difference,” Kitna said.

The Lions finally played a game on Thanksgiving that meant something, but ended up losing for the fourth straight time to match their worst skid on the holiday in four decades. Under team president Matt Millen, they are 1-6 in the only game each season that the nation can watch on TV and have fallen to 33-33-2 overall.

“I don’t have all the answers, but we have to get better,” Jones said.

Noteworthy

Cornerback Charles Woodson sustained a toe injury on a 34-yard punt return late in the first quarter. He jogged off the field and underwent X-rays. He also did not return.

“It’s not broken, but it hurts,” he said. “It’s my big toe on my right foot. I did the same thing on my other foot once in Oakland.”

Woodson said it was too early to determine his status for Thursday’s game at Dallas.

Defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila sustained an ankle injury in the first half and did not return. He had two tackles, including a sack.

Defensive tackle Colin Cole injured a forearm.

Safety Nick Collins was among the Packers' inactive players because of a knee injury. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Aaron Rouse, who came up with an interception.











 

Favre hits milestone on way to victory. He joins Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for 60,000 yards.

Favre hits milestone on way to victory. He joins Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for 60,000 yards.

The multi-award winning "All Pro Sports Football Series" ... featuring Brett Favre, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Reggie White, Jack Del Rio, Brent Jones, Jim Lachey, Eric Allen, Rodney Hampton, Jeff Gossett and Jeff Jaeger and Coach Don Shula ... narrated by Emmy Award winning Roy Firestone ... is available at http://www.allprosportsfootball.com and 1 888 79 FOOTBALL ...

the most innovative football ... see http://www.allprosportsfootball.com ... , basketball and automobile racing series ever produced for home entertainment featuring: eleven of the greatest NFL football players and the most successful coach in NFL history; five of the greatest NBA basketball players and one of the most successful coaches in NBA history; and six internationally recognized automobile racing champions ... . sharing their life stories and demonstrating their skills in a very entertaining setting of upbeat music, three dimensional digital graphics and action footage.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-packers12nov12,1,3918326.story?coll=la-headlines-sports
From the Los Angeles Times
PACKERS 34, VIKINGS 0
Favre hits milestone on way to victory
He joins Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for 60,000 yards.

November 12, 2007

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Brett Favre passed another milestone and the Green Bay Packers roughed up rookie running back Adrian Peterson in a 34-0 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

Favre joined Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for 60,000 yards, and the Packers (8-1) returned to their short passing game after winning their previous two games on deep passes by Favre.

The Packers led, 27-0, late in the third quarter when Peterson caught a pass from Brooks Bollinger and was tackled low by cornerback Al Harris.

Peterson, whose knee was injured on the play, left the game and did not return.

It was another tough blow for the Vikings (3-6), who had hoped to carry over some momentum from Peterson's NFL-record 296-yard rushing performance in a victory over San Diego the previous Sunday. He finished with 45 yards in 11 carries.

Quoteworthy: "I don't expect to go out there and rush for almost 300 yards every week. You've got your best game one week and your worst game the next." -- Adrian Peterson, Vikings running back

From the Associated Press

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Favre reaches another milestone

Packers 33, Chiefs 22
Favre reaches another milestone
Quarterback throws for 360 yards and now has a victory over each of the other NFL teams.

The multi-award winning "All Pro Sports Football Series" ... featuring Brett Favre, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Reggie White, Jack Del Rio, Brent Jones, Jim Lachey, Eric Allen, Rodney Hampton, Jeff Gossett and Jeff Jaeger and Coach Don Shula ... narrated by Emmy Award winning Roy Firestone ... is available at http://www.allprosportsfootball.com and 1 888 79 FOOTBALL ...

the most innovative football ... see http://www.allprosportsfootball.com ... , basketball and automobile racing series ever produced for home entertainment featuring: eleven of the greatest NFL football players and the most successful coach in NFL history; five of the greatest NBA basketball players and one of the most successful coaches in NBA history; and six internationally recognized automobile racing champions ... . sharing their life stories and demonstrating their skills in a very entertaining setting of upbeat music, three dimensional digital graphics and action footage.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-chiefs5nov05,1,6100595.story?coll=la-headlines-sports
From the Los Angeles Times
Packers 33, Chiefs 22
Favre reaches another milestone
Quarterback throws for 360 yards and now has a victory over each of the other NFL teams.

November 5, 2007

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Brett Favre connected with Greg Jennings on a 60-yard touchdown pass with 3 minutes 5 seconds to go and Green Bay beat Kansas City, 33-22, giving Favre victories over each of the other 31 teams in the NFL.

It's a career milestone that Peyton Manning and Tom Brady achieved the previous week.

The Chiefs (4-4) had taken a 22-16 lead with 5:18 left on Damon Huard's 17-yard pass to Tony Gonzalez and a two-point conversion run by Priest Holmes, who came in when Larry Johnson injured his foot a few minutes earlier.

Jennings, whose 82-yard touchdown catch on the first play of overtime lifted Green Bay (7-1) past Denver six days earlier, went streaking down the middle of the field to help give the Packers their sixth consecutive victory on the road.

Favre threw for 360 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.

Quoteworthy: "They've got a Hall of Fame quarterback. He made the plays when he had to and we didn't." -- Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs tight end

From the Associated Press

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