Green Bay’s Favre Tough as Nails

The kid’s got some Bobby Layne in him. Or some Terry Bradshaw in him. Or maybe a combination of both.” --John Robinson, television commentator

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Since we’re making a list, let’s add John Elway and Troy Aikman.

Brett Favre has started 11 NFL games and already they’re thinking about a wing in the Hall of Fame.

A year ago, he was a third-stringer at Atlanta who specialized in arriving late, leaving early and brawling in bars. All of sudden, he’s the savior of Green Bay, the leader of the Pack, the role-model student-cum-brash and dashing young quarterback.

And what he does to defenses rhymes with his name.

Carve.

It’s not just that this 23-year-old from Southern Mississippi is being compared to some of the game’s best, they’re talking about the finest attributes of the finest. The instincts of Layne. The resilience of Bradshaw. The last-minute magic of Elway. The strength and durability of Aikman.

Favre is the sixth-rated passer (88.2) in the league. He has completed 64.2% of his passes and thrown for 16 touchdowns with just nine interceptions. At one point, he had a string of 111 consecutive passes without an interception. Those are very nice numbers for a quarterback getting his first taste of the NFL, but that’s just a footnote to the story.

Since Favre took over for the injured Don Majkowski in the first quarter on Sept. 20, the Packers are 8-4.

He’s a winner.

Green Bay scored twice in the last eight minutes of that Sept. 20 game--including a 35-yard touchdown pass from Favre to Kitrick Taylor with 13 seconds remaining--to beat Cincinnati, 24-23.

He has poise under pressure.

When Pepper Johnson intercepted one of his passes, Favre hit the Giant linebacker so hard, he fumbled and the Packers recovered.

He’s not one of those run-for-the-sideline quarterbacks.

Philadelphia’s pass rush had claimed another victim--or so everyone thought--when Favre suffered a separated left shoulder during a first-quarter encounter with Reggie White. Favre figured he only needed his throwing arm to play. He returned, completed 23 of 33 for 275 yards and two touchdowns, and the Packers prevailed, 27-24.

He’s as tough as a $5 steak.

In a couple of months, Favre has already compiled an impressive list of legend-like anecdotes.

“It’s only been a short period of time for me, but this is not a fluke,” he said. “I feel like I’m a good quarterback. I’ve proven myself time and time again. Things may have come quicker than anyone anticipated. People probably said, ‘OK, he’s going to be the starter, but he’s not going to have a good year. We expect him to be bad, it’s the learning process of a young quarterback.’

“Well, I’ve never accepted that. I didn’t know how the season would unfold or when I might become the starter, but I always expected I’d do well. I don’t expect to go out and have a halfway decent game just because I’m a rookie quarterback. I don’t live with that.

“And, as far as those comparisons, I would hope one day they’d be comparing young quarterbacks to me.”

Let’s take a closer look at some of the other attributes which will play a role in whether Favre becomes a mispronounced household name or merely the answer to a Packer trivia question.

PUMP IT UP

He gets high marks for physical stature and arm strength.

When a Southern Mississippi receiver was asked how he knew when to turn and catch a 42-yard touchdown pass from Favre, he said, “Easy, I heard the ball the coming.”

And during minicamp last May, a Favre fastball went through receiver Sterling Sharpe’s hands and bounced off his head. “Damn, that boy’s got to slow it down some,” Sharpe said.

At 6 feet 2 and 220 pounds, Favre--without the aid of much weightlifting--is one of the strongest quarterbacks in the game, according to Kent Johnston, the Packers’ strength-and-conditioning coach.

When Favre came to the Packers, he had 16% body fat, well above the 10%-12% that NFL coaches would like to see in a quarterback. Favre has since devoted a part of every day to the treadmill and Stairmaster, even putting in an extra 30-minute aerobic workout before or after a two-hour practice.These days, he’s keen on being lean.

THE WILL TO PREPARE

Favre was selected in the second round of the 1991 draft by Atlanta. He was the 33rd player chosen. He threw only 32 passes in the preseason and was active for only three games during the regular season.

What he liked best about the Falcons was the sound system in the locker room. When it came to a choice between studying and partying, Favre made the same decision as a college freshman who’s spending his first Friday night in the dorms.

“He had a little bit of a wild hair when he first came in here,” Packer Coach Mike Holmgren said. “I tried to impress on him that he had to treat his profession a certain way, and the fact that he was playing quarterback requires a lot from any individual.”

Favre got the message, and now he keeps his nose in the playbook and his eyes on the video monitor.

“In college, things came easy for me and I was never pushed for the starting job,” he said. “I could do what I wanted and still be starter. Then, when I got to Atlanta, I didn’t really know what to expect.

“But when I got traded, I realized I was going to stay a third-string player if I didn’t work harder and study harder to be a more complete quarterback.”

TOUGHNESS, BOTH KINDS

They talk about his mental toughness. They talk about his physical toughness. But where does one stop and the other begin?

On July 14, 1990, Favre lost control of his car on a country road near his home in Kiln, Miss., and it tumbled into a ditch. He spent a week in the hospital after suffering a concussion, internal bleeding and a cracked vertebra. Three weeks later, after persistent abdominal pain, 2 1/2 feet of his intestine were removed.

Less than six weeks later, Favre returned to lead the Golden Eagles to a 27-24 upset of Alabama.

When the media crowded around his locker after the game against Philadelphia, asking how he managed to play with a separated shoulder, Favre said: “After coming back from that car wreck and playing with the pain I had then, this was nothing.”

So Favre--like one of those blow-up clowns that rights itself after every punch in the face--keeps bouncing back. You can knock him down, but he could very well come back to knock you out with some last-minute heroics.

Holmgren, the offensive coordinator for the 49ers the last three years, has trimmed some of his complex game plan to give a young quarterback a fighting chance. And that’s all Favre has ever asked for.

“This offense is perfect for me,” Favre said. “I think Mike has centered a lot around me, but he’s also helped me out by limiting things early in the year.

“He’s coached the best, but he comes here and gets a raw, young quarterback who hasn’t played in this league before. He realizes I have a long way to go, but he’s been very patient with me.”

Holmgren, who came to Green Bay with the notion that Majkowski was the present and Favre the future, is clearly pleased that the future is now. The Packers have won five games in a row and have a shot at their first playoff appearance since the strike-shortened 1982 season.

“We’re getting some outstanding play from a young quarterback and that usually doesn’t happen in this league,” Holmgren said. “He’s really done an outstanding job. Certainly, he has exceeded my expectations. He’s had to learn a lot very quickly and, I don’t want to compliment him too much, but he’s really had an excellent year.”

Favre has gone from toasting his buddies in Atlanta bars to being the toast of Green Bay so fast, it’s hard for him to believe.

“Last year at this time, things didn’t look good at all, and now I’m the starting quarterback of a playoff-caliber team,” he said. “It’s all turned around so quickly. I really haven’t had time to sit down and think about it. Over the off-season, it’ll probably sink in. Right now, I’m just going with it. We’re winning, we’re having fun and I’m a part of it.”

Who knows? Maybe the Pack is back, and Favre will carve a niche in NFL history.