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An afternoon with Brett Favre
Week 15 Awards | Factoid
... Click here to send a question to Peter King's NFL Mailbag. GREEN BAY, Wisc. -- Packers players' lounge, 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Brett Favre fetching a Gatorade from the cooler. "Fifteen questions," I say. "Fifteen minutes." "Fine," he says. "I can hit some golf balls while we talk." And so we head over to the Don Hutson Center across the street from the stadium. Favre drops 70 balls on the AstroTurf, pulls out his 60-degree lob wedge and doesn't wait for the first question. "Love this," he said. "I'm so into golf. Not being able to play this time of year drives me crazy. So I come in here and hit balls." 1. Why golf?
Favre: "Because no one's conquered it, ever. The same club you hit perfect one day you'll shank 'em with the next. Every club's a challenge. Every shot's a challenge. That's why Tiger Woods is so great. He hits so many different shots so masterfully. He's like Deion Sanders and Randy Moss -- he's ahead of his time, and everyone's gonna have to work to catch up." 2. What's your best day in golf? Favre: "Last Easter weekend in Biloxi, Miss. Shot a 66. Broadwater Golf Course, playing with a bunch of guys. Now, I'm not that good. I'm the type of guy who can shoot a 71 one day, an 80 the next. But that day was perfect." 3. You play a lot, right? Favre: "I joined Oneida [Country Club] last year and was there so much I got to be like Norm from Cheers. You know, he walks in the place and everybody says, 'Norm!' That's how much I'm at Oneida. And I'll put on the Golf Channel at 2 o'clock in the morning and maybe pick up a tip on how to hit a wedge." 4. And now you're into hunting? Favre: "I love hunting. Tell you a story. Before the Monday night game against the Vikings a few weeks ago, we practiced Sunday morning. Beautiful day. About 60, sunny. Everybody in town must have had the same thought I did -- maybe this is the last good golf day of the year -- and so Oneida was jammed. It played so slow I only made nine holes. Wasn't much fun, going so slow. We had to be at the hotel for meetings at 7 o'clock, so I decided to hunt for a couple of hours. I've got a tree stand about 45 minutes from here. I got in it about 3:45. I had a bow with me. Within 10 minutes, a beautiful eight-point buck came right underneath me. I hit it right in the back. It ran off, and I waited a minute, then I found it, laying up against a tree. I dragged it out of the woods and put it in the truck. Blood all over the back of the truck. And I got to the hotel right on time. I'm a mess. People wonder what's happened to me. I'm like: 'It's been a great day. Touchdown passes at practice this morning, golf in the afternoon, and an eight-point buck a couple hours ago. How was your day?'" 5. Have golf and hunting taken the place of your old vices? Favre: "Even if I wanted to party -- and I don't -- when would I squeeze it in?" 6. Who should be president? Favre: "That's one question I ain't got a clue about. Democrat, Republican, who gives a crap? We should all be thankful to live in America." 7. What's your favorite TV show? Favre: "I don't remember the last time I watched prime-time TV. I watch The Learning Channel, the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and on Friday, Saturday and Sunday I watch National Geographic on CNBC. I like Boyd Matson. Now, you asked me about the damn presidential crap in Florida, that's been preempting my National Geographic show. That pisses me off. The other day, I saw a real good show called The Kingdom of the Snake. [My wife] Deanna said, 'I'm not watching a show on snakes.' I said, 'Well, I'll go in the other room, then.'" 8. Why are you such a good player when it's cold? (The Packers, with Favre quarterbacking, ran their record to 26-0 Sunday when it's 34° or colder.) Favre: "Hey, I get cold, too. I freeze my rear end off. But I always think, 'If it's going to be cold, the receivers' hands are gonna be cold. Maybe I'll take a little something off the ball, make it a little more catchable.' I concentrate more. I'm more into it mentally. But I think it's also because I don't let it bug me. The other night, we've got two or three inches of snow on the driveway. I go out to shovel in shorts and clogs. I'm out there for two hours. I guess I could pay somebody to do that, couldn't I? Deanna at one point calls out to me, 'You probably ought to put some pants on.' Probably. I'm too lazy. Anyway, if you're gonna get adjusted to this weather, you've got to brave it." 9. What's your best prank of the year? Favre: "Had to be when I pulled down [special-teams coach] Frank Novak's pants after practice one day. Classic. Every day somebody breaks us down after practice, you know, finishes off practice by saying something. So this day I say, 'Frank, break us down!' And he loves that. He gets so fired up. So we're getting ready to say, 'One-two-three, TEAM!' and I pull Frank's pants down, right to his ankles. He's butt naked. He's just shocked. Everybody's whacking him on the rear end, and he's staring at me. Can't believe it." 10. Last movie you saw? Favre: Men of Honor. Robert DeNiro and Cuba Gooding Jr. Great movie. They both deserve a damn Oscar." 11. How's it having a baby daughter, Breleigh? Favre: "She's 17 months now. She's the greatest. Walked at 11 months. Talking now. And anything with Packers stuff on it, that's Da-Da. She saw Vonnie Holliday on TV and says: 'Da-Da.' We drove by Lambeau Field the other day and she saw the stadium and said, 'Da-Da.'" 12. What's on the CD player in your car? Favre: "Tim McGraw. 'Everything I Want,' I think. We're friends. We've got a lot in common. Both from down south, both have to pinch our damn selves to believe how lucky we are." 13. Why is there green writing on your underwear? Favre: "Damn Hasselbeck and Wuerffel. [Matt, the backup quarterback, and Danny, No. 3.] I come in one day and they've autographed my underwear. One cheek's got 'With love, Matt Hasselbeck.' The other's got, 'All the best, Danny Wuerffel.' Still I wear 'em all the time. One of my best pair. One of my only pair. Bottom line is, the more money I get, the worse I dress. Money's not too big a thing with me. I don't even have an ATM card." 14. Greatest pass of your life? Favre: "Has to be the [1993] playoff game at Detroit, rolling left and throwing that bomb to Sterling Sharpe [with 55 seconds remaining in what became a 28-24 win]. He lined up on the wrong side, you know. After the game, Mike [Holmgren] said, 'I don't know how you found him. I'm just glad you did.'" 15. You want to finish your career here? Favre: "Definitely. If in two years, say, they want to trade me, I'd probably walk away. Retire." FIVE BONUS QUESTIONS BECAUSE HE'S SO DARN TALKATIVE. Bonus 1. Who gets your Heisman vote? Favre: "Probably Weinke. Age means nothing. That TCU back [LaDainian Tomlinson] would be second. He's amazing." Bonus 2: Who's the NFL MVP? Favre: "Carnell Lake." Inside joke. In 1997, when Favre tied Barry Sanders for his third MVP, I cast a controversial vote for Lake, who'd shuttled between corner and safety and played both at an all-pro level for Pittsburgh. Favre, though he's truly not mad about it, will never let me forget it. Bonus 3: You still love it? Favre: "I do. This is a fun year. People say, 'Don't you get frustrated, not being as good as a team as you were?' Hey, I've been at the top, and I can still play with anybody. But teams can't stay at the top in the NFL today. We'll be back. And in order to enjoy the highs, you've got to experience the lows. I truly believe that. And so it might be easy to get down at times, being 6-7. But I won't get frustrated. They pay me to handle things. If I don't handle things, all hell breaks loose. It's the biggest challenge I've had, helping this team turn it around." Bonus 4: And when you retire? Favre: "I'll be down in Hattiesburg. You'll never find me. You know the HBO 'Where are They Now?' segments on Inside the NFL? They'll do one on me, but they'll have to get Robert Stack, like on Unsolved Mysteries. I'll disappear." Bonus 5: You've thrown 251 touchdown passes. Marino's retired with 420. You're 31. Will you play long enough to catch him? Favre: "Who cares? Doesn't matter." Fifteen minutes became two hours. That's how it usually is with Favre. Week 15 AwardsOFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Philadelphia QB Donovan McNabb, whose four touchdown passes and 390 passing yards beat the Browns 35-24 and clinched a playoff berth for the Eagles. The man is playing with an offense tied behind his back, and look what he's done. DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: St. Louis CB Dexter McCleon. I want to be president of the Dexter McCleon Fan Club. Every time I looked up at the TV Sunday night, there was McClingon -- that should be his name -- Saran-Wrapping himself to Cris Carter or Randy Moss with a five-tackle performance in the Rams' 40-29 win. What he lacks in flat-out speed he makes up for with a Lester Hayes -like pestiness. SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Green Bay CB/KR/PR Allen Rossum. The Packers must play field-position football to win because offensive weapons and defensive impact players are lacking. Rossum, an August steal from Philadelphia by Pack GM Ron Wolf, handed Green Bay great field position by returning the opening kickoff 60 yards against the Lions; a field goal ensued. He returned the first punt of the game 16 yards; a field goal ensued. He returned his first kickoff of the second half 28 yards to the Pack 39, and though it didn't lead to a score, it led to a major field-position shift. COACH OF THE WEEK: St. Louis defensive coordinator Bud Carson. In the two games he has controlled the defensive play-calling, the Rams have held the Panthers to 16 points and 236 yards, and the Vikings to 29 points (eight late ones, playing the prevent) and 312 yards. Carson is a quiet gentleman who teaches his troops to be rabid dogs. HUMANITARIAN OF THE WEEK: Giants CB Jason Sehorn, for following in the footsteps of Tampa Bay's Warrick Dunn and making the $5,000 down payment on a first home for a single Newark, N.J., mother and her three children, and for totally furnishing the home. Factoid of the Week That May Interest Only MeTo keep the turf at Lambeau Field unfrozen, 34 miles of plastic tubing lays 12 inches underneath the surface. Anti-freeze is continually flushed through it. The 10 Things I Think I Think1. I think the Terry Robiskie Era lasted about six days. 2. I think you should know this: Ryan Leaf has 31 career interceptions, 10 career touchdowns. And Jimmy Johnson -- now a Chargers consultant, which I reported on the CNN's NFL Preview Sunday morning -- will recommend to Chargers president Dean Spanos he find a new quarterback. 3. I think I learned much about the Jaguars' future the other day. I sat on a couch in the Jags locker room and looked quarterback Mark Brunell in the eye. I said, "What's your relationship with Tom Coughlin really like?" He said, "I've heard for two years how I don't get along with Tom. False. In all honesty, there's no rift. Great coach. Quality guy. I respect him. If there's anyone responsible for our success, it's him. I've heard how I'm supposed to fight with him. I've never had an argument with Tom." Buddy of Brunell's tells me later, "True, mostly. Coughlin's very tough on him, but Mark can take Coughlin's crap. The question is, can the rest of the guys on the team take it?" Brunell, by the way, will sign long-term with Jacksonville. 4a. I think Brad Johnson's one of my favorite guys in the league. But he was all wet when he said last week that the Redskins' decision to play Jeff George against the Cowboys on Sunday was made by owner Daniel Snyder. His exact words were: "I think that decision's made from up top ... I think it's obvious." Wrong. That decision was made by Norv Turner in the minutes after the game, without consultation with Snyder. Robiskie simply agreed with Turner -- as he should have -- that the best man to play quarterback in this game was George, not the recently ineffective Johnson. My point: There are plenty of reasons to pile on Snyder, but let's not blame him for things he had nothing to do with. The Redskins, by the way, actually thought of waiving Johnson this week because of his comments, but cooler heads prevailed. If George goes down sometime in the next three weeks with a playoff spot still possible, Todd Husak isn't exactly playoff-ready. b. I think America is sick of reading about Snyder. c. I think this is why I like Johnson's teammate, rookie tackle Chris Samuels: Samuels has had an excellent rookie season, but success and his $10 million rookie signing bonus haven't changed him much as a person. After moving into a new home in Virginia recently, he was offered an electrical feature that would allow him to turn off lights, his stereo and TV with switches by his bedside. Cost of wiring and installation: $1,200. Samuels said no. "Are you kidding?" he said. "I can get up and turn my lights off by myself." d. I think I can't quite call the Redskins a bunch of canines, because I didn't watch their debacle in Dallas. But Robiskie ought to hang leashes in the lockers at Redskin Park today. Cheap shot? Well, if the choke chain fits ... 5. I think NFL officials could speed up the replay process a bit. The league says the review will take 90 seconds, max, but from the time Detroit head coach Gary Moeller threw the beanbag signifying his call for a review in the third quarter Sunday at Lambeau to the time the ball was next snapped, three minutes and 39 seconds elapsed -- for a play that wasn't overturned. Maybe it's because the Bob McElwees of the world don't move like they used to. Whatever, nearly four minutes wall-to-wall for a replay is simply too long. 6. I think this was my line of the week from new Redskins vice president of football operations (and I use those words loosely) Pepper "I Swear I'm Not Lying About My Age" Rodgers, asked how effective an interim coach can really be: "Well, look at Detroit. Bobby Ross leaves and they seem to be doing just fine with Bill Mallory." Pep, hang in there. And find some ginkgo biloba. Immediately. 7. I think these non-football thoughts: a. Montclair High Field Hockey Video Note of the Week: One of my NFL scouting contacts, a veteran of the road, asked the other day how he could get a copy of the MHS highlight video. The great piece of film production, all nine minutes of it, was a highlight of our banquet. "Instead of that cheesy Yankees video when I renew my subscription to the magazine," he said, "could I have a choice of the Montclair Field Hockey video or a Montclair High Field Hockey fleece?" I think he's onto something. b. Coffeenerdness: Good effort on the egg nog latte, Seattle Grounds. (That's the espresso place in Green Bay.) c. The Lions have a defensive back named Kywin Supernaw. That's a little bit like the former attorney for Jerry Jones, Barry Switzer and Larry Lacewell in Dallas: Larry Derryberry. d. When Dark Angel promos come on press box TVs during FOX games, every male eye turns to Jessica Alba and a hush falls over the crowd. "I vote for her for offensive rookie of the year," one press box wag said Sunday. 8. I think one of the funniest things I've seen this year -- or in any year -- came on the Internet the other day. I'd heard about the anti- Cade McNown site, tradecade.com, and looked it up. While these may be bad times for the Bears, they are clever times for their fans. Disgruntled Bears followers have created the site, asking fans to sign a petition demanding the ouster of the disappointing second-year quarterback. "In 1985, the Bears went to the Super Bowl with Jim McMahon, the Punky QB," the site blares. "In 2000 they're in the Toilet Bowl with Cade McNown, the Whiny QB." The front page of the site has a photo of McNown getting jerked off the site repeatedly, like a bad actor on a Vaudeville stage. Hilarious. 9. I think if that midfield Raiders logo at the Coliseum were any bigger, Rhode Island would fit in it. 10. I think these American experiences come closest to the feel and tradition of a December game at the Frozen Tundra: a. Early innings of a midsummer night game in the first-base boxes at Fenway Park, with the Green Monster the background for every dusky pitch. b. Walking the University of Michigan campus on a fall football Saturday morning, just after 9 o'clock. c. Wrigley Field, with a cold one, on a July afternoon, with a view of the ivy. But not in the bleachers, because it's too drunken. d. Walking the trails at Bryce Canyon in Utah, which should be a requirement for every citizen of the United States. Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King covers the NFL and appears
regularly on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN's NFL Preview. Click here to send a
question to his NFL Mailbag.
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